Page 77 of The Companion Love Trap

“Definitely Buns,” Everly said.

“Only because you refuse to let us,” I pointed out.

Everly shrugged, but her smile was clear as day. She liked fighting us. The outdoor lights blinked on as the sky turned darker, the sun finally setting. Twinkle lights were lit all over, giving the pool an ethereal feel. This was what I lived for. Quiet moments where we existed together.

“Where’s Jace?” I asked, missing the other part of my heart.

“He’s in his studio. He’s got a big shoot coming up and was testing out things. He’s been in there forever, though. If I had to guess, he’s hyper-fixated and has lost track of time,” Everly said.

“I should go check on him,” Kieran said, frowning as he sat up on the float.

“I got it.” I waved him off and pulled my feet out of the water. I hopped up and dried them off.

“Tell him to come swim!” Everly shouted at my back. I waved over my shoulder that I’d heard and headed down the hall.

Music thumped deep in the house, growing louder as I approached his studio. The door was open, and as Everly suspected, Jace was lost in his work.

He flitted back and forth from the camera to the backdrop, where he would snap the remote, rush back to see it, tweak a few things, and then run back to the center and snap more pictures.

I braced my arms at the top of the door frame and watched him. He was so focused that he didn’t even notice my presence.

“Meu Dengo,” I called.

Jace jumped, spinning around to face me. He clutched his heart, his chest heaving as he stared at me. I lifted a brow, not saying anything.

“Fuck me. Sometimes I’m not sure how you’re real,” he said.

“Excuse me?” I laughed.

Jace waved his hand in front of him, scanning the length of my body. I glanced down. I’d taken my shirt off at the pool, so I only had on a pair of shorts. My skin was bronzed, and my tattoos were on display. I’d gotten my chest waxed last week, so there weren’t any weird hairs poking out, nor did I have anything on me. Frowning, I lifted my head.

“I still don’t understand.”

He sighed like I was physically hurting him. Chuckling, I flexed my arms, getting a sick enjoyment out of his torture.

“Seriously?” he groaned. He stalked over to me. “Do you know how much of a wet dream you are? I’ve been working with models to pull off your effortless swagger, and they never nail it right. You waltz in here and exude it without trying. I can’t with you. Not today.”

I dropped my arms, placing my palms on his shoulders. “Meu Dengo, you sound stressed.”

“You think?” He laughed, his pitch hitting decibels only Buns could hear. I squeezed him, moving my hands up to cup his face.

“Breathe, Meu Dengo.”

Jace narrowed his eyes and opened his mouth to no doubt argue with me.

Time to initiate drastic measures.

Bending down, I covered his open mouth with my own and stole his breath. My tongue plunged in, stunning him speechless. It took him a few seconds to respond, his hands gripping my hips as I continued to kiss him senseless.

His shoulders relaxed, his body becoming putty in my hands as he sank into the kiss. Drawing back, I pecked kisses along his jaw and sucked on the spot below his ear. Jace sighed, his nails digging into me, but he no longer fought me.

“What did I tell you to do, Meu Dengo?” I asked, my lips brushing against his ear.

“Breathe,” he whispered.

“And what did you do?”

“Argued.”

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