Fever (15 page)

tomorrow. Tonight is for you to adjust to being here.”

Her mouth fell open. “And you don’t consider that overwhelming?”

“Nope.”

“Evidently you and I have different opinions on what constitutes being overwhelming,” she

muttered.

“Now that I like,” he said with satisfaction.

She lifted an eyebrow as he went to work on the fly of her jeans.

“You being sassy. You’ve got fire, Bethany. You haven’t lost that. You’re fucking perfect for me.”

“You’re crazy,” she muttered again. “Or maybe I’m crazy.”

“As long as we’re crazy together, I’m good with it.”

She threw up her hands as he worked the jeans down her legs. “You honestly do always get your

way, don’t you?”

He smiled again and helped her step from her jeans. “I already told you that. Nothing worth having

is ever easy, baby. And you don’t get things without fighting for them.” He leaned down and brushed

his mouth across the bruise at her ribs. “Be warned. I’m fighting for you and I have no intention of

losing.”

As he lifted his head, he saw hope flash again in her eyes and this time it stayed there. She stared

up at him in awe, her entire body trembling. He could see that it was finally sinking in. That this was

real and that he was deadly serious.

“Lose the underwear,” he said.

This time she didn’t offer any argument. There was only brief hesitation as she slipped her thumbs

into the waistband of the silky scrap of material. A moment later, the panties fluttered to the floor and

she toed them away.

“Get into bed and wait for me there,” he said in a soft but firm voice. “I’m going to shower and

then join you. Get comfortable. And Bethany?”

She lifted her gaze to meet his in response to the address.

“Don’t try to go anywhere. I’ve locked the elevator and even if you managed to get to the lobby,

they won’t let you leave here without me.”

“Am I a prisoner then?” she asked huskily.

He smiled. “Never that. But I’ll do what I have to in order to ensure your safety. Even if it means

making sure you can’t leave while I’m in the shower. Now get into bed so you don’t get cold. I’ll

adjust the heat.”

Leaving her standing there, he strode into the bathroom and turned on the shower. He purposely

gave her the time to get into bed on her own and a few minutes to get over her nerves before he joined

her.

Bethany was going to take a lot of patience—a lot more than he was used to giving a woman.

Before, if the woman wasn’t fully on board, he cut ties quickly. He knew what he wanted and he

didn’t have any desire to hook up with a woman who didn’t give him exactly what he demanded.

She was also going to require a firm hand, and that he didn’t mind at all. He relished the thought of

taking care of her. She’d learn quickly what he expected, and he’d enjoy every minute of lavishing his

care and protection on her. In time so would she.

There were things he needed to take care of. He mentally went over his list as he quickly

showered. Security was of utmost priority. He couldn’t have her unprotected when those bastards had

no compunction about coming after her for this money Jack owed them.

And she needed outfitting from the feet up. There was the issue of Mia’s apartment, though Jace

knew she’d spend little to no time there. He was tempted just to move her right into his apartment, but

he didn’t want to completely overwhelm her from the start.

She needed the semblance of independence before he brought her fully under his control. Even if he

controlled all aspects of that independence. It was a little warped—okay, a lot warped—but he

wanted her to regain her confidence. Have at least the perception of making her own choices even if

she did it in a completely safe environment.

She’d have her own place. They’d date. He’d shower her with affection. They’d spend time

together. Eventually, when she was more secure in her role in his life, he’d move her into his

apartment. From there? That was as far as he’d gotten. And he knew that until the day she was living

in his space he wouldn’t rest easy.

Until then, he had to ensure that her problems disappeared. He frowned as he stepped from the

shower to towel off. Jack was a big problem. She obviously had a lot of loyalty to him and he was

bad news. He couldn’t allow Jack to interfere in her life and put her in danger. Which meant Jace was

going to have to step in. Something Bethany likely wouldn’t appreciate.

Not bothering to dress, he wrapped the towel around his hips and walked back into the bedroom.

His gaze softened and a smile curved his lips when he saw that she was already sound asleep. Her

head was on his pillow, or rather, in the middle of the mound of pillows and she was snuggled tightly

under the covers. They were pulled to her chin and her lashes rested delicately on her cheeks.

Everything about this image was right. She belonged in his bed. Never had he felt such a keen sense

of satisfaction over a woman being in his bed. This was right.
She
was right.

He let the towel drop and then he carefully pulled the covers far enough back that he could slide in.

She stirred only slightly, uttering a sleepy sound that brushed pleasingly over his ears. He gathered

her close, curling his arms protectively around her, and then he arranged her head so it rested on his

shoulder.

He hooked his leg over hers so that she was solidly molded to his body. Then and only then did he

relax and fall into sleep with her.

chapter thirteen

Bethany awoke to a hard male body wrapped solidly around hers. For a moment she panicked as

she sought to gain her bearings. She was disoriented and couldn’t immediately place her

surroundings. Then, as her eyelids fluttered open, she saw Jace’s eyes on her, watching her come

awake, and the previous day came back to her in a flash.

She stared wordlessly at him, overwhelmed by the fact that he’d essentially taken over her life.

And how much her life had changed in less than twenty-four hours. She couldn’t even grasp it all. It

seemed unreal. And yet . . . welcome.

Even as she knew she should resist, a big part of her was relieved. She’d been alone and fending

for herself, eking out a spartan existence for so long, and to have this man sweep in with promises to

care for and protect her was dizzying. And so very tempting.

Her life wasn’t much. But it was what she was used to. How was she supposed to make the

adjustment from her world to his?

Yes, he’d been adamant that they lived in the same world, but she knew better. They may occupy

the same universe, but his life was so different than hers that she couldn’t even comprehend it. He had

wealth and power. His life was well ordered and he had exacting standards. What on earth did he

want with her?
Why
did he want her? It made no sense to her. It defied all logic.

“What the hell are you thinking?” he murmured.

“That I have no idea why you’re so determined to involve yourself with my problems,” she

whispered back. “I don’t understand why a man like you would want someone like me. It’s crazy,

Jace. I can’t fathom it. None of it. It’s like a bizarre spin on the Cinderella story—only for girls like

me, there aren’t happily-ever-afters.”

“I’m starting to regret every time I ask you what you’re thinking,” he grumbled. “You’re too damn

honest. I was thinking more along the lines of you thinking how gorgeous I am. Or maybe that you

woke up fantasizing about me fucking you while you’re still half asleep. That other shit you’ve been

thinking is just fucked up, and I swear if it takes me forever, I’m going to get that crap out of your

head.”

She laughed, relaxing against the pillow. His eyes gleamed when she laughed and his hold

tightened around her.

“God, you have a beautiful laugh,” he said hoarsely. “And your smile. Jesus, it knocks the breath

out of me.”

Her entire body reacted to the look on his face.

“You can’t talk to me like that,” she breathed. “Nobody says things like that to a woman he just

met. It’s insane.”

“I just did. And I plan to keep saying them until you believe every word.”

She shook her head, trying to drive away the muddled confusion swirling in her mind. Any moment

now, she’d awaken in the shelter and all of this would have been a dream.

“You’re real,” she whispered.

He rolled, shifting his body above hers so he looked down into her eyes. His body settled,

covering hers as the sheets twisted around his hips. He maneuvered until her thighs were spread and

she could feel his heavy erection right between her legs.

“I’m real, baby. This is real.
We
are real. The sooner you accept that, the sooner we can move

forward and you can be happy. I want you to be happy. I want you to be content. Warm. For you not to

have to worry about your next meal. Most of all, I want you to know without a doubt that I’ve got your

back. And your front. And your sides. I’ve got all of you and I’m not letting go.”

“How can you want me after all I told you last night?” she whispered.

He leaned down to kiss her, his body pushing more firmly into hers. He reached with one hand,

sliding under his pillow, and retrieved a condom. She watched in shock as he lifted up his body after

tearing away the wrapper with his teeth and sheathed himself with the latex. It all happened so

quickly, so expertly, that all she could do was gasp when he slid fully into her.

Then he paused, still staring down at her, his eyes oddly tender. “All I know is that when I looked

across the room that night at the party and saw you, everything changed for me. There was instant

recognition. No, I didn’t know anything about you at that point, but what I did know was that you were

going to be mine. As for that bullshit about me not wanting you after you told me about your past,

well, it’s just that. Bullshit. We all make mistakes, baby. Nobody is perfect. I’m not. You’re not. It

would be boring as shit if we were.”

Tears pricked her eyelids and he kissed the corner of her eye before any could spill over the edge.

“Don’t cry, Bethany. Not here in our bed. Not with me inside you. I want you to shut out everything

else except me and you and the way I make you feel. Forget everything but
this
.”

He pulled back and then eased forward, pushing gently until he was all the way back in again.

His voice changed, becoming more serious, but his gaze never left her. “I’m not saying this is going

to be easy. I’ll make mistakes. You’ll make mistakes—mostly about trying to draw attention to the

differences between us. I realize it’ll take time for you to get over this mind-set that you’re somehow

not good enough for me. It pisses me off but I get that you can’t change a lifetime of seeing yourself

the way you do overnight. But I’m going to work on it and I’m going to wear you down, so just be

forewarned. I’m a persistent bastard and I never walk away from something I want, whether in

business or my personal life.”

She reached up, wrapping her arms around his neck, and pulled him down to meet her kiss. He

seemed surprised by the sudden gesture and he let her take control of the kiss.

“Shut up and kiss me,” she whispered against his mouth.

He smiled, his lips curving against hers. “Now that I can do, baby.”

They went silent as their tongues tangled and clashed, twisting and rolling until she was breathless

and panting. He groaned low in his throat and pushed his arms underneath her so he could gather her

closer against his body.

His hips arched fluidly, his cock sliding in and out of her body until she was dizzy with pleasure.

And he was so close. There wasn’t a part of her that he wasn’t touching in some way. His body was

pressed against her and she could feel every twitch, every time his muscles coiled and bunched with

the effort of his movements.

It hit her as he tore his mouth from hers and pressed a line of kisses down her jaw to her neck that

this was nothing like the meaningless sex she’d experienced. There was nothing dirty or emotionally

bereft about this.

It wasn’t even like the threesome she’d had with Jace and Ash.

For the first time in her life, she was making love.

And it sounded absurd. It sounded trite and cheesy and a whole host of other words that escaped

her. It made her sound like a silly twit who couldn’t separate feelings from sex.

But the simple truth was, the only feelings she’d experienced previously were of shame, self-

loathing, embarrassment, hopelessness . . .

She didn’t know how to process the bombardment of emotion Jace evoked. She was overwhelmed

and not in the way she’d said the day before. He surrounded her, touched her, filled her. Filled places

that had long been left hollow and aching. He reached into the very heart of her and spread warmth

and contentment.

She hugged him to her, not wanting even the barest of inches to separate them. She clung to him as