Series: Fever Falls Series by Riley Hart
Total pages in book: 101
Estimated words: 96922 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 485(@200wpm)___ 388(@250wpm)___ 323(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 96922 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 485(@200wpm)___ 388(@250wpm)___ 323(@300wpm)
We continued en route to Jace’s place, where I was picking him up to take him to the Fever Fight campus. He’d initially suggested we all meet there, but I wasn’t about to let him get a look at the place without me.
When we arrived at Fever Fight, I parked in the lot beside Nance’s SUV, and we headed up to their facilities, an impressive space big enough to have been a school.
In front of the building’s entrance, Ash, Beau, Linc, and Rush were clustered in a group with Nance, Keeg, and Serena. They all seemed to be catching up but stopped as we neared, Nance turning to Jace, looking as proud of him as ever. When we reached them, we all exchanged hugs and pleasantries and waited for the president of the Fever Fight board to arrive. Once he showed, he gave us the grand tour, taking us through the gym, the rec center, the theatre, and the library. I had a hard time paying attention to any of it, because all I kept doing was checking Jace’s expression and detecting the sheer pride he had for all the changes being made due to his contribution.
He must’ve noticed at one point, because he turned to me, and seeing my interest in his appreciation of the spectacle, smiled that smile that left a swirling sensation filling my chest. He still had this almost mystical power over me, and I wasn’t sure that would ever go away.
We’d been through quite a bit since our adventure began. Being with Jace had forced me to confront so many of my personal demons. They’d held such a grip on me for so long, but as I’d learned over the past three months, the slight celebrity status we enjoyed wasn’t so bad. We weren’t in Hollywood, constantly hounded by the media. We’d grab headlines every so often, and after the folks around town got their selfies, they tended to be just nice, down-to-earth people who understood we wanted to have our peace at whatever restaurants or events we attended. In some ways, the experience had been a sort of much-needed therapy for me.
After the tour finished, I headed to the restroom, and as I was heading out, Jace entered and didn’t hesitate to assault me with kisses. He pushed me back against the counter, and the way he embraced me, his lips and tongue working their magic on me effortlessly, made me feel whole.
He leaned back, though he kept close.
“How do you like the changes they’re making?” I asked him, and as he smiled, under the fluorescent bathroom lights, he almost seemed to glow like a heavenly being.
“It’s really awesome seeing everything they’ve done so far. This place has already grown a lot since I was a kid, and it’s nice to see it still expanding and offering an important space for the kids in our community.”
“It’s incredible, Jace. I’m glad you were able to do this for them, and I love seeing what it means to you. I’m proud of you. Crawford would be proud of you.”
His expression turned serious, though not sad the way it had when I’d first heard him bring up his father. He seemed to really absorb the truth of what I’d said.
“I know he would be,” he said. “Thank you for being here today. It means a lot that you wanted to share this with me.” He smirked. “And thank you for your contribution to Fever Fight. You didn’t have to do that.”
“Eh, I had an insider tell me it was a good organization. I only donate to causes I trust, and it wasn’t much, considering I didn’t have six figures to drop into this place.”
We shared another kiss before slipping out of the restroom to join the others. Everyone had scattered about. Nance and Carter were chatting in the café, and we could see Linc and Rush shooting hoops at the inside gym’s basketball goal.
Rush started to make a shot when Linc put his hand out and blocked his toss. Linc quickly recovered the ball before shooting himself but missing. Rush called out, “Ah, too bad, man, but way to sneak up on me! Guess you’re a fast learner, after all.”
“Whatever. Don’t act like you didn’t let me have that one.”
“You nabbed that fair and square. I never let anyone win. They gotta earn it.” Rush rubbed his hand through Linc’s hair, which only made Linc’s grin broaden.
“Hey, guys!” Jace called. “You seen Keeg around?”
“Yeah,” Rush called back. “He thought the theatre was cool, so he and Serena went back together.”
“Oh God, please don’t let him be interested in acting,” I said. “I’ll die.”
Jace enjoyed a laugh at my expense as we continued our search. We found our way through the empty theatre and then went backstage. One of the dressing-room doors was cracked open, and I could hear Keeg’s distinctive, deep laugh.