Fighting for Love (Second Chances #4)(81)

“It was amazing, Jace,” I breathed, staring out over the water. “I swear you have to be one of the best damn actors I know. The way you look at Allie and the way you connect on film is phenomenal. In a way, it felt like I should cover my eyes when you two were out in the water. It all looked and felt so real.”

“That’s because it was real,” he admitted sheepishly.

“Wait, what?” I gasped, jerking my head in his direction. “What do you mean by real? Are you saying you two were actually …”

Grinning, Jace waggled his eyebrows and chuckled. “Hey, it worked, didn’t it? It’s supposed to look real so we made it real. Do you remember a couple of weeks ago I said I had something I needed to tell you?”

Thinking back to our conversations, I did remember him telling me that on the phone right before everything blew up with Matt. “Yeah, I remember,” I told him, “but I don’t understand. Are you trying to tell me you’re not gay anymore? Does she know any of that?”

He nodded. “She knew from the very beginning because I told her not long after I met her when we started hanging out. The more I was around her the more I wanted … more. During our first love scene I think we were both a little nervous, but the second I kissed her it was like everything just changed.”

Reaching for his hand, I squeezed it and murmured, “That’s usually how it goes. I felt the same way about Matt.”

“Do you still feel that way about him?”

“Of course, I do,” I told him. “Even though I love it here it kills me to be so far away from him, but I actually don’t want to talk about me right now. Tell me more about you and Allie.”

I had never seen Jace so excited or full of life like he was at that moment. Never in a million years would I have imagined that he would go to North Carolina and return home straight.

“All right, well I told you about the first love scene. Our second one was even more of a challenge. My dick got so hard while we were messing around, and I could see in her eyes that she wanted more. Later on that night she showed up at my room, and one thing led to another. I haven’t known her long, but I swear I think I’m in love with her.”

“Wow,” I gasped. “I’m literally speechless.”

“This won’t make things weird with us, will it? You know I love you like you’re my own sister, and I don’t want you thinking I’m going to try and sneak into your room or some shit like that.”

Rolling my eyes, I smacked him on the arm and laughed. “Jace, I know you’re not going to do that. I’m just glad you’re happy.”

“I am,” he marveled, gazing down at his phone. “So are you walking down to the pier this afternoon? It’s going to get dark soon.”

Brushing the sand off my legs, I nodded and slipped on one of my new sundresses over my bikini; it was a strapless, pale yellow that went perfectly with my new tan. “Yeah, I need to get going so we can go eat dinner. Do you want to go with me this time?”

Jace got to his feet and helped me pack up my things, which I had scattered across my towel. “I think I will,” he agreed.

The walk to the pier was more adventurous with Jace alongside me. Every time I kicked a stream of warm, salty water his way he threatened to just throw me in. I was pretty sure he would do it, too. However, we had plans to go out to dinner and I couldn’t very well go looking like a wet dog.

Once we trekked the whole way to the pier, Jace had an incoming call he said he had to take and told me he’d meet me at the end of the pier in a few minutes. All along the sides of the pier there were men and women with their fishing rods and little children excited to see what they would catch. There were benches at the end of the pier that I sat in each night where I’d close my eyes and let the wind blow every single doubt out of my body.

As much as I loved California, there was a part in my heart that longed for the sweet serenity of North Carolina. It was beautiful. Leaning my elbows on the rails, I watched as the last little bit of the sun finally retreated below the horizon. Jace nudged my arm and stood right beside me.

“Is it bad that I’m starting to think I want to live here?” I asked with a sigh.

“Yes, that is bad considering that you’d be moving away from me, but I would follow you anywhere,” he answered.

Almost instantly, my heart sped into overdrive and I gasped, swaying on my feet as the shock of the surprise had me dizzy and elated all at once. He caught me in his arms, and that was when I looked up. He was really there … it was Matt. His hypnotic green gaze bore into mine and his lips were pulled back into that sexy smile of his that won me over countless times.

“Matt,” I breathed, “what are you doing here?”

Wearing a light blue Outer Banks T-shirt and a pair of khaki shorts, I couldn’t help but notice his skin was more tanned and he had a mischievous look in his eyes like he was in on a secret that I was not.

“I’m here for you, angel. I don’t think I can spend another moment away,” he murmured, cupping my left cheek in his large, warm hand. Something was different with him and I could see it in his gaze. There was no anger or resentment … only love.

Closing my eyes and leaning into his touch, I placed my hand over his and sighed. For the past two weeks all I wanted was to feel him hold me again and to hear his voice. My heart hurt being so far away from him, but yet, it felt like he was close by because he had always been a part of me.