Page 30 of Feels Like Home

“Stay the fuck away from him.” Ian headed back toward Jace, but Jace saw the sinister glint in Owen’s eyes.

“I’m going to ride with you,” Jace said.

He tore his gaze away from Owen and climbed into Ian’s Navigator. Ian reversed and drove away. “You don’t know how badly I wanted to wipe that glare off of his face.”

That would have only gotten Ian into trouble. Owen wasn’t worth it. Jace was relieved that he wouldn’t have to deal with the asshole any longer. There were likely many gym-goers who were also grateful to be spared from Owen’s off-putting personality.

Whenever he worked a shift, Jace had witnessed tons of eye rolls.

Once they reached Ian’s house, they headed inside, but considering the last revelation, Jace lingered by the front door in case he needed a quick escape. Only this time he would have to run home since he’d left his car at work.

“I don’t want to fuck this up again, kitten.”

Which meant he had another shocking revelation to confess.

“Do you remember when I asked you if you believed in fate?” Ian toed his sneakers off by the counter that separated the kitchen from the living room.

“When you said it was hard to tell with humans?”

“Don’t remind me how badly I fucked that up,” Ian groaned.

“I remember.” Jace rolled his tongue over his bottom lip, wondering if he was in good enough shape to run home. He just might find out if Ian showed him something even more petrifying than a deadly panther.

“Do you believe in fate?”

“I don’t know.” Jace shrugged. “I never really gave it any thought.”

Ian stood there with a hand resting on the counter. He really was beautiful. Jace wanted to pull that rubber band out and watch Ian’s long, lustrous hair cascade down and frame that gorgeous, masculine face.

Stop thinking about sex when he’s about to blow your mind wide open again.

“Would you believe me if I told you that I felt our connection when we met? That I knew you were meant to be mine because fate had chosen you for me? And that your scent transported me back to the snowy slopes, where crisp, clean air filled my lungs and woke my senses?”

This was an easier conversation, one Jace could handle. Now he wondered if fate had really brought them together or if Ian just believed that because they seemed to click.

What was with the snow reference though?

“I’m trying to be open-minded.”

“Is your head starting to hurt again?” Ian looked at Jace’s legs as if they would buckle at any second. Like Ian might need to catch him if he fell.

“It’s nervousness,” Jace admitted. “My head feels okay. A dull throb, but nothing too bad.”

“You should sit.” As soon as Ian touched his arm, Jace’s apprehension lessened.

Was that a normal thing between couples, or was it the fate thing Ian was trying to convince him of? Jace had no choice but to believe Ian about the panther because he’d seen it with his own eyes.

Fate bringing two people together wasn’t a physical thing Jace could touch or see though. He would have to take Ian’s word for it, trust that the connection he felt with Ian was something more than a simple attraction.

Ian stepped behind Jace and massaged his temples. His head wasn’t hurting enough to need it, but it felt too incredible to refuse.

“Each shifter has a mate, kitten. While some believe a mate was handpicked by fate, others believe fate paired two people who needed each other.” His fingers slowed a bit. “You feel that deep bond between us. You might not understand it, but you feel it.”

“Like how my anxiety lessens or completely dissolves when you touch me.” Ian’s hands drifted from Jace’s head to his shoulders, kneading the muscles. If he kept that up, Jace might melt all over the guy’s shiny floor.

“Or how you make the void inside of me disappear,” Ian said. “Make me feel like I finally belong somewhere.”

Ian dug his thumbs in, working the knots as Jace thought of Ian alone in the world, longing for a connection he couldn’t find.

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