Page 74 of Unleashing Chaos

“I don’t suppose you bought a swimsuit during one of your many shopping sprees?” he says, cocking an eyebrow.

The thought of swimming in ice-cold water makes my body hurt even more. I’d do better running outside naked during a blizzard. I open my mouth to say as much when Jace flips a switch on the wall. Beyond the back porch the pool lights up in blue and purple, and steam rolls from the water.

“It’s heated, and I cranked it up before we left. It should do the trick.”

I nearly moan at the thought of hot water covering my tired muscles. “Oh my. You do realize this is sort of like a huge bathtub, right? You’re giving me the ultimate reward. Are you sure I deserve it after borrowing your tub that one time?”

He steps closer and runs his thumb over my bottom lip. “I think you’ve already made up for that in more ways than one.”

I nip at his thumb with my teeth and grin. “I’ll be right back,” I say and dart up the stairs to my room as fast as my sore body will take me, peeling off all my clothes as soon as I get inside. Rifling through my dresser, I pull out two bikinis: one is black and the other emerald green. Warmth blooms in my belly and I toss the black one back into the drawer and slip into the green one, which fits every curve perfectly. The cut of the top showcases my mark, and something about being able to show it off to Jace gives me butterflies in every part of my body. Not to mention, the color is almost identical to the dress I wore to the charity event, and I know Jace loved it. I hope this has the same effect.

Grabbing a towel and slinging it over my shoulder, I descend the stairs again to find Jace leaning against the island with one leg crossed over the other, looking down at his phone. He’s wearing black swim trunks and no shirt, and I am struck once again by how perfect his body is. I suppose that’s the result of not sleeping in, running, and spending an hour in your personal gym each day. I guess I’ll keep my soft tummy in exchange for extra sleep.

“Hey. I’m ready,” I say.

Jace sets down his phone and gestures to the back doors. My feet freeze and my skin grows tight just thinking of stepping out into the cold with so little on. I’m second-guessing my excitement for a swim.

“What are you waiting for? Open the door and let’s jump in,” he says, stepping beside me.

“But it’s cold out there,” I say in a small voice. “My feet are going to freeze before we get into the pool.” I gesture to my body. “And in case you didn’t notice, my swimsuit is kind of . . . skimpy.”

“Oh, I noticed. And heaven forbid that the princess’s feet get cold.”

Without a warning he sweeps me up in his arms, like a groom carrying his bride over the threshold, and opens the back doors. My eyes grow wide when the edge of the pool gets closer.

I pound on his shoulder, screaming, “No, Jace. Please!”

“I’m not letting you back out of this.”

I open my mouth to protest again, but he jumps into the air, and we’re flying into the steaming water. As soon as it hits me, the tension in my muscles disappears. It’s so warm and calm. I’m tempted to float to the bottom and melt, but the need to see Jace wet is stronger.

We surface at the same time. Brushing his hair from his face, he says, “Sometimes you just have to jump.”

“Yeah?” I say, chewing on my bottom lip. “Well, I do have to admit that I’m finding that to be the case the longer I spend here. The best things seem to happen when we just let go.” I tangle my fingers in his hair and pull him closer to me, kissing the corner of his mouth.

“And what is the next thing you hope happens?” He kisses my neck, working his way across my shoulder.

I lean my head to one side, letting my hair fall back over my arm, enjoying the feeling of his mouth on my skin. “I kind of like the direction this is going, what do you think?”

“I promised a reward for your obliteration of Hannah’s ego at the restaurant, didn’t I?”

“You certainly did. And on top of everything else, I wore this bathing suit just for you. Any idea why?”

“No clue.” He tugs on the bow behind my neck before releasing the one at the center of my back. The fabric drifts away from us while he continues kissing and nipping at my collarbone. The warm water laps at my skin, and Jace cups my breast, kneading and stroking the hard peak. If I weren’t already weightless, I would fall to my knees at the mixture of sensations.

“I—” Words try to flow off my tongue but it’s nearly impossible to focus on forming a sentence as his mouth moves lower between my breasts, toward my mark. “Did the color look—” I gasp as he pinches one of my nipples before soothing it with a soft brush of his palm. “Familiar to you?” The last part of my sentence comes out as a squeak.

“It’s that damn green. My new favorite color, but this is a very close second,” he says, making a point of licking my nipple.

I lean my head back and offer him my other breast. “Perfect.” I say with a wink as I meet his gaze. I hop up, wrapping my legs around his waist and hooking my ankles behind him. Running my tongue along his jawline, I kiss down the cords of his neck. “Can I ask you something?”

He looks down at me and raises an eyebrow. “Of course.”

“Remember that night after the charity event when we . . .” I don’t know why I’m embarrassed to say it when we’re tangled together in a pool with his lips trailing over my bare skin.

“When we watched each other masturbate through our bedroom windows?” he fills in, planting more kisses down the center of my chest.

I try and fail to hold back a laugh. “Yeah. That. I’ve always wondered . . . what were you so engrossed in on your phone when you came in? What was it that got you so worked up?”

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