Wake Up Call

CHAPTER 9

Avery

Waking up, I roll over and stretch as my eyes wander over the empty mattress beside me. The warmth from Jace's half-naked body still lingers on the sheets as I reach over, rubbing a hand over the empty spot.

I'm surprised to discover that he must've stayed the whole night. He had to if the bed is still this warm.

Shit!

Panic sets in as I begin to take it in the thought of sleeping next to Jace, or any man for that matter. That's a line I told myself I'd never cross, but he came to me in a moment of weakness. I expected him to leave as soon as I fell asleep.

He didn't.

Running my hands through my hair, I take a deep breath, and roll over, burying my face into the pillow. "What is this man doing to me?" I whisper into softness.

I lay here for a good twenty minutes, before finally climbing out of bed and gathering my clothes for work. The hall seems to be empty; no sign of Jace in sight, so I quickly close the bathroom door behind me, locking it so he can't walk in on me... again.

The bathroom quickly fills with steam as I toss my clean clothes aside, strip out of my bra and panties, and jump into the shower water.

The hot water feels fantastic on my cool flesh, helping me to relax, as I fight to calm my racing nerves. I'm a nervous wreck and relaxing is one of the many things I need to do right now.

After my shower, I make my way through the house and to the living room to find Jace sitting in his leather chair, his hair looking messy and uncombed; his eyes tired and strained as if he hadn't slept all night.

"Uh... morning," I stammer. "Get much sleep last night?" I walk over, reach for my jacket, and slip it on, before pulling the ponytail holder from my wrist and throwing my hair up and out of my face.

Jace gives me a tired look before he pushes himself to his feet and grabs for his keys. "You can tell," he laughs, while scrunching his forehead. "You sure did sleep like a baby though." Nodding, he reaches for the door to open it.

He waits for me to walk out first, before closing it behind us and locking it. "I hope you're ready for a busy day. It's the only day of the month that I make my special fried chicken and gravy. Trust me..." He licks his lips and shakes his head with a moan. "It's delicious."

The awkward look on his face makes me laugh as he teases me to lighten the mood. It helps.

I give him a light shove toward the car and reach for the handle. "Oh is it? It's so special that you can only make it once a month?" I question. "That or is it too hard to make?"

He gets ready to answer me, but I shut the door in his face before he can manage to speak. Lifting an amused brow, he points at me through the window and smoothly walks to the other side and jumps in.

"Both..." He glares over at me and sexily plays with his lip ring. It's such a bad habit of his, but I can't stop watching him. "The ladies love anything I put my hands on, babe. I make this chicken from in here," he says, pointing to his heart. His smile fades and then he quickly replaces it before starting the car. "You'll love... it. As long as you give it a chance."

"Yeah... How do I know it's really as good as you say?" I tease. "It could taste horrible and possibly scare all the ladies away... and me too." I grin and lean back into my seat, while playing with my old ring.