Page 104 of Push My Buttons
His voice cracks on the words, raw and unfiltered in a way I've never heard from him before. This isn't the calculated, controlled Jace I know. This is something primal, something desperate.
"I was going to wait," he continues, his thumbs stroking my cheeks. "Wait until you'd forgiven us. Wait until the perfect moment. But there is no perfect moment, is there? Just this—you and me, standing on a sidewalk after I nearly killed your boss."
I can't look away from his eyes, can't escape the naked emotion there. My heart hammers against my ribs as his fingers tighten slightly against my skin.
"I love you," he says again, the words sharp and certain. "And it fucking terrifies me how much. I would burn this entire city tothe ground if it meant keeping you safe. Do you understand what that means? What you do to me?"
I nod, unable to form words. His confession steals my breath away. I've never seen Jace like this before, so completely undone. The careful control he maintains, the measured responses, the analytical approach to everything—it's all gone, replaced by something primal and desperate.
"Say something," he pleads, his fingers still framing my face. "Anything."
I swallow hard, feeling the words forming in my throat. They've been there for weeks, maybe months, waiting for me to find the courage to release them. Even after everything—the lies, the betrayal, the hospital—they remain, stubborn and true.
"I love you too," I whisper, my voice rough but clear.
Jace stares at me, his eyes widening as if he can't quite believe what he's hearing. Not just the words themselves, but the fact that I'm speaking them. A dozen emotions flicker across his face in rapid succession—shock, joy, desire, disbelief.
He makes a sound that's half laugh, half sob, and then his mouth is on mine. The kiss is desperate, consuming, like he's trying to absorb the words directly from my lips. His hands cradling my head as if I'm something infinitely precious. I grip his shirt, pulling him closer, pouring everything I can't yet articulate into the kiss.
We kiss like it's the only thing keeping us alive, like we've been starving for each other. In this moment, with his hands cradling my face and his lips moving against mine, nothing else matters. Not Marcus, not Levi, not the stalking or the lies or the fear. Just us, standing on a dimly lit sidewalk, finding our way back to each other.
I wouldn't change this moment for anything. Not the circumstances that brought us here, not the raw, unfiltered confession, not even the violence that preceded it. Because withhim, and with Theo, I found something I thought I'd lost forever—my voice, my power, my truth.
And I'm never letting go again.
Chapter 38
Unknown
I’mtiredofthisgame now.
Chapter 39
Wren
Thewalkbacktomy apartment passes in a blur. Jace keeps his arm around me, solid and protective, as if he's afraid I might disappear if he lets go. We don't speak much—we don't need to. The confession on the sidewalk has shifted something between us, creating a new understanding that doesn't require words.
When we reach my building, I see Theo pacing near the entrance, his expression tightening with concern when he spots us. Jace must have texted him about what happened and I didn’t notice. Maybe I’m more shaken than I realized.
"Are you okay?" Theo asks immediately, rushing forward to meet us. His eyes scan me for injuries, then flick to Jace, taking in his bruised knuckles and the spots of blood on his shirt. "What the hell happened?"
"Inside," Jace says, his voice still carrying an edge of controlled fury. "I'll explain everything."
Theo nods, falling into step beside us as we enter the building. Once inside my apartment, Jace leads me to the couch while Theo heads to the kitchen, returning with a glass of water and my pain medication.
"You should take this," he says softly. "Your head must be killing you after all that."
I accept the pills gratefully, realizing he's right—my head is throbbing. While I swallow them, Jace gives Theo a quick, clinical rundown of what happened at the café.
"That fucking piece of shit," Theo seethes when Jace describes Marcus grabbing me. "I should go back there and finish what you started."
"No," I say, the word coming more easily now that I've begun using my voice again. It's still rough, still unfamiliar, but it's mine.
Both men freeze at the sound, their eyes snapping to my face.
"You're talking," Theo breathes, wonder and something like reverence in his voice.
I nod, my hand rising to my throat unconsciously. "A little," I manage. "Still hard."
