The Heir's obsession-Chapter 62: Morning

Chapter 62

JACE MARINO

Jace said he was going to do a lot of things to me last night. He said it in that low voice he uses when he wants me to panic and blush at the same time. So yeah, if someone heard that they would think something insane happened.

Nothing insane happened.

He fed me. Literally fed me like I was a sick patient he needed to take care of. Then he showered with me. Then he pulled me into that giant bed and held me like the world wanted to steal me. And we slept. Just slept.

Now it’s morning and I am awake before him. Jace is wrapped around me like he thinks I will jump out the window and run away. His arms are locked around my waist. One of his legs is over mine. His face is pressed into my neck. His breath is warm. I feel like a human teddy bear he refuses to drop.

My bladder is screaming.

I try to move and his arm tightens. I whisper his name but he just makes a small annoyed sound and pulls me closer. The grip is so tight that I swear he is doing it on purpose.

"Jace," I whisper again. "I need to pee."

He groans like I’m ruining his life and loosens his arm. "Go. But come back."

"I’m not going anywhere," I say as I slide out of the bed.

He watches me with half-closed eyes like a sleepy wolf tracking his prey. I go to the bathroom, pee, brush my teeth, splash water on my face, come back out and find him in the exact same position. He looks at me like he expects me to climb back into bed.

"Can I go downstairs?" I ask. "I haven’t seen my friends since you kidnapped me yesterday."

"I didn’t kidnap you," he says. His voice is still rough from sleep. "And no. Not until you come here and hug me."

I laugh. "No way. If I get anywhere near that bed you’ll trap me again."

"What can I say? I’m a man in love."

I freeze a little because he says it like it’s nothing. Like it’s normal to say that at seven in the morning. He stretches his arms toward me. I walk over because I’m weak and he pulls me down and kisses me. Then he lets me go.

"Now you can go," he says.

I kiss him back because he looks too soft not to. Then I leave the room before he changes his mind.

The hallway is quiet. The house is warm. I slept like a baby even though I’m sure my parents are calling the police by now. I’m not worried about my father. I’m worried about my mother. She would have supported me going on this trip but she would have wanted to know where I was. I keep thinking about her face when she gets home from her shift and hears that I’m gone. 𝙛𝒓𝓮𝒆𝔀𝒆𝙗𝓷𝒐𝙫𝒆𝙡.𝒄𝓸𝓶

Too late now.

I walk down the stairs and hear voices coming from the kitchen. Loud voices. I already know something stupid is happening before I even step inside.

Liam is reorganizing Jace’s pantry like he owns the house. Luka is flirting with Mateo again while also fighting with Rico about mental health. Marco is standing there holding a mug of coffee like a tired dad who has already given up.

"Traveling abroad isn’t therapy," Rico says as I walk in.

"It kind of is," Luka argues. "If you eat good food in another country your brain heals."

"That’s not science," Rico says.

"It works for me," Luka says.

Mateo is leaning on the counter watching Luka like he hung the moon. Luka keeps pushing his hair behind his ear for no reason. He does it so obviously that even Liam pauses and stares.

"Oh thank God you’re awake," Liam says when he sees me. "Maybe you can stop these two from flirting in the middle of an argument."

"I wasn’t flirting," Luka says.

"You were," Rico says.

I look around the kitchen. "Where’s Aiko?" I ask. "And her boyfriend?"

"Still in their room," Marco answers. "They were up late talking. Or arguing. I don’t know."

"We’ve been awake since forever," Luka says. "And Liam has taken over the pantry."

"I’m helping," Liam says. "This house was not organized."

"This isn’t your house," Rico mutters.

"It is spiritually," Liam says.

Then I notice the conversation has changed again. Now they are talking about traveling abroad. Like seriously talking about it.

"New Year’s in Thailand," Liam says. "I heard the beaches are insane."

"We should go," Luka says. "I’m tired of New York. I’m tired of Brooklyn. I’m tired of America."

"We don’t have money to go anywhere," Rico says. "Are you all stupid?"

"Julian’s boyfriend is a billionaire," Liam says, like it’s obvious. "We don’t need money."

I choke on my own breath. "Liam."

"If Jace refuses, Luka can flirt the money out of Mateo," he adds.

Mateo almost drops his coffee.

"I can what?" Luka asks with this fake innocent voice that is not innocent at all.

Marco shakes his head and sips his coffee. "I regret coming downstairs."

"Wait," I say. "How do you guys plan to go anywhere? We ran away from home less than twenty four hours ago."

"Exactly," Liam says. "Fresh start. New country. New mindset."

"You guys are so unserious," Rico says.

The room suddenly goes quiet and I get chills because I feel something behind me. A familiar presence.

Then a warm strong arm slides around my waist. Casual. Like it belongs there.

Jace.

"Why would I ever decline taking you guys to Thailand?" he asks.

Everyone starts talking at once. It turns into chaos. Liam says he knew it. Luka screams something about packing light clothes. Rico says he refuses to drown in the ocean. Mateo asks what part of Thailand has the best food. Marco is shaking his head again.

I stand there with Jace’s arm around me thinking in the chaos.

I ran away from home and ended up in the dumbest sitcom ever.

Then the noise gets cut in half because Dominic walks into the kitchen. Everyone stops talking.

Dominic. The no-smile guy that delivered the ring Jace bought me.

"Jace," he says. "It’s not good"

The room goes quiet. Jace squeezes my waist once before letting go.

And just like that, the morning turns serious.