Jace returns in one piece. Just to be safe, I check him for an hour in bed. Even though I was never in any danger with Colbie, he decides to check me too. By the end of our inspection, I rest with my head at the foot of the bed.
"It's naptime in the house," Jace says, wrapping my ankles into a bear hug. "Do you want to sleep or go for a ride?"
Watching him kiss my toes, I smile. "I'm not tired."
Jace nips at my toe before sitting up and reaching for his jeans. We get dressed and head downstairs. Tiptoeing into the kitchen near where the siblings nap, we stock up on water.
The sun is a cruel ball in the sky, warming my skin past what's comfortable. Only when I'm on the back of Jace's Harley, and he opens up the engine can I breathe again. The wind in my hair, I wrap my arms tighter around Jace's sweaty waist.
We ride for hours, yet never get anywhere. Texas feels like a horror movie scene where the hallway just gets longer and longer. I trust Jace will return us safely to the house. This trust feels good after a year of stumbling around lost and pissed.
Jace pulls over to a lonely gas station to fill up. Sliding off the back of the bike, I realize my shirt is soaked with sweat. Jace is no better off, and I see the lines of his tats through his shirt.
"I miss Ellsberg," I say before we climb back on the bike. "I want to go home."
Jace caresses my face. "Me too."
Hugging him to me, I love his sweaty scent. "Colbie's planning a farewell party."
"You told her first?"
"No, she told me to go home. Bossy little bitch."
"Her sister told me the same."
"They share a brain and are creepy as hell, but they're right. We bleed Ellsberg, and it's time to go home."
Jace looks down at me, and I know he's thinking too much. Worrying in his head until he freezes and can't react. This time, he surprises me by not shutting down from all his thinking.
"It'll be easy to fall back into my old habits when we got back. I already find myself worrying over being that guy. Whatever happens, you need to know I love you. I never stopped, not for a single second when we were apart."
Tightening my arms around him, I hold his gaze. "If you freak out again and try to leave me, I'll keep you locked up until you come to your senses."
Jace kisses the tip of my nose. "It's only fair since I'd do the same to you."
"Love means knowing when to hold someone hostage."
Grinning, Jace kisses me softly. His hands move to my hair, holding me tightly. The kiss deepens, hungry and desperate. Only the sound of snickering pulls our lips apart.
The gas station attendant laughs at us until Jace unleashes his new dark stare. I love how the giggling freak flinches and hurries back inside. My man knows how to scare a douche with just a look. Fuck, is there anything sexier?
"Let's get back to the house and shower," I say, tugging at his shirt.
A smile barely touches his lips. He's thinking of me under him. With need written all over his face, he doesn't hide the hunger any better when climbing on the Harley with a grunt. I laugh at the sound of his discomfort, causing him to glance over his shoulder at me.
"You're going to pay for that giggle."
"I don't giggle."
Finally, Jace smiles. He revs the engine and tells me to hold on. The drive back takes forever when I know what's awaiting me once we arrive.
Chapter 38
Jace
I Love This Bar
An hour into our farewell party at the Hidey-hole, JJ arrives and gives me an elephant gun as a farewell gift. I look over the weapon and give him a smile. He narrows his eyes, tips back his gray Stetson, and sighs.
"You won't be smiling when the aliens arrive."
"Are you sure? I smile a lot and usually at inappropriate times."
Grinning, JJ pats me on the back and wanders off to find a pretty woman to woo. I add the elephant gun with the pile of other weapons given to me by the McLaughlin clan.
Sawyer waves at me from the other end of the bar. I give her a head nod. For whatever reason, this gesture makes the twins laugh and point at me.
"I'll miss you, man," Zane says, handing me a beer.
"Bullshit."
"I know, right?" he says, walking away. "It's the thought that counts though."
The twins join Zane on the dance floor for a line dance from Incestville. Busy worrying for the future children, I nearly miss Mac entering the bar.
Snickers stands at the doorway for a second before turning around and walking back out. I can't stifle my laugh.
"Are you leaving?" Mac asks.
I point at the sign hanging over the bar that reads, "Farewell Sawyer and Jace!"
"Just checking," he says, giving me a nod. "Have a nice trip and don't come back."
I give him a dirty look, but he's more interested in his wife dancing with the twins and Zane. Focusing my dark gaze on Caveman, he stares back with the dead eyes. Creepy fucker.
Walking across the bar, I join Sawyer in a quiet booth away from all the dancing and horrible attempts at singing.
"If I ever get cold like that guy," I say, kissing her forehead and cheek and other cheek and lips. Finally, I remember my point. "Pull me back, if I get fucked up like him. I want to be scary, not evil."