Chapter 75: 75 ~ Mira
~Few months later~
Things were different. Jace was still the cold, ruthless mafia don I knew but even though he was trying to hide it, he had become softer.
He stole kisses from me every now and then. He spanked my behind slightly every time I passed for the fun of it and he treated me to nice things.
And while all this was nice, I was upset that I was still yet to get pregnant. In fact I wondered if he got himself snipped or something just so he would not have kids.
Every time I looked at him now, I felt butterflies stir in my belly. I enjoyed watching him eat whatever I baked or cooked and every now and then he dropped compliments on how well the food tasted.
We had settled into a steady rhythm. No pressure. No gunfights. Just him getting his work done and coming home to me where we had some good sex. A part of me almost wanted it to remain this way forever if that was possible. But I knew it wasn’t.
"We’re going on a trip."
"You or we?" I asked, setting down the book I was reading as he came out of the bathroom looking like Greek god with his soaking wet hair.
I swallowed.
This man was making me lose focus every now and then.
"We. Pack your bags, we’re going to the Maldives."
I gasped. "Wait, is this a honeymoon?"
He shrugged. "I guess you can call it that."
"Oh my goodness!" I squealed and practically jumped on him.
He caught me.
"You’re the best." I said as I placed kisses all over his face.
He smirked, "Oh really? Let me show you how I can be better than the best."
"Jace..." I couldn’t even finish whining before he shut me up with a kiss and placed me on the bed.
He was in the middle of taking my shirt off when his phone rang.
I could tell he did not want to pick it up but whoever was on the other line was persistent.
I groaned as he pulled away and picked up the call. From the look on his face, I figured the call was going to take a long time so I put my shirt back on and entered the closet to help him pack. I’d handle mine after his.
He came into the closet some minutes later. He was in a hurry.
"Going somewhere?" I asked, even when it was already obvious.
"I have an impromptu meeting. Just pack up my stuff and yours. We’ll leave when I return."
"So soon?" I asked in surprise.
"Yeah," he said, putting on his shirt and pants.
"Alright then. See you later."
He placed a swift kiss on my lips and practically ran out afterwards. I wondered what exactly he was hurrying off to do but then I had learned to not question him or even try to understand what happened in his world. I would always be kept in the dark and the truth of the matter is, I did not want to think about it.
I was more focused on enjoying the moment and of course making sure my plans worked. I literally had ten million dollars on the line and every time I did a pregnancy test, it still came out negative. I had monitored my cycle continuously, yet no results.
There were side comments from his mother that reminded me of our deal. Her questions were subtle. It sounded like there was no pressure but there actually was.
~
Catch flights and not feelings they said.
But why was I looking at my captor like he was some rugged angel?
He came back a few hours after running out of the house. And because I had packed for the trip, he basically came to pick me up so we could go the hangar together. Once again, we were flying private.
He was busy on his laptop and had barely said anything to me since we boarded the jet but it didn’t feel like the awkward, uncomfortable silence I was used to.
I shivered slightly, pulling the blanket to my neck. The air conditioner was blazing cold.
"Are you alright?"
I turned to him and nodded. He looked away and continued typing. Because I was shameless, I ogled him like the snack he was. His brows were furrowed in concentration as he typed every now and then.
There was something about him and the energy he radiated that made me want to cling to him all the time even when it did not make sense as he was not even a romantic individual.
"Is there something on my face?" He asked, startling me out of my thoughts.
I looked away as my cheeks turned as read as a tomato.
"No." I finally said, biting on my lower lip.
"Sure?"
"Sure." I said back, picking up my phone just so I could stop staring like a sex starved wife.
~
It was a long flight, about sixteen to eighteen hours. I had no idea when I slipped into a nap. I only woke up and found myself on the bed.
Surprisingly, Jace was laying next to me, wide awake with his eyes on me. He hardly blinked even when I caught him staring.
"Why are you looking at me like that?"
"You’re so beautiful," he said like he was in a trance.
I blushed and found myself hiding my face in his chest. His chest heaved as he chuckled. The sound made me sigh.
Then he rubbed his palm over my hair as I looked up at him.
"You’re different," I said over a whisper.
"How do you mean?"
I shook my head instead, choosing to dismiss the thought. Thankfully, he did not pursue it as he pressed his lips to mine.
I moaned into his mouth as his hands roved my body.
His fingers teased my clit through the fabric of my joggers, just as our tongues fought for dominance. He won of course.
As usual, when he slid into me, it was rough but I had gotten used to it. This was how he knew how to do it and I could never complain because I liked it. But a part of me wanted him to be gentler.
~
I was panting when it ended.
When he walked into the bathroom, I picked up my phone and tried to check if my cycle tracker was accurate. It was two days to ovulation.
I sighed in relief as the realization dawned on me that we were going to be honeymooning which meant that there would be lots of bedroom action between us.
I truly hoped this was the one that would successfully put a bun in the oven.
When he came back out, I put the phone away and smiled at him.
"That smile makes it harder to keep my hands off you," he said and I grinned even wider.
"When did you get so flirty?" I teased back.
"I’ve always been flirty. You just didn’t notice because you hated me."
"Who says I love you now?"
His face went grim for a second. "No one said anything about love."
"Of course,"
The moment was over. I had come to notice that Jace hated to hear the word, ’love’. It sounded abominable to him and a part of me wondered why.
I understand he grew up in a world that was messed up with bloodshed and a lack of emotions but I could not help but wonder if there was any more to his cold exterior. Had he ever gotten his heart broken or had he always been this way.
My heart ached for whatever gruesome experience he had to face that made him so hardened.
Maybe I would find out about it later or maybe not.