All Good Things(29)

Wow. I definitely didn't care about a thing in his condo as long as he lived up to the promise in his words. The only thing causing me to hesitate was the fact my knees felt as though they would buckle if I tried to move. How his words affected me so intimately, I would never know.

I said the only thing I could think to say. "Lead the way."

Jace grinned, devilishly, and my heart rate spiked. "So eager."

I felt my cheeks burn as he placed his hand once more against the small of my back. "Don't tease me, Jace. It is rude."

"Don't pretend you don't love it." Jace retorted and the blush in my cheeks deepened. How did he know me so damned well? It was like...he was meant for me.

Oh, hell no! I forced the thought from my mind as he pressed the button in the wall. I was not even going there. This was a strictly sexual relationship I was willingly entering into. I knew what I was getting into. I knew men like Jace...the powerful men that walked in this world I had forbidden myself from venturing into. They were selfish in their desires and strictly incapable of any emotion that resembled love. I would not let myself fall for him. I would enjoy what he had to offer me. I would learn from him, but I would not expect him to remain a part of my life for long. I was certain our time together would be just as fleeting as it would be passionate. I was okay with that. I had to be.

The elevator door rolled open, exposing a stainless steel box. I stepped inside and couldn't help but marvel at how impeccably clean the dark tiled floor was.

Jace rubbed a circle into my back with his thumb. "You are tense."

"I am?" Of course I was. I was moments away from walking into Jace Rush's living space. I had no idea what to expect. Google offered me nothing of his living space. I was walking into the lions den blind...but, oh so willing.

"Yes. You are." Jace confirmed. "Why?"

"Wouldn't you be?" I asked, pointedly, and he took a moment to ponder my question.

"I suppose."

I scoffed. "You suppose?"

"You will be the first, aside from very close friends and family to be brought here." He looked down at my bug-eyed disbelief, and chuckled. "Like you, Olivia, I like my privacy."

I liked my privacy for what I suspected was an entirely different reason than Jace's. I knew what it felt like to feel owned. I loathed that feeling with every fiber of my being. When I decided to move to New York, I had experienced a severe sense of relief I would never again be forced to bite back my opinions, beliefs or feelings because of my father. The man had done everything in his power to mold me into a woman who would succumb to his will. He'd wanted me to marry into power and had a list of eligible bachelors that would suit him just dandy. He'd chosen carefully, but each man had something in common. Contacts. Everything was about contacts to my father and he would have gladly sold me in order to gain an upper hand. I vowed I would never again feel the way he made me feel. Like I was nothing more than cattle.

I looked up when Jace's hand paused its movement against my back. His eyes were dark as they studied my face. I felt as though he could see through me, right down to my very soul. The idea filled me with a debilitating fear unlike anything I had ever known and I sucked in a deep breath for courage. "What are you looking at me like that for?"

"What were you thinking?" Jace asked. There really was no beating around the bush with him.

I shook my head. "Nothing."

He nodded, but I could see by the stiff cold swamped his eyes that he didn't believe me. A wave of relief washed over me when the elevator door opened up to a clean, modern lobby. The floors were a black marble that had intricate flecks of gold...no wait, maybe it was silver and the walls were a bright shade of white. It looked almost sterile, but I loved it. I loved the modern, spacious look. I couldn't help but wonder what his condo would look like.

"Come." Jace pushed gently, but authoritatively, against my back as he guided me across the spacious room. The art on the walls was exquisite. I could have stood here studying the art all day if he'd allowed me.

Jace typed a code into the door and it unlocked. He twisted the knob, letting the door fall open to expose his personal space. It was so much more than I ever could have imagined. It was modern and warm at the same time. I had no idea how his designer had accomplished this feeling, but whoever it was, deserved a handsome pay raise.

There was a long corridor of black marble floor that stretched into the living space. It overlooked an enormous window that covered what appeared to be the entire far wall of the condo. The living room housed a sleek, black, leather couch set and decorative chairs, accents of cerulean added pops of color to the space. It was a beautiful color that couldn't decide whether it wanted to be blue or green. A silver-gray shag rug was positioned artfully against the marble floor, making the flecks I now decided were silver, pop from the depths of the black.