"Jace." I breathe out. Jace stood there right in front of my door looking like a Greek god who descended down from above. "What are you doing here?"

His hazel eyes just stared at me. Filled with intensity. Like he was studying me. Studying every inch of my face.

I could feel the heat rising from my body.

"Leah, who is it?" I heard Nate's voice and then his footsteps. His presence was right behind me.

Jace's eyes snapped from me to Nate in a split of a second. Coldness over took his gaze.

"What are you doing here?" Nate asked.

Jace arched a brow. "I could ask you the same. What are you doing here at my girlfriend's house?"

The word girlfriend sent shivers down my body.

Wait, girlfriend?

Game, Leah.

I looked back at Nate who had his arms crossed in front of his chest. He was in defense mode.

"I'm here visiting my friend because I was concerned. Doesn't seem like you were." Nate answered.

The tension in the air rose drastically. Jace and Nate glares at each other so hard I swear lasers would have shot out of their eyes.

"Who the fu-" Before Jace could finish, I cut in.

Not today.

"Nate, I'm sorry but can you please leave? I need to talk to Jace." I was not up for another alpha male fight and not one that the whole neighborhood could see.

Nate looked at me with his dark blue eyes and gave me a small smile. "Okay, I'll text you later to check in."

I nodded as Jace scoffed.

Nate pulled me into a hug and that was pretty ballsy considering my 'boyfriend' was there. "Bye love." He said as he walked passed Jace not looking in his direction. He made it down the driveway to his car and waved before getting into his car and driving off.

I felt my shoulders relax at the sight of Nate driving away.

Jace cleared his throat and I froze. Damn.

"Yes?" I asked looking over to him.

"Is this what you were doing all day?" He asked coldly.

"Doing what?" I questioned not knowing what he meant.

"Screwing around with Rylan." He said flatly.

"Screwing around?" I asked taken back, I felt a bubble of anger rising. "Screw you, Emerson."

Jace stood there unfazed.

"Not like it's any of your business, but Nate just came over to check on me. That's all." I spat. "Now if you don't have anything else to say, goodbye."

I went to close the door, but Jace's hand stopped it.

"What?" I asked annoyed.

Jace pushed back the door and grabbed my arm. "I want to take you somewhere."

I was taken back by his tone. It was soft and filled with hope. "W-where?" I asked.

"It's surprise." He said giving me a boyish smile.

A small smile made its way to my lips. This was a different side of Jace. A sweet one. "Okay." I told him.

Jace looked taken back from my response, but broke out in a full on smile.

I would be lying if I said I didn't melt from that.

I grabbed my hoodie and keys and slipped on a pair of shoes. It was getting cooler outside since Autumn is around the corner.

Once in his car, Jace started driving in a direction I wasn't too familiar with.

"So am I going to get a hint of this surprise?" I asked.

"Nope." He said simply.

I pouted. "Damn." I muttered.

Jace glanced over to me and let out a small chuckle. "It's a surprise for a reason."

"Why did you come to my house?" I blurted out.

Jace glanced over to me. "No reason."

"You came to my house for no reason? Right."

His grip on the steering wheel tighten. " I wanted to see if Rylan was there since the both of you weren't in school. Guess I was right."

"Are you jealous?" I teased. "Is Jace Emerson jealous?"

"No." He said deadpanned.

"Sure." I teased again.

I looked out the window and saw lots of greener. It looked like we were going into a forest. The sky was starting to turn colors of orange and red.

Jace took a few more turns and we ended up at the top of a clearing that over looked the city. I didn't even know this place existed.

"Wow." I breathe out and he place his car in park.

"I thought you would like it." He said. "Come on." Jace got out the car and I followed.

He sat on the hood of the car and so did I. I looked at the view in front of me. It was beautiful. You could see the whole city before us with its tall buildings and different structures. The sky was over caste in colors of yellow, orange and red, the sun was setting and soon the city lights will take over.

"Where did you find this place?" I asked curiously as I looked over to him.

He looked straight ahead, his eyes filled with many emotions. His arms were rested on his knees and his dark brown hair looked handsomely disheveled. "Randomly." He answered.

I nodded and didn't ask anything else. I got the feeling he didn't want to be questioned.

Jace spoke up after a few minutes. "It's a place where I just come and think. Nobody knows that this exists. Not even Ian and Luke. You're the first person I brought here."

"Why me?" I questioned.

Jace looked over at me with those hazel eyes, still swirling with emotion. "I don't know."

I furrowed my eyebrows. "Okay, then." I looked at the sky and watch as the colors change from orange and red to purple and blue. Night was setting in.

Jace continued. "I felt that if I was to share this with anyone, it would be you."

For some reason that brought a warm feeling in me.

"You really know how to make a girl's heart flutter." I teased.

Jace let out a soft chuckle. "Does that mean you're falling for me?"

I paused for a moment. "No, never that."

"You paused." Jace pointed out.

"What? No I didn't." I argued.

"Yes, you did." Jace teased. "You paused, you had to think about it. You are falling for me."

I scoffed. "No, no I'm not."

"Yes, you are."

"No."

"Yes."

This continued for a few more minutes.

"You can deny it all you want, but it's happening." Jace teased.

I leaned over to smack his arm or at least tried to. Jace moved out of the way and I was falling face first into the hood of car until he grabbed my arm to stop me face planting.

"Thanks that could have been bad." I said looking up to him. His eye locked onto my own. The tension in the air thickened and I bit my bottom lip not knowing what to do. His eyes glanced down to my lips and back into my eyes.

Kiss me.

He moved in closer, our lips almost touching. He stopped moving. Jace didn't move any closer nor did he pull away. He just stayed still.

A moment later he pulled away and I moved back to my original spot. We sat in silence.

The feeling around that almost kiss was different. It wasn't meaningless. It was different from our other encounters. There was feeling in this one.

Jace spoke up. "I have a issues, Leah. Ones I don't want to get others wrapped up in."

"What issues?" I inquired. I was curious, I've always been curious. I've heard rumors about Jace, but I never knew what was true. Rumors about street fighting, drugs, and even the mafia. No one knows whats the truth.

Jace shook his head. "That I can't tell you."

"Why?"

"Because the moment I tell you is the moment you get wrapped up in it and I can't have you or anyone else in the middle of it."

My shoulders slummed. I mean I understood why, but I wanted to know. I wanted Jace to open up to me. I seen bits of vulnerability, but that always gets covered up by his undeniable charm.

Jace reached over and tucked a loose strand of my hair behind my ear. "You're different." Was all he said.

I waited for him to elaborate.

He didn't.

"Different how?" I asked.

"Just different."

"Different good? Different bad?"

"I'll let you make that call." He said sliding off the car giving me his signature smirk. "Time to get you home."

"No, you can't leave it like that!" I wined.

Jace gave me one more smirk and slipped into the car.

He left it like that.

****