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“That’s the thing … you do know.” She’d never want Jace to hurt, but it meant a lot that they understood each other and had both been through betrayal and heartache.
“When we first met, I was awed by your light and your zest for life and I was so drawn to you,” Jace said. “Knowing what you’ve been through makes me even more impressed by you.”
She gave him a watery smile. She felt the same way. Somehow, he brought out a zest for life and for him that she hadn’t known she could experience again.
“I also sensed a hurt deep inside of you when we met and I felt an instant connection to you because of that. Everything about you, from your radiant smile to the fun way you tease me, busted through my walls like no woman has ever done.” He cradled her closer and said softly, “Ayla, at the risk of scaring you away, I never thought I’d feel this deeply about anyone.”
She stared at him and said, “You mean since Iluminada?”
“No.” He shook his head. “I mean ever.”
Joy burst from her in a weird strangled, “Ah!” Jace’s eyes widened as she kissed him hard on the mouth. “That is the sweetest thing I’ve ever heard.”
“It’s true.”
She wanted to keep on kissing him, but she felt she had to say, “Jace, at the risk of scaring you away …” He smiled. “I never thought I’d feel this deeply about anyone.”
He framed her face with his large palms. “You mean since Tim?”
Her voice quavered as she said, “I mean ever.”
“Ah …” He tried to imitate her strangled scream, but it sounded like a dying cat. They both laughed. It felt amazing after all the serious emotion and sharing her story.
When they sobered, he lifted her onto his lap, tenderly kissed her, and then held her close. Ayla rested against his strong frame, her head fitting perfectly in the crook of his neck. He trailed his hands along her back, and she was safe, comfortable, warm, and so happy.
As she drifted off to sleep with the fire and the Christmas tree lights and Jace holding her, everything combining to make the perfect atmosphere, it hit her. She’d known Jace for one day and she felt more love, contentment, and joy from and with Jace than she’d felt married to Tim for three years.
Jace was the man for her.
How in the world would she figure out how to pay off her debts, be there for her family, and also be with Jace?
She pushed the worries away. Tonight, she would enjoy this perfect moment. Tomorrow it would be gone, and she might never experience such happiness again.
ChapterEleven
Jace held Ayla as she drifted off to sleep. He wanted to hold her all night, but he was far too taken with her and didn’t want to push boundaries or damage her trust. She trusted him and she felt as deeply for him as he did for her. He wanted to speed down Bentley’s Basin, screaming out how happy he was.
She’d turned down his job and girlfriend offers. That had hurt. He was concerned about her family’s stress with losing her sister and her grandmother’s health, her debt, her boss’s dangerous situation, and whoever might be coming after Bryan, but he focused on how deeply he felt for this amazing woman.
He shifted her weight and pushed to his feet, holding her in his arms. She stirred but didn’t wake as he slowly carried her across the living room, up the twisting stairs, and then settled her onto the large bed.
She shifted and murmured, “Jace …”
He smiled down at her, awed by how gorgeous she was. She was a million times more attractive to him than any woman, far surpassing Iluminada’s famed beauty. In the dimly lit master, Ayla looked so beautifully appealing he knew he’d better walk away and quick. He tugged the comforter from the other side of the bed and laid it over her. Then he grabbed a pillow off the bed and hurried back downstairs. He slipped off his shoes and dead bolted the exterior doors.
Turning off the overhead lights, the Christmas lights, and the fireplace, he kneeled to pray, then lay down on the couch with the pillow behind his head, pulling the soft blanket over his lower body. He hoped Ayla wouldn’t be upset that he stayed here, but he felt the situation with her boss warranted him protecting her vigilantly. He refused to leave her alone.
Thinking of the idiotic Bryan, he pulled out his phone and sent a text to Sheriff Reed, a friend and someone he trusted implicitly. He explained the situation and asked him to check into Bryan Worthen, an insurance agent from Barstow, California, and to have his men do regular drive-bys of Klein and Alivia’s rental house where he and Ayla were staying. Reed texted back that he was on it and he’d let him know what he found out.
Jace felt a lot more comfortable and closed his eyes, thinking of all things Ayla. The feel of her in his arms, her smile, her kiss, her infectious zest for life, her great attitude despite what she’d been through. He didn’t know how he’d let her go on Monday, especially if this deal with Bryan was still looming over her. He couldn’t. Would she let him help her? Take care of her? He was serious about the job offer. She’d be a great asset to the resort. Could he pay her anywhere close to what Bryan had been paying her? She’d never said a number, so he could only guess at what she might need to pay down her debts and help with her grandma. Was it rotten to steal her from her family? They’d go visit often, especially in the off season.
He drifted off to sleep without any solid answers or solutions. Except knowing Ayla had to be in his life.
“Jace!”
Jace jerked awake. The sky was lightening outside the two-story windows, but the sun wasn’t up yet. He squinted up at the balcony through bleary eyes and immediately was wide awake.
Ayla was leaning over the railing, beaming at him. Her hair was all over the place and her makeup was smudged. She was gorgeous. “You didn’t leave me.”
