Just The Right Black

Chapter 23

Jace had been waiting for Ariana to get back for over two hours and he'd heard nothing from her. He finally went upstairs to bed and stayed up staring at his bedroom ceiling having nothing to do but wonder about her.

The second his phone rang, he pushed out of bed and grabbed for it from the bedside table picking the call before the second ring.

"Yes?" He answered,

"Hey."

"Jack." Jace sighed,

"Oh, please, don't sound too excited," He said, "Everything ok?"

Jace closed his eyes and opened them,
"Yea. Everything's...fine."

Jack stayed quiet on the other end of the line knowing he wasn't.
"You thought it was Feilman," Jack said, "I can hear your disappointment all the way from there."

Yes, he did.
"What's up?"

"I'm calling about her."

Jace sat up straighter,
"Is she okay?"

"She's fine," Jace answered quickly before his friend started to worry, "I just left her a while ago, she'll probably be on her way back to your place."

Jace got out of bed and placed his phone between his ear and shoulder and pulled some pants on.
"Left her?"

"Yea. She would tell you all about it." Jack was doubtful,

"Ariana. Tell me about something," Jace huffed, "That would be a miracle."

"It concerns you so...she should."

Jace could hear it in Jack's voice that he wasn't sure about that. She said she was going to another underground fight. If Jack was involved, he figured that wasn't the case.

"Well got to go," Jack said, "Talk to you later, man."

"Yea. Thanks, Jack."
Jace hung up and headed downstairs to the living room. He tried to sit down while he waited for her but he couldn't so he paced back and forth in the living room but stopped when he heard her bike pull up out front. He padded barefoot to the front door just as Ariana dismounted her bike and made her way into his place.

Just as she reached the front door and reached for the knob, the door was pulled open and she stood there staring at a half-naked Jace. Her breath caught in her chest as her gaze betrayed her and drifted slowly down his ripped body. Jace hadn't expected her to openly stare at him like she was doing and he most certainly hadn't expected his worry and slight anger to die down at the sight of her.

Something inside Ariana stirred as her gaze slid lower and lower and then she caught herself.
What was she doing?

She snatched her gaze from his body and lifted it to meet his waiting gaze.

"At least you're back."

Ariana frowned at what he said just as Jace sighed and reached for her and pulled her into him and slammed the door behind them. Ariana was too shocked to move. His body heat seeped into her cold one and she let out a slow and inaudible breath.

"You're okay." Jace's hands were placed on the small of her back and at the top of her spine, below her neck.

Ariana pulled back to look at him,
"Why wouldn't I be?" She took a step back slipping away from his arms, she side-stepped and walked into the living room.

"Jack called a while ago." Jace turned and followed her,

Ariana stopped in the centre of the living room.

"He didn't say much. Actually, he said nothing hoping you'd tell me what happened."

Ariana turned around and looked at him. Jace stood a few feet away from her. A safe distance away from her. Not so safe. But she'd take that over his arms around her.