“I do.” More than I should admit. But I nod and lean in to kiss her forehead, soft and quick. "We’ll head out tomorrow morning. Gives us time to figure out the rest."
The rest being the concert in two days. The confrontation with my father. The brothers who are already on their way. The mess that started as a protection detail and has turned into something I never saw coming.
For now, though, the afternoon light is still warm through the windows, and Sadie’s standing in my shirt, seeing the manbeneath the damage. I pull her in for another kiss, slower this time, and let myself have this one good thing before the storm hits again.
14
Sadie
I’m catching feelings. Real, inconvenient, terrifying feelings that make my chest feel too tight and my thoughts spin in loops I can’t seem to break. I don’t want this. This was supposed to be temporary. I had rules back in Halo City on that porch. No flirting. No nicknames. No letting the arrogant, charming, fun-loving bodyguard get under my skin or into my bed. But the rules are scattered like broken glass now. After the beach where he saw me in my bikini and couldn’t stop staring. After the club dinner where his arm around my waist felt too right. After this afternoon, when he gazed at me as if I were the last steady thing he could hold onto, then showed me exactly how much he wanted me with those talented hands and that sinful, charming mouth.
And now we still have to keep pretending. The concert’s in two days. Victor, his father, is out there somewhere with answers and secrets and a new name. We need to be visible tonight. Act like a normal couple enjoying summer in Sunbreak Harbor. Maybe Victor will show up again. Maybe we’ll spot him first. The thought makes something twist low in my stomach, but I pushit down. Jace needs the distraction. I can give him that much at least.
He releases his hold on me, and I miss his touch already. "So, Wells. How should we spend the rest of today?"
I smile. "We should figure out the plan. Your mom's house tomorrow morning, right?"
He nods, one hand sliding up my back in a slow, absent stroke that sends little sparks across my skin. "Tomorrow morning. Gives us time to breathe. Tonight we go out. Be seen. Lobster Shack for dinner. Walk the boardwalk afterward. Make it look as if we’re another couple enjoying the town. Maybe Victor shows his face. If he does, we play it cool."
I raise an eyebrow at him, trying for serious even as his fingers keep tracing patterns along my arm. "You’re very confident. What if he does show up? What if he saw you yesterday?"
Jace's grin softens into something more real. He leans in and brushes his nose against mine in a gesture that feels far too intimate for two people who are supposed to be pretending. "Then we deal with it. Together. You’re good at this, Sadie. The way you handled the women at the club, the way you kept it together when everything went sideways. I trust you."
The words hit somewhere deep. I don’t know what to say to that, so I deflect with banter instead. "High praise from the man who thought I was going to climb out a window and run when we first met."
"You were glaring at me," he says, laughing. "It was adorable. Still is."
I try to look annoyed, but my lips betray me. "You’re too much."
"And you like it," he shoots back, pressing a quick kiss to my forehead before walking away.
The afternoon passes in a strange, comfortable rhythm that feels far too real. I shower while he makes coffee in the kitchen, the sound of him humming something upbeat drifting down the hall. When I come out in a simple sundress, hair still damp, he’s leaning against the counter in low-slung jeans and nothing else, scrolling his phone with one hand and holding a mug in the other. The domestic picture of it makes my chest ache in a way I’m not ready to examine.
"You’re staring," he says without looking up, but the grin in his voice is obvious.
"I am not," I lie, moving to pour myself coffee. The mug is warm in my hands. "I’m assessing the tactical advantages of having a shirtless bodyguard in the kitchen."
He glances up then, eyes warm and teasing. "Tactical advantages include excellent coffee service and the ability to carry you to bed if you get any ideas about working on lesson plans tonight."
I laugh despite myself. "Lesson plans are the last thing on my mind right now."
"Good," he says, setting his phone down and stepping closer. He takes my mug and sets it aside, then pulls me in by the waist. His hands are warm through the thin fabric of my dress. "Because tonight we’re being a couple. Holding hands. Maybe stealing a kiss or two on the boardwalk. Making sure anyone watching sees exactly what we want them to see."
The words send a shiver through me that has nothing to do with the air conditioning. "And what is that?"
His voice drops deeper, playful but with an edge of something real. "That I can’t keep my hands off you. That you’re the best thing that’s happened to me in a very long time. That this stopped being pretend a while ago."
I don’t have an answer for that. Not one I’m ready to say out loud. So I rise up on my toes and kiss him instead, quick and soft, tasting the coffee on his lips. He makes a low sound in his throat and deepens it for a moment before pulling back with a grin. "Careful, Wells. We’ve got plans tonight."
The drive into town is easy, the Jeep's top down and the afternoon sun warm on our skin. The town’s alive with summer energy. The sound of laughter and music carries from the boardwalk. Families walk with ice cream cones. The distant creak of the wooden planks under feet mixes with the thump of bass from somewhere down the line. I keep my hand over his on my leg and let myself lean into the pretense.
We park near the Lobster Shack and walk hand in hand toward the patio. The place is exactly as last time. We get a table overlooking the dark water, the lights from the boardwalk reflecting in soft ripples. Jace orders for us after I tell him what I prefer, and the easy domesticity of it makes something warm settle in my chest.
We’re halfway through a basket of perfectly crispy fried clams when he flags down the server, a young guy with sun-bleached hair and an easy smile. Jace leans back in his chair, all casual charm. "Hey, quick question. Victor around tonight? We heard he’s the guy to know in town. Wanted to say hello."
The server shakes his head. "Nah, man. He left town this afternoon. Business up the coast or something. Said he’d be back for the big concert though."
Jace thanks him and the guy moves on. I watch Jace's face carefully across the table. His expression stays relaxed, but I see the slight tightening at the corners of his eyes, the way his jaw flexes once before he smooths it out. I lean in, keeping my voice deep over the sound of the ocean and the restaurant chatter.
