When I was finally able to collect myself and gain control, I pulled away and looked up at him. "It was just a bad dream."

He looked down into my eyes and grabbed my face. "That was one hell of a dream then. You can tell me about it," he said softly. "Please.”

I turned my face away unable to look him in the eye. "It was just a bad memory. One that I would like to forget," I whispered. "My only boyfriend, he…" I stopped.

He pulled my face toward his and rubbed my cheek. "Did he hurt you?" he questioned, his voice shaking.

My legs started shaking as he rubbed my face. "Not him. My parents." I looked down at the ground in shame. "They told him that I wasn't worth his time. He was the only guy that I ever loved," I whispered.

He shook my shoulders and looked me in the eye. He looked angry. "You listen here, don't you ever believe that you're not worth loving. Anyone would have to be crazy to not love you." He turned his head away and clenched his jaw. "I mean…this guy must have just been crazy to not love you back. He was stupid."

He threw his arms around me not even giving me a chance to speak. He leaned back in the bed pulling me down with him. He pulled me into his body and wrapped me in his arms and close to his chest, his bare legs tangled around mine. "I'm going to stay in here with you until you can fall asleep."

I attempted to pull away to look at him. "I'm fine, Jace. Really, you don't have to," I said struggling.

He pulled me tighter and kissed the top of my head. Damn his lips are soft. "Your bed is more comfortable than mine and you need to learn to share." He laughed in my ear.

Chills ran down my body as his breath tickled my ear. "Well, I guess if you put it that way," I whispered and then turned around to face him. He had a way of making things not seem so bad. His humor made me smile to myself. “Don’t get too comfortable though.”

"Thanks," he said in relief. Then he brushed my hair out of my face, wiped my face off, and pressed his lips to my forehead. "Goodnight."

His warm skin brushed against mine and I suddenly felt naked in only my bra and panties. At the moment, I just didn't seem to care. The feel of his skin made me breathless. "Goodnight, Jace," I whispered.

His lips brushed my neck in response and I fell into him even more.

Chapter 8

I rolled over and stretched as my eyes wandered over the empty mattress next to me. The warmth from Jace’s body still lingered on the sheets as I reached over, rubbing a hand over the empty spot.

He stayed the whole night! I jumped up in a panic as I attempted to take in the thought of sleeping next to Jace or any man for that matter. Running my hands through my hair, I took a deep breath, and rolled over, burying my face into the pillow.

After climbing out of bed, I calmly gathered my clothing for work, and walked to the bathroom. There was no sign of Jace in sight, so I quickly closed the door behind me and turned the lock, being sure that Jace wouldn’t walk in on me, again. The bathroom quickly filled with steam as I stripped off my clothing and jumped into the shower water. The hot water felt nice on my cool skin, helping me to relax, as I fought to calm my racing nerves. I was a nervous wreck and relaxing was one of the many things that I needed to do.

After I showered and got dressed, I walked out into the living room to find Jace sitting in his black leather chair, his hair looking messy and uncombed. His eyes looked tired and strained as if he hadn’t slept all night.

"Umm…hi," I stammered. "Get much sleep last night?" I walked over, reached for my jacket, and slipped it on. Then I pulled the ponytail holder from off my wrist and threw my hair up so that it was out of my face.

Jace gave me a surprised look before he pushed himself to his feet and grabbed for his keys. "You can tell," he laughed. "You sure did sleep like a baby though." He grinned and reached for the door to open it. He waited for me to walk out first before he closed the door behind us and locked it. "I hope that you're ready for a busy day. It's the only day of the month that I make my special fried chicken and gravy." He licked his lips and shook his head. "It’s delicious."

The awkward look on his face made me laugh. I lightly shoved him toward the car and reached for the handle. "Oh is it? It’s so special that you can only make it once a month?" I questioned.

I shut the door in his face before he could manage to answer. He pointed at me through the window and smoothly walked to the other side and jumped in.

He glared over at me and nibbled on his lip ring. It was such a bad habit of his. "The ladies love anything that I put my hands on. I make this chicken from in here," he said pointing to his heart. His smile faded and then he quickly replaced it and started the car. "You'll love...it."

“How do I know that it's really as good as you say?" I teased. "It could taste horrible and we could be really slow today. I don't see you as being a good chicken maker." I grinned and leaned back into my seat while playing with my old ring.

Jace tilted his head and looked over at me, his eyes soft. "You'll just have to trust me," he whispered. "I know how you love chicken. I will make you love mine."

My heart skipped a beat at the word trust. How I wished that I could. “I guess we will just have to see.”

The rest of the car ride was silent until we pulled into the diner. I was surprised to see that there were already a handful of customers patiently waiting outside. It made me smile to think that these people were here for Jace. Maybe he was telling the truth after all.

Jace smiled at everyone before unlocking the door and letting Stacy, Winston, and the customers inside. “Good morning, Jan,” he said to an older red headed woman, that didn't look very pleasant. “It’s good to see you.”

Jan smiled evilly and reached out for Jace’s arm. “You just better get in there and get me my chicken ready. I’m not getting any younger. Do you see a line full of boys waiting on me? I don't think so."

Jace laughed and helped push Jan through the door. “Yes, ma’am. If there were, I would be the first one in line too.” He looked over at me and winked. “I’ll have your chicken right up.”

Jan grunted and made her way past Jace and over to the first available booth. She stopped shortly after taking notice of Stacy. She eyed her up and down before shaking her head. “Seeing you once a month is getting to be too much for me.”