Unleashing Chaos

Chapter Thirty-Nine

We lay in the teepee for I don't even know how long, the wind whipping around us, until I start to shiver even in his arms. He rubs my bare biceps and grabs my sweatshirt and leggings.

"Here, Desi, put these on so we can go back inside and get you warm," he says, pulling his own shirt over his head and placing his glasses on his face.

Nodding, I tug on the sweatshirt and leggings before shoving my feet in my shoes, and follow Jace out of the tent. He offers me his hand and I take it like second nature, trying like hell to ignore the stab of pain that hits my chest when I think about the fact that I won't feel his fingers laced with mine ever again after tomorrow.

When we get inside, I glance at the clock over the microwave and gape at the time. "It's already after midnight?"

He grins and raises a brow. "We spent a lot of time out in the teepee." His tone is suggestive and playful, making my cheeks heat.

"True," I say, covering my mouth as a yawn slips out.

"You're tired," he says. It's a statement, not a question, and I can see in his eyes that he is too. We're both exhausted in more ways than one.

"Yeah," I say reluctantly, glancing up the stairs as I kick my shoes off and slip them under the bench in the foyer. "I guess I better get to bed then. We both need a good night's sleep—big day tomorrow. Goodnight, Jace." I try to sound chipper, but I know that any second, I am going to burst into tears. I lean forward and kiss him on the cheek, turning to go to my room.

His fingers lock around my wrist and his voice is gravelly with emotion as he says, "Stay in my room tonight. Please."

I turn around with wide eyes, questioning if I heard him right. With the exception of the night in Infernis, Jace has never stayed the entire night in my room, and he has never invited me to stay in his. I assumed that sharing a house with strangers impeded on his privacy, and he was trying to keep one area his alone. And perhaps he found sharing a bed for an entire night too intimate. I never pressed him on it, but I know this is a big deal to him.

"Okay," I say, wrapping my fingers around his.

"Yeah?"

"I've wanted to for months, Jace. So, definitely, it's a yes."

He scoops me up and throws me over his shoulder and I giggle, pounding my fists lightly against his back. "Put me down!"

"I will as soon as I get you where I want you," he growls against my hipbone as he ascends the stairs.

I grin and pinch the roundest part of his backside and his palm promptly lands on my ass, sending shockwaves all the way to my center.

My yelp echoes through the house. "Jace!"

"Oh, I know you can do better than that. Just wait until I get you in my bed."

He enters his room and kicks the door closed behind us. I brace myself to hit his mattress, but he gently lowers me to sit on the edge of the bed. He reaches for the hem of my shirt and pulls it over my head before working me out of my pants.

"Get dressed, get undressed, get dressed all so you can undress me again," I say while laughing.

"This time it is necessary. Let's get you into a hot shower."

The thought of a hot shower after being out in the cold—with snow and ice dragged across all my private parts, no less—has me practically salivating. I stand and run my fingers under the hem of his T-shirt.

"Tell me you're getting in with me, or I think I'll pass," I say, standing on my tiptoes and pressing my lips to the place where his neck meets his shoulder.