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I had to hand it to him, Jace didn’t even flinch.
“Did you enjoy the show?” I asked, taking a step closer to him. I don’t know why, at that moment, it seemed really important to get him to back down. For a second, I thought that it wasn’t about him. He really was doing nothing but being nice.
But last night, if he had wanted to, he could’ve stopped Teo. He could’ve stepped in.
Not that part of it didn’t thrill me.
Just thinking about the spanking–and about being exposed like that–sent a shiver down my spine, drained the blood away from my head, made my entire body tingle.
The boundary between fury and desire blurred as I stared at this man, who hadn’t done anything to me, not really.
He had been complicit. But then, fuck, so had I.
I had beenmorethan complicit. Now, in the harsh light of day, at least I had the decency to feel a little shame.
“Yes,” he said immediately, his gaze level with mine. “I loved seeing you like that. But if you didn’t like it--if that’s not what you signed up for--then I’ll try to kill Teo myself.”
I could have laughed at how ridiculous that sounded, but the emotion behind Jace’s words was so earnest and, I had to admit, touching.
It didn’t escape my notice that Jace said he was going to try to kill him. Whenever Teo made that threat, and I could tell he was serious, there was no trying.
It was always I’mgoingto kill this guy, or I’mgoingto kill that guy. He was never attempting to do anything.
It just reminded me of exactly how young Jace was, despite being part of the Mercy Blades. Dangerous gang or not, this was still just a young man, and I felt a little bad about putting him in my crosshairs.
It also snapped me back into reality, because I had been indulging my fantasies. I didn’t like it, but it was there, lingering at the forefront of my head. Teo had unlocked something in me. Something weird and dormant and fucked up that I had never even thought about indulging.
Jace was gorgeous, with that sandy blonde hair and those piercing blue eyes, looking more elvish than gangster. And he was...right there.
And after last night, I might’ve been angry, but I needed more.
Of course, if I even thought about pursuing, then I would be just as bad as Teo and that thought sobered me up instantly. For all of Jace’s carefree demeanor, he had been through shit. Not just with his parents, but also, from being kidnapped.
Because of me. I couldn’t let myself forget that this was all because of me.
I shook my head, trying to clear it of the thoughts that were threatening to overwhelm me. “No, Jace,” I said firmly, setting down my coffee cup on the sink. “You’re not going to kill anyone. We’re all adults here, and we can talk things out.”
For a second, Jace looked angry. Then he looked relieved. “Okay,” he said. “But you would tell me, right? If you didn’t want him to do what he did last night. Because I--”
“Would try to kill him,” I cut in. “Yes, I know, I know.”
“It doesn’t matter that he’s my boss,” Jace said. “I can’t fucking deal with men who disrespect women and I’m happy to take matters into my own hands here.”
I looked him up and down. The earnestness in his voice made him even more endearing. “I appreciate it,” I said, and I meant it. “But I can take care of myself. Really. “
His eyes narrowed. “You’re small and he’s strong. You couldn’t have gotten out of that if you wanted to.”
I sighed, rubbing my temple as I took a sip of the black coffee, which burned the back of my throat. “Jace, if I wanted him to stop, I could’ve asked him.”
That took a second for him to process. “What?”
“I didn’t. Right? I didn’t say anything. I liked it. I just…didn’t expect it.”
Jace looked me up and down. “Are you sure?”
I nodded. Teo was possessive and jealous, and I didn’t want to put anyone else in danger by revealing too much. I could still hear Teo’s voice in my ear, telling me that all I needed to do was listen.
I could have done it.
