Chapter 33

Selene:

It was nine in the darkened night and I kept staring at my phone. He didnt text or call. I was back to being a high school stuck up. I huffed a breath at the thought of him not caring and watched Jelly snore on the other couch. I plopped my legs up on my seat and turned off the LED. I was sleepy and tired but it felt too early to rest so I headed to the kitchen to pour myself something to drink. I could work on an assignment and that would be helpful.

Just when I was settling in the couch with my laptop and a half litre bottle of diet coke, my phone buzzed. I quickly turned it to be a message from him. Well, there you go.

I didnt open it and gave it a while. I had to show self respect. He didnt have to know I was crammed by my phone, waiting for a signal from him.

When I felt like it had been five minutes, I thought of opening the message. Before my hand could reach the phone, the doorbell rang and my heart leveled in fear. I put it in my hoodie's pocket and saw goosebumps rise on my thighs. I pulled my shorts down a bit to hide the shivering in them and held the full bottle in my hand like a bat. If it was that loser drunk Ben from across the hall, I was going to smack his head in half. I slowly pulled the door open and it revealed a disheveled Jace.

"Who is it?" Jelly startled me and I held the bottle to my chest.

"I'm taking her." Jace walked in the room and Jelly almost fell off the couch. How did this guy have that effect on everyone?

"Okay." She murmured and winked at me.

"What? No." I tried protesting but suddenly I went into a swirl and all I could see was a fine back and ass in a brown suit.

"No!" I hissed, smacking his back.

"Put me down, Jace!"

No protests worked.

When we reached the lobby, instead of stopping us, the doorman snored away and I stared at him with wide eyes. I clapped loudly and he woke up with a gasp.

"Stop." He yelled. I'd never seen him before. The bronze hair and dark skin. He must've been thirty and was shorter than myself.

Jace swiveled with me still on his shoulder. I felt a whirlwind and nauseous. My stomach was hurting from being so long on his shoulder. How was he doing? I slapped his back more.

"Jace Anderson. I'm picking up my wife." He spoke grimly and I heard no stopping from the man. Whe Jace turned back around, I saw the man standing with his head bowed and arms crossed.

No way!

I yelped as he ran down the front two steps and soon, my legs hit the ground. I gasped for air and his dark figure towered me.

"Get in." He ordered. I wanted to fight but he looked dangerously scary. I looked back and found the door of his Mercedes open already. I curled in on the passenger seat and he slammed the door shut. Soon he was in and the car sped out of the parking lot.

"Jace, what is wrong with you?" I spoke softly so as to not get us into accident or something.

He didnt respond.

I asked the same question, once more.

No response.

I decided to stay quiet till we were at his place. That's not where he drove though. The ride was almost an hour long. An hour worth of silence and a sped up crazy car. I was holding onto myself with the life in me and wondered where he was taking to murder me.

"Jace where are we going?" I asked once we started going through a trees surrounded highway. No response.

I felt tears roll down my cheeks and I felt the need to jump out of his car. He was being so damn creepy and I was scared to hell.

***

A screech woke me up and I held my breath looking around. We'd stopped.

Trees. There were trees everywhere. The sky was darker than a blanket of coal and no stars sparkled through it. I looked over to find Jace already out of the car. He was shuffling through the back of the car. I released my feared breath and slid out. The chill whipped my spine and I pressed my legs together. My feet were bare and the gravel beneath them, didnt help. Where were we?

Through the dark, I saw his shadowy figure walk to me and drop something on the floor. A light splashed on them and I saw them to be his blue Adidas flip flops. I looked up in the light and saw him holding a duffel bag on his shoulder. He was still in his suit. Blazer on but buttons of his shirt untied till half of his chest was exposed. I bit the inside of my cheek and wore the slippers with reluctance.

"Where are we?" I questioned when he walked around and started going in the bush shaped arch. It seemed to lead to a tunnel. More fear spread chills in me.

"Oh dear." I murmured, following him.

He stopped, just at the entrance and I heard a beep as he touch a wall of the leafy tunnel. Bright yellow lights came around us and i moved out back from the tunnel to find the curtains source. It was an average sized cabin. The tunnel had lights streaking through it to the garden of the cabin and I stared at Jace who was enjoying the lights. His eyes sparkled as he watched them glow and I was elated at the sight.

"What-" I started and he turned around. His face was still solemn and his front hair tickled his forehead. He raised a hand for me to take behind me and I intertwined my fingers in his. He pulled me into the tunnel with him with the small lights leading the way. The small tunnel opened onto a gravel trail that led straight to the steps of the cabin. There were small garden on each side of it and the trees acted like the fence all around. I giggled, holding onto his wrist with my free arm. He stopped midway the road and gave me the bag. I took it with confusion and before I knew it, he had me lifted bridal style. His eyes matched mine and I tilted my head for an answer.

"I'm sorry for yelling at you this afternoon." He smiled softly and I used a free hand to graze his cheek.

"You were doing your job. I wasnt mad."

"Then why didnt you come home?" He started walking slowly.

"I was scared that I'd distract you. Besides I wanted to see my place." I gave a shrug and he shook his head.

"Well, since you cant call my apartment your place, I think it's time I show you our place." He jerked me up in hold and walked up two steps. There was a small patio at the front of the cabin with a plain caged railing running around the open front. He pointed his chin to his breast pocket and I shuffled in it to find a small silver key. He pushed me near the wooden door that had a small window instead of a peephole. There was a white curtain draped in front of it on the inside so all I saw was darkness. I placed the key in the door handle and it clicked open, revealing a warm wave of air hitting us.

As soon as he walked in, the lights came on and I gasped. It was a bungalow style cabin. In front of us was a full body mirror that seemed to open, so I guessed a coat closet. To our right was a large lounge, coated with grey brick style walls, cream white couches around a small brown coffee table. A fire place in under a pushed pushed out part of the wall, which I guessed to be a chimney. When I turned my head to the left of us, there was a small hallway that had three doors in it, two on the right wall and one by the end. I guessed the rooms. There were small yellow studio lights in every corner of the place, just bringing the cabin out to me.

"Oh, this is beautiful." I murmured and he snickered. His body went into a jerk of imbalance before he stood straight. In the mirror, I saw he'd taken off his shoes. When inrealized he wouldnt put me down, I kicked the flops off and he chuckled. He walked to the lounge and settled me on a plush three seater couch. It was pressed right against the biggest wall in the lounge, across from the fire place. I put the bag aside and gave him space. He showed me a minute finger and ran ahead. He went through the light brown, springing door, and from the glimpse of a granite counter behind it, I guessed it was the kitchen.

He was back in two minutes with a bottle of wine and two glasses.

"Drinking?" I straightened in the couch.

"Mhmm." He sat on the table facing me. The glasses and the drink were set aside.

"But..."

"I checked with a specialist. He read your files and said that you can consume alcohol, just not a lot." He clicked his tongue and I giggled.

"Really?" That was a relief.

"Yep." He popped with his tongue while twisting open the champagne. Pouring two tube glasses, he handed me one and took a seat next to me. His arm came around my shoulders as we snuggled in the comfortable back rest.

He pulled out a remote, stuck in holder on the wall behind us and turned on the fireplace with it. I bit my lip at the comfort of it and took his scent in.

"Like it so far?" He checked in with me and I hummed. A chuckle escaped from him, rumbling his chest. I felt it to me and felt a laugh in myself.

"Sorry again about this afternoon. Just this deal... it's very complicated and important." He rubbed my shoulder.

"I understand. I know how complicated this case is. Since a part of it cost us too much." I moved out of him and placed my drunk glass on the table. Moving back in his hold, I, instinctively, pressed a kiss on the bare part of his chest and clutched his shirt in a fist.

"I know, baby. But, this deal is important. They have some of the finest constructions across New York and if they collaborate enough with us, I could finally get that dream shelter I told you about." I jumped out of his grasp and looked up at him. He nodded with a proud smile.

"What did Jacob say?"

"Since he lost a partner, he's willing to invest on thirty percent of the costs from his side." He sighed.

"That's it. Not bad." I pouted and he raised a brow.

"Twenty million." He spoke and my jaw dropped, "...is what he's investing. Imagine, I hold the other seventy." He gave me a pointing look.

"I'm sorry I messed up...?" I was speechless. Jesus.

He laughed, pulling me in and placing a kiss on my forehead. I was so proud of him. He was as taken by his work as his personal life. The dedication that spewed out of him, thrilled me through every step of his.

"Jace?" I looked up and he raised his brows for continuation. I took his glass and placed it on the table. He sat still. Instead of succumbing back, I raised my leg carefully and straddled him. At this he took a deep breath and sat up. I took his face in my fingers and neared his lips. He took my presence in.

To play a little, I tilted his head and let my lips kiss that stretched skin on his neck. He gasped at the contact. As he laid back in the couch, I went further down and kissed his throat. His fingers grew tighter around my waist.

"Sele-" he started.

"Shush." I exhaled in his ear and he moaned when I placed a kiss there.

"Jace?" I called his ear after placing a pressing kiss by his neck there.

"Yeah?" His husky voice barely came out.

"I love you."

A happy laugh broke out of him.