If the sting of memories didn't hit me before, they sure as hell are now. The pain of the past has snuck up behind me and dug its claws into my back while Jace cradles the blonde in his arms. It's the kind of aching torment that buries deep and brings you to your knees, showing you exactly who's boss.

I should've never come here.

All I can see are flashes in my head of a younger, less tattooed Jace standing in his doorway while tears flowed down my face. I begged him for an explanation, like a pathetic idiot, because he had dumped me by text.

Jace-I can't do this anymore. Sorry.

That was it, and I wanted answers, instead I got a glimpse of a brunette in her bra and panties walking through his living room while I acted like a lovesick fool. After that, there was no point in sticking around. He had clearly moved on, and in just a few hours too.

Well, that's what I thought anyway.

Now I'm not sure whether or not I should believe his story. I'd like to, but after all this time, that's hard to do.

Especially when he has this girl in his arms.

I try to ignore the little green-eyed monster in my head. I'm not usually the jealous type, but there's never been a reason for me to be. Can't be jealous when there's no one I wanna keep for myself.

And there still isn't, so stop torturing yourself, Lexi.

"Go inside, I'll meet you there," Jace tells the blonde as he pulls away and hands her his keys.

She heads into his apartment as he turns around, remembering I'm still here.

I expect to see guilt or at least an apologetic - you should call an uber - wince. But the smile he gives me is anything but apologetic or riddled with guilt.

"Sorry 'bout that." He shrugs. "Guess shit like this is unavoidable sometimes." 

I wouldn't know. I've never brought someone home to find another option at my door.

He shakes his head, a few dark strands of hair falling in his face. "But what can you do? Family, right?"

Yeah, what can you....wait, what?!

There's no hiding the confusion on my face. "Family?"

"Well, yeah." He grins. "That's my little cousin."

My green-eyed monster is splashed with cold water and then smacked with the bucket for good measure.

His cousin?

I knew he had two of them, but...I had never met them. Hell, I only just met Kade yesterday. I feel stupid. There's no other word for it.

"Oh...okay...cool." I nod, faking carelessness.

His knowing eyes scan my face. "Lexi, did you think...." he bites his tongue, but we both know what he was asking.

"No!" I violently shake my head. "Of course not!"

His unconvinced stare zeroes in on me, the hint of a smile tugging at his lips. "Were you jealous?"

I swallow my own words. Denying anything will only prove the opposite. But he wouldn't be Jace if he gave up that easily.

He steps closer, filling the gap between us until I'm pressed up against the stair railing. His hands reach for the bar against my back, caging my body with his arms.

Having him this close is too much. It's making it hard to think, to breathe.

"Alexis," he leans in, his eyes level with mine. "Were. You. Jealous?"

Ignoring the sledgehammer banging in my chest, I shake my head again. "Nope. Just cold."

That's my story damn it, and I'm sticking to it!

"We should go inside," I add and quickly duck under his arm, practically running into his open apartment.

His cousin's nowhere to be seen, but there's a raucous coming from the kitchen.

"What the hell are you doing in there?" Jace roars, shutting the door behind him.

"I need chocolate! Preferably in the frozen form," She yells back. "How does Aunt MiMi not have chocolate in this place?"

Jace toes off his boots by the door. "I don't know, ask her."

"She's not here. If she were, I wouldn't have been sitting outside the door like a loser."

I stand just inside the small living room, my arms wrapped around myself as the cold air conditioner blows directly above my head. There's a thick quilt draped over the back of a black sofa. It's calling to me like a tempting siren, but unlike Jace, I'm not the kind of person who just makes myself comfortable in someone else's home.

So I stand in my spot and hope he remembers our original reason for rushing inside when we first got here.

"Cass, can you stop foraging for two damn seconds and come out here? I want you to meet someone."

His cousin shuffles out of the kitchen like a wounded puppy. Her face is still splotchy, but she's no longer shaking like a leaf with tears.

Looking at her now, guilt starts to set in. This poor girl is going through something rough, and here I was, thinking the absolute worse.

Her big blue eyes find me in the dimly lit room, and I don't know why I didn't see it sooner.

Sure, unlike Kade, her looks don't resemble Jace. There's no obvious signs they're related. Jace is tall, muscular, with dark hair and sharp features. Whereas this girl is as short as me, slender but toned, with light hair and soft features. Yet if I had just taken a second to look closer, I would've seen it—the one thing she and Jace have in common that he and Kade don't, the eyes.

Her eyes are as profoundly blue as Jace's, only lighter, like a bright baby blue sky in the middle of the day. His are darker, the night sky to her daytime hue. Though despite the slightly differing shades, they're both just as bright and expressive.

I should've seen it. I could've saved myself the grief if I wasn't so caught up in my own shit.

"Lexi," Jace stands beside me. "This is my little cousin, Cassie. Cass, Lexi."

Cassie scoffs. "Little?"

Jace covers his face with his hand and groans.

"I'll have you know; I'm only eleven months younger than him. That's not even a full year!" She corrects with a feisty spark in her eyes. 

"Damn near close," Jace mumbles under his breath so she can't hear him. 

"But hi. It's nice to meet you." Cassie smiles genuinely before her face drops. "Wait. Lexi?" Her gaze darts to Jace and widens. "As in the Lexi?" 

He throws his arms in the air and huffs. "Why the fuck does everyone keep doing that?"

"Oh," she starts to bounce on her heels slightly. "I can't believe I get to meet the Lexi. Alexis. The girl who..."

"Shut the hell up!" Jace hollers, stomping into the kitchen.

I really wish I knew what the hell he told everyone about me. At first, I thought it was something terrible the way his friend Wilder acted, but it couldn't be that bad if he told Cassie too.

She leans towards me and lowers her voice. "You and I should talk one day without Mr. Grumpy-ass."

"Okay." I nod. "Would love to."

Cassie smiles and winks like we're co-conspirators before taking a seat on the couch.

Another hard shiver racks my body like I'm having a damn seizure.

She quickly grabs the quilt behind her and holds it out to me. "Here, take this. Sorry my inconsiderate cousin didn't offer sooner. You must've frozen your ass off on that bike."

"Thank you!" I take the quilt and wrap it around me. "Take it you've frozen on one of them before."

"Psh, I wish." She shakes her head and glares at the wall like she can see Jace on the other side. "I'm not allowed to ride, thanks to asshole one and two."

"Jace and Kade?"

I don't know why that surprises me. Jace can be bossy and demanding on his best day.

"Yeah," she sighs. "They don't let me anywhere near motorcycles or the Guar..."

"Cassie!" Jace walks out with a water bottle in his hands. "You gonna tell me why you were crying tonight?"

Any memory of what she was gonna say disappears as she leans back. "No, I'm not telling you anything. I came here to talk to Aunt MiMi."

"Is it the boyfriend again?"

She rolls her eyes. "I'm. Not. Telling. You. It's bad enough you nearly scared him off the last time you decided to play big brother."

"I'm just trying to look out for you, Cass."

"I know." She sighs. "And I appreciate it, but I'm a big girl. I can take care of myself."

The look on Jace's face says he's fighting to make a decision. It's obvious he cares about his cousin but there's not much he can do if she won't open up to him. Not that I blame her. I wouldn't want my older cousin involved in my love life either, if I had an older cousin.

Jace's body relaxes, his features starting to show just how exhausted he is. "Fine, I'll drop it. For now."

"Thank you." Cassie smiles.

"I take it you're crashing here tonight. You know where everything is and how to pull out the sofa bed, right?"

She nods. "Yup. All covered. Go ahead and get some sleep."

"Night." He nods, before lightly taking my hand in his and guiding me down the hall.

"Night, you two!" Cassie sing-songs.

I can't help but laugh until the dark hallway swallows us up. The idea of what's about to happen finally sinks in.

I'm gonna be sleeping in Jace's room, in his bed, with him.

I don't know why I didn't realize this sooner. With Cassie taking the couch, there's probably no other options for me. Besides the floor, which doesn't sound that bad right now.

The trip to his room is quick, too quick. It's the last door at the end of a very short hallway. He pushes it open and ushers me inside, shutting the door behind us with a damning click.

His room's changed over the years. He's upgraded to a king sleigh bed made of black painted wood. The walls are gray, matching his gray and black bedding. Add the sixty-inch flat screen hanging on the wall, and it looks like a typical guy room. What catches my eyes though, is the open notebook on his desk. It's hard to see from the other side of the room, but it looks like it's filled with sketches.

"What's that?" I point to it, already walking in that direction.

Jace digs through a drawer in his dresser. "Just some drawings."

I pick up the notebook and start flipping through. Each page is decorated with penciled images of numerous random designs, a motorcycle, a winged man holding a sword and shield, some thorned roses wrapping around a skull, and that's just the first few. Every sketch is realistically detailed to a T.

"You did all of these?"

Jace walks over. "Yeah."

"They're beautiful."

I look up as he reaches me, his eyes locked with mine. His jaw hangs open like he's lost for words, but his eyes say it all. He wasn't expecting my reaction to his hidden talent.

"Uh...thanks."

"Mmhmm." I nod and look back at the notebook.

Flipping the next page, I come across a drawing that's only half done. It's a girl sitting at a desk. Her hair drapes down her back and shoulders like a waterfall. The face isn't finished but the piercing eyes have already been defined down to the last eyelash, containing so much emotion as she stares off in the distance.

"Oh, wow."

"That ones not done yet." Jace quickly snatches the book from my hands, closes it, and tosses it back on the desk.

"Okay...What are they for?"

"For tattoos, mostly. Any tattoo artist worth their salt knows how to hand draw their own designs. At least, that's what my mentor says."

My eyes grow wide, unable to hide my surprise. Sure, his arms are covered with ink but I never would've thought he actually does them himself. Now I have the urge to ask him about the designs on his skin. Did he do any of them himself? Do they symbolize anything?

I chew on my lip, fighting back my curiosity.

"Cool." I nod with a tight smile, and mentally kick myself for being lame as hell.

Amusement dances in Jace's dark blue orbs as he hands me a set of clothes strung across his arm. "Here, you can wear these." 

"You gonna stand there and watch?" I tease and instantly regret it.

His eyes briefly drift down the length of my body before he clears his throat and walks away. "Nah. I'll keep my back turned till you're done."

"Well, that's nice of you." I start peeling off my crop top and skirt.

Facing the wall, Jace shrugs. "I might not be the most honorable bastard in the world, but I'm not gonna watch you strip naked until you want me to."

My breath hitches in my throat at his words - until you want me to.

He's so sure there will be a day when I'll want him to watch me slip out of my clothes. More than likely, he believes he'll be the one to take them off of me, piece by tortured piece. My hands shake as I slide the too-big basketball shorts up my legs and pull the giant t-shirt over my head.

Securing the pull-string around my waist, I clear my throat. "Coast is clear."

He turns around and instantly reaches back to fist his shirt, pulling it over his head and dropping it at his feet.

Oh...my...I think I just swallowed my fucking tongue.

I swear my mouth goes dry as my eyes shamelessly travel over every line of the masterpiece in front of me. His broad shoulders, firm pecs, defined abs, and the V - oh fuck me, he didn't have the V before.

This isn't fair. It should be illegal to look that damn good without clothes.

He always stayed in shape, but this is a whole other level.

Reaching into the still open dresser, a smirk pulls at his lips. He knows I'm looking, and he's enjoying every second of it, but he spares me any comments. Thank god!

"You can climb in when you want." He points to the bed.

I scurry over and sit on the edge of his bed, still completely lost for words. My mind has shut down and is attempting to restart when Jace shuts off the light. The room's completely dark beside the faint glow of a distant street light shining in through the blinds.

I slip under the covers but can't ignore Jace's presence. Even in the dark, he's like a damn beacon for attention.

Standing at the end of the bed, he kicks off his jeans and slips on what looks like sweatpants. He stays shirtless, both to my pleasure and irritation, slides in and rolls over on his side to face me.

I've died. I lay on my back, stiff as a corpse while his warmth flows under the blankets. Staring up at the ceiling, I try to comprehend how I got here.

If someone told me I'd end my night in Jace Hall's bed, I'd ask them what they're smoking. This is my ex for crying out loud! The guy who broke my heart yet keeps acting like nothing ever happened, who switches moods in the blink of an eye, the guy that haunts my dreams and walks around like he fucking knows it. He's always so damn sure and now...I'm not.

How can I be sure that I'll stay away from him? I mean, look at where the hell I'm at right now!

There's something so wrong about this, and then it's not. If this was anyone else, would I have climbed in this bed so easily?

I'm losing control.

Jace has wiggled his way back into my world, and there's not a damn thing I can do about it. I don't even know how to fight it anymore. I keep pushing, and he doesn't budge, like permanent fucking mountain standing in my way.

"Lexi."

Reluctantly, I glance over. Jace hasn't moved a muscle, still laying on his side of the bed. His eyes find me in the dark, but I can tell he's fighting to keep them open.

"Yeah," I whisper.

A sweet sleepy smile tips his mouth. "Remember the first time we shared a bed?"

Where is this coming from?

Jace has gone through so many different emotions tonight that I'm starting to get whiplash. Flirty, angry, worried, flirty again, and now this. After everything that's happened, now he wants to take a walk down memory lane?

What could it hurt?

I sigh, not wanting to answer my own thoughts but unable to ignore Jace's open stare.

"How could I forget?" I roll over to face him. "We were what...fifteen?"

"Yeah." Jace nods.

It was only three years ago but it feels like a lifetime away. We've changed so much since then.

"That was the first night my mom worked the night shift at the hospital."

"You were so scared of being alone."

"It was supposed to storm." I huff good naturedly.

Jace chuckles, the soft shake of his body making the bed bounce. "You practically begged me to stay with you."

"Wow, your memory has gone to shit. I specifically recall you showing up unannounced."

Truth is, we're both right. I whined to Jace about my fears to the point he just came over. That was the goal, but I couldn't bring myself to straight up ask him. We were only friends then.

"You were so nervous about sharing your bed with a boy, even after I made a blanket wall between us."

"I was not!" An undeniable smile.

"Look who has a shit memory now." His grin lights up his eyes. "You laid stiff as a board and couldn't tear your eyes away from the ceiling. It was like you were scared to look at me."

I was.

I think that's the night the dynamic between us started to change. For the first time my heart raced just from him looking at me. I had never felt anything like it before.

"You were so sweet," my voice softens. "You grabbed my favorite book..."

"Tuck Everlasting." Jace flashes me a teasing smile through the dark.

I can't believe he still remembers that.

"And you read it till I fell asleep."

"Only took a couple chapters." He shrugs like it's nothing.

The silence between us grows but it's comforting, soothing even.

He's done it again. Maybe not with a book but he's gotten me to relax. It's amazing how he can still do that for me. My brain wants to fight it but the rest of my body isn't listening, molding to the mattress like it's a cloud made just for me.

"You were a good friend, Jace." I yawn as my eyes start to flutter close.

"I still can be."

I open my eyes to meet his steady gaze.

The small amount of light seeping past the window blinds is just enough to illuminate his face and those heart stopping eyes. A lazy smile holds his lips giving his face a gentle expression. Normally he looks so hard and arrogant, but not now. Now he looks like Jace.

My Jace.

With a yawn of his own, Jace rolls over onto his back. He stretches an arm above his head while his eyelids drift close. "Good night, Alexis."

I turn away from him, unable to wipe the small smile from my face. "Good night, Jace."

Waking up, I shield my eyes from the bright ass sun shining through the window. But in doing so, I feel something warm and human-size shifting beneath me. Sleepily, I take in my surroundings, but what I find causes a lump to form in my throat.

My arm is draped around Jace's naked waist, and my head is resting on his rock hard chest like it's my own personal pillow. As for him, one of his corded arms is wrapped around my body, hugging me close.

Shit, shit, shit!

I try to wiggle free, but a groggy groan sounds above me.

Looking up, I find Jace watching me with hooded eyes. "Morning, sweetheart."

My body deflates with a sigh.

"Don't start complaining," he warns, loosening his hold on me. "You're the one who cuddled up to me last night."

I really hope that's not true.

I push off his chest to sit up when his bedroom door bursts open.

"Wakey, wakey, mother fuck...oh." Jace's friend Wilder leans against the door frame and crosses his arms, a smartass grin stretching across his face. "Well, look what we got here."

"Don't!" I stab a finger in his direction before quickly scrambling off of the bed.

With his hands in the air, he shrugs. "What? I didn't say anything bad?"

"No biggie, Wild. Lex just isn't a morning person," Jace offers, sitting up.

"No, it has nothing to do with that and everything to do with..." my words splutter as I try to collect my clothes from the night before. "I just shouldn't be here. That's all."

With my clothes in hand, I breeze past Wilder to find a bathroom. Of course, there isn't much I can do without any of my things. I must've left my purse in Caleb's truck on the way to the party, which means I'm left with the bare minimum.

"By the way, your mom left a note on the fridge. She went to breakfast with Cassie," Wilder hollers to Jace as he walks through the hall outside the bathroom. "Is that the cousin I haven't met yet? Sounds cute!"

"Don't even think about it, fucker!" Jace yells back, making his friend snicker.

Lucky Cassie. I wish I could've avoided the testosterone parade this morning too.

With a huff, I use my fingers to comb through my messy bed head, rinse my mouth out with water, and put on my old clothes. Though I opt to keep Jace's t-shirt on over my crop top, not wanting to do the whole walk of shame in front of God knows who wearing my revealing party clothes.

Walking back out, Jace and Wilder's voices sound from the living room. As I get closer, I hear two others add to the conversation.

"We swept the whole area, but couldn't find a damn thing," says, what I think is Kade's voice. "It can't be a coincidence. This is their M.O." 

"Yeah, but Brandy agreed to let me look at her parent's security cameras later, so that might help." Wilder.

Entering the living room, I find Jace, Kade, Wilder, and Travis standing around. Each of them carrying various looks of concern on their faces.

"What's going on?"

The four of them look at me before looking back at each other. Jace shoots them a face that's the equivalent of "shut the hell up" before he turns back to me.

"We were just talking about the party."

"Uh, huh." I nod. "What about it?"

Jace scratches his neck. "Um...turns out; there was no fire."

"Wait...what?"

That's great news, really, but it also means I'm the dumbass that had a slumber party with my ex for no fucking reason.

Kade steps forward with an air of authority. "There was no fire. Someone threw a shit ton of smoke bombs into the house without being seen."

"How does no one notice someone throwing smoke bombs?"

This is insane.

"Well, ya see, people get drunk at parties," Wilder explains. "So when something breaks, everyone just blames it on the wasted people who can't hold themselves up."

Travis nods and takes a seat on the couch. "Yeah, plus, most of the bombs were thrown from the back of the house. There weren't as many people back there to see anything."

"So..." I lean against the wall for support, this whole mess giving me a headache. "I jumped off a roof and came here for nothing?"

Jace's head jerks up, a flash of hurt sparking in his gaze.

Good job, Lex. Just keep putting your foot in your mouth.

"Not necessarily." Kade shakes his head. "We still don't know who did it or why. As far as we know, someone threw those fucking bombs to force everyone out, where they could pick off whoever the hell they wanted in the middle of the chaos."

"Or to go inside and steal food," Wilder says with complete seriousness until the other three look at him like he's insane. "What? I'm hungry, screw off."

"Anyway, Jace did the safe thing bringing you here," Kade adds.

"All I'm hearing is that someone pulled a prank and we all overreacted." I cross my arms. "No one's gonna attack a house full of drunken high school kids without a reason. That doesn't even make sense."

All of them grow quiet but give nothing away on their faces, like emotionless statues. It doesn't have the impact they're going for, though.

Something's up.

"What aren't you guys telling me?"

Jace turns around. "Look, Lexi, can you just be happy that we got out okay, and leave it at that? You can be pissed at me all you want for bringing you here, but I did what I thought was right, and I'm not gonna fucking apologize for that."

Ouch.

"I didn't say I was pissed." I wince.

"Coulda fooled me," Travis mutters from the coach before Wilder kicks him in the shin. "Ow! Fucking asshole!"

A mischievous grin tips the blonde's mouth as he gives me a short nod. I don't know Wilder any better than the others, but it feels like that was his little way of saying, "I got your back."

Well, at least Jace has one nice friend, that or he just wanted to kick the jerk.

Raking his hands through his hair, Jace pushes past me. "I need to get dressed."

"Alright, man. We're gonna be at the gym. Meet us there after you're done with everything." Kade shouts down the hall before giving me a short wave. "Nice seeing you, Lexi."

"You too." As awkward as I feel, I mean it. Jace's cousin and his friends seem pretty cool. A little paranoid and on edge, but cool.

Travis gets up from the couch and heads for the door with Kade while Wilder hangs back a second.

He bites his tongue, his baby blue eyes gazing down the hall where Jace disappeared before he releases a deep sigh. "Look, I know you and Jace got your issues. Well, I know the shit he told me, but maybe try not to be so hard on him. Sometimes people do stupid shit for good reasons."

I'm stunned. He's the last one I'd expect something like this from.

Unable to say much, I nod. "Okay."

"Thanks." A half-smile graces his face. "See you around."

It's a lot warmer on the back of his bike in the sunlight, but just as enjoyable as the night before.

When we pull up outside my house, I climb off and hand him the extra helmet, surprised when he dismounts too and slips his own off.

"Um, so...thanks for...everything." God, I sound lame.

Jace holds his helmet under his arm and leans against his bike. "No problem. Sorry I dragged you over there for nothing."

I was wondering if he was gonna bring that up.

The look in his eyes when I had said that sliced me like a knife. I wasn't trying to throw verbal punches at him; I was just upset. Confused even. My night with him wasn't bad, and maybe that scares me a little.

If I had never gone to his place, it would be easier to hold onto the anger I've been carrying. Now, how do I ignore him, avoid him, and act like there isn't a chance in hell of us being friends after sharing a bed with him?

I don't know. Which means fighting it seems pointless, and that just might be the scariest part of all.

"I didn't mean it like that." I scuff the toe of my boot on the ground, trying not to look at him. "I was just shocked. Everything that happened last night was crazy."

"It's fine, Lex. I get it."

I pull my gaze up to find him watching me with guarded eyes and a vibe that says he's too cool to care.

He shrugs. "Don't worry about it. What happened can stay between us."

"Not true. Your friends know."

Clenching his jaw, his eyes harden as he nods. "I'll talk to them. You don't have to worry about your friends or your boy toy finding out."

He straightens up and swings his leg over his bike.

And I did it again—foot to mouth.

The idea of him leaving thinking that's why I said what I said doesn't sit right with me. Even if I don't want Caleb, Derek, and the others finding out, that's not my reason. At this point, them finding out is inevitable.

I can't help myself. My rational side is screaming, "this is what you wanted! Let him go!" but my conscience is saying otherwise. With the two unable to agree, I act on instinct.

As he starts to slip his helmet on, I grab his arm.

With thinned lips, he doesn't look at me; he looks at my hand.

"I..." Shit, once I cross this bridge, there's gonna be no going back—deep breath. "I don't care who knows. We didn't do anything wrong...just two friends hanging out. Right?"

His midnight blue eyes turn on me. The tick in his jaw slowly fading as he nods. "Yeah."

I smile and squeeze his arm. "I'll see you at school, Jace."

Turning around, I head up the sidewalk towards my porch, the pit in my stomach slowly shrinking with each step.

"Alexis!"

"Yeah?" I half-turn, welcomed by his familiar smirk.

"Don't friends share phone numbers?"

💋____________________________________💋

Another long chapter! Ahhh! 

For those who aren't a fan of long chapters, I'm sorry. I tried to cut it down but I felt like splitting this one in half would only slow things down. Hopefully, you all enjoyed it anyway! 😁

With that being said, let me know what you thought!

What are your first impressions of Cassie? What do you think of Jace's sketches? Do you have any ideas about who smoked out the party? And how do you think this friendship is going to go?

I look forward to hearing from all of you. Leave your thoughts in the comments and if you liked what you read, hit that little star button. 

A teaser for chapter 10 will be posted on my Instagram before it's posted in full on here. I've also started sharing my teasers on Twitter too, so you can find them there as well.