CHAPTER FIVE

She had to keep it together.

After the card Peyton pulled for herself today, and Jace’s Knight of Cups, she was having a hard time not letting her giddiness get the better of her.

Every morning before her feet even hit the floor, Peyton pulled herself a tarot card. She only started doing it in the last few years, but it helped ground her in her day and gave her something to think about. Sometimes, the day didn’t turn out at all like the card predicted, but more often than not, there was some vein of truth in her day that linked back to the card.

At first, she relied heavily on her trusty book to tell her what each card meant, but after a few years, she knew the gist of each. She still used her book quite often, though.

However, she didn’t need her book today. Not for the card she pulled.

She knew it well.

The King of Cups. The ultimate card.

The King of Cups, or the King of Love, was the supreme romantic ideal. Caring, nurturing and patient. He was loving and the kind of guy who made and great husband and father. He gave his whole heart. He was the true definition of a lover, not a fighter.

She also had a daily affirmation app where, after she pulled her tarot card, she plugged her astrological sign and the card into the app and it provided her with an affirmation for the day.

Today’s was: I nurture and guide those who need it.

Goosebumps raced along her arms beneath her navy long-sleeve shirt.

Sure, some of this was all coincidence. But not all of it. Not a lot of it.

Everything happened for a reason. She believed that. And it wasn’t like she shuffled those cards. Jace shuffled them himself.

“So, like, am I Prince Charming? Or is Prince Charming going to come and sweep me off my feet?” he asked, flashing a big sexy grin that worked wonders at breaking the tension that slowly wound itself tight between them at the table.

She swallowed, her throat suddenly dry.

Wine. Wine would help with that. She grabbed her glass and took a big gulp. But the gulp was so big that it hurt her esophagus and back when she swallowed.

Dear god, it hurt.

After the agony subsided, she took a deep breath and met his curious gaze. “It could mean either. But in this case, I think that you are Prince Charming.”

“Hmm,” was all he said.

Did he want to discuss it more? It was pretty self-explanatory, wasn’t it? He was going to sweep someone (hopefully her) off her feet because he was a consummate gentleman and a sensitive dreamer.

“Shall we move on?”

He nodded.

She flipped over the fifth card.

“What does this one represent?”

“That’s your goals and aspirations.”

“It’s just a dude with a globe between two sticks.”

She giggled. “It’s the Two of Wands. Hang on, let me read.” She grabbed her trusty book and flipped to the Two of Wands. “The Two of Wands represents success, plans, security, control, travel and vision. It is a card of victory. Which makes sense. Your goals and aspirations are to make it on to the E.R.T. The Two of Wands indicates that you are in a great position to achieve that.”

“Well, that’s cool.”

She nodded. “Totally. You’ve dealt a really great hand so far.”

He tapped the one closest to him. “Let’s talk about this one now. My subconscious.”

Nodding, she reached across the table and turned over the card.

Immediately, her heart did a little pitter-patter. Coupled with the Knight of Cups and her King of Cups—not to mention the wine—she was a little light-headed.

He tilted his head to the side when she hesitated. “Is it another bad one?”

“No. It’s … I swear I didn’t tamper with these, okay? Like, you shuffled them. This was also completely random.”

“Okay …”

“It’s the Ace of Cups. And it means new love, a new emotional beginning, proposal, marriage, new relationships and opening one’s heart.”

The man didn’t blink.

Her cheeks grew hot again.

She cleared her throat and pressed on, reading from her book because it was easier to bury her nose in the pages than keep looking at him. “The Ace of Cups indicates that a romantic offer awaits you. A new suitor or partnership. If you are looking for love, it’s right around the corner. Emotionally, this is a time to open yourself up. Be vulnerable and express the softer side of yourself. It is a new emotional beginning. A chance to start fresh.”

She swallowed, but didn’t dare look at him yet. Rather, she just moved on to the seventh card, the one furthest from her in the straight line, and turned it over. “This one is the Wheel of Fortune. It is the seventh card—Advice.” She found The Wheel of Fortune in her book. “The Wheel of Fortune means luck, a turn of events, karma, movement, shift, improvement, fate and change. A major change for the better is happening. The universe is ready to move things in your favor. Momentum is gathering and moving toward divine order.”

She still couldn’t look at him. Not after that Ace of Cups card. Her cheeks were too hot, her arms still covered in goosebumps. He probably thought she rigged the deck and was trying to manipulate him. She wasn’t. This was fate. This was divine intervention.

“Your eighth card …” She needed to just keep talking. If she kept talking, if she kept going through the cards, she’d get further away from that Ace of Cups. She flipped over the next card. “This card highlights the people, energies or events which will affect the outcome of your question that is beyond your control.”

“My question?”

“Anything you’ve been pondering.” She glanced up at him out of one eye, then put her head back down and flipped to the page for the corresponding card. As she read about the card, her heart sank.

“What is it?” he asked in mild panic.

She shook her head and pushed away the aching sensation in her chest, throwing on a big fake smile. “The Six of Cups. Keywords are pleasure, nostalgia, friendship, meeting, gifts, security, romance, the past, reunion, childlike. If you are in the market for love, you may be meeting a romantic partner or being courted. This could be someone new, but more often—” She choked on her own saliva. “But more often it suggests a blast from the past or someone who you know. The energy with this card is about returning to one’s roots. It can also mean you may receive a gift.”

“A blast from my past?”

She shook her head. “I don’t know.” Exhaling, she turned over the final card, then flipped through her book to find the ninth card. “The ninth card is … The Nine of Wands.”

“The Nine of Wands is the ninth card? How crazy is that? ”

Indeed. She already considered the coincidence of that occurrence.

“This is perhaps one of the more difficult positions to interpret. It reflects your hopes and fears. And because hopes and fears can be so closely intertwined, we may need to draw a second card for clarification. Up to you. But keep in mind, that which we hope for may also be that which we fear, and so may fail to happen.”

“Okaaaay …”

“The Nine of Wands represents defense, preparation, completion, paranoia, protection, boundaries and distrust.”

“Paranoia?”

“You have learned a big lesson and even though you are moving on, what is the takeaway from this experience? Did you do the proper work to heal? Or did you just slap on a Band-Aid and call it fixed? It’s time to move on and make a mental note not to do it again. Also, watch your back. If you think someone is out to get you, listen to your gut.”

His mouth dropped open.

“Do you want to pull another card?”

Jace just stared at the Nine of Wands, blinking and thinking. Eventually, though, he seemed to either figure out what the card meant, or gave up trying to figure it out. Either way, he shook his head. “No, it’s fine. Tell me about the last one.”

Peyton nodded and flipped over the last card. “The tenth card represents where the situation is headed and if/how the issue will be resolved. It assumes the outcome based on you continuing your course of action.”

“It just looks like a sun.”

“Because it’s the sun card. The Sun card is a great card. It represents optimism, success, joy, birth, happiness, health, inner child, energy and enthusiasm. A happy and joyous outcome. The freedom to enjoy the fruits of your labor. Celebration and pleasure.” She lifted her gaze to his. “It’s a great card to pull for a final card. It’s honestly, my favorite card in the deck. I know when I pull this card, I’m going to have a great day.”

He nodded slowly. “Yeah …”

“It’s a bit overwhelming the first time someone does a reading. Your brain goes in a million different directions, trying to sort out what you just heard and make sense of it. But it doesn’t all have to make sense. Not right now. Maybe not ever. I like to use these cards to help build hope and reaffirm certain thoughts, while others also tell me to let some thoughts go.”

He was still nodding.

“Did I spook you?” Unease twisted through her. This was supposed to be a relaxing, romantic evening, and she went and ruined it with her spiritualistic mumbo jumbo. Her heart deflated.

But when he lifted his head and smiled at her, she grew buoyant again. “Not at all. That was really … cool. I am a little overwhelmed, not going to lie. But it was also fun. It’s given me a lot to think about.”

“I swear I didn’t plant all those cards about love and romance and stuff.”

His raspy chuckle washed over her, softening the apprehension that spun wildly around in her belly her after The Knight of Cups. “I know you didn’t. And, honestly, that’s not what spooked me. I mean, I’m not spooked . But those aren’t the cards that have me thinking. It’s the ones about deception and paranoia.”

It was the one about the blast from his past—particularly a love from his past—and that damn Six of Cups, that had her reeling a little.

“I can’t help but think that maybe this all has something to do with that guy in the hoodie, you know? I’m almost certain that the guy on Christmas Eve at the elevator and the guy tonight are one of the same. I got a good look at him the first night, but not tonight. But their builds are similar, so are their heights.” He scratched his head. “Unless that’s the paranoia thing the cards are talking about. ”

“Yeah, but they did say that if you are suspicious, there is reason to be. To watch your back and listen to your gut.”

“That’s true.”

She got up from the table and took their empty bowls from dessert to the dishwasher. “More wine?”

But the man had entered stealth-mode and managed to sneak up behind her in the kitchen. He caged her in against the counter, his front to her back. His lips found her neck, his big hands landed possessively on her hips. “I think I’m full of wine and food,” he said with a growl, scraping the shell of her ear with his teeth.

Spinning around so she could face him, she looped her arms over his broad shoulders and gazed into his blue-hazel eyes. The pupils were huge and his nostrils flared. “Oh yeah?”

“Mhmm.” Their lips collided, and she found herself being divested of her apron, her long-sleeve shirt and her pants. She was in nothing but a bra and her underwear in seconds, in her kitchen, and Jace was still completely dressed.

Hoisting her up, he plunked her butt on the counter and dropped to his knees, shouldering her legs apart and pulling her underwear to the side. His mouth found her center.

She tipped her head back until it knocked the cupboard behind her.

Sucking on her clit, he quickly brought her close to that sweet edge of oblivion. She pressed her pelvis forward and gripped the counter until her knuckles ached.

She wasn’t entirely sure what he was doing, but he was doing it well.

She’d always been someone who tried to visualize what the man between her legs did with his mouth, but right now, she couldn’t. It was like he was licking and sucking her clit at the same time. Don’t think. Just feel.

Sliding two fingers into her channel, Jace pumped and curled, pressing hard up on that tender spot that most men never bothered to find. She had an extra-sensitive G-spot and the moment anybody pressed on it, she was overcome with the insatiable urge to pee.

But she also knew that was just par for the course. She didn’t actually have to pee.

This was mind over matter. She ignored that sensation and focused on the pleasure. Focused on the way his fingers hit that little almond-shaped button and how it made her leg twitch. How it made her lower belly pool with heat and desire and the way her nipples hardened to achy points in her bra.

She rode his face like his upper lip was a mechanical bull and she was determined to get the high score. But Jace didn’t seem to mind her growing enthusiasm—definitely lubricated by the wine, and the tarot cards—and he devoured her with increasing fervor.

She wanted to come.

She needed to come.

But she wanted him inside her.

After those tarot cards, after their evening together, she wanted nothing more than to feel his weight on top of her, and stare into his unique hazel-blue eyes as they came undone at the same time.

“You’re close,” he murmured against her clit, the buzzing of his words against her skin making fresh zaps of pleasure shoot through her. “Come, Peyton.”

“I want … I want you inside of me,” she whispered. “I want to come together.”

He tipped his gaze up to meet hers.

Jesus, she nearly came on the spot from how hot that was. His mouth on her, his fingers in her, his eyes watching her. She had to do some serious self-talk to keep her body from jumping over the edge.

A sly expression slid into his gaze as his eyelids dropped to half-mast and he gave one final flick to her clit with his tongue, one last press of her G-spot, and he slid his fingers free. As he stood up, he reached behind his head and pulled off his shirt .

Even though she knew exactly what he looked like naked, the sight of his torso once more left her slack-jawed and speechless. He unfastened his jeans next and removed his socks, leaving nothing but his black boxer briefs on and a sizeable tent.

Then he scooped his hands under her butt and front piggyback-style, carried her out of the kitchen and down the hall to her bedroom. It was a one-bedroom condo, so the only other option would have been to turn left into the bathroom.

They collapsed onto the bed, him on top of her. She scrambled to free him from his boxers, and he made quick work of her bra. Last, he tugged her panties down her thighs while she rooted around in her nightstand for a condom.

In under a minute, they were both naked, he was sheathed in Latex and hovering over the top of her. As he slowly lowered himself, she released a sigh of relief. His weight was calming. Like a weighted blanket or deep pressure. She reached between them before he sunk any further, grabbed his shaft, and angled it right where she needed it.

His lips found hers, bringing the taste of her own arousal along with wine and berry crumble. Once he was notched at her core, he lifted his head, breaking their kiss, and their eyes locked. Slowly, he inched forward, filling her.

She spread her legs a little wider, bending her knees and planting her feet on the bed.

He took his time, sliding across her slick channel with a laziness that both frustrated and excited her. She wasn’t going to last long.

If he grunted and his lower belly grazed her clit in a very specific way, she knew she’d be a goner. She lived for the grunt.

For the deep, gravelly, primitive sound that men made to convey so many thoughts. And during sex it meant that they were so tangled up in the pleasure, their brains couldn’t form words. The blood had left their head and was concentrated further south, so all they could do was grunt.

And she loved it.

She wanted Jace to go feral on her. To grunt and groan and claim her as his .

Dropping his head for a moment, he scraped his teeth along her jaw, then nipped that spot where her neck and shoulder met, before lifting his head again and catching her gaze once more.

He still wasn’t even completely inside her yet. There was more of him to go, and yet she already felt so full. The stretch was riveting.

He inched in a little further.

Her eyes widened.

He smiled.

Another inch.

She exhaled through thinly parted lips, determined not to let go just yet.

Tilting his hips just slightly, his lower belly brushed her clit.

Her pussy spasmed.

His smile grew bigger.

She swallowed.

Another inch.

Her mouth opened wide as she stared deep into his eyes.

He moved forward a little more and then … he grunted.

She couldn’t hold on anymore and, like a dam erupting after a monsoon, she exploded.

Her eyes slammed shut and her body went rigid.

“Look at me, Peyton,” he demanded.

She blinked her eyes open in surprise, staring up at him as the orgasm tore through her. His focus on her was almost unnerving. Almost . But more than that, it was intriguing and addictive.

When a person orgasmed, they became vulnerable. Often, they made weird faces or sounds.

But she already knew that she could make the weirdest face and the most obscure sound, and Jace wouldn’t care.

Her climax continued to unfurl, spreading out further from her core and into each limb, into the tips of her fingers, and the balls of her feet .

And then … he grunted again.

He stilled, and keeping his eyes open and focused on her, he came.

And it was probably the hottest thing she’d ever seen.

Watching him come undone, but remain so put together at the same time, pulled at her baser Gemini instinct of curiosity and playfulness.

Her orgasm peaked and began to slowly drift down the backside of the slope, the tremors and aftershocks rippling through her intermittently as the pleasant ache of still being stretched and full of Jace created an alluring throb between her thighs.

He finished with a final grunt, and his body relaxed. He still hovered over her and his arms trembled slightly on either side of her head.

They smiled at each other, and he slowly slipped over to the side of the bed, holding onto the base of the condom as he did. He disappeared to the bathroom first, disposing of the condom in the trash, then she ducked into the washroom to pee and tidy up, joining him back in the bed a moment later.

“I like this,” he said, facing her and pulling the covers over both of them.

She smiled. “I do, too.”

“I hate dating.”

“The dating world sucks.”

“And I like that we’re neighbors.”

“That is awfully convenient.”

“So … uh … do you want to be my girlfriend?”

Heat filled her cheeks, and she smiled even wider, then nodded. “Yeah. I think I could do that.”

“I’m going to forewarn you, though …”

She hiked her eyebrows up her forehead, waiting for the other shoe to drop.

“I am really fucking busy. Between work, training and volunteering, I have like maybe five to seven hours a week to dedicate to a relationship. And those hours are like right now, late at night.” His lips twisted into a frown of reluctance. “My last girlfriend said I prioritized the gym over her. But this isn’t just me hitting the gym, this is—”

“You’re training to advance in your career and achieve a specific goal.” She cupped his cheek. “I get it. I’m busy, too. My job is mentally exhausting, and I’m trying to be more independent. Don’t judge me, but I only just moved out of my parents’ place a few months ago. I’m twenty-seven years old and living on my own for the first time.”

His mouth twisted like he was trying to hide a smile.

She swatted his chest. “I told you not to judge.”

“I’m not,” he protested with a chuckle. “It’s just … I had no idea you only just started living on your own. That the apron strings were just freshly severed.”

She narrowed her gaze, but it was mostly a light-hearted glare. “Well, I did. And they are. I’m very close to my parents and I don’t intend to change that. But I’m also enjoying the independence and getting to know myself. I actually like my own company.”

“That’s really healthy. If we don’t like spending time with ourselves, why should anyone else?”

“Right?” She sobered. “Anyway, what I’m trying to say is, I get it. We’re both young and focused on our careers. I’m not looking for a fuck buddy. I do want something more. But like you, I have commitments. I also volunteer. I’m a Girl Guide leader.”

“Shut up.” He smiled, then started to laugh.

“I will not. I rose through the ranks from Sparks all the way to the Pathfinders. And now, I lead my own little group.”

“That’s freaking adorable.” His eyes widened, and he turned serious. “Wait, can you get me cookies? Like as soon as they go on sale. I always seem to miss the thin mint season. Did I just start dating an inside source for girl guide cookies? Even if you weren’t hot and great in bed, I’d considered sticking with you just for the cookie access. ”

Swatting his chest again and rolling her eyes, she climbed on top of him, biting his chin playfully. “What would you do if I told you I had an unopened box of thin mints in the kitchen right now?”

Excitement filled his eyes, and he growled, rolling her back onto her back and diving beneath the covers. “I’ll show you what I’d do.”