Page 105 of Power
“I hate riding horses,” he announced with the solemnity of someone confessing to tax fraud.
I tilted my head, wondering if I’d heard that right. “What?”
“I hate riding horses,” he repeated, looking relieved to have this terrible burden off his chest. “I love that you love doing it. And I’ll bring you to the barn anytime you want, and I’ll watchyou and buy all the treats for the furry beasts that you desire. Hell, I’ll buy you a hundred horses if that’s what you want. I want to support you in the things that you do and love. Especially things that make you happy, but I don’t want to do the same things you do. I don’t like riding horses. They’re scary and unruly, and they don’t listen. And they chomp. With very large teeth.”
His face was so earnest, like he’d just confessed to the crime of the century rather than admitting he wasn’t keen on horseback riding.
“Okay?” I managed, trying not to laugh at his adorable confession.
“I hope it is okay. Because I want to spend a lot of time with you, Scarlett.” His voice dropped lower, more serious. “And you deserve to know up front what you’re getting yourself into if you date me. I don’t like riding horses. If you want some cowboy, I’m not your man. I think the horses can even sense I’m an imposter in the barn, but I adore you, and I hope that counts for something.”
“Date?” I repeated, the word feeling foreign on my tongue. Like trying to speak a language I’d sworn off years ago.
“I know,” he said, running a hand through his hair. “You said you don’t date, but here’s the thing: We don’t have to call it dating. We can just call it spending time together. And having sex.”
“Sex,” I echoed, holding back a smile.
“Lots of it.” His eyes darkened as they swept over me. “I just … I can’t stop thinking about you.”
The truth was, I couldn’t stop thinking about Jace either. I had never had a guy stuck in my head like this before. But in fairness, I had never experienced a guy so attentive to my needs either. I had never had a guy go out of his way to help me and my mom in her time of need. And I had never known anyone that knew exactly what I needed like Jace knew what I needed tonight.
The thing was, that realization was starting to feel a lot lessterrifying and more exhilarating. Like standing at the edge of a cliff and realizing you actually wanted to jump.
“I thought there was a no-fraternization policy at work.”Practical to the end, Scarlett. Well done.
“I know,” he sighed. “There’ll be some kinks to work out for sure. I want you to consider it, Scarlett, but …” He trailed off, struggling to find the words.
I wasn’t sure where all this apprehension on his face was coming from. Fear of being rejected maybe?
The scary thing was, I felt like he didn’t need to be afraid. And I didn’t need to think about it. I wanted him. Not just his body, which, let’s be honest, deserved its own zip code, but him.
I dropped the food in my hands to the ground and threaded my fingers through his hair, pulling his body against mine, savoring the warmth and firmness of his chest against my own as I pressed my lips to his.
Around us, the pastel sky was orange with hues of purple, the green leaves of the trees rustling in the breeze, and the slight sound of horses blended with birds chirping. The smart thing would be to ride back now, before darkness set in, but with his hands trailing down my back, the thought of abandoning this moment for anything seemed impossible. Like trying to leave a warm bed on a cold morning: theoretically doable, but why would anyone do something that atrocious?
Especially when our kiss evolved and deepened. Especially when Jace’s lips kissed a line down my jaw, down my throat, and heat began to coil in my lower belly. The kind of heat that made me forget about horses and barns and everything that wasn’t his mouth on my skin.
Tugging at his shirt, I was taken off guard when Jace grabbed my wrist with his non-book-holding hand to stop me. The sudden halt made me blink up at him in confusion.
“I don’t have protection,” he said, his voice strained. Like the words physically hurt to say.
“Oh.” Right. But … “I’m on the pill.” For menstrual cycle reasons, not that it mattered right now with his hands holding mine so firmly.
“I’ve never had sex without protection before.” He said it apologetically, the impliedand I’m not going to start nowhanging in the air between us like an invisible wall. Which made sense. After all, a man worth billions could never afford to place his trust in anyone who might lie to him. One runaway sperm would link his fortunes to her forever.
“Okay.” I released his shirt, settling for kissing him instead. Because kissing was wonderful, even if it was torture of the sweetest kind.
Our hands explored each other’s hair, our faces heating with each touch. We would pull apart and stare into each other’s eyes and smile, only to crash back together with increasing desperation. He trailed his thumb along my lower lip and then opened his mouth to allow our tongues to connect over and over. All the while, I tried to ignore the heat pooling between my thighs, the hunger of wanting so much more than he could give me right now.
His hands slid down to my waist, fingers digging in slightly before he suddenly froze. I could feel him fighting his own desire, his body rigid with restraint.
Eventually, I pulled back, trailing my fingers along his jaw. His eyes were dark, pupils wide with want.
“We should get back,” I said, the words tasting like disappointment in my mouth.
With a tight jaw, chest heaving with quick breaths, Jace nodded, like this was the last thing he wanted to hear. But he stepped back, letting his arms fall to his sides, staring at me as if he needed me to be the one with the willpower between us.
The air between us crackled with desire as we stood there, neither one of us moving. I could almost hear the ticking of some invisible clock, counting down the seconds until the spell broke completely.
