Chapter 55
Aiden’s mouth was warm. His kiss was not cruel or demanding. It was desperate in a way that made Jace ache.
Jace tried to shove the guilt down his throat. For one second, he gripped Aiden’s arm as though he wanted to stop him. He even opened his mouth, ready to break the kiss apart.
But then aiden deepened his kiss. He tilted his head, tongue slipping past Jace’s lips. Heat coiled low in Jace’s belly. A moan slipped out before he could catch it, and the taste of Aiden sent his control spiraling.
Instead of pulling away... Jace leaned in.
He kissed Aiden back.
The world around them seemed to blurr, the memory of Elias, the sting of betrayal, the humiliation that had made him feel ashamed. All that mattered at this moment was Aiden’s mouth on his, the way his fingers tightened on Jace’s jaw like he was afraid Jace might disappear again.
“Jace,” Aiden whispered against his lips, voice hoarse, trembling with want.
Jace didn’t answer with words. He dragged him inside, slamming the door shut behind them. Their mouths crashed together again. Hands fumbling at first clumsy, then urgent, tugging at clothes, tracing skin.
Every kiss grew hungrier, every touch rougher. Aiden pushed Jace against the wall, his chest pressing hard against him. The friction made Jace shudder. His head dropped back, eyes fluttering shut as Aiden sucked at his neck, tongue circling the sensitive skin until Jace’s knees weakened.
He could not stop. He did not want it to stop.
“Fuck,” Jace gasped, clawing at Aiden’s shirt until it was half off his body. He wanted sex. He wanted warmth. He wanted to forget Elias’s name... Elias’s touch.... what Elias had done to him earlier and Elias’s hold over him.
Aiden seemed to understand. He stripped Jace off his clothes with frantic fingers, lips never leaving him, kissing down his chest, biting gently at his collarbone. The mix of pain and pleasure tore another sound from Jace’s throat, and he arched into the contact.
They stumbled toward the bed, half naked, breathing ragged. Jace pulled Aiden down on top of him, mouth colliding with his again. Tongues tangled, teeth clashed, and their bodies ground together until both of them were trembling with need.
“Aiden…” Jace whispered. His hands clutched at his shoulders, nails digging into Aiden’s flesh.
“You don’t have to say anything,” Aiden murmured, kissing down his stomach, his voice husky. “I just want you. I’ve always wanted you.”
The confession cracked something inside Jace. He grabbed Aiden’s hair, forcing him back up into another kiss. Their mouths moved with wild hunger, and then they gave in completely.
The room filled with gasps... moans... the sound of skin against skin. Each thrust, each touch, each desperate kiss built higher until the tension broke. Release came hard and fast, their voices tangled, their bodies shaking as they clung to each other cuming together.
After, silence stretched. Only the sound of their breathing filled the room. Aiden lay beside him, chest rising and falling, his hand still tangled with Jace’s.
Jace turned his head, watching the soft curve of Aiden’s lips, the glimmer of sweat on his skin, the vulnerability in his half-lidded eyes. For the first time in a long time, Jace felt… safe.
He didn’t want this to be a mistake.
“Aiden,” Jace said softly, his voice trembling but sure. “Be my boyfriend.”
\~~~
The antiseptic sting of the hospital air clung to Jace’s skin the moment he walked through the double doors. The steady beeping of heart monitors, the shuffle of nurses’ crocs, the distant murmur of voices— every sound pressed down on him. He came to see his brother and he wasn’t walking alone.
Aiden’s hand brushed against his, fingers interlocking with a quiet certainty that steadied Jace’s restless heart. They hadn’t been dating long just days but already it felt like Aiden was the one thing keeping him from unraveling completely.
When Jace stepped into the hospital room, Noah’s eyes flickered open, clear for the first time in months. Relief hit Jace so hard it almost knocked the breath from his chest. His brother was awake. He was really awake.
“Noah,” Jace breathed, voice breaking, as he moved to the bedside.
Noah gave him a tired smile, his voice weak but teasing. “Took you long enough to visit.”
Jace huffed a laugh, then glanced back at Aiden. His chest tightened, but he forced himself to speak. “This is Aiden. He’s… my boyfriend.”
Noah’s brows lifted. For a second, surprise flickered across his features, but then a slow, warm smile spread. “Boyfriend, huh? Well, thats good. It's about damn time you let someone in.”
Aiden chuckled softly. “I’ll give you two some time to catch up.” He squeezed Jace’s shoulder before slipping out of the room, leaving the brothers alone.
The silence stretched between them, heavy. Jace pulled up a chair, sitting close. His throat tightened, but he managed a small smile.
Noah studied him quietly before speaking. “I’m proud of you, Jace. You’ve let go of the anger. You’ve stopped chasing revenge.”
Jace’s jaw clenched. He wanted to nod, to let Noah keep believing that. But he couldn’t lie, not to him.
“I haven’t,” Jace admitted, his voice low. “I’ve got a lead. Someone named Justin. Elias is protecting him. I just need to get to him, Noah. Then we’ll finally have answers.”
Noah’s expression darkened with disappointment. He shook his head slowly, struggling to sit up. “Jace… you can’t keep living like this.”
Jace looked away, his hands fisting against his knees. “How can I not? They killed our parents. Burned everything down and called it an accident. Don’t you want justice?”
“Justice?” Noah whispered, his voice trembling. “Or revenge? Because they aren’t the same.”
“Listen to me,” Noah continued, his gaze locking onto Jace’s. “I’ve thought about that night every single day. It haunts me too, Jace. But if you spend your whole life chasing revenge, then they’ve already won.”
Jace’s throat worked, but no words came out.
Noah reached for his hand, his grip weak but steady. “Do you think bringing down the Cranes will change what happened? Do you think it will bring Mom and Dad back? .... The truth is, nothing will. And the more you keep obsessing over this the more you’re sacrificing the little bit of life you have left.”
Jace’s eyes burned. “So I should just forget them? Forget everything?... what about the promise i made to them? I should just give it all up?”
“No,” Noah said firmly, his voice gaining strength. “You honor them by living. By moving forward. By letting yourself be happy— with Aiden, with whoever you choose. Not by drowning yourself in rage and hatred.” He drew a shaky breath, eyes glistening. “Jace, those were my parents too. I loved them just as much as you did. But we can’t keep tearing ourselves apart over something we can’t change. We survived for a reason. Don’t waste that reason chasing ghosts.”
Jace’s chest tightened painfully. Noah’s words carved into him like a blade, but so did the memories of their parents’ screams... their pleas.... the flames... the lies that buried the truth of their murder.
“Every time I close my eyes, I see them,” Jace whispered. “I hear them. And I swear I’ll never forgive the Cranes for what they did.”
Noah’s eyes softened with sorrow. “I know. But forgiveness isn’t for them, Jace. It’s for you.... it's for us... It’s the only way we’ll ever find peace. Otherwise, revenge will eat you alive and I don’t want to lose you too.”
Silence swallowed the room. Jace gripped Noah’s hand tighter, torn between rage and grief. His brother’s words struck deep, but the fire for vengeance still burned in his chest.
He wanted to let go. God... he really wanted to. But he couldn’t. Not yet.