Page 119 of Unleashing Chaos

I turn to him and intertwine our fingers, meeting his gaze. “Forgiving you isn’t even a question. Did you hurt me when you refused to come to Infernis? Yes.” His eyes flick down to his lap, and I hook my finger under his chin and force him to look at me. “But for fuck’s sake, I was asking a lot of you. I was asking you to leave your entire realm. Give up your entire existence. It would be a lot for anyone, let alone someone who’s been through everything you have. And then you sacrificed everything, the dream you’ve worked so hard for, to come here and save my life—to save my entire realm. Do I need time to forgive you? Come on, Jace. I’m in love with you. I’ve been in love with you for a while, and I never thought I’d have the chance to tell you. But now I plan on saying it over and over again until you tell me to stop,” I whisper, running my thumb over his knuckles, dying to kiss him.

“I knew you would wiggle your way into what was left of my heart as soon as you sat beside me to watch my favorite movie. How could I not be weak for a woman who came up with her own theories and spent the rest of the day beeping at me like R2-D2? But I was a goner the moment I saw you in that green dress and you spent the evening dancing with me, doing something for me.” He slides his fingers along my neck and tilts my face up with his thumb. “It’s like your laughter and goodness filled in all the holes left in my soul, and your touch mended my broken heart stitch by stitch. I’m so very in love with you, Desideria.”

I’ve never believed anything as much as I believe Jace.

He loves me.

The corners of my lips tip up as I meet his eyes. “I’d only have expanded my movie tastes beyond rom-com for one person, Jace Wilder, and that’s you.”

“It’s good to know your love has no limits. Neither does mine.”

He kisses me then, not like the hungry kisses we’ve shared in the past. This kiss is slow and tender. His mouth is soft against mine and the glide of his tongue sure. This kiss seals his words and speaks of more promises to come. It is the start of our forever.

Everything falls back into place and it’s like I never left him, like we’ve never been apart. I can’t quite move the way I want to in this dress, but I do my best to pull it up as far as I can and shift onto his lap. “This isn’t as close as I’d like to be,” I whisper against his lips as I pull back for air, “but it’s a start.”

“It’s a good start and more than I deserve right now.”

The guilt Jace feels for letting me go will take time to dissipate, and I can give him that. The past will find its place behind him, and I’ll continue to walk with him toward our future.

I slide my fingers into his hair and press a kiss under his ear and pepper them along his jawline. “You deserve everything in this realm and every other, and I have an eternity to give it all to you.” Slipping the fingers of my free hand under the hem of his shirt, I sigh when my skin makes contact with his. I’ve missed this; simply being near enough to him that I can feel him against me. To know he’s within my reach.

“I like the sound of that, and that I get to do the same for you,” Jace says, gliding his fingertips down my spine.

Our lips meet again, and his grip tightens around my waist. I rock my hips over the growing length of him, and he moans into my mouth. Neither of us can get enough. Our hands search for bare skin and our tongues frantically lap for a taste of the other. It’s more than I thought I’d ever feel again, yet it’s not enough. I want my body naked and tangled with his, for his hard planes to press into my soft curves. Every inch of me is aching to be one with him again.

But time is an asshole, and the carriage comes to a stop.

I pull back, both of us breathing heavily, chests rising and falling in tandem. “Damn. We’re here already.”

He brushes his thumb over my cheek and asks, “What’s going to happen to Cannon?”

I crawl off his lap and straighten my dress. “I don’t know. It’s up to Dex to issue the judgment. But I don’t believe she’ll go easy on him.”

“Good. He could have killed you. He deserves a harsh punishment.”

The anger radiating from Jace is so clear, from the tinge of pink in his cheeks to the harsh set of his jaw. But beyond the rage is a glint of concern deep in his gray eyes. He may want to see Cannon brought to justice, but that doesn’t change that they were once friends.

I reach over and brush Jace’s hair off his forehead and turn his face toward mine. “I know. But I really think we should get Angelo’s side of the story before we judge Cannon too harshly. I just don’t believe that he actually set out to hurt me. Before you busted in the room like the Incredible Hulk, he was asking me why I looked so sick, and what was wrong with everyone else. He was genuinely confused. Do you really believe he could hurt me?”

“I don’t know what his intentions were, but I know what could have happened if he became your eternal partner. I’m struggling to see past that, Desi.”

“But did he know what could’ve happened? I think he just thought he was going to screw things up for my dad regarding the bet and get on his daddy’s good side. I don’t think he would’ve come here if he knew it would harm anyone. Least of all me. I believe he cares about me, at least as a friend.”

Jace tangles his fingers with mine and brings my knuckles to his lips. “And that is why you were made to be a queen. I can’t be fair when it comes to your well being. I’ve discovered that I’m blinded by love.” He flashes me one last charming smile before the coachman opens the door.

I squeeze his hand and we crawl out of the carriage, trying not to appear like we just got done making out, but of course, Lux is right there climbing out of the carriage in front of us, grinning like the asshole he is.

“Well, well, looks like our little royal couple got reacquainted on the ride over,” he mutters, leaning toward me and Jace with a teasing smirk.

My face burns and I shoot him a glare, tucking myself in close to Jace’s side. “Shut it, Lux.”

“Come on, little sister. Own your lust because you two sure as hell can’t contain it when you’re around each other.”

If I’m being honest, the thought of Jace and me acting affectionately in front of my family isn’t as repulsive as it once was. I want them to know that I can’t keep my hands off Jace, and it’s another extension of the love I feel for him.

Jace surprises me by leaning in and nibbling at my earlobe. “I’ll be happy to show everyone just how little I can contain myself around you,” he whispers against my neck.

I grin and bump him with my hip. “You’re naughty. We have extremely pressing matters at hand right now, sir.”

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