After two hours of none stop baking, I finally feel as close to normal as I'm going to get. There's no room left on the counters for me to keep going, already covered with trays of cookies, cupcakes, and muffins. Warm sweet scents fill the house making it smell like a bakery. It should be calming to me. I should feel much better by now, but I don't.
I can still feel Jace's hands on my skin, his lips moving against mine. Just the slightest thought of what happened tonight makes my heart race. I'm gonna have a heart attack. My headstone will read, "Here lies Alexis Young. Beloved daughter and friend. Killed by a kiss, and just shy of her eighteenth birthday. How sad."
Okay, maybe not those words exactly, but pretty damn close. At the very least, it would be honest.
Throwing my dirty mixing bowls in the sink, I'm caught off guard by my phone ringing on the kitchen table. I'm positive it's Cassie. She didn't look too happy with her friend when I left. If she had to pick between sharing a cab with her or calling me, I have a good feeling what she'd choose.
Padding over barefoot, I grab my phone and nearly choke.
Jace.
My heart skips a beat as I try not to swallow my tongue.
You can do this. Just answer.
My shaking finger hovers over the screen, fighting to just press the damn button when the ringing dies completely. A sigh of relief escapes me in a rush. I place the phone back down, step away, and...it starts ringing again.
Damnit!
I snatch the phone and answer before I can overthink it. "Hello?"
"Lexi, we need your help."
"Kade?" I'm already heading towards the hall where I left my shoes.
"Yeah. Sorry, I had to use Jace's phone. I don't have your number and the jackass is too drunk to give it to me." In the distance, I hear a mumble of voices before it sounds like Kade's pulled away from the speaker to tell someone to "shut the fuck up!"
"What do you mean he's too drunk? What the hell's going on? Are you guys still at the party?"
"We're still here and could use some help. We need to get him outta here but I can't put him on the back of a bike like this." Kade's voice drips with concern and just a hint of irritation. "So, can you give him a ride?"
I grab my keys from the hall table. "Yeah. I'll be there soon."
Going back to the party in leggings and an oversized pajama shirt was not something I thought I'd be doing tonight. Even more unexpected is the sight of Jace sprawled out on his back in the neighbor's yard. Kade paces along the sidewalk while the others stay close to Jace; Travis standing nearby, Josie hovering like a worried hen, and Wilder sitting in the grass next to his laid out friend like it's just another night.
I pull up along the side of the road and leave the car running while I jump out.
"Thank, God!" Kade huffs before pointing at his cousin. "Please talk to him."
I watch Jace wearily, not positive he even knows I'm here. "What's the problem?"
"I told you not to call her. Asshole!" Jace slurs, propping himself up on the grass to throw his army cap at Kade. He misses completely and huffs, falling back to the ground.
Guess he knows I'm here after all.
"That's the problem." Kade nods. "He's been throwing back drinks for the last couple hours."
"You should've seen the keg stand," Wilder adds.
Travis snorts. "Fucking epic."
Narrowing her eyes at both of them, Jo crosses her arms. "It's not funny! Someone could've gotten hurt in there!"
"Hurt?" I ask, not entirely following.
When the hell did someone get hurt?
"We had to pull him out 'cause he tried to pick a fight with some guy," Kade explains. "Even trashed, Jace would've fucking killed him. I don't need him going to jail tonight. My aunt and my dad will lose their shit."
I can believe that. Last time I saw Jace he looked like he was on the warpath as he stomped into the party. Add alcohol to that fiery temper, and shit was bound to explode. But like Kade, I don't want Ms. Amy to worry about Jace, and that's exactly what would happen if he got himself arrested tonight.
"Can you drive him home?" Josie asks, her honey eyes silently pleading with me as she walks over and saddles up against Kade.
"He can't go home." Kade shakes his head as he welcomes Jo's body, pulling her in close. "Aunt Amy can't see him like this. He'll have to sleep it off in the barn."
That doesn't sound like a good place to sleep. Cold, alone, and in the middle of god knows where. What if he hurts himself stumbling around in this random-ass busted barn? He could trip over tools or whatever they keep in there and get really hurt. What kind of barn is it anyway?
I remember Jace saying his uncle owned it and they hung out there sometimes, but that doesn't mean it's a good place to leave a drunk person for a night.
I chew on my cheek. "You guys don't have anywhere else he can go?"
All four of them shake their heads.
With a wide smile, Wilder wiggles his eyebrows. "Unless you wanna take him back to your place."
I really don't. Bringing Jace home with me is a bad idea. One that I would avoid if I possibly could, but from the slow spread of hopeful looks on everyone's faces, I'm getting the picture they're all thinking the same thing.
I sigh, sealing my fate. "If you can get him in my car, I'll take him home with me."
The tension in the air lifts. Everyone's a little more at ease, except for me.
"He might get in your car if you just ask him to." Kade shrugged.
"Didn't you guys already try just asking?"
"Yeah, but..." Josie cringes with a faint smile. "He might listen to you better than he did us."
My eyes flick to Jace, laying so still I wonder if he's fallen asleep. "Why do you think that?"
"Cause he hasn't shut the fuck up about you since we dragged his ass out here," Travis answers, his usual annoyed tone slightly more playful than I'm used to hearing.
Wild absentmindedly picks at the grass between him and Jace. "Until you showed up of course. Now he's gone mute." He leans over and lightly taps Jace on the cheek. "Ain't that right, buddy?"
Jace doesn't say anything and just swats his friend's hand away.
Ready to get out of here, I decide to give it a try. Worse case, he says no and the guys have to throw his ass in the back seat.
I walk over to where Jace is laying down and squat next to him. His eyes mirror the sky, staring straight up at the few stars that can be seen. Forgetting I'm here, he's wandered off into his mind. I'd pay money to know what he's thinking right now. He looks so lost and disheveled. A stark contrast to the cocky guy that I ran away from earlier.
"Jace," I softly whisper.
Those deep blue eyes shift to me, a pained crease forming between his brows.
"Lexi." The vulnerability in his voice slices right through me. "You came back?"
Oh, my heart.
Shooting an I'll-give-you-some-privacy look, Wilder gets up and walks away.
"Yeah, Kade said you needed help. So, here I am."
Diggin the heels of his palms into his eyes, Jace shakes his head. "No, he shouldn't have fucking done that. I told him not too."
"It's fine. Really. I don't mind helping." I lightly pull his hands away from his face and smile as I give them a reassuring squeeze.
His gaze locks with mine, nearly stunning me from the intensity. "I'm so sorry, Lex."
"Don't be, I'm not the one who had to drag you out of the party."
"No," he shakes his head, getting blades of grass stuck in his dark strands. "Before...I shouldn't have pushed you. I moved too quick and scared you away." Flipping our hands over, he locks his fingers with mine and holds them to his mouth as he murmurs, "I'm so, so, so sorry, baby. I-I'm fucking shit up...Again."
My heart faints, free-falling to the pit of my stomach. The sudden drop takes my breath away, leaving me to stare at the tortured look in his eyes as if it's the last thing I'll ever see. It's the kind of look that stays with you, lingering in the back of your mind for years. For as long as I live, I'll never forget the emotion playing across his face as he watches me right now.
He's scared.
"Don't worry about that right now." I try to breathe. "We can talk about that tomorrow, but Jace, I need you to do me a favor."
"Anything..." he whispers.
"I need you to get off the ground, and get in my car."
Jace's brows bunch up with the cutest look of drunken confusion I've ever seen.
Biting my lip, I stifle a giggle. "I'm taking you home with me. You're gonna sleep at my place."
His eyes grow wide, a devilish smirk tugging at his lips. "Okay. I can do that."
Damn, even in this state he can still pull that look off.
I straighten up as he pushes himself into a sitting position. Before Jace can attempt to stand, Kade walks over and offers him a hand, pulling him to his feet like it's nothing.
"You good now, cus?"
With a wince, Jace nods. "Yeah. Sorry I was a pain in the ass."
"You're always a pain in the ass." Kade teases. "But I still got your back. Like always."
"Always," Jace agrees before they pull each other in for a side hug and a clap on the back.
Kade helps Jace as we walk across the small lawn to where I parked. Wilder, Travis, and Josie say their goodbyes before heading to get the bikes. They plan to have Jo ride Jace's bike to my place while they follow behind. That way Jace can drive himself home in the morning if he's sober by then.
Good thing I baked so much junk. Nothing's better at soaking up alcohol than food. That and a good night's sleep, and Jace should be back to his usual hard-headed self.
I open the passenger side door so Kade can help Jace into his seat. We finally have him in the car when a shrill voice yells over the commotion next door, "Jace!"
Looking over, we see the same chick from earlier, the one who was using Jace as her personal lollipop. She stomps towards us with fury written all over her scrunched up face.
"Shit, hide me." Jace reclines back in the passenger seat.
I shake my head, holding back a laugh. "Think it's too late for that, Cinderella. Prince Charming's coming for you."
The girl's angry glare snaps to me, her lip curling back in disgust.
Yeah, I'm not a fan of yours either, honey.
"Sophie!" Kade barks, stopping the girl in her tracks, her eyes snapping to him. "What the fucks your problem?"
She jabs a finger in our direction and stomps her foot. "Jace was supposed to give me a ride home, and now he's ditching me for this whore."
"Don't call her that," Jace's tone darkens as he swiftly pulls himself out of the car better than I thought possible.
"Jace can't give anyone a ride home. Not even himself. So go back inside and call yourself a cab before you stick your foot in your damn mouth," Kade instructs with authority.
"B-but..."Sophie stutters.
"Get outta here, Sophie," Jace says coldly, slightly stumbling and grabbing the open door for support. "Even if I could drive, there's no way in hell I'd let you on the back of my bike. Stop throwing yourself at me. I already told you, I don't want anything you're offering."
Sophie's face crumples up with another wave of outrage. "Fine! Remember that the next time you're feeling horny and lonely." She turns on her heels and treads back to the party.
A small part of me feels bad for her, but I also don't know anything about her and Jace's relationship. He could've led her on or she could've assumed they were more than they were. Either way, the whole situation is messy as hell.
"Well, she seemed...pleasant," I mumble as I slide behind the wheel.
Jace hands Kade his keys and sits back down in the passenger seat. "Yeah, pleasantly gone. Thank fuck."
Thank fuck is right. We're lucky as hell my mom is spending the night at Carl's apartment. There's no way I would've been able to sneak Jace into the house without waking her. Not when his boots stomped into the house with drunken clumsiness, shaking every picture on the walls.
Jace tries to take his boots off while standing by the front door. He loses his balance, stumbles back, and crashes into the hall table like a train wreck.
"Sorry," Jace whispers with a cringe. "Your mom's gonna freak if she finds me here."
"She's not home. You're safe, as long as you don't break anything."
"No breaking shit. Check." He nods, sending the longer length of his dark brown hair falling in his face.
I slip off my shoes and drop my keys on the hall table. When I whirl back around I nearly smack into Jace, standing close behind me. Instead, I manage to avoid the collision, sending myself flying backward. Jace catches me but his own balance is just as fucked as mine, so the two of us fall against the wall, creating a Lexi sandwich much like the one from earlier.
"You must like being pinned," Jace says, that husky voice doing wicked things to my stomach.
Yes, but only by you.
Derek tried to push me against a wall once, it was clumsy and awkward. I didn't show it, but the whole thing felt forced. Like he was trying to be something he wasn't and I was trying to pretend he was someone he couldn't be.
"We should go upstairs." My breathing is erratic, each inhale pressing my chest against his.
Jace's eyes fall on my mouth. "Are you trying to get in my pants, baby?"
My heart skips a beat at the familiar term of endearment. It's not the first time he's said it tonight but the other times I could block it out. Not now though. It's overused and corny beyond belief but when that word slips from his mouth it's like I've gone back in time. Memories bombard my mind. Being wrapped in Jace's arms. Spending weekends watching movies together, shutting out the world around us. Sneaking away to be alone when our moms took us on joint vacations. The first and last time we had sex; my first time ever.
It still shocks me how much my body responds to him when we've only been intimate once, just shortly before he broke up with me.
A stabbing pain twists in my chest with that last memory. It's the cold water I need to control myself.
"No." I shake my head and lightly push him off of me. "Not trying to get in your pants, just trying to get you in bed. You need to lay down and sleep off all that alcohol in your system."
"Fair enough." Even slurring his words, that same heart-wrenching vulnerability seeps through as he backs away.
I take a deep breath, straighten out my wrinkle t-shirt, and step onto the stairs. Jace takes a step behind me and stumbles back down, catching himself before he falls.
"I might need help." He smiles sheepishly.
I roll my eyes and huff, but the grin on my face gives me away. I couldn't be upset with him even if I tried right now. Not when he's looking up at me with those puppy dog eyes, adorable and tempting all wrapped up in one expression.
"Come one, King Keg Stand. Let's get you upstairs."
"I thought you said I was Cinderella?" He asks confused as I wrap his arm across my shoulders, praying my smaller frame can keep him balanced.
We start the slow climb towards my room.
"That depends, do you wanna be Cinderella?"
His face wrinkles with serious contemplation. "Not really. I mean having tits sounds like fun but I'd rather keep my dick."
I snort. "You and Marcel have a lot in common."
"What? No! He can't have my dick!" Jace's face contorts with horror.
The fit of laughter that hits me knocks all the air out of my lunges. "No...he..." I choke on my next breath. "He wouldn't wanna be...a woman either!"
Jace's mouth makes an 'o' shape as he nods and takes a relieved breath.
I'm shocked we make it to the top of the stairs and pause to control my laughter. Leave it to Jace to think everyone wants a piece of him. Or in this case, a very specific piece of him.
Winded, I nod towards my door. "Can you make it on your own?"
"Wore out?" He licks his lips and grins.
"Something like that."
He chuckles and shuffles towards my room. "That ain't nothing. Just wait, baby."
I'm not gonna dignify that with a response and silently follow behind him. While Jace sits on the edge of my bed, I flip on a small lamp. It gives me enough light to dig for some clothes without giving him a headache. I've had enough drunken nights of my own to know what triggers a migraine from hell.
My bed creaks with the sound of Jace falling back, stretching out across the bottom, his ropped muscles stretching against his richly tan skin like the most enticing display of raw masculinity. I have to tear my eyes away in order to find clothes in my dresser. With a couple pieces in my hands, I turn back around and toss Jace a shirt Caleb left here a while back.
"Whose is this?" he asks darkly, looking at the shirt as he stays flat on his back.
"Caleb's."
"No thanks." He tosses it back.
"Oh, come one. It's just a shirt. It's even been washed. I promise you won't get cooties."
Jace tries to keep up the act but even in the dim lighting, I can see him fighting back a smile. He's too far gone to stay irritated.
"I sleep shirtless. Deal with it." He grumbles, throwing his arm over his eyes with a grin.
Taking the chance while his eyes are covered, I quickly slip out of my long sleeve shirt for something cooler.
"Has anyone ever told you, you're stubborn as hell?" I ask, dropping my shirt on the ground.
"Yeah. You. About a million times since the day we met. Has anyone ever told y...hot damn, Lex! Give a guy a warning when you're gonna start stripping!"
I hurriedly pull my tank top on and turn around with my arms crossed. "I thought you weren't looking!"
"Don't get pissed at me. I didn't know you were changing!" He groans and rolls over to his stomach, mumbling into the bed, "you're gonna kill me."
"Stop being dramatic."
"I'm not being dramatic." He pouted in his deep baritone. "You got no idea what it's like to walk around with blue balls for fucking weeks."
My lips fold in, holding back a giggle. He has a point, I have no idea what it's like, but I also had no idea he was having this problem.
I turn off the lamp, sit on the bed, and pat his naked back. "There, there. I'm sure it's not that bad."
He turns his head to look at me, his eyes wracking over my body. "You got no fucking clue. Especially when you walk around in those tiny excuses for skirts, and then tonight!" He closes his eyes and releases a groan more tortured than the last, the sound filled with a hungry desire that sparks something just as needy in me. "That goddamn costume! So fucking short and tight, you got no idea how hard you had me tonight!"
Oh, but I do. I felt it when our bodies joined together like two broken pieces finding each other again. A sinful puzzle of limbs, lips, and my liquified heart. I can still feel him, and it's been driving me crazy all night. I haven't felt like this in so long, I don't know how to handle it.
"My cock's been throbbing ever since," he slurs, his eyes still closed, unable to see me choking on my spit from his shocking words. "Why the hell'd you buy that thing anyway? Trying to give all the guys at the party a stroke?"
No, just you.
I clear my throat. "Ava talked me into it. Said it would look good on me."
"It did. Too good. Remind me to yell at her later."
We sit there in silence a few minutes until it looks like Jace is falling asleep.
"Jace." I lightly shake him. "We should get under the covers. I'm not gonna be able to move you if you fall asleep."
Getting him upstairs was hard enough. If he passes out on the end of my bed, he's gonna stay there the rest of the night.
"Alright," he groggily nods and gets up.
Standing next to the bed, he fumbles with his belt for a minute, still unsteady on his feet as he sways back and forth. When he finally gets it unhooked, he lets his camo pants slide down his muscular legs. I turn quickly but it's too late, my eyes already greedily taking in the image of a very big, very defined outline in his boxers. Luckily, Jace doesn't seem to notice my reaction or the deep shade of red washing over me.
I slide over and under the covers, giving Jace room to get in. When he does, I turn my back to him.
"Alexis?" his deep sleepy voice calls in the dark.
"Yeah?"
He doesn't say anything for a while. The only sound in the room is our combined breathing.
Just when I think he's fallen asleep, he softly asks, "Can I hold you? I-I won't try anything, I fucking swear."
My heart races, pulse-pounding, and not just from his request. It's the way he asks, unsure, and exposed. It pulls at my heart, melting it into a puddle of sappy goo.
How can I say no to that? I can't...I don't want to.
"Okay," I whisper, hearing my own fear in my voice.
Carefully, Jace turns over, slipping his arm around my waist and pulling me against his chest. My entire back heats up, the warmth of his body soaking into me. Like gentle flames licking at my skin, comfortably searing without the painful burn.
He snuggles closer and sighs, every inch of his body pressed against me relaxing at once.
"God, I missed this so much," Jace mumbles half asleep, drifting off. "I missed you so much, Alexis. So fucking much."
I once heard that drunken words are sober thoughts. So far tonight, that hasn't seemed like a big deal considering most of Jace's drunken words have expressed how horny he is. And though that's gotten to me in a different way, nothings reached in and squeezed my heart as much as those words right there.
Falling asleep faster than I have in years, my mind repeats them one last time.
"I missed you so much, Alexis."
I missed you too, Jace. More than I can say.
"Alexis Tallulah Young!"
I startle awake but can't move with the tattoo-covered steel trap clamped around my waist. Though I don't have to move much to see my mom's pissed off eyes glaring at me from the doorway. I try to pull Jace's arm off of me but his hold only grows tighter.
Mom crosses her arms. "Are you gonna tell me what's going on?"
"I...um..." I lick my parched lips, scraping my mind for the words. "It's not what it looks like."
She tips her head to the side, shooting me an unconvinced deadpan stare. "Downstairs in five minutes."
She leaves, shutting the door behind her. As soon as the door clicks, Jace lets go and rolls over with a chuckle.
"Tallulah, that shit never stops being funny."
I get up and slap him with my pillow repeatedly. "You asshole! You couldn't wake up and be yelled at with me!"
"Ow! Cut it out Tallulah." Jace chuckles again, his voice hoarse from sleep. "Stop beating me up. I already feel like shit."
"Good!" I chuck the pillow at him and pad across the room for my robe.
Mom's pissed, but she'll get over it. It's not like this is the first time she's caught me and Jace sleeping in the same bed. Though we were younger then, so maybe it seemed more innocent at the time. Now, there's nothing that looks innocent with a muscular, tattooed guy laying in my bed. Even if I am just weeks away from becoming a legal adult, this is still Mom's domain. And in her castle, she's the law.
Jace groans in pain, using the spare pillow to block the sunlight pouring in through the window. "Ugh, my head is pounding."
"I'll get you some aspirin after I talk to my mom."
He swings his legs over the side of the bed. "No, I'll come down with you. I'm not gonna let you face the firing squad on your own."
Turning around, I secretly grin to myself. It seems like a small gesture, but it really means something to me. I've never known a guy to willingly volunteer to be scolded by someone's parent. It's the kind of action that builds trust, and that's something I haven't had with Jace in a long time.
💋____________________________________💋
Chapter 20!!!! I have to say, it feels really good to get this far. There's still so much more to come but this is an awesome milestone for me. I've also been looking forward to this chapter for a while, I hope you all enjoyed it as much as I do.
So, what do you think of drunk Jace? Cute, funny, hot? Do you think he means what he said? What do you think will happen when they talk to Lexi's mom?
Let me know what you think in the comments and if you like what you read, please hit that star button!
Also, if you take the time to listen to the song at the top, I kind of feel like a lot of the lyrics would be things running through Jace's mind when he was drinking, before Lexi showed up. What do you think?
The teaser for chapter 21 will be posted on my Instagram and Twitter in a day or two. Keep an eye out for it!