I take it.
He pulls me out of the ring, steady and sure.
“Better?” he asks under his breath, he looks down at our hands then drops it.
I blink. “That was…”
His gaze drags over my body and I feel it. The noise of the Cage fades until it’s just us, the air between us pulled taut. Humming with adrenaline. I should step back. Back away from this man who’s been nothing but anasshole to me. But tonight, he understood what I needed. I’m caught in his orbit, aware of every inch of space between us.
His jaw tightens, something dark flickering in his eyes, but it’s not anger. It looks like restraint.
I grab his shirt and pull him to me, our lips crashing together. For a moment, he’s stiff, but then his arms wrap around me, one hand cupping the back of my head to hold me to him.
He pulls away, panting, eyes searching mine.
“I’m not fragile,” I pant, gaze steady. “Neither are you.”
Something snaps.
Jace lifts me, and my legs wrap around him. He walks up to the far wall, hidden in the shadows. As soon as my back hits cold concrete, his lips are back on mine.
“You have no idea what you’ve started,” he growls into the kiss, nipping at my bottom lip.
His lips move across my jaw, trailing down to my throat. I gasp and his hands are hot against my skin, every touch another zap of electricity. My hands tangle in his hair as a soft moan escapes me.
“Jace…” I breathe.
“Mine.” He bites the base of my neck.
My eyes fly open and my hands push against his chest. “Excuse me?”
Jace’s eyes are wild, a storm raging behind them.
“You’re mine.” He breathes. “I gave them all a chance. They swung, they missed. But you? You’re looking at me, not them. You feel this. And you know exactly who you belong to.”
I blink, the electricity fading fast. I unwrap my legs and slide down his body. I fight back the groan that the friction creates.
“Say it. You’re mine.”
“You don’t get to demand that I’m yours, Ravencourt. That was just heat of the moment, nothing more.”
I step aside but Jace mirrors me. “Try to run, Isobel. I’ll catch you. Every time. And you’ll thank me when I do.”
I push him aside and head toward the stairs, making my way back to the others.
Noah waits with a towel already in hand, Tex nodding, and Luca grinning like he won the lottery.
Luca whistles. “Remind me never to bet against you.”
Noah hands me the towel. “You good?”
I grin, patting the towel over my face and nod. “Yeah,” I say. “I’m really fucking good.”
The crowd is still murmuring as we make our way up the next stairwell, but it’s different now. I hear it.
“That was Ashthorne’s kid.”
“Did you see that finish?”
