Page 69 of Unleashing Chaos

“Ha! You’re funny.” I stand, and as soon as he places the dishes in the sink, I snap my fingers, washing and putting them away. He pivots around with a smile. I close the distance between us and push him gently against the edge of the counter. Running my finger down the center of his chest, I say, “What can I do to thank you for planning such a nice day for us tomorrow? I feel like I need to show you my appreciation.” My fingers drift to his waistband and trace over his belt buckle.

He slides his fingers around the back of my neck and pulls me close, my lips a breath away from his. “I can think of a few things, but they’re going to have to wait. Edmonds got the proposal and he has a couple questions for me. Can I take a rain check?”

Disappointment blooms in my chest, but I push it down. “Sure. Just come wake me up tomorrow when you want to go, okay?” I back off and walk to the stairs.

“Hey!” Jace jogs after me and grabs my wrist. He pulls me against him and lowers his lips to mine. The kiss isn’t as heated as the other night, but it is sweet and feels just as good. I’m questioning if Jace Wilder is bad at anything.

With a final peck, he pulls away and says, “Thanks for everything you said. You didn’t have to get upset about Hannah and my mother, but it was nice to know you were.”

Any disappointment I felt a few moments ago is long gone with that kiss and those words. “You’re welcome. But, yeah, I did have to get upset. They did you dirty, and you didn’t deserve it. No one deserves such a dick move, but especially not you, Jace. You’re a good person. The best I’ve ever met. Human or demon.”

“I can say the same for you, Desideria.” He kisses me on the forehead and disappears down the hallway leading to his office.

Twenty-one

DESI

Something slips out of my fingers before warm knuckles caress my cheek. A low, sexy voice breathes against my ear. “Hey, we got to get ready if you still want to sled.”

My eyes flutter open and I look around my room. Jace sits next to my hip, wearing a gray long-sleeved shirt and a beanie on his head. My gaze lands on his black joggers, then follow his legs down to his running shoes. He flips over the book I fell asleep reading and reads the description. “A haunted hotel and two brooding, handsome twin brother spirits. What more could a girl want?”

My face flushes and I snatch the book from his hand and fling it over to the other side of the bed. “You are nosy,” I say in a gravelly voice. My eyes run over his form one more time. “Besides, you totally left me hanging last night. I had to take the edge off somehow.” My tone is teasing, but the wink I give him is less silly than it is seductive.

“I’ll make that up to you today with some cold weather and hot cocoa, but you have to get moving.” He places a soft kiss on my lips and stands. “And you wouldn’t be so grouchy if you hadn’t stayed up late reading about beefy twins getting frisky with a hotel owner.”

I grab a pillow from behind me and throw it at him, but he’s too quick, slipping out the door before it reaches him.

With a whiny groan, I roll out of bed and jump in the shower. I twist my curls into two long braids that fall over my shoulders before digging through my closet to find a pair of thick ski pants that Glen insisted I buy when I decided to stay in Denver. Before I put them on, I layer them with a one-piece set of long underwear. I add a parka, waterproof boots, gloves, and a scarf. A quick look in the mirror reveals that I bear an uncanny resemblance to an egg.

“I’m ready,” I announce, tugging a green stocking cap onto my head as I waddle into the kitchen under all my layers.

Jace is leaning against the island with a bottle of water in his hands. He unscrews the top and brings the bottle to his mouth. “You look . . . warm,” he says, covering his smile by taking a sip.

He has added a jacket to his athletic ensemble and changed into snow boots. The fingers of a black glove hang out of his pocket. He doesn’t look that different from when he goes running in the morning.

“Is it too much?” I ask, looking down at myself and gesturing to my pants and parka. “Should I ditch the snow pants?”

He sets down his drink and walks over to me. Helping me out of my jacket, he says, “We’ll be in the car or moving, you won’t get that cold. Did you get some fleece-lined leggings?” I nod and he continues, “Those will be better for this trip. The snow is solid where we’re going, and it’s a clear day. I promise we won’t be in a blizzard.”

Jace kneels before me to remove my boots and reaches for the waist of the bulky pants. He pulls them down and chuckles at the thermal onesie. Reaching around me, he feels for something just above my ass. When he comes up empty, he laughs. “At least you didn’t get the kind with the drop seat in the pants.”

I cock my head to the side and look down at him. “Ha-ha. You’re hilarious. In case you didn’t notice, we don’t exactly have snow in Infernis, so I was just going by what I’ve seen in the human movies I’ve watched. Apparently, they’re a little extra when it comes to wardrobe,” I say as he gives the globes of my ass a playful swat. “I—” My words catch in my throat as he stands in front of me and traces the top button on the long johns before making his way down the center of my chest.

“The truth about everything is less is more.” He pulls the fabric off my shoulder and kisses the exposed skin. “And the same goes for snow gear. If you wear too much, you sweat.” The top of the onesie falls away, leaving me shirtless from the waist up. “Sweat cools the body. And when it’s cold outside, the last thing you want is moisture eventually freezing.” He cups my breasts, pulls down the thin fabric of my bralette, and lifts a peak to his mouth. After lapping at the now-hardened nipple, he says, “But there are other activities where sweat is very appropriate.”

I gasp and lift my hand, gripping the back of his neck. “Oh, how fascinating,” I manage as he kneels and slides the onesie a little farther down, exposing my lower abdomen and the black thong I chose this morning in the hopes he’d end up seeing it. “And what activities would those be?” I brace myself with a hand on his shoulder as he helps me step out of the garment that was already damp in places that would likely have been uncomfortable for the rest of the day.

He draws a wet trail with his tongue that starts at the waist of my panties and swirls around my navel. “The kind that will make us miss out on sledding.”

I bite my lip and fight a battle in my head. I’ve never been sledding before, and doing that with Jace sounds like a lot of fun. On the other hand, his tongue on my skin is too tempting to resist. But he planned this day for us, and I don’t want to derail it. There will be time for this later.

“Okay, okay,” I say, tugging on his hair. “No more licking. Let me go get dressed.”

“No more licking.” He kisses the lace covering my center and stands. “Hurry before I change my mind.”

I run up the stairs and tear through my clothes. I find my winter leggings and put on a tight long-sleeved shirt. Grabbing a puffer jacket, I return to the kitchen.

“Better?” I ask, holding out my arms and spinning around.

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