Love and Chaos: A Growing Pains Novel (29 page)

"Is that for Cassie?"
Jenn called across the yard, holding her hands out for her daughter to throw a ball to her.

"Yea
h." Jace took a step away from his dad. "Mom wanted me to bring it out to her."

"She's just at the bench over
looking the valley." Jenn pointed off to the side as her daughter tossed the ball. The small, pink orb bounced off Jenn's face. Lesley squealed with laughter.

Roger didn't move, nor did he r
etract his disapproving gaze, as Jace nodded in thanks.

So they'd all noticed Peter wasn't stepping up to the plate. And why wouldn't they
—Cassie
was
a great addition to the family. She was easy to be around and even easier to talk to. She smiled often, joked, participated in the family events, and somehow got along with Roger—not many women could claim all of those things. Everyone wanted to keep her, including Jace.

Peter just had to step across a giant milestone in his life, into mostly hostile waters, for this all to come to pass.

A couple more days. They just had to make it a couple more days.

Then what? He would've only known Cassie a week at that point. A week wasn't much time to admit he loved her, and a ridiculous amount of time to invite her into his family permanently.

Another rush of butterflies burst through his stomach. Those thoughts were crazy. She had his head all over the map.

He found the worn path through the trees and followed it to the bench. Her blond head sat in silence, bowed. As he came around the bench, he realized she was looking down at her phone, silent chuckles escaping her body.

"Good morning. Again," he said.

She glanced up, laughter illuminating the vivid blue. "Hi, handsome. Oh, is that for me?" She stood and t
ook one of the cups from his hand. Instead of sitting back down immediately, though, she hesitated, then glanced back the way he came. Seeing no one, she turned back to him and tilted her head up.

He bent down for a soft kiss, relishing the electricity that passed between them.

"Mmm." She smiled as she lowered back off her tippy toes.

Keeping the closeness, he reached into his pocket and drew out the chocolate. As expected, her eyes lit up.

"She found some! Yay!" She snatched the package like a greedy kid and sat back down. "My morning is complete."

"I would've gotten you more had I realized you ate so much at a time."

"Sit." She patted the seat next to her. "Enjoy the morning with me."

Jace breathed in the fresh air and let his gaze slip out to the valley. The sun glittered in the windows far below, little disco balls announcing the new day. "I should get back. My dad gave me a talking
to about spending so much time with you when Peter doesn't."

"Oh." Cassie's face fell. "It's a good observation. I tried to hang out with him as much as possible last night after we got back, but whenever we're together in L.A., there
’s so much activity around us that we rarely glue to each other. Obviously. If we did, Marcus would surely raise his eyebrows."

Jace shifted, eyeing the seat next to her and then looking back toward the trees, imagining his father looking his way on the other side. "You don't
ever go out with just him?"

Cassie's phone vibrated. She glanced down, read a text, and started laughing. When her eyes came back up, twinkling and full of mirth, she said, "
I’m really friends with Marcus, so no, Peter and I haven't gone out alone. I know him pretty well because I'm always over at Marcus' house, or we all hang out, but I don't know him one-on-one. Only when we end up sitting next to each other when we all go out."

"Who's texting you?" Unable to help himself
, Jace took a step closer, wanting to join in her laughter. Wanting to share that beautiful smile.

"Oh." She held up her phone to show a text message from a person named Kate that said, "Well fuck girl wrangle him up. Can
’t let someone that hot get away."

Cassie shrugged, her smile still in place, when
Jace's eyes rose to meet hers. "I showed them your picture. I took one yesterday on that ledge, and then sneaked another one yesterday evening when we were all on the grass relaxing."

Jace sipped his coffee, hiding his pleasure that she'd reported him to her friends. He'd hated yesterday after they'd gotten back, determined to stay away from each
other, but fighting a pull so strong if felt like a string attached to his ribs being yanked by a Mack truck. Not overly comfortable.

"So they think I'll
do, huh?" Jace asked with a smile he couldn't stop.

"I told them you weren't house trained, though."

"Oh yeah? What'd they say to that?"

"X-rated comments, mostly. It's always a wonderful idea in woman fantasy-land. You know, doing the training." Her eyes glittered with arousal, unabashed at her own fantasies running amok.

"I fulfilled a fantasy of yours yesterday," he said in a low tone. His dick twitched, matching the feeling in her eyes.

Her face flushed. "Yes," she whispered.

"First time someone has? Fulfilled that particular fantasy, I mean?"

"Yes," she repeated, just as quietly, but now with an ounce of insecurity.

"Good." He closed the distance between them in two steps. He ran his knuckles along her cheek lightly before bending down for a soft kiss.

"It's a little vanilla, or whatever, most people would say, I guess." The red in her
cheeks got stronger. "And I don't...you know...like it any rougher—that was good. But, yeah, I guess I've never found a guy that was as sweet as he was crazy."

Jace barked out laughter, tilting her chin up firmly and placing a harder kiss on her lips. "I don't usually let myself lose control. Generally I stay firmly in sweet."

"I wish you would. Lose control, I mean. For both sides of your personality."

Jace spared a glance for the path as he braved
putting his hand on the back of the bench and leaned over her heavily, holding his coffee out to the side to make sure he didn't spill on her. "Noted."

"Because I do love it sweet," she admonished, strength coming back in her voice. "Slow and sweet. And deep."

He sucked in a breath through his teeth as her palm found his bulge.

"And often..."

"Stop," he backed off, his whole body rigid, wanting to snatch her up and take her in that moment. "I gotta get back, Cass. I've been here too long."

"I'll come, too."

"No." He put his hand to her shoulder lightly to keep her in place. "Wait ten minutes or so."

"I hate that we have to hide this until it
’s time to leave." Cassie's mouth dipped down into a frown.

He nearly asked to follow her home like a lost puppy. He'd then have to add "desperate" to his personality list of crazy and sweet. His ego wouldn't allow it. Not like this.

"I'll see you in a little bit," he said softly, hating the glossy sheen over her eyes. Hating her need for reassurance that he couldn't bring himself to provide. Not without being certain of her feelings. Plus, he had to get his two feet under him. He wouldn't offer himself to a woman while still a socially-crippled mess, especially someone of Cassie's caliber.

He threw her a wink he didn't feel, and strode back to the house, his stomach knotting up the farther away he got.
Halfway to the house he ran into Peter. His brother’s expression was closed down in anxiety. His lips were a thin, tight line.

“What’s up?” Jace asked, stopping.

Peter shook his head in anger. “Dad. He just gave me a heated lecture on how to treat a woman.
Dad.
The man who treats Mom like a 1940’s housewife. Such bullshit.”

“What are you going to do?” Jace asked.

Peter glanced at Jace and then away. “I told Dad I was going into town. Though maybe you and Cass want to come—have some time alone.”

“Wait—“ Jace shifted, getting his bearings. “You
’re getting singled out because you aren’t acting like Dad wants you to act, and now you’re going to highlight that by asking me to tag along with you and Cass?”

Peter met his eyes with a locked jaw. He stared for a beat, courage fueling his gaze. There was fear there, too. This was all wreaking hell on Peter. “I’m going to come
out.
That’s been decided. So, no, I won’t let Dad bully me. Plus, the two of you are so obvious—we should head to town. It’s the only way to keep this under wraps for a few more days.”

Jace opened his mouth to apologize. To try and tell his brother, who was obviously derailing quickly, that he and Cassie
wouldn’t give him away. That they could keep a handle on things. But as the words were coming out, Peter brushed past. All Jace could do was stare, hoping Cassie calmed him down. He hated that his brother had to go through this, and there was nothing Jace could do to ease the blow.

As he made his way to the house, he couldn’t help but think that he’d f
inally found someone he truly wanted, and all he saw were obstacles in their way.

A little after mid-day Cassie stood by the car as Jace and Peter came out of the house, both of their faces shut down into a blank mask. And while that was pretty standard for Jace, Peter usually had an open countenance. Most of the time he showed some degree or other of happiness.

"Hey guys," Cassie
said. "Ready?"

Peter's jaw tightened as he opened her passenger door and climbed into the front seat. Jace met her gaze over the roof of the car, the sun highlighting his stupidly handsome features. He paused for a minute, just looking at her, before he, too, silently climbed into the car.

O-kay.

Once in the driver's seat and halfway down the driveway, Cassie interrupted the silence. "What's going on?"

Peter looked out the side window. "My dad doesn't like that Jace is coming with us. Nick was going to come along, but Dad threw a fit."

"Not
a fit. He’s just trying to control something he has no control over," Jace said in a low voice. "Nick has always gone along with the flow."

"And Dad's flow obviously trumps mine." Peter picked at his nail.

"Ours," Jace clarified.

"I don't think my great idea of bringing Cassie along was such a great idea." Peter clenched his jaw.

"Are you debating on not coming out
?"
Cassie asked, trying not to show any emotion over that issue.

"I don't really have much choice. Obviously we aren't a real couple
—everyone has noticed. You and Jace have more chemistry on opposite ends of the yard than the two of us do right next to each other."

"We can always play this a different way, Peter." Jace leaned forward, hanging on the back of Peter's chair. "We can say you two are great friends and she agreed to come with."

"We told them we'd been together a while, though," Cassie said.

"Anything but the truth is going to raise eyebrows." Peter pointed to the right. "Take a right here, Cas
s."

"Let them talk, then, if you want." Jace sat back in the chair, the stern mask now covered over with thunderclouds. "You don't owe anyone an explanation."

"And I would, except there’s you and Cassie to think about. Although..." Peter looked over at Cassie, and then back at Jace. "What happens at the end of the week?"

Jace glanced at Cassie for the briefest of moments before turning his gaze out the window. With a sinking heart, Cassie said, "Well...I have to go back to work."

Peter stared at her for a moment, before turning his head to the side, waiting to see if Jace would chime in. But he didn't. He sat in the backseat, hands resting in his lap, ignoring the conversation.

A weight drifted down the center of Cassie's chest and into her stomach. She didn't know what she'd hoped--she hadn't really thought about it. But Jace turning away, not even participating in the conversation...

Maybe she'd been wrong. Maybe he wasn't into her as much as she was into him.

"It'll work out," Peter said as he motioned for her to take a left. "It has to work out for someone, and right now, it doesn't look like it
’s going to be me."

"It's like
Eeyore sitting beside me," Cassie said dryly.

They got to the cute town of Sonoma and parked in the middle of the square. With the small shops and store-fronts of wineries stretched around them, they congregated on the sidewalk at the hood of the car.
Peter had a glance around them to get his bearings.

"Okay, so I want to hit a couple wineries. I have two favorites in this square."

"Why didn't we just do that on wine day?" Cassie asked.

"Too close. Anyway, I'll go do that. I don't need to taste
—I know what I'm buying. Why don't you two go be a couple for a while? Take the pressure off me."