Home is Where the Heart Is (Home #1) (11 page)

“I’m sober and clear headed,” he told her keeping her gaze. “And I spent the majority of that party being bombarded with questions about you and your single status.”

Isabelle rolled her eyes but there was no denying the delight across her face.

“I should really be getting home.”

“I’ll drop you.”

Isabelle looked uncertain. “Oh, it’s fine. I can walk. You’ve been drinking and I don’t want to be another teenage statistic.”

Jace grinned at her. “I’ve only had
one
beer which was over an hour ago, so I’ll be fine,”

As she was getting ready to come up with an excuse to get out of it, Jace cut across.

“I’ve made a lot of mistakes, done a lot of stupid things, but let me be clear. All those things are self-destructive. I would never put anyone else’s life in danger, especially yours.”

It seemed to work. With a nod, she let Jace guide her to his car and help her inside.

Jace rubbed his sweaty hands on his pants as he rushed around to the driver’s side, praying he could still salvage some of this night.

“Did you meet some nice people?” he asked after driving in silence for few minutes.

“Well, I didn’t get the chance to meet everyone, what with being punched in the face and all, but you’ve got some pretty cool friends.”

She paused as if remembering something.

“And some pretty full on borderline creepy ones.”

It shouldn’t have pleased him but it did because he knew who she was talking about.

“Tyler, right?”

“Oh, is that his name? He introduced himself to me as “my destiny.””

Jace barked out a laugh and Isabelle glared at him.

“What’s so funny? You use corny lines too, you know.”

“Yeah but he’s doing it because he only wants to sleep with you…”

He froze. What was he doing?

“And you don’t?” she queried.

She clapped her hand over her mouth as the words came out; apparently shocked she had said them aloud.

“Not like that,” he blurted out.

Shit, real smooth Jace.

He chanced a look over to find her looking out the window with a hint of a smile on her face.

Maybe he hadn’t blown it completely.

“So… Ben said you mentioned this being different to other parties you had been to at your old home?” he prodded, trying to gain some ground again.

Isabelle traced the bruises, fresh and old on her cheek absentmindedly. “Some things are the same.”

Jace stiffened. So she’d been hurt at a party, and now her first party since the incident and he’d been the reason she got punched again.

She shook her head slightly and turned to him, a smile forced on her face. “We never had spas and thousand dollar furniture strewn about like they were garden ornaments though.”

“A little over the top, right?”

She shrugged and looked him square in the eye. “I still had fun.”

She must have known it was worrying him.

“I’m glad,” he replied.

“So Ben told
me
that you don’t normally come to his kind of parties,” she said casually.

Jace tensed. Thanks Ben.

“Yeah, like I said, bit too fancy for me.”

Isabelle watched him carefully. “What kind of parties do you normally go to?”

He sighed. “The kind I’d never let you attend.”

She nodded as if she’d just had something confirmed and then turned back to staring out the window, the moonlight softly illuminating her face.

“Did you love her?” she asked quietly.
He knew exactly what she was asking. He just wasn’t exactly sure how to answer because, after all this time and all the destructive behaviour they both exhibited, Jace wasn’t even sure if it was ever love that he felt. Maybe it had only been the need to be understood and to have someone he could never disappoint around him.

“I thought I did,” he replied honestly. “But I don’t know anymore. Have you ever met someone and known they were wrong for you but you dived in anyway? And by the time you figured out it was never going to work, you were already drowning?”

Her hand went to her face again.
“Yes,” she said quietly, letting silence drift between them as they pulled into their street.
Jace felt disappointed that her wall was firmly back in place after a few moments of honest vulnerability.

“Well…thanks for driving me,” she said awkwardly as he parked the car.

“Oh, we’re not saying good night yet,” he told her casually.

She stared at him. “We’re not?”

“No, first I’ve gotta walk you to your door.”

Isabelle rolled her eyes. “That’s really not necessary, Jace.”

“I know,” he said, cutting off whatever excuse she was about to use. “But I want to, so I will.”

Jace rushed to open her door, helping her out of the car, his arms locked on her body to keep her from stumbling. She trembled slightly in his arms and he noticed or rather remembered that she was just in her bikini.

He leant over her and into his car to retrieve his jacket, slinging it around her shoulders casually before leading her over to the house.

They stopped at her front door looking at each other and the garden around them, their bodies on edge.

“Well, I guess I’ll see you around,” Isabelle finally said.

This was awkward. Why was it so awkward? Because they had inadvertently opened up to each other a tiny bit tonight?

“Yeah, get some rest. No doubt Maia will interrogate you tomorrow,” he warned.

Isabelle looked weary at the thought, her shoulders sagging.

“I can hardly wait.”

Neither of them moved as the silence spread between them, a nervous energy rippling through the air.

Finally Isabelle edged closer, a little hesitantly.

They were inches apart with their chests just brushing as her hazel eyes met his blue.

His breath caught as she moved closer still. Was she going to kiss him? Was his breath all right? Should he kiss her first? Shit! Why did she make him feel so nervous?

Soft lips landed like a butterfly on the skin right beside his lips.

“Good night Jace,” she whispered before turning and rushing inside, leaving Jace completely dumbfounded.

He ran a shaking hand through his hair.

This girl was going to ruin him. If he got any closer to her she was going to ruin him.

And it would be worth it.

CHAPTER 5
ISABELLE

She pressed her fingers to her lips still tingling from almost touching Jace’s. She had no idea what had come over her in that moment. She wasn’t shopping for a boyfriend or looking to get tangled up in another potential disaster but she didn’t seem to have her usual iron clad control when he was around her. All she had really wanted to do was thank him for being so open and understanding but somehow words doesn’t didn’t seem to be enough and her body had taken over.

She leant against the cool wooden door, her breathing unsteady.

“You’re home early.”

Isabelle jumped at her Dad’s voice.

“Sorry, didn’t mean to scare you,” he said as he approached, his hands held up in a placating way.

“It’s fine,” she replied, shrugging her shoulders. “You didn’t need to wait up though.”

He smiled at her proudly. “You’re my little girl. No matter how old you get, I’m going to wait up to make sure you’re home safe.”

Love burst through her body and she surged forward to wrap her arms around her Dad - just like she used to when she was little.

“I love you, Daddy.”

He held her close and stroked her hair. “Everything OK?”

No. Not at all, and they both knew it.

“Its fine,” she told him with a bright smile. “I’m just going to head off to bed.”

His eyes scrutinised her face for a moment. “Is that a red mark on your cheek?”

Shit. Kimberley’s hit hadn’t yet bruised but must be visible enough to arouse suspicion.

“It’s a blush,” she said quickly. “Jace walked me to my door like they do in the movies and my cheeks just flared up.”

After a brief pause he patted her shoulder. “I’m here if you ever need to talk. You know that, right?”

He was really saying,
please talk to me about Tate and your sudden mood swings, please let me try and help you.

She smiled at her father tightly. “I know.”

She walked away with tears in her eyes. No matter how much she loved her Dad, there were just some things she couldn’t tell him. Ever.

She trudged up the stairs with a heavy heart, her father’s eyes burning into the back of her skull.

As she moved into her room and let her body fall limply on the bed, she looked over to her balcony doors thinking of Jace. She had no idea what exactly she felt for him, there didn’t seem to be one exact emotion to cover it. Obviously there was an attraction there because she was a little damaged – not blind. But that attraction came with weariness because she had come to learn that pretty faces weren’t always to be trusted.

God, now she was obsessing about this guy she barely knew and acting like a total head case as she fought against the pull she felt for him.

She paced backwards and forwards trying to burn off the sudden energy surging through her body. She was not going to fall in love with him, she decided with a firm resolve. Crazy cat ladies weren’t as taboo these days and she was willing to take some sewing classes so she could make the critters little outfits. She definitely had the crazy part down already.

Sighing deeply she cracked her knuckles unconsciously, trying to relieve some tension from her body. Why was she even so worked up about this? It was a mere flirtation she had romanticised out of proportion and it was going to end tonight. She was going to shower off his lingering smell then keep her distance - at least emotionally.

After a few more minutes pacing her room and pulling some pyjama shorts over her legs, she settled herself in bed, telling herself over and over again that Jace meant nothing to her.

She repeated the words like a mantra, working to convince herself it was the only way she ever had a chance of recovering… yet she could not bring herself to shower.

And she slept wrapped in his jacket. 

*

The next morning came too soon, beginning with the incessant ringing of her phone.

Tate was calling her again? It must be Sunday.

As she blindly felt around for her phone under the pillow, she was overcome with the sense of being watched, the hair rising on her skin.

Whipping around, her eyes wide, she found a smiling Maia sitting on the bean bag on the floor.

“You’re pretty popular; your phone’s rung six times since I’ve been here.”

Isabelle clung to the sheets, her mind working to process everything that was happening.

“What? How long have you been here?” she managed to ask as she pulled the crust from her eye lashes.

“Twenty minutes or so,” Maia replied casually.

Isabelle’s eyes widened. “And you didn’t think to wake me?”

“I’m trying to work on boundaries - interrupting your sleep and shaking you awake seemed a bit early for our friendship.”

Isabelle threw her hands over her face as she lay back down, completely flabbergasted.

“And watching someone you barely know sleep for twenty minutes is so much less intrusive?” she said sarcastically.

Maia clearly didn’t get it, instead she looked thrilled. “Exactly! Jace told me I was over stepping but I knew you’d understand.”

Having never had any siblings, Isabelle had no idea if this kind of behaviour was normal or if she was completely justified in being pissed off and slightly uncomfortable.

When she finally talked herself down enough to look over at Maia she found her smirking.

“What now?” Isabelle groaned.

“Not a morning person, huh? No wonder you and Jace get along.  Speaking of, cute jacket you got there.”

Isabelle closed her eyes, mortified. She had completely forgotten she had slept in Jace’s jacket, comforted by the distinct boy smell it carried, and secretly thrilled that she had some of his scent on her skin now too.

So much for taking a step back.

Hastily pulling the jacket off her she held it out to Maia like it was a bomb. Considering the irrational attachment she was forming with it, it may as well have been.

“You can take it back to Jace on your way home,” she told Maia brusquely.

Maia took a step away from her. “First of all, I’m not leaving any time soon so you should just accept that and move on. Secondly, you can give it back to him yourself; I’m not going to be the messenger.”

Isabelle froze, jacket still in hand as she imagined seeing Jace again. Her heart sped up, which was
completely
ridiculous, then her palms started to sweat and her lips tingled.