Page 71 of Unleashing Chaos

“Shut up,” I mumble. “I’m not perfect and you know it.”

“Obviously. You get grouchy after staying up late reading sexy ghost books,” he says with a snicker as he pulls onto the crude road.

I shoot him a glare and cross my arms over my chest. “And don’t forget I’m hungry, so that probably isn’t helping matters.”

“So, you get cranky from not enough sleep and not enough food,” he teases. “Maybe you aren’t so perfect after all.”

“Oh? Tell me, what else is wrong with me?” I ask, turning in my seat and giving him a smirk.

“You won’t sled down a hill by yourself. You put the cups away upside down. You’re known for sneaking into other people’s tubs and taking a bath without permission. You’re a bold exhibitionist who lures good boys down to hell to meet your demon family. And you thought I could help you find an eternal partner?”

The twinkle in his gray eyes tells me he’s teasing, so I fire back at him. “Okay, first of all, in Infernis, there is no such thing as sledding, so I was a little scared, I can admit it. Second, I already explained why I put the cups away upside down at least fifty times. It makes perfect sense. Third, you’re the only man whose bathtub I’ve ever snuck into, thank you very much. And as far as boys I’ve lured . . .” I slide my hand onto his leg and up his thigh until my fingers are nearly brushing the center of his pants. “Last I checked, I’ve only lured one boy anywhere, and that, sir, was you.”

“Desideria.” My name is a breathy warning on his tongue. He pulls my hand away and brings my knuckles to his lips, kissing them before placing my hand in my lap. “You don’t know how flattered I am that you can’t keep your hands off me, but the car isn’t exactly my safe space.”

I gasp and cover my mouth with my palm, turning so I can see his face. “Oh, Jace. I’m so sorry. I didn’t even think of that.” Swiveling in my seat, I press my forehead to the leather and pound it gently in a repetitive motion. “Stupid, stupid, stupid,” I mutter, closing my eyes.

His hands remain on the wheel, but he glances at me from the corner of his eye for a split second. “Hey, don’t do that. I’m not upset with you. But I do need you to turn around in your seat, so I know you’re safe. I wouldn’t fare too well if anything ever happened to you.”

I can’t argue with that, so I flop over in the seat and face forward. “Ugh, you know I’m not normally inconsiderate. I just—you make me lose control,” I say, sliding down a bit and covering my face with my hands. “There are times—a lot of times—when all I can think about is you. And not just—” I take a deep breath and pause before I say anything else. Maybe I shouldn’t say anything else. Maybe what I have to say will freak Jace out, and I don’t want to push him away. Not when we’ve grown so close.

“Not just what?” he asks, and I realize I’ve stayed silent for too long, and now I have no choice but to say what I’m thinking.

“Not just what you do to me with your hands and your mouth,” I say tentatively, bracing myself for his reaction. “I just like spending time with you. However I can get it.”

The seconds tick by and I’m scared out of my mind that I’ve blown it. My mouth opens to begin an Olympic-sized routine of back-pedaling when he says, “Well, isn’t this awkward?”

Fuck!

“A woman actually enjoys my company. I have to admit that I thought the cartoon T-shirts and the hours with a controller in my hand were some kind of lady repellant. It turns out that you, little hurricane, are attracted to nerds. Looks like you have another flaw.”

The smirk he fights back is so charming. It might be the reason I can’t keep my hands off him.

“You know I enjoy spending time with you too. You just might be one of my favorite beings,” he says.

The relief I feel is immeasurable, but I can’t let him see how nervous I was. So I just keep up the teasing. “One of? Who’s your favorite being?”

“This is a hard one. It’s a toss-up, obviously, between Luke Skywalker, Spider-Man, and Glen.”

I’m not surprised that I’m competing against two fictional characters, but my brother-in-law?

“Glen?!” I exclaim. “Are you for real right now? Glen is above me on the list of favorite beings?!”

Jace turns a hand over on the steering wheel and flicks his fingers in a what can I say gesture. “I know what you’re thinking. He tried to convince me that our handshake was about ice cream when it was really about blow jobs, but I’ll give him a pass on that. He enjoys giving them and I enjoy receiving them.”

I nod and purse my lips, and without taking my eyes off the passing scenery, I say, “Good to know. Maybe you can ask him for one next time you’ve got a hard-on. Ya know, since he’s your favorite and all.”

Jace makes a sound like what I said hurt. “You know. On second thought, Glen has sharp teeth. I’ve just promoted you to the toss-up list. Congrats.”

I fling my hair over my shoulder and look at him from the corner of my eye. “Good boy. Now, where’s my soup?”

“Don’t worry. I know how you demons get when you’re hungry. We’re almost there.”

Jace pulls into the parking lot of a little hole-in-the-wall café. The outside of the building is questionable—the cold winters have done a number on the teal paint around the windows and on the eaves. But as soon as he pulls open the glass door I’m hit with the scent of savory spices and fresh bread. The host leads us to a candlelit table near the corner and hands us menus.

When I can’t decide between two different soups, Jace orders them both for me and two more for himself. We sit across from each other laughing and dipping our spoons between the bowls. He continues to tease me about not being able to sled alone, and I let him poke fun at me, adding my own jabs about his windburn, which makes him look like an inverted raccoon. We find ourselves in a hysterical fit of laughter more than once.

But about halfway through our meal, all that happiness fades when he looks over my shoulder. His eyes go wide and all the color drains from his face like he sees a ghost. I spin around in my chair.

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