Page 17 of Unleashing Chaos

Jace moves like he’s on autopilot and set to kill mode. In several long strides, he’s in Patrick’s space. He grips the front of his shirt and pulls him up until they are face to face. With eyes full of fear, Patrick struggles for his footing.

In a voice that would put any movie villain to shame, Jace says, “Fucking funny, bro. I heard you have a problem with words like no and stop. I suggest that in the future you respect someone’s decision when they come to their senses about you and go fuck yourself instead.”

Hades help me, but seeing Jace like this makes me view him in an entirely different light. He is beyond sexy right now; there is no way I could pretend to ignore it even if I wanted to try. I’ve never had anyone defend me like this before, and I won’t be forgetting the feeling anytime soon.

“Desi, do you have anything you want to say to this tool?”

I step closer to Jace and look Patrick in the eye. I’m no longer scared of him. Jace has reduced him to a shaking, blubbering mess in a matter of seconds, and I see how weak he really is. This is a sorry excuse for a human.

“Yeah. When someone tells you no, you listen. Regardless of what they’re wearing. And also, slut shaming is so last century,” I spit.

Jace looks at me over his shoulder, his lips in a tight line as he fights back a smile. He gives a slight tip of his chin that says you did good and turns back to Patrick. “Tell the lady you’re sorry for disrespecting her not once but twice tonight.”

Patrick vehemently nods. It’s clear he wants to get away from Jace. “Sorry for disrespecting you, ma’am.”

Jace lets him go with a shove and grabs my hand. Without a word, he leads me to his BMW and opens the door for me. I remain quiet as he climbs in on his side and shuts his door. As soon as we’re alone, he grips the steering wheel and drops his head to the center of it. I watch as his back expands with a deep breath and slowly deflates several times. Every muscle of his upper body is coiled tight, from his biceps to the cords running down his neck. With a final loud exhale, he sits up and turns on the ignition.

The car remains silent, nothing but the purr of the engine as he pulls out of the parking lot. His grip on the steering wheel doesn’t let up, and not once does he take his eyes off the road. I’m starting to believe we’re going to sit in awkward silence and never address everything that just happened when he finally says, “I know you’re eager to meet people, but you’ve got to do a little research about the places you’re going. Ask me or Meredith before you go to bars or clubs. Either of us can let you know if you’ll be safe there, okay?”

I glance at him from the corner of my eye. He’s not trying to lecture me like he was the other night; it’s clear from his actions tonight that he was truly worried about me. “I will,” I say quietly, and after a minute, I add in a whisper, “I didn’t do that, by the way.”

“Didn’t do what?”

“‘Grind up on his dick,’ or whatever it was he said. I didn’t do that. I didn’t make him think it was okay to grope me like he did.”

“It doesn’t matter what you did or didn’t do. He should have asked or waited for you to tell him you wanted his touch beyond dancing.” His gaze leaves the road for a split second as he gives me a once-over. “Are you all right? He didn’t hurt you, did he?”

“No, not really. He, uh, shoved his leg between my thighs and slid his hands under my shirt. Then when I tried to walk away, he grabbed my wrist and wouldn’t let go before getting in my face and yelling at me. But he didn’t really hurt me.”

“Good. I wouldn’t want to have to turn the car around and kick his ass.”

My eyes widen. “What?”

“I scared the hell out of him for what he did, and the only reason I didn’t beat the shit out of him right then and there is because you didn’t want me confronting him in the first place. But if he injured you . . . game over. I won’t stand for a man hurting a woman.”

Of course he’d do that for anyone who was being harmed. Any decent human would. Jace is a decent human. It’s not just about me.

I shake my head to clear my ridiculous fantasy. The delusion of having my “who hurt you?” moment with my grumpy roommate is destroyed. “Right. Well, I won’t be doing that again, so you don’t have to worry.”

“You really need to take a friend with you out to bars. Someone to watch your drink and ward off any assholes. That’s like woman survival 101. Where have you been living that you managed to miss out on the dating basics?”

It’s right now that I realize I haven’t shared anything about my situation with Jace. Each time the conversation about dating turned serious, Jace abandoned ship, and I was left with Cannon. I don’t want to lie to Jace, not when he’s here and actually asking me questions. I tell him the closest version of the truth I can.

“I didn’t need ‘dating basics.’ Back home it was a big ordeal to date me because of how intimidating my father is. My first date was the practice trip to the bar with Cannon the other night.”

The large touch screen in the dash casts a dim glow on Jace’s face, highlighting the tight line of his lips. The tick in his jaw has calmed but his body is still stiff. I brush my fingertips over the edge of the soft leather seat to distract myself from my embarrassment.

Jace’s voice is a low timbre as he asks, “I don’t understand. Guys date girls with intimidating dads all the time and get over it. What’s so different about yours?”

“It’s a long story. Do you really want to hear it?”

“I asked, didn’t I?”

“Fair enough.” I let out a breath and tell him everything I told Cannon the other night.

His brows furrow and the streetlights draw dark shadows around his mouth and eyes. “Your father is making you find a husband?”

“A partner. They can be platonic, but I must take over my share of his business one day soon, and to do so, I must have someone I can always rely on. My brothers had to do the same. But I don’t want to simply have a platonic partner by my side. I want that partner to be someone I love . . . and there was no one in my hometown who interested me, so I came here. That’s why it’s so important that I make some progress in the next couple of months. I don’t have to be in love yet or propose to someone, but I need to show him I’m trying. And right now, I’m no closer than I was when I got here.”

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