Jace’s lips grazed the curve of her neck before slipping the robe over her shoulders. He took her hand and laced his fingers with hers. “Come on, babe. Andre’s right. No need to rush. We have a few things to discuss first.”
Rushing was exactly what she wanted to do right now because she feared that if she thought this through too much, she’d be hightailing it out the front gates. But he was right. They probably needed to talk before jumping in, even if it was as two “other people.” This whole lifestyle was a mystery to her, and she had no idea what kind of dominant Jace was, what he would expect from her, and if she could, in fact, handle whatever that was.
She followed Jace on shaky legs to the cart. Andre sat in the driver’s spot, and Jace joined her on the seat that faced backward. His arm banded around her waist. “Hold on, short stuff.”
She stiffened at the old nickname he used to call her when they were teenagers, the little zing of ancient affection stirring within her. It was affection she didn’t need to reignite. “Please don’t call me that.”
He glanced down her, his eyes flashing with regret. “Sorry. It just slipped out.”
She turned her head and looked out at the expanse of vineyards flanking the east side of the property, her chest clenching with cold fingers of fear that she was making a big mistake. That she couldn’t trust her heart to stay out of it with Jace. “It’s okay. Just call me whatever a dom calls a sub. No past, right?”
He nodded resolutely as the cart started moving. “Right, pet.”
TEN
Jace set his jaw in determination as Andre parked the cart in front of their sprawling cabin. This was a fucking disaster. If he had wanted to venture back into the world of one-on-one, doing it with someone he used to care about was the absolute worst way to go about it. The fact that he was even feeling such a drive to have Evan should’ve been testament enough that this was a bad move.
But the minute Colby had taken control of her, all of Jace’s solid logic had disintegrated into a cloud of testosterone-laced dust. He’d wanted to break Colby’s fingers one by one for having the nerve to touch her at all. Then Jace had done the stupidest thing of all. Kissed Evan.
After that, there was no going back. The primitive part of him had staked his claim. She was his. Even if it was only for the weekend. And now he was going to have to deal with the fallout of that decision. The only hope he had left was that maybe she’d become open to the idea of ménage, and Andre could come into the picture and ease some of the intensity of the situation. But right now, Jace was done analyzing it.r: Roni Loren
And after what had happened between them in the past, how could she trust him? Back then he’d had her completely convinced that he really cared about her. She’d opened up to him like she had never done with anyone else, and it had all been bullshit. Just Jace fulfilling a duty. A guy trying to make a messed-up girl feel better about herself.
Too bad she hadn’t figured that out before she’d talked her way into his bed one night and taken things too far.
She’d imagined many times that year what losing her virginity to Jace would be like, but being a mercy fuck had never been part of the fantasy.
Neither had getting pregnant.
Though Jace didn’t exactly know about that last part.
So why in the hell was he standing here, asking her if she wanted him? He couldn’t be serious about sleeping with her, dominating her. Her tongue darted out, wetting her lips with a nervous flick. Despite the warning sirens shrieking in her head, the thought had her hot in all the right places.
No, this had to be about his ridiculous protective streak. He probably just wanted her to select him so he could haul her over his shoulder, stuff her back in the limo, and send her home.
She straightened her spine. “I’m serious about trying this, Jace. Don’t do this so you can keep me from participating or give me some edited, half-assed experience. I know you still see me as someone who needs a keeper.”
He frowned. “What I see is a girl jumping into a game she knows nothing about just because her fiancé isn’t doing it for her in bed. But if you’re really here to find out what it’s like, I’m one of the best doms here. I can help you.”
Her eyes narrowed. “Thanks, but I don’t need another sympathy screw. You already covered that with me a long time ago.”
He winced.
“Come on, Austin. You’re wasting all of our time,” Colby said.
Jace lowered his voice. “Look, I realize what a dick I was to you back then, and I can’t even begin to tell you how sorry I am. But I’ll make you a deal, Sasha. I can leave everything outside these doors as long as you can. I want you. And based on that kiss, you want me, too. So let’s keep it that simple. This is sex. The past doesn’t exist here. And I promise whatever I do with you, sympathy or pity definitely will not be a factor.”
She blew out a breath. Could she really block out everything while she was here? Be someone else for a while? She came here for one reason: to feed her physical side in a no-strings-attached environment. Could she do that with Jace? She wasn’t a desperate, love-struck teenager this time. Jace didn’t mean anything to her anymore. And if they didn’t dredge up the past, her secret was safe.
Could she just focus on the fact that he was a sexy man who happened to get her hormones firing faster than any other guy ever had? He certainly stirred up a tempest with a kiss whereas Colby had only left her cold.
Hell, she was a master of compartmentalization. When she’d run away all those years ago, she’d learned very quickly how to lock away painful memories and emotions. It was the only way she’d survived it. And she’d certainly been able to tuck away her libido for the last few years without much incident. So why wouldn’t she be able to do this?
There was no reason. She was strong enough, and she’d earned this chance for indulgence. If Jace stuck to those “no past” rules, then so could she.
She glanced at Colby, who nodded at her as if he already knew what she was going to do and understood. She took a deep breath and turned her gaze back to Jace. “I’m all yours . . . sir.”
The green in Jace’s eyes darkened, clouding the normal humor that resided there. He stepped closer, his intimidating height looming over her as he grasped her elbow and led her away from Colby. Her arms had been bent into L-shapes behind her, so keeping her balance was a challenge, but Jace made sure she didn’t tip over. He took the collar he’d been holding and wound it around her neck.