The taste hit my tongue—achingly sweet. I liked it.
I swallowed and took another sip before I could stop myself.
Jace let out a breath he’d clearly been holding. “That’s it,” he sighed. “Good job. Such a good boy.”
Patel watched from the wall, arms crossed loosely, relief flickering across his face. “Oh,” he said suddenly, like something had just occurred to him. “Hang on. There’s one more thing.” He held up the second bag. “Stopped by the grocery store too.”
He reached into the bag and pulled out a clear plastic carton.
Strawberries.
Bright red, fresh, and real.
I stared at them.
Patel handed the carton to Jace, who had an appreciative look on his face.
He opened the carton, then picked up one of the juicy-looking berries, holding it out to me. “Here, cherub. Want to try one?”
I leaned forward a bit and opened my mouth, biting into the fruit.
My eyes fluttered shut, and I made a small noise of contentment as the taste hit my tongue.Oh, it was so good.
After I swallowed it down, the tip of my tongue flicked out to catch the juices dripping down Jace’s fingers.
A sharp intake of air had my eyes opening.
Jace had frozen.
Not completely—he didn’t pull his hand away—but something in him went taut, like a wire drawn too tight. His fingers curled slightly, reflexive, and for half a second, I could feel hispulse jumping under my tongue before I even realized what I’d done.
I pulled back instantly.
Oh.
Ohno.
Heat rushed up my neck and into my face so fast it made my ears ring.
I had just…
I’d just eaten out of his hand.
I stared at him, my lips still parted, juice probably shining on them like an accusation.
Jace was looking at me like he wanted to devour me.
There was no other word for it. His pupils were blown wide, dark and hungry, his jaw clenched so hard I could see the muscle twitch. His chest rose in a breath that didn’t look steady at all. It looked restrained.
Like he was holding himself back with both hands.
“I-I’m sorry,” I muttered, shrinking back against the pillows, mortified. “I didn’t mean to—”
Jace swallowed hard. His hand finally dropped, strawberry forgotten, and he turned away just enough that I could see the tense line of his shoulders.
“It’s okay, you didn’t do anything wrong.”
I pressed my lips together, my face burning. “That was… weird. I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have—”
