My dear little broccolis💚💚💚
💚 Give Me The Daddy, I'll Give You The Sugar 💚
"The best investment I ever made, was when I lost fifty million dollars and met the love of my life as a result of that."
‼️Rated M - {Out Of Characters/All Human/Alternate Universe}‼️
‼️Romance/Angst/Drama/Lemons‼️
‼️Clace/The Waylands/OGs/Magnus Bane/‼️
💚 READ & REVIEW, DON'T BE A SILENT READER 💚
Chapter 7: Birthday Cakes & Calvados (15,5K)
Three months after New Year's Eve Clary had fallen in a sort of new routine with Jace. He would come more often to New York, and often ask for her to accompany him to private business diners, even if they were just with Valentine Morgenstern and his wife. Not that she minded, she had always liked spending time with Jace, and she was starting to appreciate spending time with Valentine and Jocelyn just the same.
Jocelyn was a particular person. The first thing one would notice when they would see her were the scars on her face. They did not take away from Jocelyn's natural beauty, but they were still ugly to watch. Three deep parallel cuts going from the right top of her head, down to the left side of her jaw. She also burns on her arms, but Clary was sure that the burns preceded the cuts, they were just fading scars now.
Maybe it was making her vain, but she didn't know if she would have Jocelyn's bravery to go out and socialise with people who obviously cared about how one looked if she had been disfigured like that. In fact, she was admiring Jocelyn who was wearing her scars with pride, and very forthcoming about them, though Jace had warned her about that last part the first time she had met Jocelyn.
"Valentine and his wife will be at this business dinner as well," He warned her as the chauffeur was driving them from Alicante to one of those fancy restaurants where Jace had his usual business dinners.
Clary nodded, a part of her, excited to finally meet Mrs Morgenstern. Over the past month, since she had taken up Valentine's offer, he had been contacting her at least once a week, asking about school and getting to know her. Every once in awhile, Clary heard his wife in the background, or Valentine would let something slip about her, which she found adorable.
It was obvious that Valentine was not scared to show his feelings towards his wife to the world, and seeing this couple happy, even if she hadn't met the wife yet, made her wish that one day she would be in a similar relationship. One where her partner would make sure she would feel loved, whether she was around him or not.
"I... When you'll meet Jocelyn, don't pretend you don't see it. She hates it. Just be your genuine self, and don't think you will offend her by being curious. She won't mind you asking honest questions,' Jace said, his eyes on his phone as he was texting someone.
Clary frowned, not sure what Jace meant, but she didn't have to ask for an explanation for he looked up, and saw her confused face.
"Jocelyn has had a hard life, and it shows."
He was about to explain further when his phone rang, and he picked up. Clary let him to his conversation, a part of her starting to think that Magnus was right and she ought to be a bit more curious about the people that were becoming regulars in her life. After all, Valentine Morgenstern was a renown lawyer, so she was sure that if she had googled him, she would have found pictures of him and his wife. But she felt weird doing so. It was as if she was invading their privacy, and it reminded her too much of Henry's behaviour who hacked into her social media to make sure she would remain faithful and not flirt with boys online. The irony.
Shortly after, they arrived at the restaurant, though Jace was still on the phone, anything in his demeanour clearly showing that he was not happy with what he was hearing on the other end of the phone. He started barking about cutting off heads, and so Clary instinctively took his hand in hers, and gently squeezed it in the hope to calm him. She doubted that Jace was the type of man who liked other people seeing him lose his temper, and they were in the streets.
Jace looked at her with an eyebrow raised, and she sweetly smiled to him, closing her eyes and motioning him to deeply breathe in through his nose, which he did, before squeezing back her hand. He ended the conversation, saying that he would sleep on it, and they walked inside the restaurant, Jace's bad mood still rather obvious to Clary, though she could tell he was trying to contain it.
"Do you want to rant about it? I mean, I might not understand a word of what you'll say, but it would make you feel better if you get it out."
He briefly looked at her, his golden eyes scanning right through her soul, and she felt her face heat up under the intensity of his gaze, but he simply shook his head and told her, "As much as the offer is appreciated, I will keep it for another time."
He smiled to her, one of his rare smile that was innocent and genuine, not full of innuendos, not a smug little smirk, just a simple smile that was contagious, and he pulled a chair for her to sit next to another redhead who was vividly talking to Valentine.
When Jace sat next to her, Valentine interrupted his interlocutor and hailed Clary with his friendly ways, before presenting his wife, "Clarissa Fray, I'd like you to meet my wife, Jocelyn Morgenstern."
The woman turned her head to greet Clary, and though Clary couldn't help the staring, she had managed not to let her jaw drop open. Three deep cuts stood in the middle of Jocelyn's face, making it impossible for anyone to pretend as though they were not there.
For what seemed to last forever, Clary kept on staring at the woman, though she tried to see the person beneath the scars. The first thought that came to her mind was that Jocelyn and she had a lot of similarities (despite the obvious wounds). They were both redheads with bright green eyes and fair skin.
But before she could start fantasising about being related to Valentine's wife, she noticed the difference as well. Jocelyn's eyes were small, whereas hers were big like the moon. Their facial features looked nothing alike, and even their built were different. It was just a coincidence that they shared a couple of features.
Finally, she snapped out of her trance and blushed a deep red as she apologised, "I am so sorry. That was really rude of me."
Jocelyn benevolently smiled at her, her eyes sparkling, and for a moment, it seemed that her scars faded away. "You're not the first, and I can assure you that you won't be the last.
She was about to pretend as if nothing when she remembered Jace's warning.
"What happened?"
"An unfortunate camping trip, and a very angry grizzly bear. I got very lucky. Though some people wouldn't say that."
Clary carefully looked at Jocelyn's scars and admitting that the redhead was right, she had been lucky, the wounds seemed very deep, and yet, she still had both of her eyes completely valid. She felt a burst of compassion for the woman, knowing that it was probably not easy on her to be looked at every day because of her scars.
She looked down, about to change the topic, when she saw Jocelyn's hands showing fading scars of burns. Jocelyn followed her gaze, and said matter-of-factly, "That is a story for another time."
"Of course, you can't tell me all about how you nailed a grizzly bear andsurvived a fire in one sitting. We need to keep some conversation for the next time we'll meet."
Jocelyn smiled with fondness at Clary's attempt to lighten the mood, and she told her, rolling her eyes with humour.
"Especially if we get caught in yet another one of those business dinners. It starts all well and business-y, but at the point when dessert is served, they all reinvent themselves kings of the world."
Jace never made any comments about her budding relationship with the Morgensterns. But Clary's first impressions concerning Jace's own relationship with his lawyer turned out to be wrong. She had thought that they had a sort of friendship, but the more she spent time with Jace, the more she realised that what he had told her at the end of the previous year was true, he didn't have any friend.
She couldn't tell if it was lonely, because Jace didn't seem to mind. He thrived in being alone and working non-stop. But she knew it would be hard for herself if she had no one. now, she had Magnus, and her two grannies, and Madame Dorothea who invited her for tea once a month and always insisted on her bringing Magnus as well.
Jace had no-one. Even though he had a family in Seattle, he didn't spend any time with them, and from what Clary could tell, he wasn't contacting them that much either. She thought it was sad, but in the meantime, Jace didn't seem t suffer from this lifestyle. It was sad, but she wasn't sure if she should feel sad for him since he liked his life as a loner.
And though Jace liked his solitude and working to the point of exhaustion, she still noticed that he was contacting her more and more often. Not that she minded. After all, Jace had told her that she was his balance, so if she could make him feel like a normal human being from time to time, she was all up for it.
Jace had also started becoming more tactile after she met Simon Lewis at a charity gala. Jace never said a word about the man, but he had told Clary enough times that he was a jealous man, and though they were not a real couple, Clary could understand that he did not appreciate that someone was trying to flirt with her when they were officially together.
Not that she gave any opening to Simon Lewis. Though he was a charming and apparently fun man, she remembered from her dinner with Jace Mary and Ann that Jace did not seem to hold Simon Lewis high in his esteem and so she made it clear to the young man that she was not interested in pursuing any sort of relationship with him.
She had only seen Simon Lewis twice after meeting him that first time at a gala and had always done her best to spend as little time with him as possible. Not that she needed to try hard, because Jace was all over her case whenever Simon Lewis was also at an event where he was. But his more hands-on approach did not decrease whenever Simon Lewis was not around.
Jace had taken Clary out of the State a couple of times during weekends, and he made sure to keep her glued to him. She didn't argue to that, because that was the base of their relationship, they were supposed to look like a couple for the rest of the world, but still, she couldn't help that there was more than business in his touches. It felt more like he was staking his claim, rather than them being in a simple business relationship.
Still, though the two of them kept on teasing and playing with one another, neither of them ever made that move that would breach their contract. A part of Clary just wanted to jump Jace's bones. After all, he was hot, and sometimes, she regretted having agreed to this whole contract with him. But on the other hand, she never would have gotten to know Jace otherwise, and she liked being his friend. Not because of the financial aspect of it, but because Jace was genuinely a nice guy, under all the layers of stern clones he gave of.
Sure, Jace always made sure to give her the finer things in life, and she couldn't really complain about this. For instance, she was meeting with Mary and Ann every month to go to a broadway show, and Jace always paid for her ticket. He even upgraded their seats for a representation of The Phantom Of The Opera, so they could have the best views. And every time he had asked her to come with him to another state, he had booked an extra suite for her, always giving her access to every service the hotel could offer.
But the moments she liked the most where when Jace forgot that he was a CEO, that he was 50MIL, that he was such an important person with millions of lives relying on him. It was the moments when he would send her a random picture that made him smile, or when he would text her to simply have a conversation with her, or when he would try to bargain his way into getting baked goods.
She had discovered that Jace had quite a sweet tooth, and she always found it sweet and funny that he could suddenly act so childishly just at the prospect that he would get cookies to muffins. Usually, she would threaten to never bake for him again when he would be abroad and would WhatsApp her pictures of the beautiful views he got. She would pretend to get offended and mad, and he would promise not to do it again ... until the next time, he would be abroad with another beautiful scenery before his eyes.
Now, she was busy studying in the library, making a schedule for spring break that was coming the week after, when her phone buzzed in her purse. She quickly checked it, before sending her caller to voicemail, surprised that Jace was calling her. Though they contacted each other quite often, and it wasn't usual for Jace to get in touch, even if he didn't need her, he rarely called. The only time he called where when they had already agreed to meet, and he would confirm the time and place.
But since she was at the library, Jace was going to have to wait for her to leave to get in touch with her. She went back to her scheduling, not able to hide a little smile when she saw that Jace texted her, asking for her to call him when she would be free.
This was something that she liked about their relationship, though she could easily see why it wouldn't work for many people on a real relationship. They could easily go a whole week without contacting each other, without making it awkward afterwards. They also respected each other's work and studies, which she knew couldn't work for other people. Henry never would have accepted for her to pull out a book to study whilst they would get ready to go somewhere, and she never minded that Jace took phone calls in the middle of them having dinner, even when it was just the two of them.
She could see why Jace wasn't interested in getting a girlfriend, he worked a lot and she didn't know a single girl who would accept this sort of behaviour long term, no matter how low-key the girl could be. Even she knew that this could lead to some unhappy thoughts if she had been in a real relationship with Jace. Not so much for herself, because she knew that this was how he was, and he didn't mean ill, but in the long run, this wasn't the type of behaviour she would want to show her children. So she knew that no matter what, Jace and she would only be friends, they didn't share the same idea of an ideal future.
Once she was done, she packed her stuff and went to Magnus's place. Once a week, Magnus and her spent the night together though it was more and more often, that she would spend the night at his place, rather than the opposite. The guy that Magnus had met in the club was starting to become more and more present in her friend's life, not that she really cared.
On the contrary, Karl was really nice and easy-going, and he loved to cook as well. More often than not, the two of them cooked together, and Magnus often joked that they should both move in with him, so he would have his own personal chefs on demand.
Karl never asked anything about Jace to either Clary or Magnus, though he made it very clear that he had seen the article and that he knew that she had a very famous and rich 'boyfriend'. Still, he always joined Magnus in making dirty jokes when Clary would meet up with Jace, though he sometimes looked at Clary as if she was a prude little girl, which lead her to believe that Karl thought of her as a virgin.
Neither Magnus or Karl were home when she got there, but she knew Magnus was working until 8 pm, and that Karl was more than likely going to go and pick him up. So she started cooking for the three of them, so they could eat as soon as the couple arrived, and she decided to call Jace whilst doing so.
He answered at the first ring, which surprised Clary. She had been expecting him to be busy or in a meeting.
"Hey. What's up?"
"What are you doing?" He asked, suspicion in his voice. She shrugged, cutting onions as she let him know, "Cooking."
Just at this moment, the front door opened, making her jump and revealing both Magnus and Karl who said a loud and enthusiastic 'Honey, I'm home'. She frowned, taking the phone out of her pocket to check the time and realised that it was later than she thought. She smiled to the boys, readjusting her earbuds only to hear the jealousy in Jace's voice as he all but demanded,
"Who was that?"
"Just Karl. I'm actually making ratatouille for him because I learnt last week that he's never had any."
"I've never had any," Jace retorted, his voice now pouty.
"Don't lie. You were in Paris just last week."
He had gone for Paris and the first thing he did was to send her a picture of a sunset on the River Seine. Of course, that resulted with a lot of threats about her never making anything sweet for him, and Jace promising yet again to not tease her again. And when Magnus and Karl had come to her place, they ended up watching Ratatouille, eating pizza and ice-cream, like the three adults they were.
Though she didn't feel like she should justify herself to anyone, Clary had soon talked to Jace about Karl when it was obvious that Magnus was seeing the man as something serious and that she was bound to spend more and more time with him. Jace didn't say a word about it, but there was always that little text asking if she meant Karl and Magnus when she would tell him she had friends over.
"True. But I never had any ratatouille made by you."
"Well, that's a whole different thing. Karl happens to be nice to me, so I cook him nice stuff. You, on the other hand, keep on rubbing your nice sunsets on the River Seine in my face. So, I think you'll get soupe de cailloux. (soup of pebbles)"
"How about I give you a very nice view next week? Will you cook for me, then?"
"Aren't you back in Seattle, next week?"
"Isn't it spring break, next week?"
"It is. But I didn't plan to party and get drunk through the whole week. I was actually planning on — "
"Studying?" He cut her off, and she could picture him smirking at her, even though he was miles away, in London at the moment. "I just thought you could study here in Seattle. You know, change the scenery for a while."
This made her stop what she was doing for a moment. She looked at all the veggies simmering in their juices, lost in her thoughts for a second, and she suddenly became very aware of Magnus's presence in the kitchen. She turned her head, to see if he needed something, but all he did was smirk at her, wiggling his eyebrows at her and mimicking one of those sickening people in romcoms when they were on the phone with their significant others.
She rolled her eyes, and asked for some clarifications, "When you say Seattle, you mean ..."
"My place. I figured it would be hard for you to cook for me if you're in a hotel room."
"Jace ..." She wasn't sure if she could trust herself around Jace for a whole week. After all, she had already woken up several times with very vivid dreams starring Jace, and that left her longing for more and having to take care of things in her own hands.
"I have plenty of guest rooms, Clary. And I work all day long, as you know. You'll be alone all the time and will get to study as much as you'd like."
There was a sort of edge in his tone, and she understood that, though he would never say it, he really wanted for her to come. She thought of arguing for a second, because she was no saint, and it felt like playing with fire to go to his place for a whole week, but in the end, she caved in. Her friend was asking for her to spend time with him, and she would be a terrible friend if she refused him that smile thing.
Still, she made sure that her voice didn't sound as if she hated the idea of spending time with Jace. After all, men could often be oversensitive.
"You just want pancakes every morning for a week."
"Well, I wouldn't say no to that," He said, and she could hear the smile in his voice.
She rolled her eyes, ignoring Magnus squealing next to her as he apparently understood from her end of the conversation that she was going to spend spring break with Jace.
"Anyway, I'm not sure you should have pancakes, to begin with. I mean, you just spent a whole week in Paris, eating croissants, pains au chocolat, and baguettes every single day. Can your body afford more of those daily carbs?"
"Clary... you know very well that my body can afford those carbs. But if you're so worried about my calorie intake, you could always help me burn those away. I know several cardio moves that I could show you, and would take care of all those carbs."
"Awww, it's sweet how you think you could teach me something in that department. Remember, 'Lady in the streets, freak in the sheets'."
"Well, though I can attest of the lady part, I am still waiting for the freak part," Jace retorted and though Clary usually knew how to bite back, she had nothing.
Jace seemed to take her small silence as his victory, because she heard his small rictus of satisfaction, and told her,
"I have to go. I'll send you your ticket tonight, and Kyle will come to pick you up at the airport."
She hung up, still annoyed that Jace had had the last word this time. He was always smugger when she would see him after he had had the last word over their teasing. And talking about smug, Magnus was smirking at her, sitting on a chair and waiting for her to spill the bin.
She resumed her focus on her cooking, though there was nothing left to do, and started doing the dishes as her friend asked, "So, I'm guessing I won't see you over spring break?"
"Well... no. Jace asked for me to come."
"Business dinner?" Magnus smugly asked, though he already knew the answer.
Despite the fact that Magnus knew the contractual nature of her relationship with Jace, and the fact that he often warned her not to be one of the girls who got caught in the web of those rich men, he still basked in that deluded idea that Jace and her would end up being an item. And no matter how many times she would remind her friend that she was being paid for her presence by Jace's side, he still always interpreted the minute little details as a proof of their budding romance.
Like the fact that Jace didn't like Simon Lewis and made sure to be photographed kissing Clary's cheek to stake his claim. Or the fact that he would always let Clary know when he was travelling. Or the fact that he flew to New York to congratulate her in person when she had aced her first semester. All of those little things were proofs in Magnus's eyes of Jace's and Clary's blooming love. Unlike Clary who was rational about the whole affair, he did not see the signs of mutual friendship.
"No. I'm being kidnapped for cooking reasons this time."
"Trust me, Biscuit. The moment you start cooking for that man, he's going to put a ring on it. I would if it didn't feel so wrong to do so."
"I would marry you in a heartbeat, Magnus. You know that."
He smiled, his eyes sparkling with emotions before getting up and engulfing her in a bear hug. She gave him back his hug, and when they broke their embrace, he told her,
"I'm helping you pack, though. Because what you had for that Washington weekend was just boring. Jace hangs around suits all day, he doesn't want to come home to a nun."
"Jace doesn't care how I dress when we're not outside."
"Oh, Biscuit. You might be very smart, but when it comes to these matters, you're just a woman. Trust me, he cares."
.~°~. .~°~. .~°~.
The plane bringing Clary from New York to Seattle landed late on a Monday afternoon, and she happily saw Kyle waiting for her. Unlike the other time, she climbed on the front seat, though Kyle was as talkative as usual, meaning that unless asked a direct question, he would not utter a word. She had expected it and simply opened a book during the ride to Jace's apartment.
She had no idea of where he lied, though she was pretty sure that he would live in central Seattle, she doubted that Jace would like wasting time in traffic. She wasn't surprised when Kyle turned and entered the garage of a tall building that screamed wealth just by the look of it, and she was even less surprised when hey took the elevator and found themselves a short while later in the penthouse on top of the building.
What surprised her, however, was to find a young woman, probably a couple of years older than her waiting for her, all smiles as soon as she stepped inside the apartment.
"Good afternoon, Miss Steele. I'm Sarah Kyle. Would you like some refreshments?"
"Kyle?" Clary repeated, her eyes going straight to the woman's hand and spotting her wedding ring on her fourth finger, as well as a small baby bump.
"I'm okay, thank you. I'm just going to... wait for Jace."
"Let me show you to your room," Kyle said, taking her suitcase and directing her further into the apartment as Sarah Kyle made herself scarce.
Clary had to admit that she was surprised. Kyle had never mentioned that he had a wife, and he wasn't wearing any ring. But then again, she knew that Kyle wasn't just a driver, but the head of security for Jace and his company, and police officers usually did not wear their rings whilst on duty. This probably applied to security guys who took their jobs as seriously as Kyle.
There was also the fact that maybe, Sarah Taylor might not be married to Jordan Taylor. After all, their age difference seemed bigger than the one between Jace and her. She would say that there was easily a fifteen years gap between the two of them, if not more. She didn't really care, but it made her curious.
"So, I didn't know you were married, Kyle."
"Oh? Were you planning on making a move on me when the boss isn't looking?" He grinned, subtly giving Clary her answer. The two Kyles were indeed husband and wife.
Still, she rolled her eyes and shook her finger at him, as she let him know, "I would have given you goodies to bring to your wife if I had known. But instead, I see that Jace is not the only one who needs to learn to share."
He chuckled, opening a door for her to enter, and let her be. It was a simple room, all white without anything to make it personalised, but she didn't expect much, it was a guest room after all, even if a hot room seemed more inviting than this room.
On the bed, there was a jewellery box that contained a beautiful necklace as well as her payment. She smiled, taking the necklace in her hands and not surprised to see that it was a Cartier necklace. At some point, Clary wondered if Jace had shared at Cartier because he never bought her jewellery from another shop. He had actually bought her the entire Panthère collection, and had now moved on to the Clash collection, which she was sure was just as pricey.
She looked at the box that hid yet another purse for her, and she couldn't help but frown. This avalanche of gift Jace had for her every time they would meet was starting to make her uncomfortable. It felt like he was spending more on her than what was agreed to begin with.
"You know, you don't have to give me a gift every time we meet."
"I know. But I noticed that receiving an envelope was making you uncomfortable, and I don't want you to be uncomfortable when it comes to me."
Clary smiled, doing her best to not to blush. She appreciated that Jace had noticed this little thing about her, though she had never said a word about it, and still, she didn't want to take advantage of this obvious proof that he was a nice man.
"You shouldn't —"
"It's nothing to me, Clary. If I minded, I wouldn't have done it in the first place."
Clary took the necklace out of the box and tried it on, just to see how she would have to do her hair when she would get to wear the necklace. She played a bit with her hair, before putting the necklace back in its box, and taking her laptop out of its bag so she could study.
She lost herself in her notes, until her laptop died, snapping her back to reality. She looked up, only realising now that the sun had set, and decided to take a shower before she would go out to grab a bite. She was just fresh out of her shower, her hair wet and her body steaming, when someone knocked on her door.
She quickly went to open it, expecting Kyle to let her know that he was off for the day or something. But instead, she found Jace in her doorframe, smirking at her as his eyes travelled down her body and making her feel that she had forgotten her towel in the bathroom.
For a moment, Jace said nothing, all too happy to stare at her, before he finally talked, "There is a God, after all."
She rolled her eyes, trying to put the door between her body and Jace's avid eyes, but he prevented her from doing so by slightly moving his body so she couldn't budge the door. "I think it's only fair, given the number of times youhave ogled me in a towel."
"Well, if you looked less ... like a GQ model, I wouldn't ogle," She retorted, keeping her arms crossed over her chest to make sure her towel wouldn't fall by an unfortunate move.
"So, you think I look like a GQ model?"
"Don't pretend you don't know it."
"I don't. I'm just trying to find a comparison that would do you justice."
"Well, you already gave me your best line, Wayland. You can't really top museum piece of art, not that I mind."
He chuckled once again, his eyes going from head to toe before he cleared his throat and told her the reason for his knocking on her door in the first place, "Dinner should be ready in half an hour if you're hungry."
"You cook?"
He snorted, clearly amused by her assumption, and he said, "I thought you were smart enough to figure out that cooking is not one of my fortes."
"And there I thought you could be perfect. Well, give me five minutes to slip in something comfier."
"Or you could simply drop the towel. I promise I won't mind."
She rolled her eyes and grabbed the clothes she had selected before her shower before going back to the bathroom to get dressed there. When she came out, she saw Jace sitting at the edge of the bed, talking to someone on the phone. He looked up when he heard her, his face showing his disappointment when he saw that she was no longer in a towel before he cut his telephonic conversation short.
"Care for a tour?" He proposed, and she followed him around.
He showed her his whole apartment and the ridiculous amount of rooms that she deemed unnecessary. After all, why did he need a TV room and a game room and a library, when he was living on his own? But what was worst for Clary, was the lack of life in this apartment. She felt like she was visiting an Ikea store. An expensive one, for sure, but there was no soul, and so, when they sat in the dining room and had their dinner served by Mrs Kyle (a fact that she found too ceremonious, to begin with), she asked,
"So, did you ever think of hiring an interior designer?"
"Not really. I don't see the point. I don't spend much time here. My real home is at the office."
"Will I get to see it?" She asked, curious to see if his office showed a bit more life than his apartment.
He did propose to her to show it to her on New Year's Eve, but it was after she had had a few drinks, and she didn't trust herself to be alone with him at that time.
Now, Jace was looking at her with lust shining brightly in his eyes, and she did not need a crystal ball to know what he was thinking about. She smirked, pointing her fork at him, as she reminded him of his own philosophy,
"Behave, Jace. Don't start getting dirty images in your head, because we both know that you won't be able to fap them away."
.~°~. .~°~. .~°~.
A couple after she arrived in Seattle, Clary had to admit that Jace had been right, living with hi was just the same as being at the hotel, except that she would have someone to have dinner with. Jace would only come back in the evening, never before eight, not that she minded because it gave her the whole day to study. Of course, as she had promised, she had cooked for him, breakfast and dinners, though Jace made a point that he had only been teasing her and that Mrs Kyle would be more than happy to cook for them.
But Clary liked to cook, and she liked it even more when she saw that Jace loved her cooking. As Magnus had seen right when he said Jace would try to keep her as a cook. Though he kept it under banter, he did mention that Mrs Kyle would soon enough go on maternity leave, and he would need someone else to cook for him. To which Clary rotted that no matter how rich he was, he couldn't afford her.
Still, she liked that Jace appreciated so much her food and that he never shied away from serving himself twice. She had half a mind to surprise him at work on Friday for lunch, but she had no idea how his schedule worked, and she didn't want to interrupt an important meeting or something.
She also made a point to have them eat by the kitchen island because it felt so impersonal to eat in the dining room when it was just the two of them. Sure, both of them would still work whilst eating, but it was still more convivial than to eat in that cold room.
On Wednesday morning, Clary had just come back from her run and was making pancakes when Jace came in the kitchen, dressed in his expensive suit and ready to conquer the world like any other day. He looked at her, taking in her outfit and her sweaty skin before he asked,
"Don't you ever sleep? It's barely half-seven, and you've already jog and cooked."
"Says the guy who runs on barely four hours of sleep a night," She retorted, putting a plate of pancakes in front of him.
He didn't say a word, slightly shaking his head, his eyes still on her skin tight outfit. She was wearing leggings and a tank top that both hugged perfectly every curve of her body, and though it was anything but vulgar, it was clear that it was leaving very little to Jace's imagination.
"You do know that I have a gym in this flat. I showed it to you on Monday. And there is a pool as well."
"I know. But I like to breathe fresh air. besides, I'm training for a marathon and you're fancy gym won't help."
"My fancy gym doesn't have creepers, though. It can be dangerous for a young wo—"
"Haha. Come on, Jace. I live in New York, and I've been running since I started working for you. And I'm still waiting for a modern Charles Manson to attack me. No offence to Seattle, but if New York didn't kill me, I think I'm good for this city."
Jace frowned, not happy with her answer. "You're being too carefree. All it takes is one time. You don't even go when it's bright outside. If I had known that —"
"No offence, Jace, but I don't need you to act like my father. I appreciate the worry, but I'm a big girl. I can take care of myself, and I've already handled unwanted guys. Stop worrying, it will turn you grey before your age," She cut him off, kissing his cheek to make it seem less like an argument.
He was about to say something else when she let him now that she was going to take a shower, and so he simply shook his head, though she was sure the argument was not over for him. She was about to leave the kitchen when he said,
"Can I make a special request for tonight's dinner?"
"If I can make it, yes."
"Lasagna?"
"Easy, peasy."
The smile Jace gave her at that instant made him look like a child who had discovered an extra present on Christmas Day.
.~°~. .~°~. .~°~.
‼️REMEMBER, MY CHARACTERS ARE OOC‼️
Later in that afternoon, Clary interrupted her studying to do some recreational research on the net. When she had been running earlier, she had seen a poster for skydiving, and she had always wanted to do something fun during her spring break. After all, it wasn't because she hadn't planned to drink herself to oblivion that it meant that she couldn't do something exciting.
She looked at the openings, glad to see that there was still some sessions opened on both Friday and Saturday. The weather had been rather lenient since she had arrived on Monday, and she hoped that the infamous Seattle weather would not catch up on her.
Then, she left her bedroom to go to the kitchen and bakes some cookies to go with the lasagnas she would make for dinner. She was even considering making herself the pasta for the lasagnas since Jace seemed to like so much the idea of eating lasagnas for dinner.
She went to the kitchen, unsurprised to find it empty. Jace had told her that Mrs Kyle had been his housekeeper and cook for even longer than Kyle had been his security guard and that she wouldn't mind doing the cooking. But Clary liked the idea of making the food herself and given the fact that Sarah Taylor was pregnant, she didn't mind stepping in for her during the week she would stay with Jace.
So it was knowing that she had free rein over Jace's kitchen that she opened the pantry and looked for flour, putting on some music from the '50s. Though she was usually rather fond of modern music on which she could shake her booty, she still liked the old voices and riffs from the fifties and sixties.
"Well, this is something I wasn't expecting," Said a male voice behind her, making her hiccup of fright and throw the bag of flour she was holding at the intruder.
She turned around and found a man covered with flour. He was looking at her with a jovial smile and blue eyes sparkling beneath the white flour as they quickly took his her shorts and tank top, making her feel really self-conscious. She knew it was still light for the season, but Jace always had the heater on, and she felt like she was living in a nuclear plant. It was always too hot in his apartment, though according to him, it was just the right temperature.
The newcomer made a step toward her, and she stepped back, grabbing the first thing that came to her hand, which happened to be a frying pan. The man's blue eyes analysed her move, and he peacefully put his hands up, letting her know,
"I'm going to take a wild guess here, and assume that the idiot never talked about me. I am Alec, Jace's brother."
She still did not make any friendly gesture, only looking at the man with suspicion as she tried to find a common denominator between the two men. But besides their height, there seemed to be nothing. Though, if she was fair, Alecwas covered in flour which made it difficult to really see his features.
"So..." He said, hoping that she would break this uncomfortable sense that she was imposing him, but when she didn't, keeping her frying pan ready fr attack, he took a step back and announced, "I am going to grab a quick shower and get rid of this flour, okay?"
She watched him walked further into the apartment, and she had to concede that he seemed to know the place. Moreover, there was a concierge at the front desk, and one needed a code to get to Jace's penthouse. As soon as he was out of sight, she took her phone and tiptoed her way to the front room as she texted Jace.
What's your brother's name? Clary
She didn't have to wait for even a minute. The response was immediate, and though the words were in writing, Clary could hear the ordering tone behind them.
Kick him out! Jace
She rolled her eyes and went back to the kitchen. That simple text was proof enough that Jace knew his brother was here, and she was certainly not going to kick out one of his family members. She cleaned the mess she created by throwing the bag of four in the poor man's face and checked to see if there was another one.
When she saw that there was none, she quickly passed by her room to grab her coat and her bag and left the penthouse to do some quick shopping. She didn't think she would be long and expected to be back by the time Alec would be out of the shower, in fresh and flourless clothes.
Of course, she regretted not taking the time to put on some trousers and stayed longer than she was planning in the shop, buying more than what she came for. When she came back to the penthouse, she found Alec waiting for her in the kitchen, smirking at her. well, it seemed that smirking for no reason was a Wayland trait.
"You ratted me out," he accused her, and she simply shrugged.
"You could have been a creep, I just had to make sure."
"Fair enough. But I just had a twenty minutes lecture on how I should drop by unannounced." Alec rolled his eyes, unimpressed by his brother's words. "He tried to call you by the way."
She glanced at her phone that she had left on the kitchen counter and saw that she had several missed calls from Jace, along with a few texts, but she ignored it, presenting her hand to Alec with a bright smile, "Hi Alec. I'm Clary. Sorry about earlier and the flour."
"Haha, don't worry. At least, now I know that Jace doesn't need a guard dog," He lightly said with a friendly smile, before slightly frowning as an afterthought came to him,
"Not that I'm calling you a bitch."
"That's because you don't know me, yet," She joked, and Alec laughed.
He watched her measure her ingredients for cookies, a hint of nostalgia in his blue eyes before he asked, "Are you making a cake?"
"Nah, just cookies. Maybe I'll make some pasta for lasagnas later on. We'll see."
"Lasagnas?"
"Yeah, Jace asked for it."
"Of course, he did. So, how did you two love birds meet? And more importantly, how did my brother make you fall for him? Because we both know that his people skills are the worst."
She couldn't help the small laugh that escaped her lips, because she knew that Jace's social skills were terrible. She usually forgot about it, because she knew it was how he was, and she didn't want to change him, but his social skills were one of the reasons why he didn't have a real girlfriend, to begin with. She understood where he came from, he built his company out of nowhere and his company would always come first, but not everyone could understand or live with that.
"Well, your brother can be quite charming when he wants to," She said with a smile, turning her back as she explained to Alec, "And to answer your question, Jace and I met when I was working at the hotel he usually says in when in New York."
Alec wiggled his eyebrow at her, and she quickly took his mind out of the gutter, "No. It's not what you think. I was just working for the room service. And yes, it sounds like what you think, but no!"
Alec burst in laughter, and she couldn't help but smile a little as well, admitting that her explanation was really bad and only made her look more suspicious. "Don't sweat it, I'm only teasing. So, are you still working there?"
"No, I stopped a couple of months before Jace and I got together. It was hard to keep up with my studies."
"What are you studying?"
"Law?"
"And Jace knows that?" Alec asked, seemingly surprised. Clary put her first batch of cookies in the oven, and started making the dough for pasta as she said,
"Yes. He actually put me in contact with my future employer."
"Jace put you in contact with a lawyer?"
"Is that so shocking?"
"Yes. Jace has two mottos in life. Don't mix business with pleasure, and don't mix your personal life with your work life."
He was looking at her, his blue eyes still showing shock over what he just discovered and all Clary could do was a shrug. Of course, from her knowledgeable perspective, she knew that Jace did not stray from his mottos, but from his brother's point-of-view, Jace was doing things that did not fit his character.
Still, Alec did not push the issue further, and turned the conversation toward another topic, "So, you want to be a lawyer. I guess there is such a thing as a pretty shark."
"Oh, come on. All lawyers aren't that bad."
"Name me one good lawyer."
"MLK?"
"A great guy in the streets, not so much in his marriage."
"Gandhi?"
"I can't take seriously a guy who fought so much for his country but still believed in the caste system."
"Lincoln?"
"The guy who freed the slaves to get more votes?"
"So, no lawyers will ever find grace in your eyes?" She resumed, and once again, she saw that hint of nostalgia in his eyes.
"I don't think a lawyer can be good and rich at the same time. But maybe you'll prove me wrong."
"You know what, when I will, I promise to let you sue me for assault by flour."
They both laughed as she put the second row of cookies in the oven. Alec reached to take a cookie out of the tray, and she put her hands on her hips, admonishing him, "You're just like your brother. At least wait for them to cool down!"
"You're just like my mother," He pouted, and finally she saw the resemblance between Jace and his brother. Even though they looked nothing alike, they had the same way to furrow their brows as their lips slightly parted with annoyance.
"By the way, just a heads up, Mom is going to lose it when she knows you're here. She's been moaning for months for Jace to bring you home, but you know him, he always pretends he's busy."
"He is really busy, though."
"And yet, he finds time to go to New York to see you at least twice a month. Don't get me wrong, if you had been waiting for me in New York, I would have done the same. Expect that I am definitely more fun than my Lil' bro."
"I have no doubt about that," She assured, shaking her head as she proposed him a cookie. But just at that moment, the elevator pinged, and Jace stormed inside the apartment, glaring at his brother.
"Out!" He demanded, showing the elevator to his brother with his finer before he strode to Clary, and took the cookie out of her hand to put it back on the tray. She saw Alec wickedly smirk at his brother's back, as he asked with a pretence innocence,
"Afraid I'll spill the beans, bro?"
"I tried to call you," Jace said, ignoring his brother as his golden eyes slowly took in her shorts and tank top.
This seemed to be a sort of ritual that he had developed over the past couple of days. He would always take a couple of seconds to appreciate what she was wearing, and now that he was obviously not left indifferent by her attire, she started to wonder if he made sure that his apartment was extra warm on purpose.
"I went out to buy a couple of things," She explained, shrugging as she turned and bent over to take the last batch of cookies out of the oven.
She heard him breathe in deeply, and when she turned to face him again, he was removing his coat, his eyes on her shorts as he asked, "And were you wearing those shorts when you went out?"
"Yes, she was," Alec answered for her, still smirking at his brother as he took the cookie that he had been supposed to have before Jace came in.
Jace turned to glare once again at his brother, "Why are you still here?"
"Can't I spend some quality time with my baby brother's gorgeous girlfriend?"
"Don't you have kids to take care of?"
"I do, but Mom is babysitting. In exchange, I have to bring your sorry house home. You know, same old, same old. Mom making a big deal out of you getting older, and you all the excuses in the book to skip last second. She's not having that this time. You either come tonight, or Saturday for the big party. Your choice."
Clary watched as Jace's back visibly tensed, but she kept for herself the surprise that it was Jace's birthday. She had no idea, but now it made sense that Alec's first deduction when he saw her with flour was to assume she was making a cake.
"I'm busy," Jace said with a chipped tone, and though Clary could see from Alec's point-of-view that it just sounded like an excuse, she knew Jace wasn't lying. He was always working, even when he was home.
"Busy, shmusy. Tell him, Clary."
She put her hand on Jace's shoulder when she saw that he was about to retort something an talked for him, because she didn't want the two siblings to start arguing with one another, and she also knew that Jace needed to find some balance and see his family more,
"Well, I was planning something special for Jace tonight, and... well, it isn't a group activity. But he will definitely come Saturday see your parents, I'll make sure of that."
Alec wiggled his eyebrows at her, taking the first part of her sentence exactly as she had intended, and he got up, letting her know, "Well, that was easy. I'll let Mom know, then. She'll be ecstatic. It's been at least a decade since we've had the pleasure of your presence for a birthday."
Jace glared at his brother, though at this point, Clary was sure that he hadn't stopped doing so ever since he came in the apartment. Alec took another cookie from the tray, earning yet another glare, and told Clary, "Those are delicious,by the way. If you ever want to make an honest living, I'll hire you as my personal baker. Remember, I'm the fun Wayland, in and outside the bedroom."
Then, he left, though Jace kept on glaring at the spot where his brother had been sitting long after he was gone, until he finally seemed to snap out of it and muttered under his breath,
"I'm going to work in my office."
Clary said nothing, though she still noticed that he took a plate of cookies to go with him and once she was alone, she put back on her coat and took her purse to go back to the store and buy some candles and balloons. If today was Jace's birthday, she was going to make sure he would celebrate, even if it was just for a half an hour.
On her way back to the apartment, she thought of what she could offer the man to mark the occasions, but nothing came in mind. After all, what could one offer to a man who could have anything he wanted? It was only in the elevator that she realised that the best thing she could gift him was an experience. She just hoped that he never skydived before.
Once back in the kitchen, she made a chocolate cake on which she wrote Happy Birthday with white chocolate, and she prepared the lasagna, so she would only have to put it in the oven when it would be dinner time. She also decorated the kitchen with balloons, and a banderole wishing Jace a happy birthday. It wasn't much, but she was sure that it was more than he had over the past decade, at least, according to Alec.
Then, she went back to her room and texted Magnus about her latest discovery.
It's Jace's birthday, today. Clary
Didn't you know? Clary, you need to google the man at some point. I mean, I thought that was the whole purpose of you going to see him this week, so you could spend his birthday together. Magnus
How do you even know it's his birthday. Stop being a creepy stalker and googling the guy every chance you get. Clary
I know because every year, his parents throw this big party, but since he never shows up, they turned it into a fundraiser. It was on WatchMojo, Top10 famous people who don't celebrate their birthdays. Magnus
Yeah, his brother mentioned something like that. Maybe I shouldn't have baked him a cake. Maybe he doesn't want to celebrate at all. Maybe I should just come back home. Clary
Don't be stupid. Jace asked you to be there. If he didn't want you, he would have kept his mouth shut. now, maybe he'd like a certain type of gift, and it's up to you if you're in a sharing mood 😏 Magnus
Clary rolled her eyes, though she had to give reason to Magnus. Jace had asked her to come, knowing his birthday was coming. It would have been really easy for him to avoid her if he didn't want to spend the day with her. So, after studying for a few hours, she changed into something a bit cuter than simple shorts and a top, and went to put the lasagnas in the oven whilst she made some salad to go with it.
She hesitated to knock on the door leading to the Kyles apartment to ask them to join, but she wasn't sure what type of relationship Jace had with his staff, and she didn't want to make any of them uncomfortable.
Once the food was ready, she went to knock on the door of Jace's office and when he told her to enter, she peeped her head in, only to see him on the phone, making his way to the door as he said with temper to the phone, "I don't care, Aline. Make it clear that either they agree to my terms, either they get ready to sink deep."
He then hung up, his eyes solely on Clary as he took in her dress.
"I didn't mind the shorts. I just would have rather to be the only one to see you in them."
"You can be quite a caveman sometimes, you know that, right?" Clary said, slightly shaking her head, though she took the time to release her hair from her bun. After all, if it was going to be just the two of them for dinner, and if it was his birthday, she could do that one little thing for him, especially when it seemed so important for him.
"Anyway. Dinner is ready, are you hungry?"
"Famished. You've been torturing me for hours, now. It's been smelling good since I've come home, and all I had was a handful of cookies."
Clary rolled her eyes, though she liked it when Jace was being silly like that. She made sure that he entered the kitchen before her, and he stopped dead on his tracks when he saw the simple decorations she made for him.
"Happy birthday," She cheered, and she saw the ghost of a smile creeping on his lips. He reached for his hand, and gently squeezed it, as a small sound escaped his lips,
"Thank you."
"Come on, birthday boy. If you're nice and eat all your salad, there is even a cake for dessert," She let him know, keeping his hand in hers as she directed him to the kitchen island where they usually ate since she came to visit him.
She smiled with content when she saw how much he appreciated her food, and unlike what he usually did, he did not answer his phone every time it buzzed. This was their routine, he would work whilst eating, and she would revise her notes, or study a book, but this night, Jace ignored his phone, giving his undivided attention to Clary, though when he breached a certain topic, she would have rather he went on with their usual habit.
"So, what are you going to wear Saturday night?"
Her food went the wrong way, and she frowned, asking for clarification, "What do you mean?"
"Oh, I'm not going to that party on my own. Especially not after Alec has seen you here and went back to rat on Mom that you're here, all pleasant and sweet. If I'm going, she's expecting to see you as well."
"Well, you're a big boy, Jace. I'm sure you can go to see your family without me."
"But according to the contract, you have to come with me."
"The contract never mentioned anything about family —"
"Given the fact that they always hide those birthday parties as charity fundraisers, it's perfect. If I may, I love the colour red on you. Sin suits you well, Miss Fray."
She looked down at her plate, playing with a bit of salad tainted by the Bolognese of the lasagna whilst Jace was already midway through his second helping,
"Jace... I don't like the idea of lying to your family. The rest of the world is okay, but —"
"Don't mind them, I'll deal with them when the time comes. If I'm going to that party, I want you to be with me. Just so I can be sure to have a good time."
She nodded though a part of her was still slightly bothered by the whole thing. Jace seemed to pick up on that since he reached for her hand on the table, and added, "Take it as my birthday present."
"Oh, but I already had something planned as a present."
He retrieved his hand, his brows furrowed, visibly displeased by the idea, and she suddenly started second-guessing her initial idea. Maybe Jace really didn't like celebrating his birthday, and that he was going to be annoyed by her gesture.
"Clary... I didn't expect you to get me anything. It's not why I asked you to come."
"I know. But maybe I just like the idea of making your birthday special."
"It's just a day like any other."
"Yeah, but we already established that you were a Scrooge and that you have no notions of how to enjoy life like a normal human being."
Jace narrowed his eyes at her, and she playfully stuck her tongue out at him before getting up and bringing the cake to him, with the candles lit. She snapped a few pictures of him, laughing as she tried to picture him with a birthday hat.
"Since I do not know how to be a normal human being, I don't think I am going to share that cake with you, Miss Fray."
"You do you. But if I were you. I'd be wary of trying baked goods when the cook doesn't want to eat it first. Poison can be hidden so easily by sugar."
He laughed and served her a piece of cake, before happily digging into his own. Once again she smiled at seeing him enjoy her cooking so much.
"So, what am I getting?"
"You'll have to wait Saturday to get your present. You have no health conditions, right?"
"Unless I'm being poisoned until then, no."
They finished their dessert, and Jace went back to his office. Clary stayed in the kitchen a bit longer to clean it, even though Jace always told her not to worry about it; and Mrs Kyle appeared out of nowhere, making Clary jump out of her skin.
"You don't have to do this every night, Miss Fray. It's my job."
"I don't mind, Mrs Kyle. Would you like some cookies or a piece of birthday cake for you and your husband?"
Clary saw Mrs Kyle glance at the cookies with envy, and she presented the plate to her so she could help herself. "If we wait for Jace to share, that baby will be old enough to be a grandparent already."
Mrs Kyle giggled, before clearing her throat and regaining her composure. She sat by the kitchen island, exactly where Clary was sitting earlier, and Clary brought the stool Jace used so she could sit next to the housekeeper.
"I don't even usually like chocolate. That kid is messing up with my whole eating habits."
"Is it your first one?" Clary wondered.
She loved kids, it was one of the reasons she wanted to be a lawyer specialised in them. But she had to admit that a small part of her was a bit jealous of Mrs Kyle. She was already experiencing the ups and downs of having a child when Clary knew that this wouldn't happen for many more years. She needed to find a father for those kids first, and as long as she was with Jace, that search was on hold.
"Yes. We're going to know the gender tomorrow. Jordan is ecstatic. I have to admit that I was worried that Mr Wayland would not take the news well, but he gave me as much leave as I wanted for when the baby is born, and before, and he hired someone so Jordan would have fewer work hours. Though he still took the time to ask for an interior designer to come and isolate his office and his room against any kind of noise."
Mrs Kyle blushed and cleared her throat, slightly embarrassed and feeling that she might have said too much, but Clary sweetly smiled to her, wishing her good luck for the next day, and making her promise to let her know as soon as she would get back home.
Then, she went back to her room, and slumped on the bed, picking up a law book and only looking up from it when there was a slight knock on her door. She checked the time, highly doubting that it was Sarah Kyle coming to bond some more with her. In all honesty, she wouldn't mind one bit befriending the woman, but she felt that the housekeeper felt that they needed to keep at a distance because of how they were both associated with Jace.
She opened the door, and Jace was standing there, his tie gone and the first two buttons of his shirt undone. She carefully watched his face, seeing how tired he was, and her fingers itched to run on his strong jaw in a comforting way as the thought that Jace was working too much lingered in her brain.
"How about I show you I can be a real human, and we watch a movie together?"
"Do I get to pick?"
"As long as it's not horror."
"And there I thought you were a brave man," She jokingly said, following him to his TV room.
"Did you go out a bit? Done a bit of sightseeing?"
"No, I'm keeping that for Saturday. By the way, can you give me two hours of your time on Saturday?"
"Oh, Clary. Believe me that if I get you in my bed, it would be for more than two hours," He said with a smirk as they both sat on the couch. His golden eyes danced with lust, appreciating her figure and making her feel naked like every time he would look at her this way.
"Oh, grandpa. Stop making promises we both know you won't deliver."
.~°~. .~°~. .~°~.
For the rest of the week, Jace and Clary kept their little routine, though Clary made sure not to mention the morning after Jace's birthday. The two of them had fallen asleep in front of the biopic that they had put and had slept together in the Tv room. She had woken up when Jace did so he could get ready for work, and it seemed to both of them were doing their best to avoid talking about that night.
Over the next couple of days, she formed a strange relationship with Sarah Kyle. They were still calling each other by their surnames, but they still spent a few hours together talking about the joys of maternity and motherhood, and anticipating the baby boy that had been predicted to come for the start of July. They had even exchanged phone numbers so Clary could keep updates on the development of the pregnancy.
On Friday evening, Clary decided that she would use at least once the pool she had access to in the building, so she grabbed a towel and swimsuit before going to the pool. For an hour or so, she swam on her own, appreciating that she didn't have to share with anybody and that the water was warm and not freezing as it usually was in the public pools.
She lazily floated on her back, her eyes closed as she thought of nothing but the peace and quietude that she was in. She loved being in the water, and she had to admit that this was an advantage of being with Jace, she could take bath more often, in the hotel rooms, or in his apartment, whereas she could only take showers in her flat given the fact that she did not have a bathtub.
"Finally, I get to see you wet and on your back," Jace's voice suddenly echoed behind her, and she startled back to reality, splashing a bit around her as she put herself in a vertical position.
She found Jace looking at her from the entrance of the pool, with his ever so present smirk, and his work clothes on. She swam to the edge of the pool so she could be closer to him, and she asked with a pretence innocence, "Disappointed?"
He kneeled to be at her level, and though he was not touching her, she could feel the cold coming from his body, which let her know that he had just gotten back from work. She glanced at the clock and saw that it was almost 9 pm, and she slightly shook her head. He was going to kill himself working so much.
"Far from it." He reached so he could trace the thin outline of the muscle of her right bicep. "In fact, I would say that coming down here has been the bright light of my day."
"Careful, Jace. Out of the two of us, you're the one who can't fap at night. I on the other hand... well, I can find a helpful hand," She said, all smug as she extirpated herself from the water.
Jace held for her her towel, his eyes never leaving her body, even though she was wearing a simple one-piece, and when she wrapped the tower around her, he seemed to come back to reality, taking her left hand in his, his smirk back on his lips as he inquired,
"And have you been using this hand, lately?"
"Wouldnt you like to know?" She retorted, retaking possession of her hand to she could squeeze the water out of her hair.
The truth was, just that last night, she had woken up in a sweat and with a vivid dream of what could have happened in that TV room if Jace or her had woken up in the middle of the night with half of their brains working, and their hormones on fire.
.~°~. .~°~. .~°~.
"You know, I really could just grab a taxi back to your place and wait for you to come back," Clary said as Jace drove closer to his parents' house.
They had spent the whole afternoon together, and though she knew she shouldn't, she couldn't help but repress a laugh each time she thought back of Jace's face when he had been about to jump off a flying plane.
She had brought him along with her for her sky-diving experience, and she still couldn't tell what she liked most. The adrenaline rush, or the terrified Jace who still tried to pretend otherwise. For her part, she would have loved jumping on her own, without anyone tied to her back, but she still enjoyed this sensation of free-falling.
And though for a moment, she started regretting taking Jace with her for he seemed anything but inclined for the experience, the smile on his face when he landed shortly after her, had been enough to erase any trace of doubts she had. Especially when he briefly hugged her and whispered in her ear,
"Best birthday present I had in years."
But now, all that thrill and adrenaline was gone, and she was trying to find every excuse in the book to escape meeting with his family. She couldn't help but remember how terrible meeting with Henry's mother had been. Of course, the woman didn't upfront hated her, but she had always been subtle enough so her son would never notice, and though she knew her relationship with Jace wasn't real, she wasn't sure she could take another hostile approach like that. Probably because her relationship with Jace was fake, and she would take the hate for no reason.
"You do know that my family is made of humans, not monsters, right."
"Not funny, Jace."
"I don't think I've ever heard so many excuses in such a short period of time. Don't worry, they don't bite," Jace reassured her, taking a turn after they crossed the gates, and parking in the garage, next to a black SUV.
Kyle had been supposed to drive them in a similar car, but Clary had convinced Jace that he didn't need a driver to take him to his parents and that he should let Taylor enjoy a night off with his wife. So Jace had taken one of his sports cars, musing during half of the drive that it was inconceivable that Clary still didn't have a driving licence. And no matter how much Clary argued that she didn't need one because she lived in New York, he was set on paying for her driving lessons and her first car.
Clary didn't argue much, because she didn't want to upset him just before he would see his parents, but this was something she was going to put her foot down on. She didn't need a car, and it was written nowhere in the contract that she needed a car.
Once he cut down the motor, Jace walked to open the door of the car for Clary, his eyes taking her in with a small smile, and as he walked them down to the house by the garage door, he whispered her in her ear, "At the risk of repeating myself, that dress is perfect on you."
She smiled and followed him inside the house, taking his arm as he offered it. They could have used the main entrance, but Jace had insisted on avoiding the fuss of the main entrance, sure that a couple of photographers would be there to snap pictures. Of course, over the six months they had been together, their picture had been taken several times, but it had always been controlled by Jace's PR team, though Clary had no idea how they managed to be so performant.
Her face had only been in the media for the New Year's Eve party, otherwise, it had always been a short article mentioning that she had accompanied Jace to whatever event he had taken her to. Not that she minded. She liked that she didn't need to look over her shoulder with the dread of finding a paparazzo snapping a picture of her that could be a detriment to Jace.
If she thought that Jace's apartment was big and spacious, it was nothing compared to his parents' house. Just the garage was big enough to fit her apartment several times over in it. There were six different cars in it, plus the one Jace's had just parked there. As they walked in the house, following the large corridor and getting closer and closer to the noise, it occurred to Clary that Jace had always known wealth.
Unlike her, he never had to struggle to pay the bills, he never had to go to bed hungry, unsure of when would be his next meal, he never had to sleep on the ground. They were about to join the festivities when someone hailed Jace from behind them.
"Jace! darling, you made it. I am so glad to see you."
The woman rushed to him and held him tight against her as he returned the embrace, murmuring something in her ear. And though it came out nowhere and it was unwarranted, a surge of jealousy came over her. Jace had had this easy life, during which he had been obviously loved, and where he still had a loving family. And yet, he never took the time to see them or contact them.
She took a small step back, swallowing back her ugly emotions, but Jace still caught her miserable face before she could compose herself. He broke the embrace he had with his mother, his eyes still on Clary, analysing her before he introduced them,
"Mom, this is Clarissa Fray. Clary, my mother, Celine Wayland."
"Oh, Alec has told me so much about you, darling. And he is right, you are even prettier in real life. Let me show you around. Jace, your father will be delighted to see you. Go and try to find him."
"Let's not overwhelm Clary. I'll take her with me to find Dad," Jace said, not giving any of the women a choice and slipping his arm on her smaller back and leading her to the party.
He did not mention even once what happened when they met his mother, and Clary kept her best smile as she met many people who had seen Jace grow up. She felt out of place during the whole evening, even though this was nothing different from the usual events Jace's was usually taking her to, and after having met both his parents, she excused herself to go to the bathroom.
She stayed there longer than necessary, and on her way back, she heard Alec's voice coming from a room with a door ajar. There she saw two little boys in bed, trying to argue their way downstairs, whilst Alec was trying to convince them to go to sleep. She couldn't help but smile as she saw that he was ultimately failing,
"But Dad, we're not tired. And you said we were allowed to stay up longer."
"Yes, but longer doesn't mean until midnight. It's already nine o'clock, Julian. Just close your eyes, and sleep will come to you."
"I never close my eyes! I am a big boy! I never sleep!" The younger boy vehemently said, and Clary couldn't repress the chuckle that came over her.
Alec turned his head, his eyes full of hope, probably thinking that it was his mother or his wife, but when he saw Clary, he motioned her to come in. She did, smiling to the two young boys, and sat on the floor next to Alec who presented her.
"Julian, Justin, this is Clary. She is a very good friend of your Uncle Jace."
The older boy, who seemed to be around eight looked at her with interested curiosity, but the younger boy who looked no older than three seemed completely lost at the introduction, and Clary's heart pinched when Alex clarified for his son,
"Uncle Jace is daddy's little brother, Justin. Just like you are Julian's little brother. Clary here makes amazing cookies."
"Do you? Can you help me make some for my school? It's my birthday next month, and Miss Evans said I was allowed to bring cookies without nuts," Julian exclaimed, sitting up on his bed with a big contagious smile on his face.
Alec answered for her, sparing her from breaking the little boy's smile, "Clary doesn't live here, Julian. She lives in New York, it's another city which is very far away. She won't be here for your birthday."
Julian laid back on his bed, pouting, and Clary saw a little Jace in him. He had the same way to furrow his brows as Jace did when she would make him work for his baked goods. She reached for a book on the bedside table and proposed a bargain.
"How about I read you a bedtime story, and you go to sleep. And if you promise to only have good dreams, I'll even make the voices."
Justin clapped his hands, happy with the bargain, and Julian was already tucking himself in his bed, though it was a complete disaster, and most of the cover was up to his body, leaving his feet and legs completely uncovered.
Clary read Ferdinand, making sure to change her voices at each new character, and halfway through the story, both boys were asleep. Alec tucked them in properly and they both left silently the room.
"I suck at doing voices, so I've been banned at reading stories by Julian."
"Haha. Maybe you should buy those audiobooks for kids."
"That's an idea. Do you have any niece or nephew? You seemed way too comfortable," Alec inquired as they were walking back to the party.
"Nope. I just can't wait to get my own," She said, without thinking, but when Alec looked from her to Jace who was walking to their direction, she quickly added, "I mean after I've become a lawyer, of course."
Alec nodded, looking at his brother once more before he disappeared in the crowd, saying he needed a drink. Jace didn't let her out of his sight for the rest of the night, being more tactile than she would have liked, given the fact that his family was there, but she put that on the several rounds of Calvados that Michael had given his son. He had tried to get Clary to drink with them, but she refused to be even tipsy around the Waylands.
Though she had no idea what the fund-raising had been for, people started leaving bit by bit, until only the Wayland remained. Celine made a big deal that Jace shouldn't drive because he had had alcohol, and when Jace mentioned calling Kyle so he could, Clary straight up lied, saying that she told Julian that she would show him how to make cookies if she could. She didn't want Jace to call Kyle in the middle of the night.
Celine was over the moon at the idea of her son spending the night over her roof, though Clary could tell that Jace was not pleased at all, by this perspective. She showed them to Jace's room, before disappearing with her husband, and Clary understood too late that Celine had automatically assumed that Jace and her would share a bed.
She barely moved from the door, watching Jace as he walked to a wardrobe and opened it, shaking his head as he said, "It's been more than a decade since I slept here, and everything is spotless and smelling fresh. Here, something for you to wear tonight."
She blinked, looking at the clothes he was handing her, but not seeing them, making his infamous smirk come back to his lips, "Unless you're one of those who sleep in the nude. In that case, I will gladly fall asleep after you."
"For your information, Mr Wayland, I only fall asleep when I have been thoroughly fucked. No, I don't see you ever watching me sleep in Eve's wear," She retorted, snapping the clothes out of his hands and going to the en-suite bathroom with her head high.
As she had predicted, the clothes were too big for her, but Jace was too tall, to begin with. She washed her face with soap and warm water, and went back to the room, a hand in her hair vigorously shaking it. Jace was already in his pyjamas, and it was the first time Clary was seeing him out of his suit.
She did her best to not ogle him, though she would have liked nothing better but to do it. Sure, she had already seen him in a towel, but that was different. This time, his muscled body was only hinted at, and made her want to strip him out of his pyjamas so she could run her hands on it, and feel how firm he was.
"I keep forgetting how short you are," Jace said, a small laugh echoing in his voice, and Clary glared at him as she braided her hair.
"Take the bed, I'll sleep," He pointed the comfortable armchair that was by the window.
Clary grimaced, not really sure that the armchair would feel so comfortable after a night spent in it, and she looked at the bed again. She wasn't surprised by the side of the thing, even if this was the bedroom of Jace's childhood, the bed was still huge. It was even too big for two adults in Clary's opinion.
"That bed is big enough for the two of us," She said, fully aware that this was nothing like the time they fell asleep in front of the TV. This time, they were fully aware of what they were about to do.
A part of her secretly wished that Jace would refuse, and she was ready to sleep on the floor and leave the bed to Jace, but he muttered something under his breath and slipped in the bed. So she did the same, both of them keeping as much distance as possible.
For a while, none of them said a word, Clary lost in her thoughts of the night. The Wayland were lovely and charming people, though she had to say she had a preference for Michael. Maybe it was because Jace looked so much like his father, or maybe it was because Michael was calm, collected and inviting. He made Clary feel comfortable straight away.
Celine, on the other hand, was really exuberant. She insisted on taking pictures of Jace and Clary, presented Clary to all her friend as Jace's girlfriend, though Clary had noticed that Jace had never presented her as his girlfriend to his mother. And every time Jace would touch Clary, she saw how Celine would smile with happiness.
"Your mother is ..." She started saying out of nowhere, looking for a word that would describe the woman. She wouldn't say too much, because Clary could tell that she was a good person, she just wasn't used to this kind of attention.
"I know. I still have my doubts that she is a real shrink. She can be quite... a Mom, sometimes."
"I'm sure she can."
"I think she likes you. She talked to you a lot. She's a really forthcoming person, and if she doesn't like someone, the person can feel it straight away."
Clary didn't reply anything, feeling that Celine was just being a mother to Jace. She talked to her because she was spending time with her son, and she wanted to make sure she was a decent person. Or at least, she liked to think this was how parents acted for their children.
Once again, she lost herself in her thoughts, trying to figure out if her parents would act the same if she had any. If her mother would be so happy and chatty if she were to bring home a love interest. If her father would be so laid back and welcoming. Or maybe, because she was a girl, her father would be all overprotective. She actually liked this idea, no matter how un-feminist of her it was, she liked the idea of having someone who loved and cared for her that much.
"I heard you read a story to Julian and Justin," Jace said, still making conversation. Clary turned in the bed so she would be facing him, though she still kept a bit of a distance with him.
"I didn't know you had nephews. They are so cute."
"I don't spend much time with them." Clary waited because she could tell that Jace was about to open on his own, which he did, turning as well so they would both be facing one another,
"I haven't been a great son since I started this company, but I've been a shitty brother. Alec met Camille whilst she was studying. She already had Julian, but he didn't care at all. In fact, not even a year later, Alec had adopted the kid. Julian has only known Alec as his father.
And every milestone he had with Camille, I was working through it. I went to their wedding, but I was on my phone the whole time. I was there when they officialised the adoption, working. And... I refused to help Camille when she started looking for firms. I don't want to mix personal and professional life. So I told her to look on her own, that I wouldn't put her in contact with my lawyers or anything. She studied law, like you.
And she dropped the idea because she got pregnant with Justin. But she never made it. And I wasn't there for Alec. I didn't even go to the funeral. I have seen Justin just twice his life. Alec is easy-going, and he forgave me, but I don't."
Without thinking, Clary reached so she could take Jace's hand on her own. Sure, she didn't approve of his behaviour, but no-one should feel this amount of guilt.
"Why did you almost throw him out, then? When he came for your birthday?"
Jace hesitated, and confessed, "I know my brother is much more fun than I am. And... so are you. You're full of life, full of dreams, full of energy. It would be so much better and easier for you to be with him than to be with him."
"Well, that was stupid. Lucky your brother loves you and didn't take it personally. You should spend more time with him. And his kids. Justin doesn't even know who you are."
"I don't do kids, Clary."
"They're not just kids, they're your nephews, your family."
Jace said nothing, and for a moment, Clary thought that he had fallen asleep, but then, he asked, "What about your family, Clary?"
"What do you mean?" There was a sort of warning in her tone, and she hoped Jace would get it and drop the issue.
"Where is your family?"
For a little while, Clary considered not answering his questions and feigning sleep, but he had been honest with her about his feelings toward his relationship with his brother, it was only fair she should do the same.
"I don't have any?"
"No father to protect your virtue. No mother to share secrets with." Strangely enough, out of his mouth, it sounded more like statements than questions, as if he had known the answer before he even asked the original questions.
"And no brother to kick your ass," She jokingly said, to lighten the mood.
"You have Magnus."
"I do."
Just like she had waited for Jace to open up on his own, he did the same with her, and so, for the first time in her life, she willingly opened up to someone, without being under the influence of alcohol. She had already told most of her life to Magnus, but it had always been when the two of them had had a few drinks and would Strat talking about their tragic past.
"I... I don't know, Jace. I have been in the foster system for as long as I could remember. I'm originally from Philadelphia, and one day, I finally got adopted by a family. I thought I would get it this time. You know, this perfect family you see in a Rockwell painting. Your family.
We moved to New York, and... I ran away because the streets seemed safer than home. I met Izzy, and social services found us, put us back in the system. I was never adopted again, always just a meal ticket, though, by that time, I knew how it was and just learned to live with it.
I only had to rely on me myself and I. So I guess, when you come all helping and generous it's always weird. I don't know how to rely on someone, and even less how to depend on someone. I just know that I can only trust myself because the world is an ugly place, to begin with."
Jace did not say a word, bringing his hand up to caress her cheek and smooching closer to her. She closed her eyes, feeling exhaustion come to her, and hoping Jace would ask more question, but would still keep his warm hand on her cheek.
"Has... something happened with your adoptive family? He asked, his tone slightly angry, and Clary kept her eyes closed, shaking her head,
"It doesn't matter. It was long ago. The girl I was back then is not the person I am now."
She struggled to stay awake, but when Morpheus took her in his warm arms and she felt his lips on her forehead leaving a sweet and welcoming kiss, she stopped fighting and followed him in his world of sleep.
❌PLEASE DO NOT COPY, DOWNLOAD OR SHARE THIS ANYWHERE OTHER THAN HERE❌
.~°~. .~°~. .~°~.
💚Your thoughts and opinions are always welcomed💚
💚 I'm always curious about your favourite part, and what you think will happen next, so let me know.
💚 We had a small glance of Jace's family. What do you think about it? Alec? (Please, don't kill me)
💚 What do you think of Valentine? And Jocelyn?
💚 What do you think of Jace, now? What about that last part?
💚 Cassandra Clare owns the names of the characters from the Mortal Instruments franchise, everything else is mine.
Love, Mina💚💚💚
