Chapter 31
Jason’s body tensed slightly but he did not resist. He lay his head on her shoulder and felt her smell enveloping him.
Her scent with its faint fragrance inexplicably gave him a feeling
of contentment.
It was as if being by her side allowed him to relax completely.
“Jay, didn’t you say that you would never abandon me? I vow the same, I will never abandon you. No matter what happens in the future, I will stay by your side.”
Her voice was a whisper in his ear.
“Would you really stay by my side no matter what happened?” he mumbled.
“Of course,” she replied matter-of-factly.
“Won’t you be scared of me?” he asked.
She chuckled lightly. “Why would I be scared of you? My Jay…” She leaned back to smile at him.
My Jay… there she went again with that wording. Like he belonged to her. Oh, he wasn’t averse to hearing it. He might even be happy about it.
But right now he was thinking too much and when he raised his head suddenly their faces were only inches apart. The tips of their noses were almost touching.
And he stopped thinking entirely.
Her face flushed red, and when she instinctively backed up, he looped his arm around her waist, stopping her from moving
away.
Grace froze. It felt like all the blood in her body was rushing to her head. When Jay was this close to her, she felt lightheaded.
The arm wrapped around her was strong. She could feel the thick muscles that he held in check.
His eyes were nearly black, the pupils were blown out making her wonder what could affect a man like this.
Surely not her, with her scars, baggage, and worthlessness. But in his arms, she didn’t feel so insignificant. She felt seen.
As something more than an ex-con.
As a human.
As a … woman.
She stayed there, suspended in his arms as her gaze darted between his eyes and mouth.
“Still see me as your brother?” Jay whispered.
No. There was nothing brotherly about him at all.
His big body was strong and he cradled her like she was something precious.
And his face. When his dark eyes crinkled at the corners and
his mouth turned up in a knowing grin, she realized that he saw straight through her.
She was attracted to him. The way a woman wanted a man.
And he saw it.
Jason’s phone rang and the moment was shattered.
Or maybe she’d been saved by the bell, so to speak.
Grace wasn’t sure how she felt about the whole ‘near kiss’
moment with him.
Part of her thought she’d cooked up the intimate embrace and that she was reading too much into it.
The other half of her felt… alive. Like her mind and body were coming back to life after years of being dormant.
It was probably just his good looks. He was so attractive that she’d have to be dead to not respond to him in some way.
“Grace, please sweep the rubbish next to the garbage can. The garbage truck is coming in a while,” Claire said.
And just like that, she was jolted from the memory. “All right,” Grace said.
She caught a glimpse of Chase coming into the center and she shot a quick glance at her friend. Nice of Claire to take her out of Chase’s path. For a while, she wasn’t sure if Claire was going to
respect her decision or if she was going to keep trying to convince Grace to give Chase a chance.
He was a nice enough man.
But… he deserved better than her!
So did Jay for that matter.
Grace frowned.
She cherished his friendship. She tried to imagine her apartment without him in it. If she came home one day and he wasn’t there.
It sent a pang through her chest.
More of her coworkers were gossiping about the Stevens ad drama. She meant what she’d said to Jay, she didn’t care one way or the other about him. If she still had feelings for Sean maybe she would’ve enjoyed seeing him embarrassed. It was nice, don’t get her wrong, it made her believe that maybe karma did work. But if she subscribed to all of that then she’d have to think that she’d done something to earn all the turmoil and pain
she’d experienced.
It’s okay. You’re okay.
Today is a new day.
She walked to the garbage can and started to sweep the surrounding area.
Suddenly, a pair of Dior high heels came into Grace’s view.
She had once seen plenty of luxury brands and was aware that these particular shoes cost more than she’d make in several months.
She then lifted her head and Lily’s beautiful face came into sight.
