Jace's hand moved so quickly from my chin to the nape of my neck. His fingers curled into my hair, as his other hand moved immediately to possessively grip my hip. He stepped into me, holding my body in place, as he dipped his head down to mine. His lips grazed mine as his thumb pressed against my hipbone. I closed my eyes, savoring his nearness. His scent enveloped me and I breathed him in.
"Is that what you think you did?" His words were gritted. "You think you signed the rights to your body over to me?"
"Didn't I?" I whispered against his lips. I tried to concentrate on our conversation, but the feeling of his fingers weaving in my hair, and the taste of his breath on my lips intoxicated my senses.
"I would never ask for you to do something like that, Olivia." He said. "I only want your permission to provide you with protection, if need be. I want your acceptance to try new things with me sexually, and I will admit, Olivia, I do want to test your sexual boundaries. I want to push you past your comforts in the hopes of providing you and myself pleasure, but I never, ever, want you to feel as though you do not have the right to deny me or to say you want me to stop. I never want you to feel as though you have no identity apart from me, and, I certainly, do not want you to resent me."
Wow. The way he spoke made me feel as though he was speaking from experience. The thought made my skin tighten and my stomach roll with jealousy. I disliked the idea of him binding any other woman to him.
"I do not resent you." I spoke softly.
"It sounds as though you are already starting to resent me." He quipped. "The fact that you threw the contract into the conversation when I asked for your thoughts tells me you are trying to hold onto your identity. You feel helpless. If you didn't feel helpless, it never would have occurred to you to use the content of the contract as a means to protect yourself."
He was right. I shook my head, trying to shove myself from his grasp, but he refused to let me go. He rested his forehead against mine and breathed me in as I struggled to untangle myself from him. "Please, let me go." I tried to hold onto my humility as I pushed at his chest in a futile attempt to isolate myself. "I'm sorry."
"I want you, Olivia." Jace whispered. "I have never wanted anyone the way I want you." I stopped struggling. I went weak in his arms as he rubbed the back of my neck with the pad of his thumb. "I don't want you to fight me, Angel. I want you to accept me. I want you to let me in, and I won't lie, I want you to be mine."
My heart thrashed and my stomach flipped. God, how I wanted to be his...I really did. But, I was fully aware the way Jace wanted me was not the only way I wanted to be his. He wanted my body and my desire, but I wanted to be his...completely. In the grand scheme of things, those two desires were very different. They were polar opposites. Jace had made it clear he didn't do relationships, and love was out of the question. I had to keep myself in check and my emotions reigned in, because, Jace possessed the capacity to be my undoing. He held the power to devastate me and destroy me. I understood, and was aware of the power he held. It was the only advantage I had in this situation. I had to find a way to keep my emotions separate from the physical aspect of this relationship. I knew enough from Trisha, and the abundance of romance novels I read, men had a different look on relationships then women. Where women saw the physical as a declaration of love and feeling, men saw it for what it was. Sex. Good...great sex. But, none-the-less, it was just sex. I had to keep that in mind because if I didn't, I was sure I would lose everything in the gamble for Jace Rush. I had too much to lose.
"I think I want soup for supper." I said after a long moment and Jace's lips moved into a grin against mine.
"I thing I can manage that." He said before pressing his lips to mine. The kiss was gentle and it pulled viciously at my heartstrings. By the end of this thing...whatever it was with Jace, I was bound to be a walking disaster.
Jace pulled away as I shivered. He slid his hands over my arms before dipping his head to press his hot lips against my shoulder. "Are you cold?"
"A little." I admitted. His eyes swept my face as he removed his hands from my body and walked into the living room. I instantly regretted telling him I was chilly. I hadn't thought he would walk away from me. He picked up a remote from the coffee table and turned up the fire before pulling a soft gray throw from the shoulder of the black leather couch.
I watched as Jace closed the distance between us again. I couldn't help the rush in my heart as my eyes swept over the expanse of his perfectly endowed body. Everything about him was purely decadent. His face and body were, surely, the envy of the Gods. Broad shoulders and muscular arms curved into a defined chest and sculpted waist. His hips were narrow and firm and his legs were long. He was a decadent package of man at six foot three. Watching him stalk toward me was an erotic sight in itself. The effect he had on my body was simply, unbelievable.