Rocking Kin (Lucy & Harris, #3) - Terri Anne Browning Page 0,82

see them. Great, more tears. Damn it, I hated crying. That’s all I seemed to do lately, though. I was turning into an emotional basket case.

Warm, strong hands touched my arms. Jace had moved quickly again and was now crouched down in front of me. “I know it makes me seem like a bastard, but right now I don’t give a damn. I’m glad you didn’t stop loving me, Kin. I’ve had fucking nightmares about you stopping and it always made me wake up in a cold sweat.” He raised a hand and used his thumb and forefinger to tip my head up so our gazes locked. “I know I ruined things between us, baby. I shattered your trust in my feelings for you, but I won’t stop proving to you that—for me—you are everything. I won’t let you go again, Kin. I won’t walk away unless I know you’re going with me next time.”

Without my permission, a tear spilled over onto my cheek. “Promise?” It came out a husky, trembling whisper but he heard me loud and clear.

“Yes, Kin, I promise. I won’t go anywhere ever again unless you come with me.” His hold on my chin tightened when I tried to pull free, wanting to hide my feelings from him. I wanted to believe him, ached to believe him, but he couldn’t keep that promise. He couldn’t. His contract with First Bass would be up in a few months and then the one Tainted Knights signed with Emmie Armstrong would take effect. He would be running around everywhere with the band to get their name out there more, and I would still be right here.

Raising my hand, I caught his hand and pulled it away just enough so I could lower my head to kiss his palm. “Don’t make me that promise, Jace. Make this one.” I sucked in a deep breath. “Promise me, that no matter where you go, you’ll come back. That’s all I want. For you to come back to me every time you go away. I’ll be waiting, right here, for you to always come back.”

Blue eyes turned brighter and I caught my breath when I realized that he was fighting his own tears. “Fuck, Kin. You just destroyed me, baby.” He sucked in a harsh breath and stood. In the next second he was scooping me up in his arms and walking toward a closed door on the other side of the apartment. “That’s enough talking for one night, I think. Now…” He paused to open the door and then kicked it shut as he walked to his bed. “Now, I just want to hold you.” He sat me on the edge of the bed carefully, then reached for the comforter and pulled it back. “Just hold you, Kin. As much as I’m dying for you right now, I want to take things slow this time. Is that okay?”

My heart contracted for the hundredth time that night. “Yeah,” I assured him with a trembling smile. “That’s more than okay, Jace.”

Chapter 19

Jace

My phone was ringing, and it wouldn’t fucking stop. I’d already let it go to voicemail twice, but no sooner had the damn thing quieted, it had started making noise again. Groaning, I pressed a kiss to the back of Kin’s sweet-smelling head and blindly reached for my phone. “Yeah?” I grumbled, still half asleep.

“Jace,” Natalie Cutter’s voice filled my ears.

Something in her tone had me sitting straight up in bed, my heart already pounding. I heard concern and fear in her tone and it had me on red alert. “Nat, what’s wrong?”

Harris’s stepmom let out a harsh sigh. “I just got a call from Emmie. She said something was going on with Harris. I can’t get him to answer his phone and Jenna’s keeps going straight to voicemail. I’m on my way over there now, but can you go up and check on him? I’m going to lose my mind if I don’t know he’s okay soon.”

I glanced down at Kin, who was still sleeping peacefully. She was snuggled deep into one of my pillows, her beautiful face turned away from me with the smallest of smiles ghosting across her lips. Knowing I wouldn’t be able to fall back to sleep with her until I knew if my friend was okay, I climbed out of bed, careful not to wake Kin. “I’m on my way up there now,” I assured her. I pulled out my keys and found the extra that Harris