“Yes, it does. What do they want?”
Jace exhaled slowly. “The vocal minority wants me off the council. They’re trying to kill our wildcat resolution, and they think Isaac will be easier to manipulate than I am. Especially after they’ve just spared his only sister and sworn him in as Alpha in record time. Faythe said Mitchell wants to kick me out of the lodge and leave me rank-less in the Appalachian Territory.”
“They can’t do that.” But I knew better even as I said it. Finding him guilty of my crimes would finally give Mitchell and his allies a legitimate excuse to replace Jace as Alpha. Leaving him rank-less would be an extra dose of humiliation.
“I don’t want to talk about it.” He leaned down for a kiss. “It’s done.”
“But—”
“No.” He shut me up with another kiss. “I don’t need to run the Appalachian Pride. I need to be with you.” Jace tilted my head for greater access, and his mouth opened against mine. His kiss felt desperate. Urgent.
When we finally came up for air, Jace buried his head in my hair and spoke against my ear, his voice an intimate whisper. “Let’s just think about this.” He lifted me, and my legs wrapped around his waist. “About now.” He carried me three steps forward, and I felt the wall at my back, the cool paint a blissful counterpoint to the heat of his body pressed against me.
“Only now,” I whispered, but I would have agreed to anything he’d asked for in that moment, with his arms around me and his mouth on my neck. With our future spread out in tatters before us.
His kisses trailed toward my collarbone and I closed my eyes, concentrating on the heat of his tongue against my skin. The council could take everything away from us any second, but they couldn’t take this moment, or the memory of it, once it had passed.
This was mine. Jace was mine. And if we were going to make a memory, we were going to make a damn good one.
“Jace.” I murmured, tightening my legs around him.
“Mmm…?” he said against the dip at the base of my neck, and his voice sent shivers through me to settle in intimate places.
“Put me down. Just for a second.”
Jace growled lightly, but complied, and a second after my feet hit the floor, my dress followed.
“Jace.”
He turned to me, buttoning his jeans, and part of me wanted to take them right back off him. “Will you do something for me?”
“Anything.” He had his shirt gathered over both arms, but paused before pulling it over his head to kiss me.
“Join the Southeast Pride.”
His eyes widened, and his shirt fell to the floor. “What?”
“If you have to be rank-less somewhere, move to South Carolina with me. We could rent a little house and go running on the weekends. I’ll transfer and finish school. You can work construction, or do whatever you want. We’ll be rank-less together.”
“Are you serious? It’s only been a couple of weeks, Abby.”
I shrugged. “Do you love me?”
“You know I do.”
“Any doubts about that?”
His brows rose. “None.”
“Any plans to sleep around?”
“Of course not.” Jace pulled his shirt over his head and shoved his arms through the holes.
“Good, because it may take all five of them, but my brothers would kick your ass.” I picked up his shirt and handed it to him. “Assuming I leave anything for them to kick.”
“I don’t want anyone but you.” He tugged me closer, but I tripped over my shoe and threw us off balance. Jace righted us with one hand against the wall, then pressed me against it with his whole body. He bent down until his forehead touched mine. “If I come to South Carolina with you, could we do this a lot?”
“Every waking moment. Except those moments when we’re doing other things.”
He gave me a slow, smoldering smile and slid his arms around me. “That sounds amazing.”
“Is that a yes?”
“Maybe.” He shook his head. “Yes. But Abby, this is crazy.”
“So what? I know what I want. And anyway, according to Warner, if it’s not crazy—”
“It isn’t love. I know.” Jace ran one hand through his pale brown waves, and I could practically see the thoughts running through his head. Scrolling past his eyes. “Abby, your dad…”
“He might be pissed at first, but he’ll come around. My mom will help. She likes you.” I pulled him down for another kiss, then spoke with my lips still brushing his. Then in a couple of years, when my dad’s ready to retire...” I let him draw his own conclusion.
“Abby, that’s a beautiful idea, but it won’t work. They won’t let me back on the council after I’ve been voted off. Even if we get married, eventually, it’ll be your Pride. Your council seat. And I think that’s the way it should be. I can kick just as much ass behind the scenes, with you wearing the crown. Especially if you promise not to wear anything else…”