And there he was, standing at her doorstep. The snow was falling in big wet flakes, covering her porch in a blanket of white. He stood in the middle of this winter wonderland, almost like a dream. She had had dreams like this long ago, dreams where somehow Jace showed up on her front door, and somehow they were together again, like they were in high school.
But this wasn’t that dream. He looked tired. She could see it now in the creases on his forehead and the heaviness in his eyes. But he also looked happy to see her, as if she was the relief he had been waiting for all day.
Selena grabbed his hand and tugged him inside, closing the door behind him. Then she unzipped his jacket and slipped her hands inside it, finding her way to his warmth.
“No food or packages this time?” she asked, smiling up at him.
Jace chuckled. “You want a package? I have one, just for you, if that’s what you’re looking for.”
She rolled her eyes and groaned. “Teenage humor.”
His grin faded, and his eyes grew heavy with desire. “We’re not in high school anymore. Not at all.”
His voice was low, and he took a step toward her. She smiled and stepped back. He took another step and another, until her back was against the wall. Then he bent his head down and kissed her. No, this definitely wasn’t high school. Back then, their kisses had been sloppy and eager, but they were older now, more experienced, and he knew how to take this devastatingly slow. Jace kissed like he was speaking to her. Each soft stroke of his tongue over hers saidstay. Each graze of his teeth over her lips saidI’ll make it good for you. Each caress of his hand through her hair saidI promise. It was the kiss to define all future kisses, and he was giving it to her as she teetered on the precipice between leave or stay. It was hard to think, so she just kissed him back without hesitation, getting lost in this man who made her feel like no one else did.
Too soon, far too soon, his hand left in her hair, and he pulled back.
“Hi,” he whispered, his lips brushing against hers.
She was breathless, dizzy from the kiss. “Thanks for coming.”
“Anytime.” He said it with an intensity that took her breath away. But then he stepped back, his warm body gone as he shed his winter clothes and boots.
“So…” Selena searched for what she was going to say before that kiss. “Do you want some fruitcake?”
“Exactly what I was thinking.”
She let out a snort of laughter. “Sure it was.”
He followed her up to the kitchen, and she could feel his eyes on her, taking her in.
The fruitcake was still on the counter, a healthy piece of it missing from the other night. She cut two more slices and laid them on plates, passing one to him. Her hand slowed as she caught sight of the card from the package, right where she’d left it.
Prepare to fall in love.
Was that what they were doing? She looked up at him, and they both stilled. Was he wondering the same thing? Selena looked away, not ready to answer that question, not yet. Jace took the plates to the counter and sat down on a bar stool, and she slid onto the stool next to his. He rested his thigh against hers as he took his first bite, and her heart skittered. They ate and talked about their days, and it was so easy, so natural, the way it had been at the café. But there was something more, too. This time, the bedroom was near, and she felt that knowledge zip between them, an electric charge that made each brush of her leg against his more vivid.
So she set her fork down on her empty plate,leaned over and pressed her lips against his.
“You still want that tour of the house?” she asked.
Do you still want to take this further?
He rested his forearms on his thighs and hung his head for a moment, shaking it slowly. When he looked back up at her, he was smiling. “Oh, Selena. You know that I’m up for just about anything with you.”
He turned to face her, and she slid off her stool into the space between his legs. She rested her hands on his thighs. “Ready?”
He laughed and nodded, and she headed for the hallway with Jace close behind.
“What’s downstairs?” he asked, pointing to the staircase that led down from the front door.
“The laundry room and two more bedrooms,” she said. For the kids she and Darren never had.
Jace nodded, then poked his head into a bathroom and a closet.
“What’s that room?” he asked, pointing to the door across from her bedroom.
“My studio.”
