Reckless Faith

Jace rose to his feet, Eastern doing the same from the other side of the desk. He’d stayed at the station to have a coffee with his brother. It tasted like shit, but the company helped him feel semi-okay, which was a far cry from when he’d stepped into the station.

“You heard from Lock lately?” Eastern asked as they walked toward the door.

“Nope. Why? Have you?” Kayden had asked the same thing not too long ago.

Eastern rubbed his chin. “Nah, I haven’t heard from him either. I know he doesn’t check in a lot, but this feels like the longest he’s gone radio silent.”

“You worried about him?”

“A bit. But then I remind myself the guy knows fifty ways to kill someone with his pinkie, so he should be okay.”

Jace laughed. There was never a truer statement than that one. But then, they all had special ops backgrounds, so defending themselves was second nature. The problem was, the toughest soldiers went into the most dangerous terrain, and they didn’t always make it out unscathed.

Jace stopped at the door and was about to say goodbye when Eastern’s cell rang.

He tugged it out, frowning before pressing it to his ear. “Cody. What’s going on?” A second passed and Eastern’s eyes narrowed, his gaze moving to Jace. “Is she okay?”

Who was he talking about? Harper?

“No. I’m glad you called. It’s better to be safe than sorry, especially if she’s shaken up. I’ll come down and talk to her.”

Jace gave him a chin lift as Eastern hung up. “Is everything okay?”

“It’s fine.”

He was lying. Jace didn’t need to be a lie detector to know that. “Tell me.”

His brother ran his fingers through his hair. “I probably shouldn’t…”

Unease coiled in Jace’s gut. “What, Eastern?”

“It’s Elle. She thought some guy was following her so ran into the bar. She’s pretty upset.”

“What the fuck? Did he follow her in?”

“No. But Cody stepped out and said he didn’t recognize him. He also said Elle was shaking. I’m going down to get a description so I can keep an eye out for him.”

“I’m coming.”

Eastern sighed. “Of course you are. Come on.”

Jace climbed into his own car and followed his brother to the bar. The entire way, his gaze kept flicking to his phone and back to the road. She hadn’t contacted him. It shouldn’t surprise him after last night, but fuck, it still hurt. If she was scared, he wanted to be the person she called. He wanted to be the person she turned to for protection.

The drive was only a couple of minutes, but it felt far longer. He climbed out of his car and was about to step inside when Eastern grabbed him.

“You need to stay calm in there.”

Jace frowned. “What the hell are you talking about?”

“You already look like you’re gonna kill someone, and nothing’s even happened.”

“Someone scared her.”

“But she’s okay. So just…keep your head on, okay?”

His brother was right, dammit. He needed to remain calm.

It was only after Jace nodded that Eastern pushed inside.

The second Jace stepped in after him, his gaze went to Elle. She was seated at the bar, glass of water in front of her and Harper by her side. Cody stood on the other side of the bar, arms folded.

Elle glanced up, her lips parting when she saw Eastern, like she was about to say something. She stopped when her gaze hit him. “Jace…”

Eastern scrubbed his chin. “Sorry. He was with me at the station when Cody called.”

Jace walked straight over and loosely wrapped an arm around her, touching her hip. “Are you okay?”

“I’m fine.” Her eyes held his for an entire beat before she swallowed and turned to Eastern. “Really, I’m okay.”

“Tell me what happened,” Eastern said, so calm—it was the complete opposite of everything Jace felt.

Elle wet her lips. “I was walking to my apartment from Sugar and Spice and a car drove past.”

“Make? Model?”

Her nose scrunched. “Maybe a Volkswagen? Black. I don’t know the license plate, sorry.”

Cody pushed a piece of paper across the bar. “I had a look when I stepped outside and wrote it down for you.”

Eastern slipped the piece of paper into his pocket. “Great.” He turned back to Elle. “What did he look like?”

“Bald with sleeves of tattoos, and he had this snake tattoo on the side of his head.”

Jace grazed her side with his thumb. Thankfully, she didn’t pull away.

Cody cleared his throat. “I caught a glimpse of him from behind, and he looked to be about six feet tall and well-built.”

“I’m being paranoid, right?” Elle rose to her feet. “I’m unfairly judging this random guy who pulls over and walks down the street, because of his tattoos and the way he looks. He walked straight past me.”

“You were scared,” Jace said softly. “And that wouldn’t be just because of his looks. Why?”

She lifted a shoulder. “I guess because he was looking at me as he drove past really slowly, then he pulled over. He wasn’t looking at me as he got out, but he walked in my direction. Cody opened the door just before he reached me, and he walked right past without even glancing my way again.”

Jace’s muscles tensed. It was possible the guy hadn’t been heading toward her. But it was also possible he had been, and the sight of Cody had deterred him. “You said you feel like someone’s been watching you lately.”

“Is that true?” Eastern asked sharply.

Elle’s mouth opened and closed. “Well, yeah…but again, it’s just a feeling. I’ve never actually seen anyone.”

“The feeling was strong enough for you to mention to Jace though,” Eastern said. “How long have you had this feeling?”

She lifted a shoulder. “A couple of weeks maybe.”

Eastern nodded. “Okay. I’m going to run these plates and look into this guy. Until I find out more, I don’t want you walking around town by yourself.”

Elle shook her head. “Eastern—”

“He’s right, Tink,” Jace cut in. “We need you safe.” He needed her safe.

She met his gaze, her brows pinching. For a moment, he was sure she’d argue with him. But finally she nodded. “Okay. I’ll drive around town instead of walking.”

Thank fuck. “I’ll drive you home.” She opened her mouth, looking like she was going to say no, but he got in first. “Tink, I’m taking you home. This is about your safety.” And it wasn’t up for negotiation.

Elle snuck a peek at Jace beside her. Neither of them had spoken the entire way to her apartment. Not that it was a long drive, but it was still probably the longest she’d ever been in his company without speaking.

A part of her wanted to be mad at him for coming down to the bar with Eastern and demanding to take her home after she’d told him she needed distance from him. But she just couldn’t be. Not with the way he was constantly scanning their surroundings like he was searching for a threat.

Because regardless of everything happening between them, she’d always felt safest in his company.

Not that she needed a protector. The guy had walked straight past her, for God’s sake.

Man, she’d overreacted. Big time. What was wrong with her? It was so unlike her to make a big deal out of nothing. That, combined with this feeling of being watched…it was all so unlike her.

He pulled over in her apartment parking lot, and without a word, they both got out. When they reached the door, she unlocked it and opened her mouth to thank Jace for walking her home, but he was already stepping inside.

Okay, looked like he was walking her up to her apartment again.

She followed him to the elevator. There was something about standing in an elevator in silence with someone that was so much more awkward than driving or walking in silence. She snuck another peek at him, and yep, he still looked tense as hell. The muscles in his arms were bunched, and he had a frown between his brows that wasn’t common for Jace. Usually, there was a permanent grin on his face.

The doors opened and she stepped out. When they reached her door, she unlocked it and stepped inside. She probably should have been annoyed that he followed her in, but again, she wasn’t angry. She was tired.

She opened her mouth to thank him for bringing her home, but he spoke first.

“I want to be the person you call when you need help.”

Her mouth snapped shut, and a million different emotions rolled through her head.

He stepped closer. “I heard you last night. I heard everything you said. I still want to be the person you call when you’re scared. I want to be the first person you think of. The first person you need.”

He moved closer again, his hands going to her hips, and suddenly her breathing became choppy. She shook her head. “Jace. I don’t…we can’t.”

“I know.” He dipped his head, his temple touching hers. “I know you want to be…separate.” He said that word like it pained him. Like it took too much energy just to get it out into the world. “But I’ve never felt separate from you, and I never will. Even when I was away, you were a part of me, even if you didn’t know it.”

She closed her eyes, heavy emotion clogging her throat. She should step away. The fear of getting hurt was still there in her chest. It was alive and clawing at her. Nothing had changed, and their past together could never change. But when he touched her, putting space between them felt like the hardest thing in the world. Like it was the equivalent of lifting a million pounds.

He cupped her cheek, the heat of his palm seeping into her skin, and suddenly she was turning her head, leaning into him. Because this was all she’d ever wanted. No matter how much it scared her. No matter how much she’d fought it. His touch was everything.

He lowered his head, his breath brushing her cheek. “I’ve tried to stay away. I can’t. Not with you being so close.”

The fine hairs on her arms stood on end, and she turned her head to look into his ocean-blue eyes. So beautiful. Always so beautiful. And his lips… God, they were so close to hers, all she had to do was shift that bit closer.

Like her body had a mind of its own, she leaned forward, and then her lips touched his.

The kiss was everything their first was—an explosion of sensations. A deep dive into the unknown.

His lips moved over hers as his hand shifted into her hair, slipping through her locks. She wrapped her fingers around his neck, tugging him closer, as an almost desperate need to have him took hold of her.

Suddenly, she was lifted off her feet. She gasped, wrapping her legs around him as he pressed her to the wall, her core pushing hard against his stomach. Then his tongue was in her mouth.

She groaned at the taste of him. At the rough texture of his palm as it slipped beneath her shirt and up her side. Her heart beat hard as he neared her chest, an almost light-headed ecstasy taking over.

He cupped her breast, palming her and making her whimper deep in her throat.

“Fuck, I love those sounds,” Jace growled.

He found her nipple and rolled it with his thumb. Her breaths were short, the beats of her heart stumbling over one another—

Her phone rang.

At first, she barely heard it, but as it continued, it began to prick at the bubble surrounding her and Jace, allowing reality to slip back in.

What was she doing? She’d just given him this big speech last night about needing to be separate from him, and now she was allowing him to kiss her? To press her to the wall and touch her?

Jesus. She pushed at his shoulder. “Jace, put me down.”

His hand paused on her chest, his head rising. “What’s wrong?”

“I…we can’t do this.”

Pain skittered across his face, pain that he didn’t even try to hide. He straightened her top slowly before letting her slide down his body. But he didn’t step back. Instead, his intense blue gaze bored into her. “I just need to say one thing.”

A part of her was almost scared of what she might hear. “Okay.”

“What if I didn’t miss my chance? What if…I was just waiting for it?”

She swallowed. “Why would you do that?”

“Because you were… Fuck, Elle. You were everything. Beautiful and kind and resilient, and I was none of those things. In my head, I was nowhere near good enough for you. I had to prove that I could be enough for you, before I made my move. I needed to be everything you deserved.”

Blood roared between her ears, almost deafening the world around her. “Jace…”

“I chose them over you, not because I wanted more, but because I wanted you to have more. Because even at that young age, I knew that people close to me just got hurt.”

Pain for this beautiful man rippled in her chest. “You honestly believe that?”

“Yes, I believe it. I live it. And I’d die if I ever truly hurt you. But I’m weak…too weak to stay away from you.”

She cupped his cheek. “Jace, you are the strongest man I know.”

He kissed her palm. “Don’t push me away, Tink. Please. I need you.”

Need…not want. She closed her eyes, letting those words sit inside her for a moment. It wasn’t a one-way thing. She needed him too. She’d just been trying to convince herself she could live without him.

Her eyes opened, and she sucked in a long breath. “Can we just try to be friends for a bit first?”

One side of his mouth lifted. “We can try.”

She bit her bottom lip as her phone vibrated with a text. “That’s all I ask.”