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“I handled it.” His gruff tone brings up another round of bubbling emotion. I turn toward the window to hide it, but his fingers wrap around my hand. “Did he …?”
He trails off, a crack in his voice cutting through the question.
“No.” I semi-lie, but I’d rather pretend I don’t still feel his fingers invading my body. I don’t want to be another victim. I don't want Jace to look at me as if I’m tainted. I just want to go home and put it behind me.
A heavy breath leaves his lungs. “Do you wanna tell me what happened?”
My lips tremble. “No.” This would be hisI told you somoment. He warned me about Troy, but I didn’t want to believe it. I chalked it up to townie gossip and innate jealousy. Two alpha dogs cutting each other down in their pursuit to be number one.
I brace myself for his vicious attack, but instead, he tightens his grip and stares ahead. “Let’s just get you home.”
Once inside, he brings me to his room and sits me down on his bed. Shame hunches my shoulders. I can’t bring myself to look at him as he unzips my torn dress and helps me out of it.
“Wait here.” He disappears through the doorway, then returns with a bowl of water and a towel, a bag of frozen peas under his arm. “This should help the swelling,” he instructs, placing thepeas over my cheek. I cover my hand in his, but he slips it away and kneels beside the bed.
“Darla told me you’re the one who got my ring back.”
Without reply, he dips the edge of the towel in the bowl, then brings it to my neck, but I raise my hand to stop him.
“Why did you let me believe it was Troy?”
His Adam’s apple bobs. “I didn’t do it for the glory. I just wanted to see you happy. Now just lie back.”
No more words pass between us as he gently scrubs every inch of me from top to bottom. The cool water wipes away all traces of Troy’s kisses, his fingerprints, his presence on my burning skin until I’m free of the filth. When he’s finished, he steals a tee from his drawer and stretches it over my head.
Dressed and bathed, I curl on my side. The clean scent of detergent mingling with the whisper of cologne wafts around me like a comforting hug. The fragrance of Jace, the smell of safety, comfort, and home.
The tips of his fingers graze the tender flesh on my face. A hiss pulls through my teeth. “I shouldn't have let you go. I thought without a dress you’d have to cancel, but I misjudged your drive to succeed.”
I open my eyes and meet his intense stare. “There wasn’t much you could’ve done to stop me. This isn’t your fault.”
He glides my hair behind my ear. “I convinced myself that he was a better match for you. His wealth and his power could give you anything you want.”
“Not anything,” I whisper, skimming my thumb over his lips.
He puckers his mouth with a soft kiss. “I knew I’d never be good enough for you. I was ready for some spoiled bitch to walk off that plane, but I was nowhere ready for you. The second I saw you, I was done.”
“But you tortured me.”
“I tortured myself. You were the collateral damage. You deserve so much better than me.”
The pain wavering through those baby blues is too much to bear. Jace Wilder was born to be king, but beneath the brawn and might is a broken boy who chose fear over love. He’s fighting a war with no one but himself, and all the while, his heart has been crying.
Ten hours ago, I was out the door. I was ready to pack my things and put him behind me. Maybe I’m crazy for wanting to stay. After everything he’s done, all the awful things he’s put me through, I can’t stop thinking about him.
A violent rap on the front door echoes through the house. I spring up and turn toward the sound, my heart in my throat as Jace rolls over, then pushes to his feet. Flashing lights beam through the small garage windows, flooding the room in red and blue. “What’s happening?”
Jace rolls his eyes. “Took them longer than I thought it would.”
He saunters to the front door and wrenches it open. Two uniformed officers stand on the porch. “Jace Wilder?”
“Yup.”
“You’re under arrest for the assault of Troy McNamara. You’ll have to come with us.”
Jace lazily turns around and crosses his wrists behind his back. My stomach bottoms out at the clink of the cuffs. A yell catches in my throat. The horror of Jace being lowered into the back of a squad car has me frozen to the spot. I stand helpless as the last sight of lights stops shining through the trees.
“Shit!” Adrenaline courses through me. I look around, my mind racing as I wonder what to do.Cindy. I run back to Jace’s room to find his keys, then dart out into the night. The neon sign comes up ahead, The Great Notch bustling with activity.
