That was more than an hour ago. Now that word has probably gotten around that the resident gargoyle is human again, I can’t imagine how many people will be watching us—even though class is supposed to be in session.
Sure enough, when we turn the corner into one of the side hallways, people are everywhere—and every single one of them is looking at us. I can feel myself tensing up before we’ve taken more than a step or two. They drop their eyes when Jaxon walks by, though.
Jaxon wraps an arm around my shoulders, then ducks his head until his mouth is almost pressed against my ear. “Don’t worry about them,” he murmurs. “Once everyone gets a look at you, things will settle down.”
I know he’s right—after my first couple of days here, no one paid any attention to me at all, unless I was walking beside Jaxon. There’s no reason to think that will change now. Thankfully. Notoriety isn’t exactly my speed.
We book it to my room, turning what’s usually a ten-minute walk into one that’s closer to five or six. And still it isn’t fast enough. Not with Jaxon beside me, his arm around my shoulders. His long, lean body pressed against my side.
I need him to be closer, need to feel his arms around me and his soft lips on mine.
Jaxon must feel the same way, because once we hit the top of the stairs, his quick walk turns into something closer to a jog. And by the time we get to my room, my hands are trembling and my heart is beating way too fast.
Thank God Macy left the door unlocked, because I’m not sure Jaxon wouldn’t have torn the thing off the hinges otherwise. Instead, he pushes open the door and ushers me through it, hissing only a little as Macy’s enchanted curtain brushes against his bare forearm.
“Is your arm okay?” I ask as the door closes behind us. Jaxon is too busy pushing me up against it to answer.
“I missed you,” he growls, lips barely an inch from my own.
“I missed y—” It’s all I manage to get out before his mouth comes crashing down on mine.
8
Put a Little
Love on Me
I didn’t know.
I didn’t know how much I missed this, didn’t know how much I missed Jaxon, until this moment.
His body pressed against mine.
His hands cupping my face, fingers tangled in my hair.
His mouth devouring mine—lips and teeth and tongue lighting me up from the inside. Making me want. Making me need.
Jaxon. Always Jaxon.
I shift against him, desperate to get even closer, and he growls low in his throat. I can feel the tension in his body, can feel the same need in him that is burning deep inside me. But through it all, his hold remains gentle, his fingers stroking my hair instead of pulling, his body cradling mine instead of trying to invade my space.
“Mine.” I whisper the word against his lips and he shudders, wrenching his mouth from my lips.
I whimper, try to pull him back, but he shudders again, buries his face in the bend where my shoulder and neck meet. And then he just breathes—long, slow, deep breaths—like he’s trying to pull my very essence deep inside himself.
I know the feeling.
I slide my hands down to his waist, and as my hands skim over him, I realize he really did lose weight while I was…gone.
“I’m sorry,” I whisper against his ear, but he just shakes his head as he pulls me closer.
“Don’t.” He presses soft kisses along the length of my neck. “Don’t ever apologize to me for what you went through. It’s my fault that I didn’t protect you.”
“It’s nobody’s fault,” I tell him, even as I tilt my head back to give him better access. “It just is what it is.”
Tears suddenly burn my eyes. I blink them away, but Jaxon knows. His hands, already gentle, become downright tender as they stroke my arm, my shoulder, my cheek. “It’s going to be okay, Grace. I promise.”
“It’s already okay.” I swallow down the lump in my throat. “We’re here, aren’t we?”
“Yes.” He presses a kiss to the sensitive spot behind my ear. “Finally.”
My legs go liquid. Heat races through me. My heart trembles in my chest. Jaxon holds me up—of course he does—and murmurs, “I love you,” as he gently scrapes his teeth over my collarbone.
And just like that, everything inside me freezes. My breath, my blood, even the need that’s been burning inside me since he walked into my uncle’s office. All of it…gone. Just like that.
Jaxon must feel it, because he stops immediately. And when he lifts his head, there’s a wary, watchful look in his eyes that makes me feel like I did something wrong. “Grace?” he asks, shifting back a little so that he’s no longer crowding me. “You okay?”