"No," he cut me off. "I'm not letting you work in this condition." His eyes hardened with worry, as he grabbed my purse from out of my tight grip and began to walk away. "Come on."
I stormed up behind him and yanked my purse from out of his hand. He just didn't seem to understand. "No, you don't understand. If I don't get the money by tonight then I'll be out on the streets." I turned on my heels and headed for the door of the club, eyes wild. "I can't live on the streets, again. I won't."
I felt a pair of hands grip my waist as he hoisted me off the ground, face close to mine, as he carried toward his car like a mischievous child. It both excited and shocked me at the same time. I opened my mouth to scream, but was quickly silenced by his soothing smile and gentle disposition.
He stared into my eyes before opening the door with one hand and setting me down in the passenger seat of the car. He made sure my head was safely inside before shutting the door and getting in himself, muscular arms gripping the steering wheel with force.
"That wasn't so hard. Now was it?" he questioned.
We sat there awkwardly as he pushed his keys into the ignition, started the car, and took off.
I began to play with the strap on my purse nervously before I finally looked up, swiveling my head to the left so that I could focus on his expression. He had such a beautiful profile – full lips, angular jawline, and dark stubble, it made my heart ache, clearly confused by his presence.
I cleared my throat to make sure that I had his full attention. "So, do you come to the club often, because I've never seen you there before last night?" I paused to swallow. "Then you came
back today."
He glanced over at me with a smirk on his face. That was when I noticed the lip ring on the left side of his bottom lip. It
looked sexy on him. "No actually. Last night was the first time. I saw something that caught my eye so I decided to come back for a few drinks and to clear my head." He mindlessly ran his tongue over his lip ring and bit his lip.
I looked away from him and decided to rub my fingertips on the window next to me. The rest of the journey passed quickly – and I was just about to ask him where the hell we were – before we pulled up next to a big, cream house with a pretty blue door
.
He turned off the engine and looked over at me. "Well this is it." He smiled and opened his door before hopping out and stretching. He looked down into the car at me as I sat there, frozen in time. "Well are you coming in or do you want me to bring my bathroom outside and clean you up?" He laughed in amusement and walked to the front d
oor, looking confident and sexy as he let himself inside.
I couldn't help but to notice how good his ass looked in his fitted jeans.
I exhaled, blowing a strand of hair out of my eye, attempting to think clearly. I stepped out of the car and shut the door before standing outside for a moment and trying to decide if it was a good idea to go into Jace’s house. I wasn’t sure if I wanted to run inside, run home or run back to work.
I stepped through the front door and looked around the living room, dark eyes searching for his figure in the dimness. It looked cozy. Black leather furniture, a fireplace, a huge TV, a bookcase and a computer desk that sat in the corner. It was also very tidy and smelled of light, sweet vanilla.
I walked through the hallway slowly and poked my head into the first open door. It was the bathroom – a sterile, blue room - but still, no sign of Jace. I looked down the hallway again and noticed a door that was partially opened, a crack of amber light spilling out and into the hallway.
I slowly walked toward the door, brows arched, and pushed it open. I jumped back in embarrassment as my gaze set firmly on a half-naked Jace. A mess of inky, vibrant tattoos covered his toned back causing me to blush. His muscles flexed with every move that he made, somehow making it hard to breathe.
Jace slowly turned around to face me, denim jeans dropping down to his ankles in the process. I stared - eyes wide - like a moron at the defined muscles that led down to his boxer briefs.
He cleared his throat, clearly amused, and gave me a cocky grin. "Do you mind?"
I sucked in a burst of hot, heavy breath and covered my face in humiliation. I was so embarrassed. "I'm sorry; I couldn't find you so I just thought I would check this room. I’m going to take off now. I need-"
"It's fine. Don't act like you haven't seen a guy half naked before." He laughed. "Just think of it this way, I saw you half naked and now you've seen me." He looked me up and down before turning around and reaching for a fresh pair of jeans. "Now we’re even." He pulled up his jeans, walked past me, and grabbed my arm for me to follow him. He didn’t even bother putting on a fresh shirt and his low hanging briefs were a distraction that I didn’t like.
We made our way into the kitchen and he pulled out a chair for me to sit on. "Sit."
His kitchen was a clean gray room with black granite countertops, a glass table with black leather chairs, and a stainless steel fridge.
He placed his hands on my hips and forced me to sit down, gently guiding me to my seat. My heartbeat rattled against my chest as he bent down with a wet, warm cloth. His closeness made my stomach do flips.
"Let me get a good look at it," he said, his rugged voice irresistible. He pulled my dress up slowly so that it was above my thigh, exposing my bruised flesh. Then he took the wet cloth from the table beside him and began to clean off the scrape. His touch was gentle, tender, and careful. It made my cheeks fill with blood as I closed my eyes.
Suddenly, he grabbed my thigh and opened my legs, running his hand along my naked flesh. It gave me goose bumps.
I jerked away and slapped his arm. "What the hell are you doing? I'm not going to have sex with you."
He smiled at me as if it was the silli
est question he had ever heard. "Cool down, woman. I am just checking for more cuts. You had blood on your inner thigh." He closed my legs and backed away as if the thought hadn't even occurred to him. "Besides, if I wanted you naked then your clothes would already be off." He walked over and threw the dirty cloth in the sink before turning on the tap and washing his hands. "Clearly, that's not my intention."
Somehow, his comment bothered me. "So what makes you think that it would be that easy to get me naked?" I questioned with my arms crossed over my chest.
He walked over to me and sat on the table, leaning in so that his lips were almost brushing mine. "I just have my way," he breathed. "That's not the point, but eventually, you'll see. I'm not trying to have sex with you, though. I'm trying to help you. Two different things."
I pulled my
face away from his and laughed. "What makes you think that I'll be around long enough to see anything about you?" He clearly knew nothing about me.
He got up and walked away before stopping to look back at me. I just sat there, stiff. "Well, come on."
I stood up and pursed my lips before following him down the cream-colored hallway. He stopped in front of a closed door before opening it to allow me to pass. "You're sleeping in here tonight. Like I said, I want to help you." He stared at me for a sudden, heart-stopping second – his eyes were so brooding. Then he walked away leaving me alone in the room, feeling confused and overwhelmed.
I briefly stared at my new surroundings before rolling my eyes and taking off down the hall behind him. I grabbed his arm and yanked it, forcing him to turn around to meet my fierce gaze. I didn't expect anything from anyone and I never asked for it either. "What’s going on? I’m not staying here."
He grabbed my hand and removed it from his arm. "You said that you're having problems at your place. Sleep here tonight and if you like it maybe, we can discuss you being my roommate. I wouldn’t want you sleeping on the streets and you don’t need to go back to that club. It’s too dangerous." He ran his strong hands through his disheveled hair and smirked. "I've been thinking about renting the room out for a while now. The nights can get a little lonely..." His voice trailed off.
I grimaced. ‘Mr. Smooth talker’ had another thing coming if he so quickly assumed that I was going to just like and trust him
"You better not think-"
"Don't worry, if I wanted sex from you… you would know. I already told you that," he cut me off, grinning devilishly before
trudging into the living room. The defined muscles in his back flexed with each step that he took, causing me to breathe heavily.
He plopped down on the couch and threw his feet up on the glass coffee table. "If you decide that you want to rent the room then I can help you move tomorrow. I am only trying to help you. I owe it to… an old friend." His face softened as he looked up at me.
"Who said that I even want to stay here tonight and what do you mean, you owe it to a friend?" I questioned throwing my arms up in the air. I was confused. He owed a friend. It made no sense.
"Well you might not have much of a choice after tonight, and you wouldn’t understand. It’s complicated," he said truthfully. "It doesn't have to be permanent. No one deserves to live out on the streets. Save some money and then you can go as you please. I just want to help."
I sighed and turned away from him to walk back down the hallway. He was right about my situation. The thought of spending any more time sleeping on the streets made my insides cringe. It made me feel weak and helpless that I needed help.
"I just… I don’t know what to say. This isn't something that I would usually even consider.” I pulled my phone out of my pocket as it buzzed. I stared down at the message from my landlord ask
ing me where his money was.
Swallowing, I looked back up to meet Jace’s eyes. “I’ll stay for tonight, but don’t even think about trying anything." I stopped to look back at him, eyes concerned. "I don't have any clothes to sleep in though..."
"I have clothes." He jumped up from the couch and walked past me and over to his bedroom. He came back a few minutes later with a crisp white T-shirt and a pair of black boxer briefs. The thought of them once being on his body, caused me to blush unwantedly.
I reached out and grabbed them from out of his hands. "Thanks. I guess this will have to do." I said, trying to sound as if the thought didn't bother me.
"What's your name by the way?" He stood by the door to his bedroom – the sizable bulge in his denim jeans painfully visible to my lustful gaze.
Stop it, Avery!
"Avery," I whispered.
“Avery Hale.” The shock of his kindness was so overwhelming that it made me lose my breath, lips trembling as I swallowed a lump in my throat. I genuinely couldn’t believe that someone would be willing to help me out so much, it was extraordinary.
I didn’t know what it was about Jace – I had only known him for one day, after all – but I felt somewhat comfortable in his home. It was clean and tidy and the smell of fragrant vanilla that drifted through the hallway was certainly appealing. It was my favorite scent and reminded me of home.
I nodded at him before taking off down the cream hallway and shutting myself in the bathroom. I had a mosaic of different emotions running throughout my body, and it made me feel like breaking down. I knew that I had to be strong though.
I straightened up and placed my hands on my hips, exhaling as I stared at the large, exquisite shower that sat in the corner of the room – golden spout gleaming gently in the muted light of the amber bulb that hung above me.
If there was one thing that I wanted, it was a long, hot shower. I needed to scrub away that filthy creep’s perverted touch from earlier, before Jace had saved me. I hated being touched. I always had, even as a child it had been difficult for me to allow my parents to hug me - not that they ever had. The thought of that man’s greedy hands roaming over my flesh made me nauseous. I didn’t even let Caleb hold me when we weren't having sex - no cuddling, holding hands, and sensual massages. I never allowed his embrace.
I turned on the shower and watched as a torrent of steaming hot water spurted out. Then I stripped off my clothes and stepped inside, closing the shower curtain behind me as I allowed the water to wash away my hot tears.
Chapter 3
I slowly opened my eyes to see Jace standing just inches from my face, his minty breath waking me up completely. I jumped back startled, nearly slamming my head into the wall behind me. "What the hell?" I questioned while throwing my hand over my chest.