Jace, page 22
“No, you wouldn’t, Em. Trust me.” She hugged her sister. “I promise.” She kissed her sister’s cheek. “Text me about y’all joining us at Frank’s?”
Emmy Lou nodded and followed her out of the powder room and out into the hall. “See you later.” She waved and headed back down the hall to the party underway.
Jace was leaning against the hallway, jaw clenched tight.
“What happened to you?” she asked.
“Mickey Graham.” He pushed off the wall.
She waited, staring up at him. “Care to elaborate?”
“I’m sure you’ll read all about it in the paper tomorrow.” He ran a hand over his face. “You ready?” He took her hand and led her to the door marked “Exit.”
She nodded, doing her best not to smile. “Did my Gentleman Jace defend my honor?”
He shot her a look but didn’t slow.
“And I missed it?”
Another look—but this time there was a ghost of a smile on his lips. He held the door open for her.
“Did anyone see?” That could be bad news. “Jace, I hope you didn’t do anything stupid.” She yanked him to a stop in the gravel parking lot.
He spun to face her. “Stupid? I’m pretty sure that ship has sailed.” He opened his mouth, so close to saying something. Instead he shook his head and said, “But knocking Mickey Graham flat on his back wasn’t it.” His hand pressed against her cheek. “That he had coming.”
Even though she was a strong, independent woman, his urge to protect her was a huge turn-on. “You know something, Jace?” Her hand covered his. “You are so hot.”
His shock gave way to laughter. Deep, rich laughter that warmed her from the inside out. “You are a constant surprise.”
He hadn’t meant it as a reminder—he had no idea. But she did. And it left a bitter taste in her mouth. “You have no idea.” She stood on tiptoe and tugged his head down, needing him to blot out everything else.
His arms were tight around her, crushing her against him as his lips met hers.
The click and flash of cameras had her pulling away. “Let’s take this someplace more private.”
He rested his forehead against hers. “I don’t give a shit. Let them take pictures.”
“I’m pretty sure we don’t want pictures of what I want to do to you floating around.” Her hands gripped the front of his shirt.
He groaned. “Nope.” A final kiss and he was leading her toward his truck, parked on the edge of the lot, by the exit.
“Luke totally scores brownie points.” She smiled, letting him help her up into his truck. “This brings back some memories, Mr. Black.”
“I think you called me Jack or John or Justin then?” He shook his head, slammed the truck door, and came around to climb up and in beside her.
Halfway to Frank’s, Emmy texted.
“Emmy says they’re not coming.” And Krystal was more than okay with that. Nothing sounded better than time, just her and Jace. “What’s the plan?”
“Food.” He looked at her.
With their milkshakes, burgers, and fries bagged up to go, they drove the rest of the way to his place, singing along to the radio.
“Nice,” she said, sliding out of the truck and climbing the steps to his town house. “New construction?” The row of townhomes was finished and, except for his, there were no signs of occupancy.
“Don’t ask me.” He smiled, unlocking the door. “I just live here.”
While he set up their drive-through dinner on the stone-topped dining table, she did a quick walk-through. “It’s nice.”
“It’s…okay.” He shrugged. “Sorta weird to live someplace I had no say-so in.”
She nodded, sitting at the table and devouring her burger. “This is so good.” Her vanilla milkshake was even better.
He was watching her, the bone-melting smile she’d come to expect from him doing just that. Until he said, “We need to talk.”
She set her milkshake cup down. “No, that is absolutely the last thing we need to do.” She shook her head for emphasis. “I need something from you, but it’s not talking.”
His laugh was reluctant. “Why won’t you talk to me?”
“I don’t talk to anyone.” She leaned across the table, grabbed his shirt, and pulled him forward. “It’s part of my charm. Besides, I thought most men weren’t into all the touchy-feely talking stuff.”
“I’m not most men.” His kiss was light.
“Oh, I know.” She was up, coming around the table to pull him to his feet. “I’d like to take the time to fully appreciate how not like most men you are.” She unfastened his jeans, tugging the fabric open, and she dropped to her knees. She smiled up at him. “Starting now.”
* * *
Jace was exhausted. Every time he attempted to have a conversation with Krystal, she’d used sex to make him forget everything except her hands, fingers, tongue, and mouth on his body. As far as a distraction technique went, it was highly effective.
But her determination to distract him only confirmed his suspicions. Whatever was bothering her, whatever the secret, it was at the root of her fears. From intimacy to confidence, it was all tied up in one another. And, dammit all, he was no closer to figuring it out.
She was sound asleep on her stomach, her hand on his chest.
That was something else he’d noticed. Her sleep was restless. Unless he was touching her or she was touching him. Almost as if knowing she wasn’t alone kept the bad dreams away. Considering how little sleep either of them had the night before, he stayed in bed as long as he could. When the room was filled with sunlight and his stomach was growling, he slipped from the bed, pulled on his boxers, and headed downstairs to make breakfast.
The personal shopper nailed the breakfast thing. Bacon. Eggs. Crusty bread, sliced thick, for toast. Butter. Strawberry jam. Orange juice.
His phone was dead, so he plugged it into the charger and connected it to the sound system wired into the house before getting to work. His phone started blowing up with alerts about the time the front door opened and Heather walked inside.
“Heather?” He ran a hand over his face. “Dammit. I’m sorry.” Messages from Heather.
“For what?” she asked, running over to hug him. “Smells good.”
He chuckled, hugging his little sister tight. Damn, he was a bastard. More pinging. Messages from Emmy Lou. And Travis.
“Better be enough for all of us.” Emmy Lou came in. “Travis brought donuts, but this smells way better.”
“You cook, too?” Travis held two bags and was pulling one on wheels. “Come on, man. You can’t cook in your underwear. It’s not hygienic.”
Jace was at a loss. He couldn’t express how grateful he was to them for taking care of Heather. Since he was wearing nothing but his boxers, now probably wasn’t the time to try.
“Travis.” Emmy shook her head.
“I have every right to give him crap.” Travis kicked the front door shut. “He forgot his sister.”
He sighed. “I didn’t forget. My phone died.” He smiled down at Heather. “Pretty sure that wins me the worst brother of the year award.”
“Yep.” Travis grinned. “Totally.”
“I figured.” Heather sighed. “When I couldn’t get ahold of you or Krystal, I called Emmy.”
“Thank you, Emmy Lou.” He smiled at her.
Emmy smiled, taking care not to look at anything below the neck. “I’ll take over the bacon; you go find some clothes.”
He nodded, taking the stairs two at a time—and running into Krystal hard enough to knock heads.
“I was about to say good morning.” She sat down on the step, rubbing her head. “I knew you were hardheaded, but damn.”
“Krystal.” He shook his head. “We have company.”
“Hope you’re dressed, Little Sister. There is a minor present,” Travis called up the stairs.
She froze. What? she mouthed.
“Travis, knock it off.” Emmy Lou sighed. “I’d like to say he’s not always this obnoxious, Heather, but I’d be lying.”
“At least I’ve never forgotten you or Krystal,” Travis snapped back.
“Heather?” Krystal looked just as horrified as he felt. But when she stood up and headed down the stairs, he grabbed her arm.
“I’m not complaining about the outfit here—for me.”
She glanced down, as if she hadn’t noticed how short and tight his shirt was on her. “Right.” She nodded and ran up the stairs, her every step revealing the curve of her bare ass.
He closed the bedroom door and started tugging on jeans.
“What happened?” she asked.
“Heather.” He pulled a shirt on. “My phone died. They picked her up from the airport.”
“This is my fault.” She picked up her red dress from the floor. “You didn’t get much sleep—”
“It’s not your fault I didn’t charge my damn phone.” He opened his drawer, throwing some workout pants her way. “Might be better than the dress.”
She dropped the dress and tugged on the pants, pulling the drawstring tight. “Thanks. Is she upset?”
“Heather?” He shook his head. “If she is, she’s not acting like it. Pretty sure having your brother and sister pick her up from the airport makes my being a dick brother okay.”
“You are not.” She hugged him. “You need to charge your phone. Or maybe get an alarm clock. But you’re a good brother.”
He sighed, accepting her kiss on the cheek before they ran down the stairs.
“Nice pants,” Travis said.
“Thanks.” Jace laughed, knowing damn well he was teasing Krystal.
“Krystal.” Heather was hugging her. “It’s so good to see you.”
“You too.” She hugged his sister. “I can’t believe you got Travis out of bed before noon.”
Heather shrugged. “Well, I appreciate it.”
“So do I,” Jace added.
“Thank you. Seems to me you should be too, Little Sister?” Travis’s brows rose. “Instead of poking the bear. You’re going to poke this bear? The bear who knows and sees all?”
Jace saw the exchange—Krystal’s panicked look and Travis’s triumphant smile.
“I think Travis is the bear,” Heather whispered.
Emmy Lou laughed. “Siblings,” Emmy Lou murmured. “Bacon’s almost done.”
“Toast.” Heather was spreading butter on slices she’d already toasted.
“I’m hero of the day, so I’m eating,” Travis said, sitting in one of the leather recliners.
Heather giggled. “Want some coffee?”
“That’d be nice, Heather.” Travis was all smiles. “And I will share my donuts with you.”
“You and your donuts.” Krystal opened the pastry box. “I think there’s enough for everyone in here. To have two. Or three.”
“What?” he asked. “I like my donuts.”
“I like my eggs.” Jace chuckled. “Scrambled okay?”
“Sounds good.” Heather nudged him. “Feels like old times.”
He winked. “Especially if you leave your dishes piled in the sink.”
Heather shook her head. “Well, now you have a dishwasher so that won’t be a problem.”
He chuckled.
“You didn’t have a dishwasher?” Travis looked dumbfounded. “What the hell kind of place did you live in?”
“Travis,” Emmy chided.
Jace shrugged. “My grandmother was a diner waitress; she didn’t have much.” He’d never be ashamed of where he came from. “It was a clunker of a trailer, but it had its charm.”
“Charm? With its leaking roof, rusty window panes, and air conditioning unit that squealed?” Heather shrugged. “I have to say, this place is a little nicer. And don’t forget how it leans to one side. And rocks like a seesaw when the wind picks up.”
“When you put it like that.” Jace nudged her. “Still, it is—it was home.”
“And you never see anything but the good stuff.” Heather hugged him again. “Which I miss, like, a lot. Because college kids are all ‘let’s talk about the meaning of life and be depressed.’ Not fun.” She paused. “Wait? Was?”
He shrugged. “I’m not sure where I—we—go next.” Which was true.
“Hotels and buses.” Emmy Lou nodded. “And then there’s this.”
“Which isn’t you,” Krystal said, setting the table.
“It’s not?” he asked, more than curious to hear what she considered ‘him.’
“No. Of course not.” She seemed almost offended that he was doubting her. “You’re a country boy at heart. You might not need much on the inside, but you don’t want to feel fenced in on the outside.”
“You nailed him.” Heather smiled.
The pained expression on Travis’s face was almost comical. Almost. But he wasn’t ready to start making sex jokes with Jace’s little sister around. And, shockingly enough, Travis managed to stop himself from running with Heather’s unintentional slip.
With the breakfast spread, they sat at his stone-topped table and ate, listening as Heather filled them in on dining hall food—she was too skinny still—and how her roommate Brenna’s favorite time to study was two in the morning, with the lights on.
“See, Emmy Lou? You thought we missed out by doing everything online.” Travis added another scoop of scrambled eggs to his plate.
“I wouldn’t mind that.” Heather glanced his way.
“Eat.” Jace handed her another piece of toast. “You’re going back, kid. I’m not dragging you all over the place when you’re where you need to be. If we need to figure something out with food and housing, we will. But you know I’m right.” He might be “living the dream,” but this life came with no guarantees. He wanted security for Heather—nothing would change his mind on that.
“He’s all crabby, like a grown-up,” Travis stage-whispered.
“He’s always been like this.” Heather nodded, spreading jam on her second piece of toast. “But it means he loves me.”
Jace nodded. “You know it.”
Krystal was studying him, elbow on the table, chin resting in her hand. She smiled slowly, like whatever she was thinking about was a good thing. He could only hope like hell it was him.
“What about you all? Krystal?” Heather asked. “Miss being home? Since y’all are on the road so much?”
Krystal shrugged, her gaze falling from his. “Not particularly.”
“Home gets pretty damn crowded, oh, say thirty minutes after we get there.” Travis crunched on a piece of bacon.
Emmy Lou and Krystal nodded. Jace had been there, he knew firsthand how strung-out the energy was. Long-term? It would take a toll. A serious toll.
“Why don’t you move out?” Heather asked. “Get your own places?”
“I’m not sure.” Emmy Lou laughed. “We spend so much time together, work and all, it seemed convenient to stay put.”
“For me? Lazy.” Travis grinned, taking the last piece of bacon. “Besides, I’m not the one getting picked apart. Krystal here?” He had that look—one that said he was up to no good. Jace braced himself as Travis said, “You should get your own place, Krystal. Hell, I bet you could move in here. You and Jace, shacking up?”
Jace sighed. He was beginning to accept that he and Krystal, when it came to their relationship, were in different places. If he pushed, she’d take a step back—not forward. Travis wasn’t pushing. He was shoving.
He saw the tic in Krystal’s jaw, the way she avoided his gaze. Any second, she was going to do that defensive head tilt thing and change the subject. Damn Travis anyway.
“I am impressed with the food.” Krystal winked at Heather. “Is this the norm?”
Which was the last thing he’d expected her to say. Now she was smiling and talking to Heather about their shopping trip later in the weekend, like Travis’s suggestion wasn’t some way to get her worked up. She wasn’t. Not in the least. Maybe it was for Heather’s benefit? Or maybe, hopefully, it wasn’t.
Chapter 15
“Nothing changed but the love I had for you…” Krystal sang, strumming through the last notes while Emmy Lou belted out the chorus again. When the music faded, there was a smattering of applause from the festival workers and a select few members of the press given early access.
She took a long swig off her water bottle and waited. As far as she was concerned, their set sounded good. They’d tweaked the amps, adjusted their sound reverb, and made accommodations for the outdoor acoustics. Since they were singing tried-and-true fan favorites, it wasn’t like they needed more practice.
“Y’all good?” Travis asked.
Emmy Lou nodded. “You?” she asked Krystal.
She gave a thumbs-up, her gaze sweeping the mostly empty audience. Her father was there, with Heather and Luke, waiting for her and Jace to do a quick run-through. As soon as that was over, they had a couple of hours before the show tonight. They were slated to perform and emcee Sunday’s awards and benefit, but it had been implied, meaning expected by the label, that they put in a rehearsal appearance.
While Emmy Lou and Travis packed up, Jace walked across the stage carrying his banged-up Martin Dreadnought acoustic guitar. His tractor brand T-shirt did all the right things for his broad chest and shoulders and showcased the network of inked designs on his arms. His faded jeans, well-polished boots, and a Roughnecks football cap made him one sexy country boy. Sweet, talented, and smiling at her. Damn, but he made her so, so happy. She should stop staring at him, she should, but it wasn’t going to happen.
“Anyone ever tell you that Jace guy is a lucky son of a bitch?” he asked when she was within earshot.
“Why is that?” She took a few steps closer, his smile reeling her in.
He tipped his cap back. “He gets to do this,” he murmured, snagging an arm around her waist and pulling her in for a kiss. “Right here.” His mouth brushed hers.
