Rocking Kin (Lucy & Harris, #3) - Terri Anne Browning Page 0,80

left. Her dad carried her out to their vehicle, but when Jesse asked if I needed a ride, I told him I had one already.

At least I hoped I did. I hadn’t talked to Jace all night so I wasn’t sure if he would drive me or not. I could take a cab home if I had to, I supposed, but I was hopeful that wouldn’t have to happen.

With Lucy and her parents gone, it was just Harris and Jace left with me in the club except for the few staff Harris had asked to work the party. I sat across from Jace as he and Harris had one last beer while the staff cleaned up.

“Thought you would go with the Thorntons,” Jace grumbled as he took a deep swallow of his beer.

I shrugged. “I didn’t want to go back to my father’s house yet.”

His brows lifted. “You couldn’t stay with Lucy tonight?”

“Sure, but I’m not in the mood for a sleepover with Lu.” But I was hoping for one with Jace.

“Can I drive you back to Malibu, then?” He leaned forward, his beer finished.

I pretended to think it over. “I guess so,” I murmured.

Harris shook his head. “You two need to get over the past already.”

I was over it—for the most part. Now I wanted to focus on the present and maybe even the future. “Yeah,” I agreed with a nod. “I’ll work on that.”

Rolling his aquamarine eyes, Harris stood. “Let’s get out of here. I’m exhausted.”

Jace jumped to his feet, his keys already in hand as he reached for my hand. Instead of grasping my fingers, however, he gripped my wrist firmly, as if he was afraid I would run off on him if he didn’t hold on to me. Harris said goodnight at the vehicles. Jace stood beside his own, waiting until his friend was gone before moving to open my door for me.

“What was with the cold shoulder all night?” he growled as he blocked the door, not allowing me to move to get in.

I dropped the cool act and reached out to touch one hand to his chest. Blue eyes widened and he covered my hand, pressing it closer over his heart. “I didn’t trust myself to keep my hands to myself if I let you get too close,” I told him honestly and watched as his eyes darkened. Licking my desert-dry lips, I asked him for the only thing I really wanted right then. “Can we go back to your place and talk?”

“Just talk?” he teased with a wicked grin as he lowered his head. His warm breath caressed my cheek as he pressed his lips to my temple.

“For now, talk.” I shivered as he kissed a path down my cheek to my jaw and then pressed a hard kiss to the sensitive spot just under my jaw bone.

“Yeah, babe. I really want to talk, too.” He lifted his head, his eyes eating me alive as he stepped to the side and helped me into the car. “Just smack me in the face if I don’t let you do any talking, though, okay? I don’t quite trust myself alone with you right now.”

I grinned. “I don’t trust myself either, Jace, but we really should talk first.”

He nodded and closed the door before running around to climb into the driver’s seat. Watching him, I couldn’t help but notice his hands actually shake as he started the car and put it in gear. “Talk,” he muttered to himself as he pulled into traffic. “Just talk.”

I didn’t reply as he made the short drive to his apartment building. It was a nice area with some high-grade security. He used a keycard to open the gates to the garage and then had to use it again to call for the elevator once we were parked. We had to walk through the lobby to get to another set of elevators and passed two security guards on the way.

Finally in the second elevator, he used his keycard to unlock the floor to his apartment and then pulled me into his heat. With a contented sigh I went willingly. His head lowered, but he only buried his face in my neck and inhaled deeply as if trying to breathe all of me in. I leaned in to him more, wanting to soak all of him in just as he was me.

When the elevator stopped, neither of us moved right away. We were too happy to stay the way we were, wrapped