Page 53 of Stolen Fate

“Are you interested in him? Simon.”

He said Simon’s name like it was a dirty word. I didn’t like the arrogance on him in that moment. Anger moved up my spine, and I straightened my posture to take him in with a careless tilt of my head.

“What does that have to do with you?”

“It’s a simple question, Evelyn. Why don’t you just answer it?”

I let out a humorless laugh and crossed my arms over my chest. “That is none of your business.”

“Isn’t it? You’re taking care of my son. I need to know you can do it without getting stuck inside your head. Any mistakes you make, Elliot could end up paying for them.”

I crossed the kitchen to move in closer to him, my temper controlling my words and action.

“I take care of Elliot just fine. My personal life won’t touch him, so you don’t have to worry about that.”

I tapped a finger on his chest, and he stared down at the movement like he was staring at an annoying little fly. Then he took a step toward me, his eyes flashing dangerously with determination, and perhaps even a little lust… for me? I had no choice but to move back, because he was going to crowd my space and I didn’t need that. I needed to think straight with him around or I would let him walk all over me.

But Jace followed me until I backed into a wall. He placed both arms on the wall on either side of my head, and I had to tilt my head back to look him in the eyes.

Eyes I had expected to be cold were a shockingly scorching blue, leaving me breathless. “What do you want, Jace?”

I didn’t want to let my guard down like this. Not since I started working for him. But he let his down, too, and I didn’t see Jace Reed, my employer, anymore.

I saw the Jace that had me underneath him. I saw the Jace that had kissed the scar on my abdomen with so much care that I was left gasping for breath.

“What do I want?” he asked softly, bringing his fingers up to the side of my face, moving them up and down, from my temple to my jawline and back to my temple. I fought the urge to close my eyes and give into his touch.

Don’t close your eyes…

I closed my eyes, and Jace cupped my cheek. I burrowed in, closer to his touch, savoring the feeling of him.

How could I have missed someone I didn’t know?

But I had missed him—the Jace from that night. The sweet, tender man who treated me with care, and the passionate lover, who knew just how to play with my body.

“What do you want, Evelyn?” Jace asked again. I opened my mouth, but I wasn’t sure what to say. “What do you want from me?”

I shook my head. The deep timbre of his voice almost sounded like desperation. But a man like Jace wasn’t desperate for anyone… least of all, for me.

I heard rustling noise from the living room, then Elliot’s voice calling out to his dad and me.

My eyes sprang open and I pushed Jace away. I ducked out from under his arms, but I could still see the blue heat in his eyes leaving a trail of fire on my skin the longer he looked at me.

I moved away just in time for Elliot to sweep into the room, a wide smile on his face. “Evelyn, look. I won!” he said proudly, showing me the phone in his hand.

It looked like some sort of game. “Congratulations, sweetie. You must have worked very hard for that,” I said, and I liked how he practically glowed from my praise.

He wrapped his arms around my waist, his smiling face was the last thing I saw before he buried his face into my stomach. I grabbed the phone out of his hand before he could drop it and moved my fingers through his long hair.

Elliot was due for a haircut soon. I thought I might take him to get one on Saturday.

Feeling eyes on me once more, I looked up, my gaze connecting with Jace. He didn’t look so hard or cold anymore, nor did he look desperate or filled with heat. Any of the feelings he may have had toward me before were gone, and in their place was a look of… well, I didn’t know what, and I didn’t have the energy to decipher it, so instead I asked Elliott if he was hungry.

He moved away from me. “Yes, but can we eat outside? Like a picnic? Daddy can come too.”

He added the last part and moved to Jace, his hands already clasped together, getting into begging mode.

I looked down and restrained my smile before I said, “It’s a little cold outside for a picnic, don’t you think?”

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