Mortal Instruments Quote of the Chapter:
"Aren't they supposed to be hiring someone else to train me full-time anyway?"
"Yes," he said, getting up and pulling her to her feet along with him, "and I'm worried that if you get into the habit of making out with your instructors, you'll wind up making out with him, too."
"Don't be sexist. They could find me a female instructor."
"In that case you have my permission to make out with her, as long as I can watch."
"Nice." Clary grinned, bending down to fold up the blanket they'd brought to sit on. "You're just worried they'll hire a male instructor and he'll be hotter than you."
Jace's eyebrows went up. "Hotter than me?"
"It could happen," Clary said, "you know, theoretically."
"Theoretically, the planet could suddenly crack in half, leaving me on one side and you on the other side, forever and tragically parted, but I'm not worried about that either. Some things," Jace said, with his customary crooked smile, "are just too unlikely to dwell upon."
Jace and Clary
"How would you like to get away from all of this?" Jace asks me over an enormous pile of paperwork and a steaming mug of coffee. I glance up at him and rub my eyes.
"What time is it?" I ask.
"2 AM" I sigh and write a note in the margins of one of the patient files I'm going through.
"Why are you still up?" I ask him, meeting his glowing eyes. "And why are you so awake?" He beams at me and lifts up the computer I didn't notice he was holding. The screen displays a picture of a hotel overlooking the ocean.
"I was talking to Isabelle and Alec this afternoon and we all agreed that it's about time we get away from New York."
"And go…there?"
"Yep."
"But you have a huge house right next to the ocean," I point out.
"But my house does not have room service. Or a complementary continental breakfast. Or a penthouse restaurant. Or a pool." I sent him a pointed look. "And something else, but I can't tell you," he says with a smirk.
"Keeping secrets are we?" I ask.
"I prefer to consider it…a surprise." I walk around the table and pry the laptop out of his hand before setting it on the kitchen table.
"Are you sure you can't tell me?" I ask, rocking onto my toes so that I can whisper it into his ear. "I would be very grateful if you could tell me." He laughs, his warm breath flooding across my skin.
"You'll have to go to find out," he reciprocates.
"Well when you put it that way…" I kiss him quickly on the lips then pull away. "I'll go."
"Good."
"It's time for bed, mister." He pulls me back and kisses me again.
"I have no opposition to that."
"To sleep."
"Where's the fun in that?" he asks, flashing his ten watt smile.
"Nice try," I say through a yawn. He interlocks our fingers and leads me to bed. I fall asleep as soon as my head hits the pillow.
0.0.0
Jace hoists our bags over his shoulder and takes my hand.
"I can take that you know," I remind him.
"But making you carry your own bag wouldn't be very gentlemanly of me, would it?" I kiss his cheek and lean against him.
"Would the two of you please stop," Simon says, climbing out of the car behind me. Jace slings his unoccupied arm around my shoulders and kisses me right on the lips.
"Ignore him," Jace tells me. "He's just jealous of what we have." Isabelle and Alec pull up beside us. Isabelle jumps out of the car and rushes over to us, her high heels clacking on the pavement.
"Clarissa Fray. I thought we had agreed that you would be wearing that nice green summer dress we just bought," she says, eyeing my jean shorts and tank top.
"I'm sorry, Izzy. I was going to wear it but I—"
"Excuses, excuses. Never mind. This just puts you in my debt." I smile as Alec walks over with his duffel slung over one shoulder and Isabelle's two suitcases dragging behind him. He shakes his head at her, a scowl on his face that I've learned is his version of a grin.
"Come on, Izzy. Let the poor girl off with a warning." Izzy looks me up and down and nods grudgingly.
"Considering her replacement outfit isn't completely horrendous, I think I can let her off easy this once." She bumps her hip against mine. "Well are we going in or not?" she asks, grabbing her suitcases from Alec and heading for the door. Jace kisses the top of my head as we follow her in.
Somehow, Isabelle has already made her way into the building and to the front desk by the time we had walked through the front door.
"She moves fast," I comment, eyeing her five-inch heels. Jace laughs and follows behind, gazing around the huge foyer.
"Hi, Red," says a voice from behind me. I turn around and there's Jonathan, standing with his hands in his pockets. "No hug for your big brother?"
"Jonathan!" I practically squeal, getting a running start before flinging myself in his arms. He staggers backwards a step, his arms flung around me. "I can't believe you're here!" He twirls me around, laughing, then sets me back on my feet. He kisses the side of my head.
"Good to see you, too."
"What are you doing here?" I ask.
"Vacationing of course," he responds coolly.
"And why didn't you tell me?"
"I was told I'm supposed to be a surprise." I turn around and see Jace, standing back, watching.
"You," I say, walking over to him. "You set this up." He kisses me softly on the lips.
"Maybe." I kiss him again.
"Have I ever mentioned what an amazing, wonderful, beautiful, perfect boyfriend you are?"
"It wouldn't hurt you to mention it more." I roll my eyes and kiss him again, then fling my arms around Jonathan once again.
0.0.0
"Simon, no!" Isabelle shrieks, as Simon slings her over his shoulder and heads towards the pool. She pounds viciously on his back, trying to free herself. Simon flings her forward, but she catches him on the way down so they both end up in the water. "You asshole!" she screams as she comes up.
The rest of us sit on the edge of the pool, drinking our complementary margaritas and laughing hysterically.
"Get in the water, Fray!" Simon screams at me. Isabelle pulls herself onto the edge of the pool and pries of her heels.
"Do you have any idea how much these cost?" Isabelle screams.
"Come on, Red," Jonathan says, stripping off his t-shirt and heading for the water. I laugh and follow him. The water is that perfect pool temperature. Warm yet refreshing.
"Come in, Jace!" I call, swimming toward the edge.
"I'll pass." He stands and stretches, finishing the rest of his beer.
"Don't want to get your hair wet?" I ask my voice surprisingly light and my eyes teasing. He rolls his eyes and smiles at me. "I thought Jace Herondale would jump at the first chance to rip off his clothes."
"You're cute." I climb out of the pool and approach him.
"I know. Will you come in the water?" I ask, placing my hands on his chest. He pries them away and stares down at the wet hand prints on his chest.
"Not a chance."
"Not even if I ask you. Very nicely."
"Not even if you ask me very nicely."
"Not even if I ask you very nicely and kiss you."
"Not even then." I sigh, placing my hands on my hips and scanning his perfectly toned body with my eyes. It's simply a crime to keep those shoulders covered.
"There is no way you get to check me out and I don't get to do the same for you," I say, picking up a towel from a lounge chair and wrapping it around my stomach. He sighs. "Please go swimming," I plead. I tuck the corner of the towel in so that my hands are free and place my hands on his waist. He shakes his head, grinning at me, and kisses the top of my head. "Why'd you agree to go swimming if you weren't actually going to go swimming?"
"Because you asked me and I can't say no to you." I smile and rest my head against his chest. He sighs and wraps his arms around my waist, resigning himself to the soaking.
"I can always make you," I say deviously. I grab onto the bottom of his shirt. His hands fly to my wrists and he grips tem tightly, his eyes turning from sunshiny gold to liquid fire. His nails dig into my wrist and I feel myself freeze. I yank my arms away and stagger backwards.
"Clary…" he says, his eyes widening as he realizes what he's done. He turns and rushes out of the pool room. Despite my shock and near heartbreak, I run after him, ignoring Jonathan's, who had apparently seen the whole thing, protests.
All I could think was that I can't lose him.
I don't think I'd be able to take that.