AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Another wave of searing rage roars through me, so intense that it nearly blinds me.
Charging forward, I tackle him head on, sending him crashing down back first on the kitchen table with me on top of him. He rams a fist into the side of my ribs. My body shifts to the side, and he uses that moment to scoot backwards on the tabletop. But I grab him by the hips and yank him back to me before raising my fist to hit him in the face.
Before I can, his hand shoots up and grabs the collar of my shirt.
My stomach lurches as he yanks his arm to the side, throwing me towards the edge of the table. But he keeps his fist buried in the fabric of my shirt, so he tumbles with me as we roll over the edge of the table.
Chairs clatter as they topple over.
Then we hit the floor with a thud.
Or rather, I hit the floor with Jace on top of me.
With a shove and a thrust of my hips, I roll us over so that I’m on top of him instead. He slams a fist into the side of my ribs and flips us again.
Dark wooden floorboards and bright lights above alternate as we roll across the floor until we hit the side of the kitchen island and come to an abrupt halt. Finally on top of him completely, I raise my fist and slam it towards his jaw.
He yanks up his forearms, holding them in front of his face and blocking the blow.
I strike again.
And again.
And again.
Jace blocks every single one with his forearms, as he lies there underneath me, looking up at me with a steady gaze. Not fighting back.
He’s not fighting back.
A tiny trickle of realization ripples through me.
In terms of outright brawling, Jace is more skilled than both me and Rico. He and Eli haven’t tested their skills against each other in a proper fight for a while, so the jury is still out on that one. But Jace is better than me at this. He’s also broader than me and bulkier than me.
Which means that he should have gotten a lot more hits in than he has.
And he should be the one on top of me right now, punching me into oblivion.
But he’s not.
Which means that he is letting me beat him.
That loud roaring in my head starts fading, pulling that violent storm of emotions with it as it drains away. And without that clouding my mind, I suddenly realize that I know exactly what is going on. What I have known from the very beginning of this altercation even though my brain refused to process it. Refused to see it for what it was. Because I needed this fight. I needed it so fucking badly. And he knew.
Stopping my assault, I quickly roll off Jace’s body as I drag in deep breaths. My chest heaves. Sitting on the floor, I lean my back against the side of the kitchen island and stare out at the chaos before me.
Three chairs have toppled to the floor and the table has been pushed halfway to the couch and turned on its side.
I draw my knees up until I can brace my elbows on them. Leaning forward, I rake my fingers through my hair and blow out a long sigh.
Fuck.
On the floor, Jace shakes out his forearms and then pushes himself into a sitting position.
A thud sounds as his back hits the side of the island next to me. I raise my head from my hands and glance over at him. Two red marks from my fist blooms on his jaw. My stomach twists.
But Jace just flashes me a grin and chuckles. “Here I tell you to be careful with one cabinet, so you assault the kitchen table and all the chairs instead.”
Guilt and anger crack through me like a whip.
