Still, when they arrived and he spoke, all she could do was listen.
"Kiera," Jace said gently, drawing her back from her tumult of emotions, "I meant to make the launch seamless, to have your back. That's what friends...or more than friends do." He paused, gauging her reaction.
Kiera looked away, a myriad of thoughts racing through her mind.
His words hung in the air, heavy with unspoken promises and hopes. She wasn't sure how to respond. She felt elated, hopeful, yet there was a nagging insecurity. It felt like standing on a cloud - mesmerizing, yet unstable.
She recalled her past with Nicholas, the pain of being second, of being chosen and then abandoned.
She wasn't ready to put herself through that heartbreak again. But Jace... he was different. And the sincerity in his eyes gave her hope.
