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He breaks the kiss and presses his forehead to m
ine. “Take me home,” I beg.
He smiles. “Home’s a little far away at the moment.”
“Always such a smartass.” I stifle a laugh.
“You love me regardless,” he remarks.
“I do.” I so do.
“I have a hotel room. We can go there. Do you have bags or anything?”
He shakes his head. “I wasn’t planning on staying long.”
I frown.
“I knew you were coming home with me one way or the other, either by your own free will or over my shoulder.”
I laugh and wrap my arms around him, leaning my head on his chest.
“Come on,” he urges. “Let’s get your bags and get out of here.”
I nod, more than ready to be alone with him.
I hold his hand and he guides me back to the building. He gets my bags and then we have to walk a block away before we finally get a cab.
I rattle off the name of the hotel and then we’re on our way.
Every minute that ticks by, my anticipation grows tenfold.
I lay my head on his shoulder and close my eyes. My whole body is relaxed. It feels so good to be near him. It’s been too long. Even before I left, I avoided being near him. I didn’t want to allow myself to feel good. I realize now, I’ve been punishing myself since we lost Beckett. I didn’t want to be happy, even for a moment, because it felt like I was betraying his memory. Grief makes us do crazy things.
The cab finally stops and Jace hands him some cash. We tumble out of the car and into the rain again.
I shiver and Jace puts his hand on my waist, urging me into the building, my suitcase and bag in his other hand.
We step into the building and get a few funny looks for our drenched states.
Ignoring them, we head to the check-in desk, and I give my information.
It doesn’t take long to get the room key. We head up in the elevator, not saying a word, just exchanging sidelong glances. My body aches for his touch, and my heart beats rapidly, reminding me how it’s not as broken as I thought it was.
The elevator dings and the doors slide open.
We step out and head down the hall to the room. I slide the keycard into the slot and when it lights up green, I swing the door open and step inside. The room is nice, but not extraordinary. None of it matters to me, though. My bags fall to the ground with a clatter and I turn around to look at Jace.
He stalks toward me like a lion cornering a gazelle.
I back up and my knees bump into the back of the bed.
He reaches for my shirt, inching it slowly up my body. I lift my arms and he removes it completely. It falls with a thunk on the floor.
He stares at me, his eyes glittering with intensity.
I edge my fingers under his shirt, holding my breath.
I lift his shirt up his torso, and like I did, he lifts his arms so I can pull it off and over his head. Once it’s off, we stand, staring at each other.
