Chapter 43
The office air felt heavy that morning, and Jace could hardly breathe beneath it. He had been buried in spreadsheets for hours, though none of the numbers registered. His pen tapped against the desk in a restless rhythm, his leg bouncing under the table as if his body needed to move before his thoughts caught up. The coffee at his side had long gone cold, untouched, and yet his pulse beat erratically as though he had swallowed pure caffeine.
He had spent the entire day dodging corners, slipping down different hallways, refusing to step into the cafeteria. He even lingered longer than usual in the copy room, staring at the machine as though waiting for it to spit out salvation. All of it was a desperate attempt to avoid...him.
Aiden.
The name alone tightened his chest. Every time Jace blinked, flashes of that night seared through him, the heat of Aiden’s mouth, the rough grip of his hands, the press of his body pinning him down. The reckless abandon of skin against skin, the way surrender had felt less like a mistake and more like something inevitable.
And that was the problem.
It wasn’t just the sex. He wished it were that simple.When he thought of Aiden, it wasn’t only the fever of their bodies colliding. It was the warmth in his gaze, the words he whispered afterward, the terrifying possibility that Aiden had... meant them.
Now, in the cruel light of day, with his tie choking his throat and guilt gnawing his insides raw, Jace felt nothing but shame. Elias had been softer with him lately, careful, even tender. Their fragile relationship—though a lie on Jace’s part was in a better place than it had been in weeks. And Jace had destroyed everything in the span of a single drunken night.
So Jace prayed... actually prayed that he wouldn’t see Aiden today. If he could make it through just one day without crossing paths, maybe he could bury the night, bury the memory, and bury the guilt.
But fate didn’t work that way.
“Morning, everyone,” Aiden’s voice rang down the corridor like a strike of lightning. Smooth, confident, and warm. Jace froze, his pulse hammering against his throat. Around him, colleagues lit up, greeting Aiden with easy laughter and smiles. He was the kind of man who slipped into any room and claimed it without effort.
And he was walking straight toward Jace’s department.
Jace’s heart plummeted. There was no escape this time.
He straightened in his chair, pretending to type something important, but the footsteps grew closer until Aiden’s shadow loomed at the edge of his desk.
“Jace,” Aiden said softly, his tone different from the easy banter he had shared with others.
Jace looked up. For a moment, their eyes locked, and it was as if every ounce of oxygen was ripped from the room. He saw the memory reflected in Aiden’s gaze—the hunger, the heat, and the vulnerability that he wasn’t supposed to see. Jace’s throat went dry.
“Aiden,” he forced out, voice clipped.
“Can we talk?” Aiden asked, his voice pitched low, meant only for Jace.
Jace knew this moment had to come. He had rehearsed the words in his head a dozen times... even a million times, but each version was more painful than the last. Now, there was no time left to stall. He rose from his chair, avoiding Aiden’s touch, and led them toward the break room at the far end of the hall.
He turned to face him. His hands shook, but his voice was steady when he finally spoke.
“Aiden… what happened between us....it can not happen again.”
The words landed like knives between them.
Aiden blinked, his expression unreadable at first. “You don’t mean that.”
“I do.” Jace’s chest tightened, but he forced himself to continue. “I’m with Elias. I’m choosing to be with him. Whatever we had… it was a big mistake.”
A muscle ticked in Aiden’s jaw, and for the first time, Jace saw something crack in his composure. “A mistake?” Aiden repeated, his voice lower now, harsher. “Is that all it was to you?”
Jace swallowed hard, hating himself for every word, but he pushed forward. “Yes. And I would be grateful if you never mentioned it to anyone.... even elias... especially elias. He does not need to know.”
The silence that followed was suffocating. Aiden’s eyes burned into him, it did not look like anger, it looked more like hurt...betrayal.... disbelief. He stepped closer, close enough that Jace could smell the faint trace of his cologne.
“You think you can erase it just like that?” Aiden whispered. “Pretend it didn’t happen?”
Jace flinched but held his ground. “It has to be this way. I can’t....” His voice cracked. He turned sharply, cutting off his own words, and headed for the door before Aiden could see the weakness in his eyes. “This conversation is over.”
He didn’t look back. He couldn’t.
By the time Jace returned to his desk, his heart was pounding so hard he thought his chest might split open. He had done the right thing. He had cut the thread before it could tangle further. He had ended something dangerous before it consumed him completely.
So why didn’t it feel like victory?
Instead of relief, a hollow ache spread through him. He should be proud of himself for protecting the facade with Elias.....for keeping his plan intact. But all he felt was emptiness.
He dropped into his chair, fingers trembling against the keyboard.
Why did it feel like he just walked away from something real?