Page 146 of Dark and Dangerous

“You still feel that way?”

“Always.”

Releasing me, he turns swiftly, and I wrap my arms around myself, suddenly cold without his touch. He reaches for the blinds and closes them, shrouding us in semi-darkness before stating, “Ireallydon’t want your dad to see the things I’m about to do to you.”

90

Harlow

I melt into the mattress, sweat coating every inch of me as I try to catch my breath. Beside me, Jace does the same, his hand over his heart as his chest rises and falls.

Through hours of practice in my backyard and grueling back-to-back games of non-stop action, I’ve never seen Jace so exhausted before.

Then again, Jace has neverfuckedme before. Sure, we’ve had sex. That one time that meanteverything,but he was gentle with me then. Careful of my emotions. And that’s how it started. He made sure to take care of me once, before something switched in him, and he wasn’t kidding—he did do thingstome. Incredible things, inmanydifferent positions. It’s almost as if he wanted to get out all the ways he’d fantasized in one epic session, and boy, did he deliver.

“I can’t feel my legs,” I murmur, rolling over to face him.

He grins, shifting his gaze from the ceiling to me. “Sorry.”

“Don’t be.”

“I had to make up for lost time,” he explains through heavy breaths. “That, and our time is limited now, so…”

“No complaints. Trust me.”

He flips to his side, lifting slightly to look down at me. “I love you.” He kisses me once before something behind me grabs his attention. Then he chuckles, a deep rumble of a sound I wish I could bottle and keep forever. “Look at Penelope.”

Eyes wide, I turn to the travel tank sitting on the nightstand. Penelope’s nose is pressed hard against the plastic, her eyes wide. “Oh no,” I gasp, ending on a laugh so strong it’s silent.

“She just watched me rail you into oblivion.” Jace laughs too, his shoulders shaking with the force, and I bury my head into his chest to muffle my guffaw.

“Poor girl’s going to need therapy,” I laugh out.

“What have we done?”

We laugh together, the sound so freeing, so pure, so clear of the pain we’ve endured both together and apart. Once we settle, Jace kisses me quickly, then gets his naked ass out of the bed and goes to his bathroom.

I slip my underwear back on and put on the shirt he’d been wearing before lying back down. Then I stare up at the ceiling and do my best to soak in the moment for exactly what it is, but… there are things left up in the air. Things we need to discuss.

Jace is still naked when he returns, a glorious god of a man, and he kicks all the bags of whatever he’d bought out of the way to find his boxer shorts. When he does, he slides them back on, then crawls in beside me, offering me his arm, and I submit to his wants, because I want them too.

“So,” he says, adjusting to get more comfortable. “I think you should move in with me now, and we have the summer together. I’ll come back as much as I can when school starts, and?—”

“Jace,” I cut in, leaning up on my elbow so I can look him in the eyes. I want him to know I’m serious and not to take what I say next lightly. If my past actions have taught me anything, it’s that I need to communicate my feelings well before they have a chance to ruin me.

“What’s up?” he asks, shifting my hair behind my ear.

“I need you to make me a promise.”

“And what’s that?”

I swallow my pride, push aside all other thoughts. All other emotions. “If you go off to college and you find another girl?—”

“Harlow,” he sighs, his head digging deeper into the pillow as his hold on me weakens.

“No, listen,” I plead. “You don’t know what’s out there waiting for you, Jace. You’ve never been around so many people before, so manygirls?—”

“Harlow, stop.”

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