Muse - Fighting Fate #1 (21 page)

Chapter 34

Jace

I couldn’t stop stealing glances at Mia standing in the wing the entire show. I’d been fucking stunned when she’d walked into the lounge back at her house. I was literally speechless, standing there just fucking gawking at her like a virgin geek or something.

Every time I saw her I didn’t think she could ge
t any hotter, but then she walked out looking like a fucking supermodel, showing me just how fucking wrong I could be.

All I wanted to do was dr
ag her off to her room and devour her, but then I remembered we were about to go out in public, and the thought of all the hungry looks she was bound to get suddenly set me on edge. I really wanted to tell her to go put on a pair of jeans or something.

I was
fucking ecstatic when Aiden practically said what I was thinking, but then she got that damned sad, worried look and I just wanted to let her do whatever it was that would put a smile back on her face.

I knew the other guys
had been worried having her at the gig would affect our concentration. Hell,
I’d
been worried. Not only was it going to be the biggest fucking crowd we’d ever played to, but Rich and the guy from Leighton’s were going to be there. We needed to make sure we left it all over the motherfucking stage.

But it seemed we had no need to worry. Once we hit that stage and heard the crowd screaming our name, there was no fucking way we were playing bad. In fact, I think it was the most intense set we’d ever done.

It was obvious we had a lot of our YouTube supporters there too, because the crowd hit it fucking hard, getting in and singing along with us, cranking up the fucking atmosphere until it was ready to fucking explode.

The second our set was done
though, I threw my pick into the crowd and walked straight to where Mia was standing, passing Ryan my guitar as I went.

The smile on her face made me feel like a fucking king, and when I reached her, she threw her arms up and jumped at me. I caught her and squeezed her hard against me as she wrapped her arms around my neck. “I’m all sweaty
, babe,” I warned her.

She giggled. “I love you all sweaty. You stink good.”

I groaned. She wasn’t going to make this easy for me. My dick was already twitching and her fucking mom was standing right there! God fucking help me.

Aiden stepped up beside us, beaming like a man on top of the world. He looked at his mom. “So? What’d you think?”

She gazed at the both of us and shook her head. Her eyes were wide with wonder. “When did you turn into superstars? I mean, all those people knew all the words to your songs. That’s insane.”

We laughed
. Yeah, it was pretty insane.

“So, what are you doing now?” Aiden asked her. “Are you staying for a bit?”

Her eyes darted out to the crowd beyond the stage. “I think this crowd’s a little bit too young for me. I might just head home.” She looked at Mia. “Did you want to come with me?”

Mia shifted in my arms.
“I’d like to stay for a bit if I could,” she said softly.

I instantly tensed, as did Aiden and Lillian.
The memory of her panic attack still had me tied up in knots.

Mia
licked her bottom lip nervously. “I want to try.”

Aiden gave her a hard look, ready to sa
y something, but Lillian jumped in first. “You’ve already had such a big day, baby. I don’t want you to push yourself too hard.”

“I’ll be fine. All my safe havens are here.” She looked between me, Aiden and Kaeli. “I won’t stay long. Baby steps, right?”

Lillian sighed. I knew she wanted to say no, but I guess it was Mia’s choice at the end of the day. No matter how much the rest of us wanted to keep her far away from that crowd.

“You don’t have to do this
, Mia,” Aiden said. “It’s fucking huge that you got this far. It’s okay if this is as far as you get.”

“Language, Aiden,” Lillian warned.

Mia ignored her. “I know, but I want to try. Please?”

His jaw clenched as he gave her a hard stare, but then he sighed and I knew she’d won. “Fine. Wait here. I’ll just walk Mom out and see if I can grab us a spot that’s not too crowded.
”

Kaeli stepped forward. “I’ll come with you. I just want to get my jacket out of the car.”

I watched Lillian give Mia a pointed look. “Be careful.”

She smiled angelically
and pulled Lillian into a hug. “I will. I promise.”

The second they were gone I pulled Mia harder against me and kissed the top of her head. It felt like forever since I’d had her alone.
Her body was almost rigid there was so much tension inside her. She was usually so soft and relaxed. I wondered if it was from the noise of the crowd or something else. My arms tightened around her reflexively, the need to protect her too strong to ignore.

She tilted her head back, her gaze questioning, so I lowered mine to give her a soft, reassuring kiss.
Her hands instantly tensed against my back, her fingers digging in to hold me close, and she sighed against my mouth, her lips parting as she quickly deepened the kiss.

I responded to her need without
question, suddenly realizing I needed this as much as she did. What happened in the halls that afternoon had really shaken me up. It had crushed me to see her that way. It made my heart ache in a way I’d never experienced before.

I thought all the playing I’d done that afternoon
and night would’ve ridded me of the tension, but as she kissed me, I knew it hadn’t. I could feel it there – feel her drawing it out, mending the hurt. I knew it was the same for her too, because slowly, her body began to relax against mine.

I moved a hand up to caress her face, my fingers tangling in the soft waves of her hair as her tongue glided over mine, igniting every part of my body. She sighed into my mouth,
causing me to groan with the desire it brought, but then I heard a loud clearing of a throat.

We both looked up to see Aiden standing there, beside a slightly amused Carly. “Are you done?” he asked acidly.

Mia cocked her head to the side. “No, can you give us a minute?”

Her response was the last thing I’d expected
, and I burst out laughing as I pulled her closer. Aiden was trying to repress a grin, but I could tell he was amused just the same. “Yeah, yeah, she’s fucking hilarious.”

I looked down at Mia, still smiling, but when I thought of taking her out into the crowd,
I quickly sobered.

“Aiden’s right, you know. It’s okay if this is as far as you get. It won’t bother me if you want to go home.” I smiled again, trying to lighten my words. “I wouldn’t mind checking out this dress of yours in private.”

Aiden growled. “Knock it off, Jace. Just because Mia’s decided she wants to go out with you, doesn’t mean I still won’t beat the shit out of you.”

Mia giggled and snuggled into my chest. “I’m okay.”

Aiden huffed. “I found some seats near the back that are kind of away from the thick of it. Kaeli’s waiting there with Dean and Matt. You’ll have to walk through the crowd to get there though.”

Mia nodded, her face set with determination.

“If you can manage to make it there, I think you’ll be fine. And it’s not as hot either.”

Carly giggled. “I don’t think that’ll matter.
It looks as though Jace will keep her overheated anyway.”

I smirked at that. Hell
, yeah I would.

Aiden groaned. “Just stop. I don’t need those kinds of thoughts about my sister.”

Mia grinned cheekily at her brother and squeezed me tight. The look on Aiden’s face was priceless. I was going to enjoy stirring the fuck out of him. Bending down to kiss the top of Mia’s head, I breathed her in. “Let me just change my shirt.”

Getting through the crowd wasn’t as bad as I thought it’d be. With Aiden, me, and Carly flanking Mia the whole way, we made it pre
tty much unscathed, although she did look a little pale from the experience.

I would never say anything
to Mia, but I actually thought it might’ve been the few girls that tried to come on to me along the way that had distracted her. I thought I might love that possessive side of my little wild cat.

Finding a seat near the corner, I sank down and pulled Mia onto my lap. I had many excuses for doing it
. Limited seats. Making a statement so every other girl would stay away. Making a statement so every other guy would stay away. But the one that mattered most was the fact that I just wanted to hold her. I needed to feel her, to know she was relaxed, to know she was okay.

We sat there and listened in to the conversation going on around us, happy to just be with each other.

“How’s Seth going, Amy?” Matt asked her over the music. Seth was Amy’s older brother. He and Matt’s brother, Paul, had gone to school together. Last I heard about him, he’d gone off somewhere to study medicine.

Amy’s eyes widened with excitement. “He
loves it. Next year he gets to go work at the hospital and try all the different areas of specialty.”

Amber shook her head. “I can’t believe your brother’s almost a doctor. That’s just surreal.”

Dean laughed at her. “You can’t talk. What have you got? One brother who’s a pilot, one that’s a major software designer, and one that’s a fucking property tycoon.”

Amber grumbled. “Yeah, it’s great. Try living up to all that expectation.”

Jess laughed. “Yeah, well my parents are still grumbling about Austin’s career choice. Poor guy can’t catch a break.”

Dean gaped at her. “What do you mean? He’s playing for the god damned Rang
ers. And at twenty-one! How can they grumble about that? That’s huge.”

Jess just shrugged and laughed. “Don’t get me wrong, they’re proud, but Dad still has fantasies about ‘Montgomery and Son’. He wants to be able to hand the business down the generation chain.”

Kaeli thumped her glass on the table and frowned. “Man, I so lucked out in the sibling department. All I’m stuck with is a loser step brother who prefers to live his life leeching off anyone he can.”

“You can have one of my brothers,” Amber said. “Take Alex, he’s in need of someone to watch out for him.”

“Why, what’s going on?” Jess asked.

She glanced over at the bunch of girls who were doing everything they could to get one of us guys alone. “See the
skank squad?” she said. I almost spat my drink out at that one. The name suited them. “Put them in designer clothes and Alex in the middle. The only women he seems to get are those with dollar signs in their eyes. I nearly bitch slapped the last one. Ran up over fifty thousand dollars on the home shopping network and wacked it on his credit card.”

Mia’s jaw dropped open. “Are you serious?”

“Oh, yeah. There are some real freaking leeches around.”

Mia looked at me with horror in her eyes. I gave her a look which I hoped told her I had no fucking intention of going anywhere near the skank squad.

After that we spent most of the time just talking quietly to each other. At some stage Rich and Gary, the guy from Leighton’s, dropped by to talk to us, but other than that, I didn’t give a fuck who else was around us. I knew people were curious about what was going on with me and Mia. I could almost feel people’s eyes boring holes into me, but they could all go fuck themselves. They didn’t matter. Mia did.

We’d been sitting there for over an hour when Mia leaned back and gave me a little teasing smile. “Dance with me?”

Oh fuck no. My eyes narrowed slightly as I returned her gaze. “Uh-uh. I don’t think so.”

The smile left her face and her eyes grew all wide and fucking pleading. “Please?”

I dropped my head back against the seat and groaned.

She shifted on my lap and suddenly stood, holding onto my hands as she went. I looked up at her blinking at me all sweetly. “Please?” she said again.

I glanced out to the sea of bodies on the dance floor. This was a really fucking bad idea. “Mia…”

She tugged on my hands, trying to encourage me
. “Come on. We can dance just over there – on the edge…”

I let her pull me up, knowing I should be saying no, but it seemed I had no fucking balls when it came to Mia.

She hesitated when I was up, her courage seemingly faltering. I took her hand and led her to the edge of the dance floor, hoping Aiden wasn’t about to come knock me out. Pulling her into my arms, I held her closely, trying to gauge how she was coping by the tension in her body. She was tense, but I couldn’t feel her heart thumping out of control.

She gazed up at me and smiled. “Thank you.”

I didn’t say anything, I couldn’t. I just gazed at her, wondering how she’d suddenly become the center of my world.

Chapter
35

Mia

I’d never been more proud of myself in my life. I’d actually made it through
a whole night at a crowded club without having an anxiety attack. Well, maybe not a whole night, but an hour and a half was like a lifetime to me in a situation like that. Go me!

As Jace walked me out to
the parking lot, I beamed. Dancing with him had been the ultimate. Not because of the dancing per se, but because I got to mark my territory.

I was amazed at how brazen some girls could be. Jace actually had a total of five girls, on five separate occasions, approach him like I didn’t even exist. All during the twenty minutes we were on the dance floor.
When he just outright ignored them, I could’ve kissed him. In fact, I did. Again, go me!

I smiled as I thought about the kiss we’d shared in front of all our friends. It was hot to say the least. Aiden had looked at me despairingly, but he didn’t say anything.
After that, I decided I’d had enough and asked Jace if we could leave.

When we reached the car,
Jace opened the door for me and I happily slipped inside. As he moved around the front of the car, I watched him pull his phone out and read something off the screen.

“Mom a
nd Mark are staying at Aunt Kelly’s tonight,” he said, sliding into the driver’s seat. “Apparently Mark’s too tired to drive, and Mom’s had too much to drink to drive, so...” he continued, looking over at me. “Do you think your mom’d be okay with you staying the night?”

I smiled, my insides already fluttering with the thought of being alone with him.
He looked so hopeful. “I’m not sure. Maybe. I’ll text her.”

Pulling out my phone, I shot off a quick text, making sure I crossed as many parts of my body as possible in hope.

Jace grinned and immediately started the car. Mom’s answer came back straight away.

“She wants to know if your mom’s okay with it,” I said, glancing at Jace.

“Of course,” Jace said without pause. “She’s already told me you’re welcome any time.”

I tapped out those exact words and hit send, grinning when Mom’s consent came back. Knowing I’d be able to sleep in Jace’s arms was making me giddy. “She said yes,” I said, shivering at the breathy sound of my voice. Oh boy. Excitement overload.

Jace’s returning gaze flared with a dark intensity, sending heat straight between my legs. I tensed, clenching my thighs together to savor the sensation. Jace growled.

The drive was quick.
As soon as we got there, he took me by the hand without a word and led me inside. When we reached the kitchen, he stopped and gazed down at me. “Do you want a drink or anything?”

My whole body was tingling for him.
As if I could think of food or drink. I shook my head, my eyes never leaving his. Understanding was clear in his gaze. With another piercing look, he turned, my hand still in his, and led me to his room.

Closing the door behind me, Jace released my hand and quickly
went to pick up the guitar and papers that were scattered over his bed. I took the time to remove the jewelry I was wearing and take in Jace’s most private space.

Yes,
I’d been in his room before, but I didn’t exactly get the chance to look around the last time I’d been there. It was quite big as far as bedrooms went. He had posters of some of his favorite bands on the walls, like Linkin Park, Muse and 30 Seconds to Mars.

His desk sat in the corner with
even more papers scattered all over it – mostly music sheets and lined paper with words scrawled all over them, which I assumed were lyrics. He had three guitars on stands beside that, with other equipment like amps, tuners and pics strewn around that. His bed sat in the middle of the far wall - a queen size with a dark, navy blue cover.

It was very Jace.

I watched him place the guitar on a stand then slowly close the distance between us until his chest was almost pressed against mine. More gentle than he’d ever been, he ran his fingers through my hair, his eyes sweeping over every inch of my face.

I exhaled
softly at his touch and reached out to rest my hands on his hips. The roaring fire inside me seemed to have simmered down to a slow, deep burn. It made me want to take my time, feel, experience.

Jace watched me, the same slow burn reflected in his eyes. Slowly, carefully, he cupped my cheek in his palm
, his thumb brushing gently across my cheekbone. I closed my eyes with contentment, and exhaled a slow, languid breath.

I
felt his warmth growing closer, and then ever so softly, his lips brushed over mine. A tiny sigh escaped me. It felt like I’d been waiting all my life for this very moment.

He continued
to stroke my cheek while his other hand caressed my lower back, drawing soft, slow circles. I leaned into him, deepening the kiss, allowing it to grow and build in intensity. My hands slid over his shirt, feeling the hard contours of his stomach as I poured all my feelings for him out through my kiss.

Every single movement we made was unhur
ried and gentle. It was perfect. We caressed, and stroked and just breathed, allowing time to just feel and absorb the overwhelming volumes of emotion that was flowing through us.

With sure fingers,
I gently unbuttoned Jace’s shirt, gliding my hands over the bare skin of his chest, sliding his shirt over his shoulders and letting it fall to the floor.

And still he kissed me.

His fingers skimmed teasingly up my back, finding the clasp of my zipper and carefully sliding it downwards. I shivered when his fingertips trailed after it, his touch burning passion on my bare skin, leaving a tingling path of warmth in his wake. I moaned into his mouth. Holy. That felt good.

Every inch of my skin tingled
as my dress slipped down my body, pooling at my feet, but then Jace’s hands were there, gliding over my bare skin, one moving up under the long strands of my hair, and the other caressing the curve of my hip. I reached up to wrap my arms around his neck, pressing my body against his so I could feel the bare skin of his stomach against mine.

His hands never st
illed. They explored nonstop, roaming all over my body, making my breath catch in my throat with every new place he found.

My breath
grew faster and faster. I wanted more of him. I needed to feel more of him against me. I reached down to find the button on his jeans, working it undone first, followed by the zipper. When I started to tug on them, Jace broke our kiss, stepping back a fraction to take them off, but when he caught sight of me standing there in just my underwear and red heels, I heard his breath catch.

His eyes trave
lled slowly over my body, turning darker and darker with each passing moment. That dark hunger was always my undoing. It made my heart trip all over itself. Before I could think, he stepped forward again, taking my face in his hands.

“You are so
fucking beautiful,” he whispered against my lips.

I shivered at the slight sound of desperation in the words and moaned. It was only a soft sound, but it
seemed to send Jace a little wild. Stepping out from the fallen dress, I slipped off my shoes and took his hand, gently leading him over to the bed before helping him strip down to his boxer briefs. Then carefully, he guided me down onto the bed.

I don’t know how long he spent covering my
body with kisses, but as I lay there, unable to stop the incoherent moans that escaped me, listening to the appreciative groans he made each time I writhed under his touch, I knew I would never feel this way with another person. Ever. He was it for me.

After a while, he unclipped my bra
, sliding his hands over my bare skin, trailing them with sweet, warm kisses. Then he worked his way down, doing the same with my panties, sliding them off until I was lying there, on his bed, in nothing but my naked glory.

I was beginning to feel a little overwhelmed with emotion for this
soft side of Jace. I couldn’t seem to stop myself from thinking about the way he’d been there for me. At school, when the pep rally overcame me. In the parking lot after school, displaying his affection for me in front of all our friends. At the club, helping me realize I’m so much braver than I thought, and that he would always be there to protect me.

It was almost too much to bare. I needed to show him
just how much he meant to me, how much I felt for him. I pushed against him, silently asking him to roll over. He obliged without question, pulling me along with him so I was laying on top, out legs tangled together. Slowly, I traced soft lines along his jaw with my fingers while my lips swept sensually over his mouth, his jaw, his throat. His fingers tangled in my hair, growing tighter and tighter with each new place I touched.

When I reached his chest, my
hands and mouth combining soft touches all over, he growled and rolled again, laying me back, fully covering my body with his and taking control. He settled between my legs, holding me, caressing me, worshiping me, and just when I thought I couldn’t take any more, he wriggled out of his boxer briefs, reached for the protection, and slid inside me.

The feeling of him filling me was exquisite. When he
’d completely filled me his whole body went still and he pressed his lips against my neck, breathing in my scent as we both fought to allow the intensity to settle. I wasn’t sure about him, but for me, there was no sign of it settling. My need for him was not coming down.

I was sure Jace came to the same conclusion because suddenly he was kissing me, and he started to move. I
held him to me, my hand cupping the back of his neck as I kissed him with the scorching passion that was burning inside me. Everything was just so intense. It was mind blowing. There were so many emotions swirling around inside me. Inside my head, inside my heart, inside my body. It was indescribable.

I broke the kiss, gasping, moving my
hips with his. My fingers were tense like the rest of me, tightening on the back of his neck and shoulder blade. We moved slowly, finding a rhythm that only allowed for a long, intense build up that gathered more and more emotion as we went.

Everything that
was inside me – all the tension I’d built over the past twelve hours, and all the emotion I felt for Jace, was combining to create something I had no idea how to control. It was becoming too much. I could feel it growing too large for me, seeking an outlet, and when I felt my eyes prick with the stirrings of tears, I knew I had to let them come.

I kept them silent, allowing them to
slip quietly down over my temples and into my hair. I clung to him tighter, pressing myself against him, and as I felt myself reaching that beautiful precipice, I let go.

I cried out with the
intensity of the tremors that were quaking my body, gasping for air. Jace groaned into the curve of my neck, his body tensing against mine as he found his own release.

I held
him there, still gasping, till trying desperately to regain control over myself, but I couldn’t. A soft sob escaped me.

Jace’s head shot up to look at me, his expression filled with concern
. “Shit, baby, what’s wrong? I didn’t hurt you, did I?”

I swallowed against the lump in my
throat and shook my head, unable to speak.

“Then what’s wrong?”

The worry in his eyes was heartbreaking. All my control gone, my face fell, and I pulled him back down so I could bury my face against his neck. I tried to take deep, calming breaths so I could collect myself somehow.

Jace just held me, allowing me to hide there in his embrace for as long as I needed. I knew he was still worried, but the fact that he gave me just what I needed made me fall deeper.

When I felt a little better, I loosened my hold on him, letting him pull back so he could see my face. “Mia? Please, baby, tell me what’s wrong,” he said quietly.

I took
a breath, testing my ability to speak. “I don’t know...I guess it’s just...everything that’s happened today...and...when I’m with you, everything’s just intensified...it’s like I can feel all the hurt being drawn out of my body, like you’re the only thing that makes it all okay – makes it better.” I closed her eyes against the tears that were building again. “I know that sounds stupid...”

I opened my eyes to see Jace gazing at me
with such intensity. “It’s not stupid, Mia. I feel the same thing when I’m with you. It’s...overwhelming...”

Okay, now there was no way I could
hold them back. They overflowed, rolling yet again down my temples. Another lump formed in my throat, and my chest shuttered a little with a hiccup.

We
watched each other silently for a little while, then Jace swallowed hard, his expression pained as he gazed at me. “I love you, Mia.”

My breath stopped. Just…stopped. I blinked at him, absorbing the words he’d just spoken so tenderly. Then my face fell again. I pulled him down to hide mys
elf in the curve of his neck, breathing through my silent tears, loving him so damned much it hurt.