My

Chapter 80

He laughs because I never challenge him to cards. I stopped doing that years ago when I learned there was no way in hell to ever win. Jace is a master at cards, and he never loses. He’s built a career around it, and it’s a damn good one. The man’s brain is an absolute enigma. It’s like he has some sort of psychic ability or something. It’s uncanny and impressive as hell to watch.

“Maybe some other time,” he says, making me bite hack a growl, I know what he’s doing, and I don’t fucking like it.

I bite my tongue while he says goodbye to my parents, and when they head upstairs after shutting the door, I make a mad dash for the driveway, determined to get Jace to see reason. He’s about to get into his jeep, and when he sees me running towards him like a crazy woman, he doesn’t seem at all surprised.

“Go back inside, Sydney,” he says, turning to cross his arms over his chest.

“No,” I say, making his eyes widen slightly in surprise. I’m not usually this forward. I’m usually quiet and pleasant and agreeable, but that shit hasn’t gotten me anything except a hymn that’s probably growing stronger with each passing second.

“Please don’t go.” I step closer rest my hands on the sexiest forearms in existence and look up at him. “I’ve missed you, Jace. Can’t you stay for a little bit?”

He softens at my words, but he doesn’t let his arms down and wrap them around me like I

want him to.

“Are you going to behave yourself?” he asks, and I’ve never regretted my inability to tell at good lie so much as I do right now.

“Yes,” I say, figuring it’s worth a shot.

He takes one look at me and laughs. “You always were shit at telling lies, Syd. What’s gotten. into you anyway? I mean, you flashed me your tits for fuck’s sake.”

“You didn’t like it?”

He sighs and looks away before saying, “That’s not the point.”

I

press my body against him, grabbing his arms and opening them up so I can get closer before wrapping them around me. He doesn’t press me harder against him, but he also

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doesn’t drop his hands, so I consider it a win..

“Sydney,” he says, the warning painfully obvious in his sexy voice. I ignore it all the same and snuggle in closer.

“I don’t know why you’re being so stubborn, Jace,” I say, making him laugh.

“I’m being stubborn?”

“Yes,” I pout. “Why are you fighting me? I want you and deny it all you want, but I can feel how badly you want me to. Your cock is rock hard, and it’s impressively huge, I might add.”

Even though he doesn’t want to, I can see his lips quirk up in a smile.

“Come back inside, Jace, please.”

“And do what?”

I keep my hips pressed tightly against him and cup his face in my hands, loving the feel of his short stubble against my skin. I plan on riding this face very soon, and when I grin at the image it puts in my head, he gives me a very pointed look to behave.

“I doubt I want to know what you’re thinking, but you should probably thinking it,

Syd.”

“No, you’re probably not ready to hear it,” I say, running my thumb over his cheek.

He watches me, and I can see how much it’s costing him to fight how he feels about me. [ wonder how long he can hold out. When I rock my hips against him, he lets out a pained groan, and before I know what the hell is going on, he’s spun me around and pinned me up against his jeep, holding me in place with his body, letting me feel the hard length of him digging into my stomach, promising so much pain and pleasure.

If the way his fingers wrap around my neck and the powerful way he’s towering over me didn’t have me aroused enough, the look of pure, raw need in his eyes is enough to almost

make me orgasm on the spot.

“Stop fucking around,” he growls.

“I’m not. I would never do that to you. I want you, Jace.”

“Don’t say that,” he groans, looking down at me with a pained expression on his face. “ou’re off limits to me, Sydney, completely forbidden, so stop fucking teasing me.”

Chapter 80

“But I’m not,” I plead, grabbing onto his broad shoulders.

“I’m old enough to be your damn dad, and if that isn’t bad enough, I’m good friends with

your parents.”

“I don’t care about any of that, and I love how old you are. It’s sexy as fuck.”

He groans again, tightening his grip on my neck and sending a rush of pleasure straight to my pussy. I let out a soft whimper and buck up against him.

“God–fucking–dammit!” he growls, leaning in closer so our mouths are almost touching. “This isn’t supposed to turn you on. It’s supposed to get you to see reason and scare some

sense into your bratty ass.”

I smile and swipe my tongue along his bottom lip before he can stop me. “I’m not scared of you, and just for future reference, you putting your hands on my neck is always going to get

my pussy wet.”

“Fuck,” he groans before pressing his mouth to mine. It’s not a soft kiss. It’s a fierce one that’s full of pent–up frustration and years of unfulfilled desires. It’s both of us finally admitting what we feel for one another, and when he pulls back, we’re both gasping and

wanting so much more.

“I’m sorry,” he says, running his hand through his hair and stepping back like he doesn’t trust himself to touch me. “I’m so sorry. I shouldn’t have let that happen.”

“I wanted it to happen. I want a lot more to happen, too.”

“God, don’t say that.”

He looks so miserable that I take pity on him. “Will you just come inside for a bit? We can hang out in the basement, and I can show you how much better I’ve gotten.”

I don’t get a laugh, but I do get a smile as he says, “Uh–huh.”

“Don’t make fun of me,” I say with a laugh. “Not all of us can play cards like you do. Come Eon, lace, unless you’re afraid I’ll kick your ass.”

That gets his attention, just like I knew it would, Jace never loses, and he never backs down from a challenge involving cards.

You’ve turned into a real brat since I’ve been gone,” he says, slamming his jeep door shut

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and pocketing the Leve

11

I don’t bother to tell him it has nothing to do with being a brat auf everything to do with my achy, virgin pussy. Something tells me to save that little tidbit until we’er inside. Grabbing his hand, I lead him around the back of the house to the sliding doors that lead into the basement, Once we’re inside, I pull hinder to the card table that’s been used for late–night poker games since before I was born and try to push him into one of the chairs, but it’s like pressing against a damn brick wall.

He doesn’t budge, just arches a dark brow at me and says, “Easy, Syd. Just because you coerced me into coming down here doesn’t mean I’m going to let you boss me around.”

“Not the submissive type, huh?”

I expect him to laugh, but instead, he gives me a heated look that has my pussy clenching and my heart racing. Giving me a wicked grin, he says,

“No, I’m not the submissive type.

“Good to know,” I say, taking a breath and forcing my body to relax before sitting down..

He grabs the deck of cards from his back pocket before sitting and takes them out of the package, shuffling them like a man who’s been handling them since he was a kid. There’s a graceful case to his movements, and I feel alniost hypnotized. I’ve always loved watching him handle cards. I’ve always been curious about what else those skilled hands can do.

“So what did you have in mind?” he asks, continuing to shuffle.

“Well, I thought maybe we could try something different.”

“Such as?”

“I’d like to play for something bigger than quarters.”

He laughs because that’s what we’ve always played for. It started as playing for pennies when I was really little, and then we eventually worked up to quarters, but I always lose, and he always conveniently forgets to take his winnings when he leaves.

“You’re ready to play for dollars?” he asks, giving me a cocky grin that makes it clear he knows I’d lose my ass off.

“No, absolutely not.” I don’t bother mentioning that I only have three dollars in my purse at

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the moment. “I want to play for something bigger.” He eyes me cautiously, waiting for me to go on. “I want to play for my virginity,”

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