Just The Right Black

Chapter 50

Jace clenched his jaw as the pain radiated from his arm to the rest of his body. He took a swig from the bottle of Vodka gulping it down as Ariana stitched up the wound. The worst part was over and Ariana hadn't been gentle when she pulled out the bullet and poured some vodka on the needle and the wound before she began stitching.

"There." She cut the rest of the thread and wiped the droplets of blood mixed with alcohol that dripped down his arm with a clean cloth.

She picked the gauze and wrapped it around his arm and glanced at him once before she got up and went to wash her bloodied hands clean. Jace watched her from where he sat, Ariana wiped her hands and walked back towards him to gather everything and put it back into the first-aid box.

Ariana walked out of the bathroom and went into her closet to pick up some of her dad's clothes for Jace to change into. After her dad passed, her mum didn't have the heart to go through them and she wasn't surprised to find that they were still intact when she got back. She had taken some of his clothes for herself and had only worn his shirts mostly.

She walked back into the bathroom with her dad's things and a towel.
"If you're up for it, you should freshen up." She gave him the towel and the clothes, "I'm going to take the other bathroom downstairs."

"Thanks." He got up and they stared at each other for a moment before she turned around and left.

Ariana freshened up without wasting any more time getting into short shorts and a loose tank top, she walked to the kitchen dialling the director to brief him on what just happened knowing he would find out either way. He gave her the address of the safe house deciding that was the safe choice for now.

Jace stood under the shower, his right hand propped against the wall preventing the water from running down the bandaged wound. It hurt even more with his hand in that position but he couldn't ruin Ariana's handiwork. He got out and got dried up, then out on the clothes Ariana had given him wondering whose they were. He dumped his clothes in the laundry and padded downstairs, barefoot.

He saw Ariana carrying the two boxes of pizza from the kitchen to the living room placing them on the table. His gaze drifted down to her bare legs and arms, she hadn't dressed in anything so minimal before.

The dress she wore to the party.
His brain reminded him.

Ariana looked up and saw him.
"Good, you're here. I just had it reheated." She said, "Come sit and pick out...something." She gestured to the t.v.

Jace had noticed the change in Ariana's mood since she found out about the 'scratch'. But he didn't mention it because he had been busy trying to hold back the pain. He walked further into the living room towards the t.v., he squatted and went through the collection of movies she had. He smiled when he realised the movies she had were all action movies. He inserted one into the disk player and went to sit on the couch opposite the t.v., behind the table where the pizza was placed.

Ariana arrived with two bottles of beer, she placed them on the table and plopped into the same couch keeping some distance between them. She was mad at him but didn't want to show it. She wanted to scream when he told her about the 'scratch'. During her shower, she replayed everything that happened in her mind; it was something she always did so she could find out if she missed something during the attack, something she'd seen but had been too busy to focus on because of the pressure at that moment. That was when she realised the time he got shot.

When he pushed her away from the incoming bullet.

She wanted to...she didn't know what she wanted to do to him. She just wanted to punch something, very hard to get rid of the anger that was building inside her.

"Are you okay?" Jace's voice cut through her train of thought,

"Yea." She didn't look at him, "Just trying to figure out what movie you decided on."

"Something you'll like." He looked at her and she shot him a 'no-kidding' look.

He smiled at her.

Half way through the movie and no slices of pizza later, Ariana couldn't hold it back any longer.

"Why did you do it?" She blurted out, her legs tucked underneath her as Jace's gaze turned to her for the umpteenth time since they started the movie.

"Why did I do what?" He asked,

"Oh, don't act smart with me. You know damn well what I'm talking about." She turned in her seat to face him, "You promised me right before the party that you'd be careful."

Jace stared at her not knowing what to say.

"How many times do you want me to tell you that it's my job to protect you and not the other way round." She said as gently as she could at the moment, "Getting shot isn't being careful."

"Ari..." Jace began,

"Sorry, let me rephrase that." She said, "Jumping in front of a bullet to save me isn't being careful."

Jace didn't know what to say to that. He had hoped she didn't know the moment he got shot, he knew she'd go on about it being her job to protect him.

He sat straighter and shifted closer to her then took her hands in his.
"I don't know if it isn't obvious already Ari." He paused, "But I never want to see you get hurt, ever. You mean the world to me."

He sighed and shook his head as if not agreeing with himself,
"You are my world." He corrected as he gazed into her eyes, "And it would kill me if something happened to you knowing I could have done something to stop it."

Ariana was left speechless. Her heart sped up with every single word he uttered. Her anger had turned to something else, some kind of force that push her from behind and pulled her towards him. It had been there for a while but she'd never done anything about it. She watched his lips move as he spoke before she lifted her gaze to meet his.

"Ari, I..." Jace barely got anything out before Ariana leaned in and kissed him.

The kiss lasted for about three seconds before she pulled away and stared at him. Jace hadn't participated in the kiss because she'd caught him off guard and he was more than shocked as he stared at her then at her lips, those lips that had just been on his, they tasted like orange, the Citrus beer she had been drinking.

Ariana didn't know why she'd kissed him. She just had to, she couldn't fight the attraction anymore and she wanted to know what his lips tasted like. She was embarrassed though. Jace hadn't kissed her back.

"I'm sor..." Jace's lips were on hers that instant before she could get out the apology that wasn't even supposed to be associated with their kiss.

His lips on hers, hard and soft, gentle and rough, he kissed her. Plunging his tongue in and out meeting hers and both of them feeling waves of pleasure pass through them. His hands found their way to the side of her face and behind her neck. They kissed each other like they were starved, deep and rough but very pleasurable. Jace's hands dropped to her waist as he picked her up and placed her on his lap, her legs straddled him while her hands went round his neck and into his hair pulling him closer like there was any space left between them.

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Hey guys,

I want to thank everyone. Here are the places I missed the last two chapters.

Dominica.

Belize.

Saint Lucia.

El Salvador.

Australia.

France.

Slovenia.

Mars. (Apparently I have a reader from there. 😊 You're welcome to Earth's reading/writing platform.)

Keep commenting where you're from if it isn't in any of the chapters.

Thanks a lot guys,

J.L.