Clary was standing on the beach, surrounded by people she loved just watching the waves break. It was such a beautiful sight, she wished she had her sketchbook so she could capture it. Even drawing it wouldn't be enough though, because it wasn't just what she saw that she wanted to remember, it was everything she was feeling. She was just so warm as she stood there soaking in the sunshine. Instead of smelling the salt, sand and sunscreen she would normally smell at the beach she smelled all of the things that reminded her of Jace. She didn't see him, but she knew from his scent that he must be close by.
Something sounded briefly in the distance and Clary tried to identify it. Could that be an alarm? Was it coming from the lifeguard station? Maybe they were telling people to get out of the water. She could still hear it, but it seemed like the noise was moving. Maybe it was a ship's horn, sounding from beyond the waves. She couldn't be sure since the sound had stopped completely now.
Before she had time to give any more thought to what the sound might have been, Clary felt strong arms encircle her from behind. Jace's scent grew stronger and she relaxed back into him as she felt his lips leaving a trail along her skin. "Mmmm," she breathed, leaning to the side to give him better access.
"Wake up my love," she heard Jace say.
"That's silly," Clary thought. "I'm obviously not sleeping standing up at the beach."
Jace continued to kiss gently along Clary's shoulder, up her neck to behind her ear and she felt herself shiver despite the warmth that was radiating through her. She rested back against him, trying to get as close to Jace as she possibly could. She could feel how much he wanted them to be closer too, and it thrilled her even though she knew they couldn't act on their desires while they were in a public place like this.
"Clary," Jace groaned softly. "Please wake up." He kissed her again sending another shiver through her. "I shut off your alarm, but you don't want to be late for work."
Clary slowly opened her eyes and realized she was indeed snuggled up against Jace's very real, very warm body, but she was nowhere near a beach. Clary was in bed. Jace's mouth was still near her ear and she really wished he hadn't stopped kissing her. A glance at the clock told Clary she still had a little time before she really needed to start getting ready.
Not knowing exactly how to ask Jace for what she wanted, Clary decided to continue pretending to be asleep in hopes that he would continue trying to wake her. She shut her eyes and wiggled against him.
"Come on, babe," Jace groaned. "That's not fair. Your door is open."
"You could close it," Clary suggested quietly.
Clary felt Jace's hands clench in the front of her tank top. He took a few deep breaths. His breathing started out very ragged, but by the fifth or sixth breath it was beginning to even out.
"You are quite the little temptress," he finally said in a slightly strained voice. He then kissed her gently behind the ear one more time before grabbing his clothes and heading toward the bathroom. "I'm going to change, before I lose my resolve and do something that would make a less than favorable impression with Gran," he finished, closing the bathroom door.
Clary couldn't deny that she was a bit disappointed. She got up and headed to the kitchen to get dinner started in the hopes of forgetting her frustration. She usually just made something light like soup or sandwiches, but they'd had sandwiches for lunch and she was trying to be better about feeding Gran more balanced meals, so she had defrosted some steaks for dinner and planned to bake potatoes and steam some squash.
Clary usually did most of her grocery shopping on Sundays, so she was going to need to make a list for tomorrow too. She had the baked potatoes in the oven and had just started making a list when Jace entered the kitchen.
"Whatcha doin'?" he asked.
"Just making a grocery list while dinner cooks. You're going to stay and eat with us, right?" she asked, not even looking up from her task.
Jace hesitated long enough that she did finally look up at him quizzically. "What's up?" She asked, trying to raise one eyebrow and getting frustrated when she felt them both go up. She never had mastered the trick of putting up just one. How other people managed it was a mystery to her.
Jace had a thoughtful look on his face. "When do you find time to go grocery shopping?" he finally asked.
"I do most of the shopping on Sundays," Clary said. "Then if we need milk or fresh veggies or something during the week I may do a quick trip on the way home from the hotel in the morning or the office at night. It's convenient that Kroger and Walmart are both open all hours. What does that have to do with you staying for dinner?"
"Well," Jace said, "I was just wondering how you knew to have extra food on hand for me, and how big of a fight you were going to put up if I insisted on buying groceries for you this week, so I could eat here more often." Clary didn't say anything, so Jace went on. "I'm on vacation all week, so I'll spend as much time here as you'll let me. I never turn down your cooking, so it's only fair you let me pitch in something."
"We have extra food because I didn't cook the night Gran was in the hospital. I'm happy to have you around as much as possible, but there's no way you're buying all the groceries. Especially the week of Thanksgiving when we're having a bunch of people over for a huge meal."
"A bunch of people who are mostly my family," Jace reminded her.
"That's beside the point," Clary said. "I'm the one who invited everyone over, so it makes sense for me to buy the food."
"Actually," Jace said reasonably, "I remember Izzy inviting me. I'm pretty sure she said she and Simon were the ones that invited Alec too. Regardless, that's only one meal out of however many you'll have me for. How about you just make a list and I can go shopping while you're at work. It'll save you time and money."
Clary smiled. "That's really sweet of you, Jace, but I can go. You're welcome to join me tomorrow if you want though. That way you can help me pick out things you'd like to eat while you're here. In fact, why don't you write the list while I start the steaks? We can come up with ideas together."
Jace decided if Clary was going to limit how much he could help her out in the name of fairness he should be able to play the same card in return. "You say it wouldn't be fair for me to buy all the groceries, but that means it isn't fair for you to cook them all either," he scolded.
Clary rolled her eyes.
"You can't have it both ways babe," Jace pressed, "so I guess we'll make a list together, shop together, pay together, and cook together, right?" He pulled her into a hug and kissed her temple before adding, "You're gonna be sick of me by the end of my vacation."
Clary just chuckled. Having Jace eat with them every night was going to make it hard to explain to Gran why she was leaving after dinner, but some things just couldn't be helped. Today was actually Clary's ninetieth day working for the hotel and she would finally be off probation, but that didn't mean she felt comfortable enough to ask for days off. Especially not for something that wasn't an emergency.
Just as the steaks were resting and Clary had started the squash to steam, Gran joined them in the kitchen looking very pleased to see Jace at the table. "I was hoping you'd be joining us for dinner," she said, patting his cheek. "Does this mean you two won't be going out anywhere tonight?"
Clary was about to make an excuse for why they still needed to leave when Jace answered without missing a beat. "I'm sorry about keeping her away so much. All the nights out are my fault. You see, I have a good friend that works at one of the local bars, and I like to make sure she stays safe. They have security, but it's hard to watch everyone and some people get really handsy when they drink. I just hang out and make sure nobody makes her uncomfortable. Don't worry though, Clary knows I only have eyes for her. There's no one else I'm interested in. I'm just protective of everyone I care about."
"That's wonderful!" Gran said. "I can understand being protective of your friends. I'm sure if Clary worked at a bar Simon would be the same way and there aren't any romantic feelings there. Besides, I see the way you look at my granddaughter. I'm not worried that you have eyes for someone else. I'm not sure why Clary didn't just tell me that sooner. It would have made it easier to understand why she's gone all the time."
Jace just shrugged and they both looked expectantly at Clary. She was floored. She couldn't believe Jace had just managed to tell Gran the absolute truth without ever revealing anything she wouldn't want Gran to know. She decided there was nothing she could say that would be better than what he'd already shared, so she pulled the potatoes out of the oven and announced that dinner was ready.
It was thoroughly amazing how well Jace fit into their little family. He carried on a conversation with Clary and Gran like he'd always been a part of their lives. Clary couldn't help thinking that if Gramps was still alive Jace would have gotten along well with him too. He just seemed to have a gift for making people feel at ease. After dinner he insisted on cleaning up since Clary had done the cooking, so she went to her room to change into her work clothes and cover them with her going out outfit.
Jace drove Clary to work, insisting he hadn't planned to have any alcohol tonight anyway and that he'd be happy to stay at the bar until her shift ended and see her safely home. Clary was fairly certain Magnus would have allowed her to bring him inside while they were setting up even though the bar wasn't officially open, but Jace said he needed to go pick up Alec anyway. Simon and Izzy had decided to spend the evening at the apartment since Clary would have Jace to keep her company if it was a slow night and keep her safe if anyone got too handsy.
Clary was happy about their decision. She knew the couple hadn't had nearly enough time alone this semester with Simon's strange work schedule and Izzy's extra classes and study groups. It would be good for them to enjoy having the apartment to themselves while both her brothers were out.
Saturday was slightly busier than Friday had been. Jace and Alec just sat at the bar instead of taking up a table. This made it easy for Magnus to talk to Alec while he continued making drinks for the servers to deliver to the tables. Clary was a bit disappointed that she couldn't sit with Jace like she had the night before, but she did manage to stop and chat with him a few times throughout her shift, and when she did take a break, she asked Jace if he'd like to walk with her outback and enjoy some fresh air.
"Sure," Jace told her, "but don't you want to be off your feet for a while? You can sit here. I'll be happy to stand next to you while you take a break."
"Honestly," Clary told him, pulling him out of his seat and toward the back door, "sometimes it's harder to get back up than not to sit at all. It's not so bad today. At least I wasn't in heels all day before I got here."
"Why do you wear heels to the office?" Jace asked. "It seems completely unnecessary, and you're on your feet a lot there."
"It's one of Camille's rules," Clary said with a sigh. "I have no idea why, or if it will be required after this week."
"I've never heard of an office requiring a certain height of shoes," Jace told her, "and I've been to a lot of offices. My advice would be to wear something more comfortable on the new bosses first day and unless he or she says anything about it I'd just wear them from then on out."
By this time they had reached the back door and Clary no longer felt she needed to yell to be heard over the music. "It's nice to come back here and enjoy the quiet and look at the stars. This is where I usually spend my breaks if nobody is here to see me." They stood quietly and looked up at the night sky for a moment. From everything Jace had told Clary about New York, she knew he wouldn't have this view at home. Because of this, she was surprised when she turned and saw him looking at her instead of the stars. "Do you not enjoy looking at the stars?" she asked him.
"I enjoy looking at the stars very much," Jace told her. "I just enjoy looking at you even more."
Clary felt her cheeks heating up. Even in the cold fall air, she felt warm here next to Jace. He had draped his jacket over her shoulders as soon as they'd reached the hall, before they'd even opened the back door.
"Especially that alluring blush," he continued. "You're always beautiful, but when you turn that color it just makes me want to kiss you all the more. May I?" he asked, gently touching the side of her face.
"You don't have to ask," she told him, a little shyly. Clary always wanted to be kissing him, and she was about to tell him he didn't need to keep saying such sweet things to her because she was already his for the taking. She had barely begun to open her mouth when his mouth was covering hers. They had both been standing against the back of the building, but now he had stepped in front of her. His hands were one on each side of her face. Her hands ran up his back and clutched him to her.
Clary wondered if there would ever be a time when her body would not respond so enthusiastically to Jace's. From the first time Gran had suggested they kiss in the kitchen, his lips could not touch hers without her wanting more of him. They continued to kiss passionately as she clung to him, wishing she never had to let go. What was she going to do when he went back to New York next week?
Clary quickly pushed the thought out of her mind. She refused to spend the week Jace was here thinking about how lonely she would be when he wasn't. By the time they broke apart Clary's heart was beating so fast it felt like it might come right out of her chest. She could feel from her position against him that Jace was affected in much the same way. "I guess I should get back," she finally said.
Jace took a deep breath and let it out slowly. "Okay," he finally said. "Are we… that is… do you have to go straight home after your shift tonight?" he asked.
"I should," Clary told him, unlocking the back door with her keycard, "I like to check on Gran as soon as possible, but you could always come with me." She lifted her eyebrows and gave Jace what she hoped was a flirtatious glance over her shoulder as she led him down the hall and back into the bar.
Author's note: I'm sorry the updates are so few and far between. I wish I could tell you they would be more frequent, but that probably won't be true for a while longer. We've been down three people in my department for over a year on one of our projects and the closer it gets to the end of the project the more important catching up becomes, so the three of us that are still there are doing quite a bit of overtime. Between that and the plethora of health problems my body has been throwing at me (nothing life threatening, but lots of pain and fatigue) I just haven't had much energy to be creative. I can't promise the updates will come soon, but I will keep them coming eventually. I miss the characters when I'm not writing and definitely miss those of you who faithfully review. I hope you all are well and that I can post again soon.