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“It’s more modern than it looks,” I conceded, my eyes trailing toward the only bed. It was massive, but it stood alone and obvious, now catching Elix’s eye, too. “Oh… I didn’t consider this when I told them we were coming.”
Elix’s eyes darted over the bed and then toward me.
“You can take it,” I said quickly before she could utter a word. “I’ll sleep on the chaise.”
She swiveled her head and looked toward the sofa, her mouth parting.
“Jace, you’re over six feet tall,” she guffawed. “That couch is barely that. And there aren’t even any sides on it. You’ll fall off. No. Don’t be ridiculous.”
“You’re not sleeping on the chaise,” I growled, refusing to let her take it. I’d sooner sleep on the floor.
“No, of course I’m not sleeping on it, either,” she snickered, rolling her eyes as she pulled off her jacket. “We’ll both sleep on the bed. It’s huge.”
Her offer gave me shivers of heat through my body, but I ignored them and pretended to examine the bed more closely.
She waved her hands for effect. “Plus, it’s not like we’re strangers. We’ve known each other since we were kids. We’ll be fine sharing a bed for a couple of nights.”
Reaching forward, she grabbed for her bag before I could answer and lost her footing on the uneven floor, and I realized that she was just as nervous as me by the suggestion. Stumbling forward, she fell, and I grabbed for her, landing her squarely in my arms. My face landed inches from hers, and her eyes widened, mouth gaped. For half a second, all my self-control evaporated, the heat of her body guiding me as I lowered my head toward her. Her pupils dilated, shock fueling her face, and I immediately caught myself.
Clearing my throat, I stood her up. “You need to watch these floors,” I mumbled, turning away. “They’re old.”
She giggled. “Yeah. I can see that. I’ll keep that in mind.”
We were both silent for a moment, busying ourselves with our bags as we fished out nightclothes. Silently, we fixated on our belongings until she broke the quiet.
“So it’s settled then?” Elix asked after a long moment.
“What’s that?” I looked over my shoulder.
“We’ll both sleep in the bed?”
I shrugged and nodded slowly. “If you’re okay with that,” I agreed.
“I trust you, Jace. Of course.”
With those words, something inside me burst, and I stared at her speechlessly.
“What?” she asked, her smile lingering. “What’s wrong?”
I shook my head. “No. Nothing. Nothing at all.”
Chapter 10
Elix
Iprobably wouldn’t have slept a wink anyway in the old, drafty castle without Jace a foot away from me on the huge bed.
That was an exaggeration. Ironhelm Place wasn’t the old, crumbling structure I played it to be in my mind, but it seemed to whistle and creak all through the night, and having Jace inches away didn’t help sleeping matters in the least. I found myself staring up at the textured ceiling all night, distinctly aware of his nearness.
Several times, I inched my foot toward him, coaxing his own toes toward me, but he didn’t move, our bodies remaining apart, untouching. Silently, I willed him closer, certain that he wasn’t slumbering any more than I was, but he kept his back to me for most of the night.
Was he doing that on purpose?
Inevitably, however, the wear of the travel broke me down, and I fell asleep just before dawn broke.
When my eyes opened from a dreamless sleep, I was alone in the bed, the shower running in the neighboring bathroom. Like everything else, I could hear every movement in the next room, and I lay there, wishing I could see through the walls withmy many powers, checking out Jace naked as the water washed down his perfect, muscled body.
I shrugged off the mild disappointment that nothing had happened between us in the night, reminding myself that I didn’t want to go down that road with Jace. Nothing good could progress from a one-night stand between us, even if we were out of Goldhaven and it wouldn’t count for anything… would it?
