Purity.
But Jace’s body around mine muted those echoes, softened it all.
“Jace?” I said quietly.
“Hmm?”
“I don’t think…” I hesitated, curling my fingers around the hand he’d left resting on my stomach. “I don’t think touching you is sinful.”
His breath hitched. Barely—a small sound, but I felt it. Right against my spine.
“Elior,” he murmured, voice suddenly thick.
“Thank you for teaching me that,” I whispered. “Father—Father was wrong,” I added, the words so soft I almost didn’t hear them myself.
Jace’s grip tightened just slightly—not enough to startle me, but enough to let me know he’d heard every syllable.
“I know,” he said. “And I’m going to keep proving it to you. Every time you want this… every time you want me close… you’ll see.”
I turned in his arms slowly until I was facing him. The motion was clumsy—we bumped knees, and his hand slid awkwardly down my side—but Jace just smiled softly, helping guide me until I was tucked against him, forehead near his throat.
His arms wrapped around me again, cocooning me in his warmth. “I’m so proud of you, baby.”
“Me too,” I murmured.
His hand drifted up to cradle the back of my head, fingers threading gently into my hair.
“My brave boy,” he purred, scratching lightly at my scalp.
I leaned into the feeling, and when a certain word came to mind, I let it free. “Daddy.”
Jace’s pupils expanded, and he groaned, “Say it again.”
I gulped. “D-Daddy.”
The sound that left Jace’s throat when I said it was low and rough and nothing like the careful, gentle voice he normally used with me. His fingers slid a little deeper into my hair, tugging and holding me close but not trapping me. I could’ve pulled away at any moment, but I didn’t want to.
He leaned his forehead against mine, breathing unsteadily. “Elior… baby, you don’t know what you’re doing to me.”
“I think I do,” I whispered. My hands had found the front of his shirt without me noticing, clutching the fabric lightly. “I… I feel it.”
Jace let out a quiet laugh. “Yeah? What do you feel?”
“You,” I breathed. “Everywhere.”
His thumb traced the curve of my cheek. “Come here.”
I did.
Our lips brushed—not quite a kiss at first, more like the idea of one, the anticipation humming warm and sweet between us. Jace’s nose bumped mine softly. His breath caught. Then, with a quiet groan, he closed the distance.
The kiss was gentle at first, barely any pressure, just the warmth of his mouth against mine. I melted instantly. Every muscle in my body loosened as I grabbed the front of his shirt tighter, pulling him close without realizing it.
“My little cherub,” he murmured against my lips. “Every inch of your body tastes like the sweetest fucking ambrosia. It’s goddamn addicting.”
That did something to me—something deep and shivery. I tilted my chin, wanting more, and Jace kissed me again, deeper this time. His hand slid from my hair down to the side of my neck, his thumb brushing just below my jaw.
I sighed into him.
