Page 5 of Fight or Flight
“Then what the fuckdoyou want?” I demand, my head spinning from the twists and turns the conversation has taken so far.
He rakes his eyes up and down my body again, and the way he drags his teeth over his bottom lip makes my entire body tighten, and not with anger. “Nothing I can say in polite company.”
My stomach does this weird flip-flop, and the little rush of good feels it sends through me is as confusing as it is unexpected.
What the fuck is going on with me?
The corner of Jace’s mouth lifts in a smirk as he fixes his icy blue/gray eyes on me. The good feels immediately dissipate, replaced with more of that white-hot rage from before.
“Walk away,” I tell him. “Or else.”
“Or else what? You do realize thatyoucould just walk away if you don’t want to be here. No one is forcing you to stay.” He tosses a lock of hair that fell over his forehead back from his face with a quick flick of his head. “So the fact that you’re still here means youwantto be here. That’s on you, bro.”
He’s right. I could have walked away at any point, and the only reason this conversation is still going on is because I haven’t.
“So, are you going to do something about whatever the fuck is going on with you? Or are you going to get the fuck out of my face?” he asks.
His tone is light and breezy, but there’s an edge under his words that sends another rush of anger through me.
“Or maybe you want to be in my face.” He casually rocks back and forth on his feet again. “Is that it, Shaney? Do you secretlylike fighting with me and you’re actually getting your daily jollies in while pretendingI’mthe problem?”
My vision goes red, and I can feel the last of my control snapping like a rubber band that’s been stretched too far.
The world around me fades in and out of focus, and the next thing I know, my fist is connecting with the side of Jace’s face.
He doesn’t flinch or even try to deflect my punch, and watching his head snap to the side from the force of my hit isn’t nearly as satisfying as it should be.
“Not bad.” He shoots me an infuriating smirk. “Next time, try stepping into it and keeping your swing arc tighter. That’ll give it moreoomph. But not bad.”
“What the fuck is wrong with you? I just clocked you in the fucking face, and you’re giving me hitting advice? What’s your damage?”
“A lot.” He grins. “And I’m just trying to be helpful and give you some pointers. Isn’t that what brothers do?”
“You’re insane.”
“So they say.” He flips his hair back with another flick of his head. “Now, are you going to finish what you started, or are you going to get the fuck out of my face before I get bored?” He gives me a little smirk. “And trust me when I say you don’t want to be around when I get bored.”
I know I should walk away and end this before anything else happens, but the more I try to convince myself to move, the more it feels like my feet are glued to the floor.
“That’s what I thought.” He crosses his arms over his chest. “Now be a good boy and shoo.”
His childish dismissal cuts through my last remaining shred of self-restraint, and I launch myself at Jace, every rational thought flying from my mind as my rage finally takes over.
He doesn’t even try to block me as I grab two handfuls of his hoodie, but instead of shoving him back, I throw him to the side,keeping my hold on him as I slam him into the wall and pin him against it with my body.
He laughs, fuckinglaughs, and loosely grips my wrists. “Feel better?”
Another rush of anger hits at his words, and instead of answering him, I yank him off the wall and throw him to the floor.
Jace tightens his grip on me, and he’s smiling like a deranged Cheshire cat as he drags me down with him.
We hit the floor so hard the walls shake from the impact, and Jace wastes no time as he throws our combined weight to the side and rolls us over so he’s on top, his strong body over mine as he pins me to the floor.
More rage fills me, and all thoughts of technique or self-control fly from my mind as we roll around and battle for dominance in the tiny space.
I manage to get him under me a few times but can’t keep control for more than a couple of seconds before I find myself on my back with him on top.
His soft grunts mix with mine, and the heat from his body seeps into my skin everywhere we touch. It almost feels like there’s an electric current moving between us, and my rage is replaced with horror when I realize I’m hard.
