The Win: Rebels of Ridgecrest High (Book 4)
The Win: Chapter 16

We arrive back at Jace’s place, and he takes my hand as he walks me in. His dad’s there and stands up to greet me. This is the first time I have seen him since we become an official couple. He said his parents don’t get the whole four-boyfriend thing, but they love me and him. And the boys.

“Mila, it’s so good to see you.” Daniel wraps his arms around me and gives me a hug.

“Good to see you too, Daniel.”

Ella squeals when she sees me, dropping a plate of homemade cookies on the coffee table and extracting me from Daniel so she can hug me. I love her so much. She was a mother to me for most of my childhood, and I will always love her for that.

“Mom, can I ask you why you bought Mila a Care Bear?”

Ella pulls away from me and looks up to her son. We both do. “What bear?” she questions.

“You know, the rainbow one. After my Bedtime Bear went missing, you gave it to me and told me not to tell Jace.”

Her eyes widen and she looks to Daniel, who shakes his head and sits down. He has a funny look on his face, like he doesn’t want to talk about this.

“Yes, I did. I saw you had stolen it, Jace.”

I turn to him and point. “I told you that’s why. She knew you had my bear and replaced mine and let you keep Bedtime Bear.” Which is total crap. They should have given him a new bear. Bedtime Bear was mine. But then I loved my Cheer Bear just as much in the end. Mostly because Ella bought it for me.

“But why didn’t you just give it back?” he asks his mom, and that’s when I see Ella’s cheeks turn pink.

Oh, shit. I glare at Jace. He wouldn’t have . . . would he?

“What were you doing with my bear at night?” I poke him.

He looks between us, a confused look on his face. Then his mouth drops open. “I wasn’t fucking the bear.”

No one says a thing, and the silence is deafening.

“Oh, god, is that what you both think?” He groans, pulling his hair.

I hear Daniel clear his throat. “That’s what we all thought, Jace. We told James what happened, and your mother replaced the bear because we all thought you were . . . loving it.”

I feel like I’m in some funny prank show, only this one’s ever better, because I know the guy. I look at everyone, trying to work out what the heck just happened. My dad, Ella, and Daniel all thought Jace was fucking my bear? I try to hide my smile, but that shit is so embarrassing and funny.

“I wasn’t loving the bear, Dad. Oh, god. I was in love with Mila, and I wanted to keep something of hers close to me. I can tell you right now, that bear has not been touched by my junk. At all.” Jace paces, and it’s obvious he’s embarrassed as all hell. Hell, I feel for him . . . a little.

I smirk. “Well, I would hope so. Bedtime Bear can’t consent. I want him back, and he better be jizz free.”

Daniel lets out a snort, and I turn to see his hand over his mouth while he looks anywhere but at us. Ella makes a sound in the back of her throat and shakes her head, trying not to laugh at her poor son, who’s standing there, defending himself against sexual acts he may or may not have committed against my teddy bear.

Jace eyes me, and I can tell he’s getting worked up. I put my hands up and wave a white flag . . . metaphorically, of course. His shoulders sag, and I reach out and take his hand.

“It’s okay. I never thought you were fucking my teddy bear.”

He rolls his eyes, but then he sighs. His posture settles and he calms down. Sometimes, you can push him and he doesn’t snap. Other times, his aggression comes out fast and free without him ever realizing. Then he regrets his words and gets angry for being angry and it’s a vicious cycle. So, before it starts, I squeeze his hand, wave to Ella—and the cookies calling my name—and lead Jace up the stairs, past Grady, who’s grinning and shaking his head.

“Don’t you dare.” I point a finger in Grady’s face and try not to smile, but fail miserably.

Grady tightens his lips to hide the grin. I snort and kiss his cheek. Once we’re in the room with the door closed behind us, I relax.

“You’re not gonna tell the guys what happened down there, right?” Jace pleads.

I look anywhere but at Jace—his dirty clothes pile all over the floor, his bed, which isn’t made . . . the tissues and lube. My mouth drops open and I point to it. “Okay, I won’t tell them, but I will tell them about your happy tissues.”

He looks over and his eyes widen. I giggle as he groans and quickly moves toward it all. “Nothing is going right tonight.” He puts the lube into a drawer before picking up the tissues and tossing them in the trash.

“I think everything has gone just right. I’m about to get back my Bedtime Bear, and you’re gonna cuddle me while we watch a movie. And if you’re lucky . . . you won’t be needing tissues tonight.”

His eyes widen at that, and I jump on his bed and move up so I’m sitting right in the middle against the headboard. I know he mentioned taking it slow, which I love, but there are no rules about hands and mouths.

And I can’t wait to get my hands on him. I swear, with all the guys, I’m always horny.

Jace doesn’t waste time. He reaches into his closet and pulls out a very sad looking blue teddy.

I frown at it. “Are you sure you didn’t love love him? He looks very loved to me.”

He grunts. I bet he wants to tell me to shut up, but he doesn’t. I beam, holding my hands out so I can cuddle my teddy bear. He passes it to me then shuffles onto the bed beside me. He places his head on my belly and wraps his arm around me.

“I loved him, but not in that way. I love you more.”

Jace settles down beside me, scrolling through Netflix, trying to replace something. I swear we spend more time scrolling than actually watching movies. We can’t decide what to watch, and he always picks superhero movies. He suggests we play video games, but I don’t want to. I want to snuggle.

“Okay, it’s my choice and I pick . . . Ted.”

Jace rolls his eyes at my choice of a teddy bear movie, and I laugh. But he puts it on, and we settle down together in the dark room, me curled up at his side and his arm around me as he rubs his thumb over my skin. I hold my old teddy and laugh at the silly movie with Jace. The moment’s perfect. There’s nothing we’re running from, no one chasing us, no one looking for us. We’re just two regular teens watching a movie after a sweet date.

This is the way it should have been when I came back at the start of junior year. Easy, sweet, and loving.

There’s a knock at the door. Ella opens it and pops her head around the corner. She has a grin on her face. I think she likes me being with Jace. I guess they all thought we would end up together eventually, even if they did think he was fucking my teddy bear. I need to tell my dad when I get home. I don’t want him thinking Jace was doing things to my stuffed toy.

“Night, you two. Don’t stay up too late.”

I give her a small wave and hold up Bedtime Bear, and Jace grumbles something incoherent. She just laughs, obviously understanding his language. I understand it too. It’s “Mom, leave—you’re cramping my style.”

The movie goes on into the night, and I can’t keep my eyes open. I feel safe and warm with Jace beside me, and I fell asleep in his arms.

Iwake to Jace’s warm body pressed against me. He pulled the covers over me at some point during the night. I’d lost the jeans too . . . well, I don’t remember that part; he must have taken them off. I’m just wearing my underwear and the tee and bra I had on the night before.

Jace is only wearing his boxers, and he’s hard . . . everywhere. I smile lazily as I arch my back, my arm reaching back, snaking around Jace’s neck to pull him closer.

A large, calloused hand wraps around my middle and pulls me even closer to that hard body, grinding his erection on my ass, and I chuckle.

“Good morning,” he murmurs into my hair, and my heart beats just a little faster. It is a good morning. Waking up next to Jace.

Tipping my head back, I open my eyes, and two big brown ones peer down at me. Jace’s hair is a mess rather than its usual styled do, and it’s so cute. I want to reach up and mess it up more.

It’s still dark in his room, but I feel so awake. That was the best sleep I’ve had this week. No nightmares.

“What time is it?” I look out his window, and it’s still dark out. He really needs to close the curtains, even though no one is looking in from next door. Dad said he was going to rent the place out to a teacher who just moved here.

“Well . . . it’s five a.m.”

“Why are we waking up so early?” I groan. That’s crazy early for me.

He gives me that stupid grin of his that makes my body tingle. Fucker. He grinds his erection into my ass again. “I didn’t turn off my alarm, but I thought I was quick enough not to wake you.”

“What kind of psycho sets their alarm for five a.m.?”

He chuckles, and I realize it’s for him to get up and train. He gets up early and runs, hits the gym, and works out. Every day.

“I don’t often get to wake up next to you, so this is a nice way to wake up today. I could get used to this.”

I smile. Me too.

His fingers trail along my bare leg, and the feeling makes my nipples harden and strain against the bra I’m still wearing. I hate sleeping in a bra.

God, Jace is good at this, I think as he teases my inner thigh, so close to where I want him to touch me but dancing away at the last second. I can feel myself growing wet from his little moves.

This boy next door knows how to kiss and how to play my body. His fingers move up my thigh, higher, until his hand is on my waist and slips under the fabric. I shift to give him more access to where I want him to touch me.

I need this so bad. He hesitates for a moment before kissing me. I’m surprised when his thumb brushes over my clit, having not felt his hand move. I moan into his mouth and I can feel him smile.

“We have to be quiet,” he whispers.

I smirk. Like I can be quiet. I’m so used to being at Hunter’s without anyone to overhear us—other than Jace—that I forget how to be quiet.

“You might need to help me.” Because this is what we have been inching toward all week, and I want to taste him. I want him to make me come. But I know I can’t be quiet while he does all those things.

I feel him silently laughing and he kisses my nose. “Trust me, I want you to scream my name for the guys to hear how much I please you, but not my parents.”

I grin. Between the games and running races at Hunter’s, the guys are always competing. They haven’t turned the challenge of who can please me the best into a contest yet. I’ll have to drop a hint or two and reap the rewards.

He shuffles away, removing his hand from my underwear, and I make a sad sound at the loss of touch.

“Greedy girl, I want to taste you. I want you coming on my tongue, Mila.”

I swallow and the butterflies return to my belly. Yeah, I’m not going to complain about that.

I pull off my tee, and he helps me with my bra, my breasts spilling free and aching to be touched.

“Fuck, your tits are perfect, Mila.”

I throw the sheets back and he looks down at me, biting his lower lip into his mouth and nodding. I’m lying on his bed, only wearing my panties, and he’s looking at me like he won the lottery. Like he’s the luckiest guy on earth. And I feel like I won the same lottery when it comes to him. He makes me feel so sexy.

My scars from the car accident are healed and faded, but he runs his fingers over the larger one on my side before he leans it and kisses it.

Those deep brown eyes of his watch me. He’s stunning. There’s no denying that. He knows it too, which make him a little cocky, but I love that about him. His sure-of-himself attitude is something he didn’t have when I left almost 5 years ago. But it’s here now, and I’m ready for it.

“While you’re down there, kissing me . . .”

His brows raise, but I see that smirk. He knows what I need, but he comes up and kisses my lips. My jaw. My throat.

Jace traces his tongue along my collarbone and down my breast before sucking my nipple into his mouth. Fuck. I bow off the bed as he swirls his tongue around, and my body responds. I grip his bed hair, my hips bucking up, trying to replace some friction.

My nipple pops free, and as he blows over it, it tightens, and it feels amazing. He chuckles as I try to pull him closer to do the same to the other.

“Tease,” I mumble.

He gives the other some quick attention before dropping between my legs and kissing and licking. His tongue sends the most amazing tingles of pleasure to my core, but he’s still not where I want him. My hands still in his hair, I press for him to get closer to where I want his tongue on me.

He looks up at me as he kisses my pussy over my underwear. They’re so wet and he inhales my scent. Fuck.

“Someone is a little impatient.”

I groan. He needs to know what I think about his teasing. “If you’re just gonna tease me, I will have to call someone who knows how to take care of my needs.” I fake going for my phone, and he lunges for it, snapping it up.

I have woken that beast inside him—the jealous one. Yes, I poked it. But it’s so worth it to see the way he looks down at me like he wants to mark me as his for all to see.

He cocks his head, and he takes a photo of me sprawled out on his bed. I watch as he taps on the screen, and then his eyes darken and he growls in the back of his throat, sending shivers down my spine . . . the best kind.

“Is this what you want?” He pulls on my underwear, and it snaps at the waist. My mouth drops open, but his eyes are full of need . . . of want to claim me.

The phone moves with him, and I think he’s recording me, but I don’t care. I want him to take me now. I reach for his cock, but he shakes his head. “You need to learn patience, Mila.”

I flop back down, and he grins. It’s not the boy next door smile anymore. This grin is dark and dirty, promising me wicked things are about to come.

I shake my head and poke my tongue out at him. I don’t need to learn patience; he needs to learn to hurry up and give me what I want.

Jace lowers his face and presses a soft kiss between my thighs, his hot breath setting me off. My body shivers at the pleasure I got just from that one kiss.

“Fuck,” I moan, grabbing the pillow and pulling it to my face.

I have to be quiet, but I know I can’t. Not with the way Jace already has me worked up. He drops the phone beside me, and I see that he has started a video chat with the guys but muted them so we can’t hear them. Hunter’s lying in bed, shirtless, wearing his black-rimmed glasses, and he looks tired. Roman’s watching in the dark. I can’t see him, but I know he’s listening, and Asher hasn’t even picked up. Which makes me want to laugh. He sleeps in whenever he can, and he’s missing the show.

It’s funny that Jace called them, because he won’t touch me like this when they’re in the room. But he has them here . . . watching us through my phone. Maybe he needs this as the first step toward group fun.

“Fuck, Mila,” Jace rumbles, and my legs spread farther apart as my core clenches around nothing, wanting to be filled. “You have the most perfect pussy.”

He swipes a tongue over my slit, and I moan, gripping the pillow to my mouth as I watch him.

His eyes never leave mine. “Your taste is intoxicating.” He spreads me wider, licking and sucking on my clit. My hands grip the pillow as my body bows off the bed, wanting him closer, then the feeling of too much, and I’m backing away. But he won’t let me. His grip is tight on my thigh as he keeps me where he wants.

The pleasure hits me, and I tumble over the edge into an intense orgasm, my legs shaking. He doesn’t let up; he chases the orgasm with his tongue, not letting me have a chance to come down from the high as I ride the wave. Two fingers plunge into my soaking heat, and I clutch the pillow, trying so hard to keep quiet. But my breathing is heavy and loud. Everyone in the house will know what we are doing in here if they walk past Jace’s room.

When his fingers replace my G-spot, my core clenches around him, sucking him deeper as he fucks me with his skilled fingers and licks my clit with his tongue. His eyes never leave mine, watching my reactions as I gasp. I bite the pillow as I call out his name, coming around his fingers. Still, he doesn’t let up, fucking me until the orgasm has all but left me with aftershocks.

“Jace,” I pant, trying to catch my breath.

He grins, and this time, it’s the boy-next-door grin, and my core clenches around his fingers again. Holy shit. I can hardly breathe. “You looked so good coming around my fingers.” He moves up my body and kisses me.

Tasting myself on his lips, I moan. “I want more.” I reach for his boxers, and he stills my hand, his expression changing back to the dark and dirty Jace.

“Get down on your knees,” he growls into my ear, and I shiver.

Oh fuck, this is going to get interesting. He’s very controlling in the bedroom. Not like Hunter . . . this isn’t a question or a suggestion. This is a demand. And I’m so here for it.

I crawl off the bed, and Jace follows, the phone coming with him. He aims it down his body so the others can see me looking up at him and his cock straining against his boxers.

Jace is kinkier than I thought. He doesn’t like to share, but he wants them to see what he does to me and what I do to him.

I lick my lips as the butterflies grow.

I’m ready for the dark side of Jace Montero.