Free Three to Tango by Chloe Cole, L. C. Chase

hers in
    the sweetest, most reverent kiss. Everything in her wanted to melt into his warmth,
    but she steeled herself and stepped out of his arms.
    “Let me finish. I know Jace, and I know how his mind works. This is
    something new and different. It doesn"t follow the master plan he has set out for
    himself, so we"re going to have to handle this very carefully.”

    Three to Tango
    57

    Mel looked into Alec"s warm green eyes, then looked away. Until this was
    settled, she needed a clear head. “I think we actually have a shot of convincing him,
    but you have to do exactly as I tell you.”

    58
    Chloe Cole & L. C. Chase

    Chapter Eight

    “Good morning, gorgeous,” Melody said as she stumbled into the kitchen. Jace
    was standing at the stove with his back to her in a pair of loose-fitting sweatpants,
    snug tank top, and bare feet. The boy was always barefoot.
    “Good morning, doll,” he said over his shoulder.
    She was struck by a sudden overwhelming urge to stride right over and kiss
    him—not chaste like friends, like they used to do, but full-on, like lovers. Like the
    kiss they"d shared this past weekend. If he said no to their proposition, she didn"t
    know how she"d go back to the way things were after that kiss. But a life without
    Jace in it was unimaginable, so she"d just have to learn to deal with it.
    God, I hope he says yes.
    Between work and planning, it had taken two days to figure out how exactly
    they were going to broach the subject with him. In the end, Alec had agreed that
    they stood a better chance of Jace accepting the idea if it came from Alec first.
    Since they"d made the decision, Melody"s confidence had grown. Maybe it
    wasn"t romantic yet, but she knew Jace loved her in his own way. They wouldn"t
    have been so close for so long if not. She also knew by the way Jace looked at Alec,
    watched him when he thought no one was looking, that he loved him too. He would
    see this was the perfect situation. But now that the day was finally here, doubts
    began to wiggle their way in. What if she was gambling the only thing, the only
    person, she couldn"t possibly function without? Was it really worth it?
    Melody pushed confusion and worries away with force, then cleared her throat.
    “I hope you"re not making a gourmet breakfast for me today.” She poured a cup of
    morning thunder, then sat at the table. “I"m just going to grab a Pop-Tart and run.”

    Three to Tango
    59

    Jace spun around with eyes wide, mouth forming a perfect O, one a hand over
    his chest and the other holding the spatula out like a weapon. “Blasphemy!” he
    gasped in mock horror. “There"d better not be anything of the sort in my kitchen,
    Hellz.”
    Melody laughed, then, feigning innocence, laid on her haughty Southern belle
    tone, “Why, sir, I"m sure I don"t know what you mean.”
    He turned back to his task chuckling, and she relaxed a little. It felt good to
    banter with him again. The last couple of days had felt strained. That kiss had
    changed their dynamic on some fundamental level. Maybe the tension between
    them had more to do with him liking the kiss than anything else.
    In search of a distraction, her gaze slid around the kitchen and landed on the
    counter. The counter Alec had bent her over as he pounded into her from behind
    and bit at her nape, his hot breath in her ear short-circuiting her brain. Heat
    skimmed over her skin at the memory, beelining to her abdomen. She shifted in her
    chair and squeezed her thighs tight together as she stifled a moan. She would never
    look at that countertop the same again.
    “Melody?” Jace"s voice cut into her thoughts. She looked up into his beautiful
    blue eyes and saw concern in their depths. “Are you okay?”
    “What? Of course.” She slapped what she hoped was a carefree smile on her
    face, then took a sip of coffee, retreating from his far too observant gaze.
    “You zoned out for a minute there.”
    “I"m all good,” she said lightly. “Just