Series: Fever Falls Series by Riley Hart
Total pages in book: 101
Estimated words: 96922 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 485(@200wpm)___ 388(@250wpm)___ 323(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 96922 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 485(@200wpm)___ 388(@250wpm)___ 323(@300wpm)
Jace beamed as he rested his forehead against mine. “It’s easier sharing it with you too,” he whispered as the shower spray slammed against us from the side, running down our bodies.
“As much as I panicked, I wouldn’t have missed these nights for anything,” I confessed.
We embraced and shared another of so many kisses before he finally pulled away and said, “I think I’m going to slip out and go find us something to watch on TV.”
“You didn’t want to make other entertainment arrangements?” I said in as seductive a voice as I could muster.
“I figured we could wind down before we wind back up.”
I enjoyed a laugh as he slipped out of the shower, grabbed a towel, and headed into the bedroom. I finished up, then joined him, a towel around my waist. He was under the covers, flipping through the channels on our wall-mounted, big-screen TV.
“Found it!” he exclaimed upon my entry.
“What?” I waited to see if I recognized the movie he’d selected. “What the hell is this? Renée Zellweger?”
“You said you haven’t seen Bridget Jones’s Diary, so…”
“Did I say that? Or did I say ‘I have no desire to see it’? I’m having a hard time remembering,” I teased.
“Come on. It’s a fun movie.”
“Well, if you can explore butt sex with me, then I guess I can fucking concede and watch a goddamn Bridget Jones’s Diary movie.”
“Wait. You know you have to watch all three of these, right?”
He had me laughing again as he slid up beside me and slung an arm over my shoulders, reeling me in close. “Come on, you’ll enjoy them, Dax.”
He kissed my forehead, which reminded me that any excuse to be close to him was enough to get me to endure a lot…and to love every moment of it.
As always, we shared an incredible night.
* * *
But then we had even more time apart. It turned into a long stretch, nearing two weeks, which put me on edge, though not nearly as much as my mother’s increasing interest in our relationship.
“Dax, it’s time I meet this Hottie Firefighter,” she insisted as we chatted on the phone one afternoon.
I’d made the mistake of taking her call, perhaps because of the euphoric state I was in. Jace and I had just scheduled my visit back to Fever Falls, and unlike so many other times, it wasn’t business related, but because we wanted to spend more time together. Now I sat in my office, looking out over the various condo and apartment buildings, cringing at my mother’s request. It was something I’d been trying to avoid, though it was inevitable. The more time we spent together, the more I wanted him around. Jace had surprised the fuck out of me, in the best sort of ways.
“Serena, you’ll be fine.”
“Oh, come on, Dax. You expect me to just read about the two of you on Glitz & Glam or Twitter? These reporters keep asking for a comment from me. And what about interviews? I can’t just sit around and do nothing.”
“As we discussed, you won’t say anything.” My words were severe, but I didn’t care because she needed to understand that we weren’t her meal ticket to her next job. “You haven’t said anything to anyone, right?”
“Of course not! I wouldn’t do that.”
“You promised.”
“What if they want to interview me, though? You know I’m still a TV icon.”
I rolled my eyes. “Serena…”
“Well, my promise might waver if I can’t even meet him.”
I grumbled.
“Dax, I’ve never met anyone you’ve been interested in.”
“Because I’ve never been interested in anyone.”
“Which is why I should get to meet this Jace Kruse. I’ll be good. Just let me have this. Please.”
As always, Serena had a way of forcing me to let my guard down. As much of a problem as she’d been throughout my childhood, she was my mother, and despite her struggles, she had done her best to remain a part of my life.
“I’m going to visit him next week, so if you’re free then.”
“What day? I’ll be there.”
I was hoping the last-minute nature of the visit would make it difficult for her, but it was evident by the way she said it that she had every intention of meeting Jace sooner rather than later.
“I’ll keep you posted.”
“Oh, I’m so excited. Thank you, Daxy Boo.”
I groaned, and as soon as she hung up, I checked my messages and saw that Jace had texted.
Mac wanted me to let you know he misses you, and I guess I’m missing you some too. :)
The way his message warmed my heart was more gratifying than it should have been. I didn’t fight it, the way I had sometimes. I couldn’t deny that I wanted to see him again, and not just because we had the hottest sex whenever we got together, but because I enjoyed chatting with him about his week, his family, his life. I wanted to catch up with him and find out what I’d missed even in the short time we’d been apart.