Page 28 of Malice and Surrender
“I think she’s lying, Avro,” Jace said.
My eyes lifted to his, and it wasn’t what he said or even how he said it. It was the look in his eyes. It was the same look I’d gotten from Kai many times.
“I am not.” I clenched my teeth together.
“Oh yeah? Then prove it,” Jace whispered, and the hairs on the back of my neck stood up. His eyes locked with mine, and I felt like I was trapped in a snare.
Avro glared at Jace. “Raine, you don’t need to do this,” he said softly, his fingertips brushing against my neck and making me shiver.
Jace leaned back in the chair and crossed his arms as he stared me down.
“Yeah, I do,” I said. “It’s time I stop running.”
I had no fucking clue what I was signing up for, and maybe I should’ve asked, but all I saw was another guy telling me I couldn’t do something, and I wasn’t having it.
Jace smiled, the look sexy and terrifying at the same time as my pulse jumped. He slowly stood and looked down at Avro and me.
“Are you two coming?”
Oh fuck.
Avro
I held out my hand and didn’t expect Raine to take it. It had taken me months to get her into my home or to spend more than a couple of hours after work relaxing. Today was a revelation, from the beach to the kiss and to now.
From the moment we met, I felt a tug in my chest. It wasn’t just that she was beautiful, although she was. Raine had the best sense of humor and looked out for every employee who came through the door. She was patient and kind, and I’d seen her change so much over the last year as she worked at tearing down the walls holding her back. If asked, I knew Raine would say she was the ugly duckling. She had no idea how amazing she truly was. It had been painful to pretend for so long that I was only interested in her as a friend. I knew I couldn’t push until now. I wasn’t sure she was aware of the shift in her lately. I understood her even though she never said a word. I saw the same scars in her eyes that lined my soul.
My eyes didn’t waver as I stared into hers. I could tell she was on edge. She’d put herself out there, pushing herself, but I hoped it was for the right reasons. I hadn’t even had a chance to explain the relationship that Jace and I shared or how I wanted her to be part of our lives long term. Jace was doing what Jace did best, he pushed, but I worried that it would backfire.
Raine lifted the glass I’d given her and gulped it all down. I couldn’t help but smile as she sat the glass down and placed her hand in mine. My pulse spiked with her touch. The hope I’d kept tempered bloomed in my chest as she stood.
“Coming?” I said, my eyes meeting Jace’s.
“Better believe it,” he said.
“Whoa, I’m…ah…you mean both of you, right now? But…” Raine started, but I wasn’t letting her get this far and not at least shed one more layer to the protective walls she’d wrapped around herself.
Cupping Raine’s face, I dropped my lips to hers and tenderly kissed her lips. I was met with tension and nervousness that I could taste on my tongue as she opened her mouth. Fuck, I wanted her so bad.
I wanted to sit her on the counter and fuck her until she was spent and passed out in my arms. As our lips moved together, I felt her take a shuddering breath, and her body relaxed against mine. I groaned as she opened her mouth, and I explored, tasting the sweet peach flavor that lingered. I was greedy and wanted it all. I wanted her to melt into my body, but that required trust, and I already knew that would take more time.
A hand grabbed my ass a second before Jace’s lips found the side of my neck, and the feel of the two of them pressed up against me had my heart pounding like a trapped animal. This was my fantasy.
Before Jace was the big shot star, we were each other’s person. We still were. Best friends didn’t come close to what we shared. Most didn’t know that Jace grew up an hour from here. We lived on the same street, met in pre-school, and had been close since Jace punched a kid in the face for picking on me. Jace was also the first guy I was interested in other than girls. He was my first tentative kiss as I explored who I was and realized that my interest in him stretched beyond simple curiosity.
The real confusion came when I still found girls hot and dated them as easily as guys. Of course, my girlfriends I brought home; the guys were kept a secret except for Jace. My parents had no idea for years that we were anything more than best friends who played video games, rode bikes, and were on the basketball team together.
“Fuck, I’ve missed you,” Jace whispered in my ear as he pressed his body harder into my back, pushing me harder into Raine. Our relationship had changed multiple times over the years, but one thing remained the same. We realized that no matter what, we couldn’t live without each other.
Was it possible to be in love with two people at the same time? I hadn’t known for sure until now, but my feelings for Jace had never diminished, no matter what part of the world he traveled to or how long he was gone.
Raine started as a fascination, this beautiful woman who dressed in the worst outfits, as if she were purposely trying to hide and never be noticed. But I noticed. I noticed everything about Raine. How her smile lit up the room, and her blue eyes sucked you into their pretty depths and made your heart beat fast. I also noticed that she had a big heart and found a way to help anyone who needed it. She was tough with a quick wit and was beyond talented, especially behind the bar. She was dedicated to anything she put her mind to, and she made me feel better, no matter the shit I had going on.
By my third month, I was more than fascinated, and by the end of the first year, she was the reason I never left Eclipse. Jobs came and went, but the people that made you feel whole, you hung onto them with both hands.
I needed Jace to want Raine, and Raine to want Jace. I wouldn’t hide my relationship with Jace from her and try to sneak him in later. That wasn’t right, and it wasn’t who we were. It was both of us, or I had to choose, and fuck, I didn’t want to have to make that choice.
Jace and I always had the same tastes, so with nervous anticipation, I hoped he found Raine as irresistible as I did. Then I had to pray that Raine wouldn’t decide she’d rather punch Jace in the face, because he really loved to push those lines. It was his thing.
