Disclaimer: I do not own mortal instruments, the character names are owned by Cassandra Clare. The original content, ideas and intellectual property of this story are owned by lily fierce, 2011-2012. Please do not copy, reproduce, or translate without express written permission.
Here is chapter six and well I just want to apologize before hand and you guys will see why in the end. Well anyway I really hope you like it and remember to leave me a review… I'm obsessed now . Anyway, this is the very first chapter my fantabulous beta checks. So you guys can thank her for fixing my ridiculous mistakes…lol. I love you Lily!
Ps. The disclaimer is from ddpjclaf's stories. I got it from there because, well I stink at disclaimers, but I absolutely hate anything having to do with any sort of plagiarism and I wanted to make sure that I give credit where credit is due.
Ok ok… no more talking and lets get reading!
6. Midnight Meetings
From the moment Clary opened her eyes that morning she felt an odd mixture of excitement and utter mortification coursing through her body. She felt strangely bipolar. She just wanted him there, in her house, only a few steps away from her. Yet at the same time she hoped, with every fiber of her being, that the limo bringing him would get a flat tire if only to prolong these few peaceful moments where her thoughts could flow freely. No Jace, no wedding, no company.
But no, it was useless. She'd found herself thinking theses very words more than once in the past few weeks, three to be exact. Three weeks had passed and now there were officially five months left for her wedding
"Clary" a voice pulled her out of her own head. Looking at the passageway that led to the kitchen, Clary spotted Isabelle in a tight pair of dark jeans and an orange blouse that slid off her shoulder. It was a tad much for meeting the man she had grown to hate, but again, when had Isabelle ever worn anything simple? "Are you okay Clare?" she asked, although her voice suggested that she already knew the answer to that question.
"I don't even know." Her head dropped and her eyes focused on her fingers as they fiddled with the edge of her shirt.
"Well look on the bright side, at least you look pretty."
Clary laughed, she couldn't help it. Isabelle always knew just what to say to make her laugh. "Thanks Iz. Since you dressed me, I would hope I looked pretty."
Isabelle sighed, "I'm sorry Clary." She whispered the words but her voice sounded like she wanted to say so much more.
Clary's eyes lifted off of where they rested on her lap and met Isabelle's "What? Why are you apologizing Izzy? You didn't do anything wrong."
"Yes I did." Isabelle's voice was final, though Clary had no idea what she would ever need to be sorry for.
"Iz, if this is about the whole marriage thing, it's not your fault. You're not the one forcing me to get married to some… guy." Clary wanted to use another word, but didn't think it would be polite and although she might have not been particularly nice, she was very well educated. "Why would you think any of this would be your fault?"
"Because I was supposed to be the one taking over the corporation, but I just couldn't-" her voice faltered "I couldn't see myself signing papers or ordering people around. It was never me and well, now you have to give up on love to do what I should've done."
Clary chuckled low in her throat and reached out to take Isabelle's hands in hers "Izzy I did this, not because they made me, but because I wanted to. It was always my dream to be in charge!" Izzy giggled remembering all the times that Clary, although she was the youngest, had taken charge of the situation "I love doing this, working in the offices, it's the perks I hate."
"Yeah, I know. The perks suck don't they?"
"They do. They really do."
"Oh and about you being in charge, I think we all know how much you love that."
The girls laughed as the sound echoed throughout the room and for those few seconds, before reality settled in and popped their bubble of happiness, Clary was perfectly content beside her sister.
But like all good things, their careless laughing was interrupted when a loud thump swept the room and Luke's voice followed. "Girls, our guests are here."
"Oh god, Izzy!" Clary's hand rose up to her chest, her breathing becoming shallow "I think I'm going to start hyperventilating Iz. I can't breathe… Oh god, I'm going to die."
Izzy walked up to her and laughed at her obvious pain as Clary scowled giving her a look that could've probably burned a hole through anybody else. "Relax girl, take a deep breath and when you see him just act like you don't care and aren't interested in jumping his bones."
Clary's eyes narrowed and she playfully swatted Isabelle's arm "Shut up." Isabelle laughed as she grabbed Clary's arm dragging her to the front door.
And there, mere inches before her stood Jace. His blonde hair lay sprawled over his forehead and his lips tweaked into a smirk. He kept his eyes on her father and Clary tried so hard to keep hers off of him, but as life would have it, the moment she felt his eyes on her, her eyes drifted, almost against her will, to him. It was as if his presence called to her. Like a moth to a flame, she thought.
Her mother and father stood before Clary while Aline and Isabelle stood just beside her. Her father was the first to speak.
"Welcome to our home, gentlemen" her father began, his voice welcoming and all too polite as he led the men through the foyer and up the stairs. "The guest house is currently being renovated, so I'm afraid our suites will have to do."
"The guest suits are excellent." spoke, a calm, polite tone encompassing his voice. "They're practically bigger than the apartment we were at."
Her father nodded and continued walking down the hall until he stopped and turned his attention on Clary "Clary, if you could please direct here" he pointed at Jace "to his room, the one on the east side of the house, third room from the end." Clary's heart dropped into her stomach.
Oh, did she know what room that was and she knew, mostly, because it was right next to hers. Great, as if her life couldn't get anymore freaking complicated now she could add to that Jace and her uncontrollable hormones.
But of course, Clary did not voice her emotions. Instead she just nodded and quietly muttered an "Of course" before she started walking toward the room that soon would be his. She didn't bother looking back; she knew he would be following. Once again her body could sense him. It was stupid and she hated it, but like everything going on lately, it was simply against her will.
When they were far from the prying eyes of their fathers, Jace reached for Clary's arm, his hand on her was gentle as to not hurt her, yet insistent. Clary turned slowly to face him, wishing that she didn't feel that spark shooting through her skin at his touch. God, did he have to touch her, she was already having sufficient problems with emotions she was not accustomed to feeling.
"Clary, are you ok?" his voice sounded actually concerned "You seemed a bit pale back there." Then the cockiness was back, double time. "If you ask me, the blush suited you more. It's an attractive shade on you...very attractive." The words were whispered but that didn't stop the tingles, or the butterflies, or even that traitor blush he was speaking of, from spreading across her cheeks.
Jace smiled and his hand reached up to her face, tracing her jaw with his thumb as his hand wrapped around her waist pulling her, slowly but surely, against him. "Ah, there it is…" he said, directing his gaze to the blush that was surely bright scarlet against her pale skin. He raised his hand to her cheeks and leaning forward kissed them both. With just that simple gesture Clary was lost. The sensation of being this close to him once more was all too much for her and he was obviously not planning on moving away now that his lips were so close to hers. Clary could feel his breath fan across her face, smell him, feel him and it was sunshine and mint and all man.
She had to stop this. She wouldn't, couldn't, fall for his games again, so pulling her hands up to his black shirt, decided to play with him, just a little. After all, if Jace could play games, well then why couldn't she? Getting a firm grip on the shirt she held between her fists, she tugged on the fabric dragging his body the rest of the way to hers as their bodies crashed. Fire spread through her at the contact but she had already decided to stay strong. Clary tiptoed until she was at level with his face, so close to his lips, too close, and his golden eyes stared at her green ones until she moved her face just when Jace was nearing her lips. In a barely audible sigh, Clary whispered into his ear "mmmhhhmmm" she pulled his earlobe between her teeth as they grazed lightly over the skin and a low moan escaped his lips. Clary smiled against his skin. "But do you know what I want Jace?" she asked, her voice low and seductive.
"What do you want baby?"
"I want to see your…"
"Yeah?"
"I want to see your… gorgeous suite."
Jace stilled and his hand on her back tightened, "Damn Red, that was a good one."
"Yeah, I know," Clary laughed as she pulled out of his arms "now follow me."
He chuckled but silently followed behind and a few seconds later they had reached the door to her room just before his, Clary passed by quickly stopping right in front of his room and opening the door, she stepped inside. Jace followed, walking just behind her, a bit too close behind her, Clary thought- not that she was complaining.
"This is your suite," she said "the bathroom is on that side" she pointed towards the far right corner of the room "and if you need anything the phone is on the night stand. Just dial number two for the maid." Clary stopped her talking and turned to face Jace who was curiously looking at her. She blushed and a large smirk stretched across his face.
Jace stepped closer and like in the hall, Clary didn't move, instead she remained stoic refusing to show him just how much his presence affected her. "What I really want to know is where, in this very large house, is your room?"
She giggled and placed a hand against his chest, feeling rock hard muscle, and pushed him away "As if I would tell you."
He smirked as she stepped away and walked out the door "See you around, Jace." And with that, Clary stepped outside and quickly walked into her room before he had the chance to follow her. The moment she was inside the safe confines of her bedroom, she did what any best friend would do when there was hot guy sitting in the room just next hers. She called Magnus.
Picking up the phone she dialed the number she knew almost better than her own and after three rings he answered.
"Clary, darling, how's life treating you lately? Any naked sexy men been in your room that you haven't told me about?" Of course that would be the first thing he would think of, she thought.
Clary laughed "No, but there is one right next to my room."
She heard a sharp intake of breath come from the other line "Wait… what was that again?"
"Come on Mags, don't even act like you didn't hear me."
"Oh no, I heard you girl. I was just verifying that I heard you correctly." A screech came from the other side of the line "Hush, Chairman Meow, I'm talking to auntie Clary."
Clary laughed, she could already picture Magnus swatting at the small kitten as he painted his nails. "Magnus, help me out here. I really need somebody to talk to right about now."
"Sorry babe. Okay, tell me about this sexy guy next to your bedroom."
"Okay, so remember how I told you Jace was staying at the manor with his father?"
"Uh huh."
"So he came this morning and well, my father chose the spare room beside mine for him." Clary sighed, "I mean, of all the rooms in this damn house, he just had to pick that one."
Loud laughter filtered through the phone and she had to hold the earpiece away from her head to avoid loosing her hearing. "Clary, how is that a problem, you have a sexy-as-sin guy just next to your room and you're complaining? I mean seriously, any women in the world would kill to be in your situation."
"But I'm -"
"Yeah, yeah, you're engaged. Yadda, yadda" he interrupted "I know Clare, you've told me this countless times. I get it, but ignore that asshat you have to marry and just enjoy the moment."
Clary laughed "You know that way of thinking can land you in jail, right?"
"Don't even go there cupcake. I already have my mother for that."
"Fine Mags." Crashing and cat squeals came from the other end "Magnus is everything ok-" more crashing "Magnus?" she said; now feeling a bit concerned.
"Sorry Clare, I have to go- no, bad kitty, leave my glitter polish alone- Chairman is being a bad kitty and he got into my polish supply."
Clary giggled "Alright Magnus, talk to you later." She hung up the phone but before she did she could hear cursing from the other end as a chorus of crashes sounded in the background.
Clary was always so grateful to have a friend like Magnus, she couldn't imagine anyone better. He was there for her when she needed someone to just be there, he spoke to her when she needed someone to just speak and he comforted her when she was sad. If that wasn't a good friend she didn't know what was.
Clary lay down on her bed and closing her eyes she just let her mind clear out for a few moments completely loosing track of time and before she knew it, she had fallen asleep. There were no thoughts of Jace, or anything else really, invading her dreams for the first time in a while.
000000000000-00000000000
Jace had spent the grand majority of the day in his room sitting on his laptop and working on, what he loved to call, a bunch of useless work crap but clary just kept invading his head. That girl had somehow managed to get into his mind and he couldn't get the stupid thoughts of the way she felt in his arms, or how soft her lips were, or even the way her nails had dug into his shoulder that day in the closet. God, he was totally wrecked. But that wasn't the worst part. The worst part, the part that kept on nagging and nagging at his thoughts, was the fact that the girl was engaged and it was all because of him.
He needed to stop… thinking so damn much. Thinking was never a good thing and besides, his stomach was growling quite a bit. So he decided to go into the kitchen to get something to eat.
Standing up from where he sat at a large desk in the corner of the room Jace walked outside, the hall stretched out before him seeming endless and he knew that, judging by the time, no one would be up so the house was mostly quiet. This manor was not much bigger than his back in Switzerland but it was spread out differently, the rooms were much wider and the halls seemed to go on forever. With this in mind he decided to start walking to the kitchen or else he might not make it there until tomorrow.
Their kitchen was huge. Cabinet upon cabinet sat on the wall and a colossal fridge lay in the corner of the room. It was every man's dream he thought, so opening the door he peered inside and found rows and rows of food. Jace was much too lost in his- appreciating -of the fridge to hear someone else entering the kitchen until a sharp intake of breath pulled him out of his food induced haze.
Clary stood in the corner of the room, her eyes wide and her mouth hanging open as she took him in. "See anything you like?" he asked. He knew he definitely saw something he liked. She wore very little clothing, mostly just a pair of shorts and a very see-through tank top. Jace had to pull himself together to avoid grabbing her and pulling her small body to his right then and there.
She composed herself once more, her face transforming into that same controlled expression she always wore, but the flush spreading across her cheek gave away her true emotions. "You know, being in love with yourself that much is really not healthy." There was a sarcastic edge to her voice and Jace couldn't help but laugh at her comment.
Clary finally moved away from the kitchen entrance and headed for the cabinets, pulling out a box of cereal. "Really," he said, "you're eating cereal?"
"What? What's wrong with cereal?"
He smiled and pulled out a bottle of wine from the fridge, some bread and a few slices of cheese along with two apples. "Nothing, but why have cereal when you can have my amazing cheese sandwiches."
She smiled, he loved her smile, it did indescribable things to him. "Fine, but if you're food makes me sick, I'm holding you accountable."
"Deal." He said and started fixing the food as she pulled out a few wine glasses from the cupboard and filled them with the dark red liquid. "So, what are you doing awake at this time?"
"Couldn't sleep. You?" she looked up at him from the rim of her wine glass.
"Same, but I got hungry and thought I'd get something to eat."
"Oh… well at least you didn't get lost in the halls" she said but her voice suggested that she spoke from experience.
"Really, so you get lost in your own house?" he laughed "And here I thought you were smarter than that."
She narrowed her eyes "Not anymore, smart ass! But I did as a kid" a smile formed on her lips.
"Really, so how did you learn your way around this gigantic place?" he handed her a cheese sandwich and she took it, handing him a glass of wine in return.
"Isabelle and Aline had to hold my hand and show me around the whole house for an entire week until I figured out how to get around on my own." An even larger smile spread over her lips. "I was like six I think."
"Well then I'm guessing it's a good thing that you learned how to get around eventually." He took a bite of his sandwich, swallowed and looked back up at her "It would have been kind of sad to have someone your age still getting lost in their own house."
She laughed "Tell me about it."
Nobody else spoke and he took a moment to just look at her. She was beautiful: pale skin, bright green eyes and a small frame; it was enough to make his heart speed up in his chest and his breath to catch. Then she looked up and the moment their eyes met he was lost. Lost in a pool of green, lost in her with no hope of escaping.
Her breath caught and almost involuntarily, Jace moved closer, their faces nearly touching and their breathing intermingling in the small space separating them. What was he doing, he was supposed to make her fall for him but the only thing that he was accomplishing was the very thing that he was trying to avoid. But when she was this close it was hard for him to form a coherent thought, so he moved closer still. Jace thought Clary would pull away but she didn't, instead she moved closer.
"Jace" she said, her voice was clear but there was no conviction behind it. Like the words were leaving her mouth but the action behind them was non-existent.
"Clary"
"Jace I…I shouldn't do thi- " but he didn't let her finish that sentence when his lips descended on hers preventing every other word from leaving her lips. His hands pulled her closer, tugging on her waist and bringing her body onto his until her legs were straddling his waist. Jace could feel Clary's hands fisting in his hair as his went under her shirt, slipping closer and closer to her chest. When the tip of his finger reached her bra she gasped and released his hair to grab the ends of her tank top and pull it over her head. His heart was slamming against his ribs to the point where he thought it would just fly out of his chest but regardless he pulled away from the kiss needing to see her.
"God, you're so beautiful" his words were choppy and breathy but she smiled and attacked his lips once more. Jace tried to unhook her bra when the dim kitchen lights flicked back on and the entire room was flooded with the fluorescent lighting. They broke apart, both flushed and nearly panting. He looked at her wide eyes as both heads turned to the other presence in the room.
At the entry stood Clary's eldest sister, Isabelle, and much like when Clary first saw him in the kitchen, her eyes were wide and her mouth was slack but Jace had a feeling that her reaction was for a completely different reason. This wasn't going to have a good ending, he could already tell.
So there you have it and now you know why I apologized. I am really sorry for that cliffy. I swear I'll make it up to you guys.
Next update won't be until January because I'm leaving the country this week so I did my best to give you this before I had to leave, but well the cliffy was just unavoidable at this point. Any way I hope you have a merry Christmas and happy New Year.
Oh. and leave me a review. It can be you're Christmas present to me :D