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Taking one more deep breath, I rip the door open just as Jace lifts his fist to knock for a third time.

"Hey, you," I say, smiling as his hand falls back to his side. Jace looks me up and down from my bare feet to the admittedly tight black zip-up I layered over a casual light pink tank. "Good game. I—"

Jace cuts me off.

He wraps his palm around the back of my head, tugging me to him and pressing his lips to mine. My brows shoot up in surprise, but once my brain catches up, I melt into him.

He pulls away too soon, and my eyes slowly open. We stare at each other for a beat before he huffs out a laugh.

"Sorry," he says, blinking back to the moment. "I just—I've wanted to do that since I first saw you tonight."

"Oh, don't be sorry," I say quickly, holding the door open wider so that he can come in.

He licks his lips without meaning to make every nerve in my body reach for him, then walks through the door.

"You got here fast," I say, clearing my throat and shutting the door behind me.

Jace's hand finds the back of his neck. "I, uh—" He chuckles. "Yeah, that might have been the fastest shower I've ever had."

I swallow down the question I want to ask—why he felt the need to rush—and shrug. "Well, you smell clean."

He grins at me from over his shoulder, then looks around my apartment. "So, this is your place, huh?"

I walk toward him, drumming my fingers on the kitchen counter as I pass it. "This is it. Home for the next few weeks."

Tension tears through his jaw so quickly I almost miss it. "It's nice," he manages.

That usual pit that drops in my stomach when I think about leaving, makes its appearance. "You want to see the rest of it?"

His eyes trail from the window to the couch, hesitating when they pass his jersey folded neatly on the coffee table. "Sure."

I ignore the instinct I have to run to him and avoid wondering what he's thinking when his eyes find mine again, darker now.

The whole tour takes about thirty seconds—a quick scan of the kitchen and living room, a pit stop at my bedroom where I'm instantly taken back to the tour of Jace's place that ended in the same spot—all of it like foreplay that neither of us acknowledges.

Our shoulders brush as we walk, Jace's hand finding my lower back while he lets me lead. His breath grazes the side of my neck when he leans in to glance down the hallway. His eyes track my lips as I talk about the mess in my closet, and I don't apologize when my chest presses against him as I reach for the light.

Our conversation stays shallow. Distracted.

And before I know it, we're standing outside the bathroom door.

"That's pretty much it," I say, leaning against the doorframe.

Jace pauses for a beat, but right when I go to make more useless small talk, he steps in, resting one hand by my shoulder. He looks past me into the bathroom like he's assessing the space. "That's a nice shower," he says, not pulling away.

My pulse quickens as my breaths start chugging out in short spurts. My lips part. "It… does the job."

Jace's chest brushes mine as he hovers over me. His gaze stays on my lips as he drags his knuckles down my cheek. "Did I mention I rushed through mine earlier?"

My fingers find the hem of his jacket as my back arches off of the frame. "Fastest shower of your life, huh?"

Jace shrugs, somehow closer, the corner of his mouth curled as his hand slips behind my neck. "Had somewhere to be."

My stomach flips as he closes what's left of the gap between us. "Ya know…" I manage, my words barely above a whisper. "Now that I'm closer, you might not smell as clean as I thought."

His brows lift as he grins, but his voice still comes out rough. "Oh yeah?"

His eyes drop to my mouth again, so close to mine I can smell the sweetness of the lollipop I could guess he had coming home.