I'm In Love With My Bestfriend's Billionaire Fiance!
Chapter 77: A Chef In Love...

Chapter 77: A Chef In Love...

(Casey’s POV)

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True to his word, Jace prepared dinner for me. Thankfully, I had it fully stocked so he had everything that he needed to prepare a good meal.

"What’s your plan?" I asked after a while as I watched him dice the onions into bits, and then move over to the tomatoes. "What exactly are you planning to cook?"

"Why don’t you watch and guess?" He asked back.

I bit my lower lip as I watched him work. He had only spent two nights here in my home, but it already felt familiar. He was making his way around as if he had lived here for months and having him in my private space just felt right. The more I thought about it, the more I loved it. I could never get tired of seeing Jace cooking for me.

He must have sensed me staring at him because he turned and smiled at me, "What is it?"

I gave a weak smile in return, "It’s just... almost surreal. I think the reality is only just hitting me now."

"Reality?" He muttered as he washed his hands off the tomatoes, "What are you talking about?"

"You know, having the richest man in the world right here in my kitchen? Can you imagine how insane that is? It’s almost like a fairy tale."

Jace took a napkin and wiped his hand with it, "it is? How so?"

"Come on... focus on your cooking, please." I looked away.

"I can multitask, baby." He said, "One of the perks of building a company and becoming a billionaire is that you learn the value of multitasking. Listening to one thing while your hands are busy with another. That’s something that I’ve mastered over the years."

I thought about it and then shrugged. "Okay... it’s just. Considering your status and who you are, there should be convoys outside and dozens of security in this house. Yet, you ignored all that just for me."

"At risk of sounding cheesy," he said. "I feel safe when I’m with you, Casey. I don’t have to pretend or put up appearances, I don’t have to be scared of someone trying to get to me simply because of my status. I’m not the CEO or the billionaire. I’m just Jace, that’s all. And believe me, when you’ve gotten used to people seeing you in only one way, it’s always a breath of fresh air when someone finally sees you for who you are."

"Come on, I’m sure that there are others who see you are, Ethan for one."

"Ethan is my good friend, but I’m also his boss. At the end of each month, I pay him a salary. If I lost Chillz today, he would have to go somewhere else to get a job because he needs the money to take care of his family. Who else are you gonna call? Kira? All I am to her is just a ticket to her inheritance, nothing more. But no hard feelings there, because all she is to me is also a means to the merger. But I’ll always be grateful to her though..."

I glanced at him, "for what?"

"For bringing you to me, silly. Without her, I would never have met you."

I pursed my lips as I leaned against the wall, "you shouldn’t say things like that. They set off the butterflies in my stomach."

He laughed at that, "isn’t that good news, my dear?"

I watched as he turned on the gas, I didn’t speak again until he had placed a pan on the open flame and poured oil into it.

"What about your family?" I asked. This was one topic that we had never really touched. Because all through we had not tried to know each other. But could you blame me? Every time I was close to him, I just wanted to rip off his clothes and climb all over him. However, now we were in the right place to talk about it.

However, it was clear that Jace didn’t want to talk about it. Not now. Maybe not ever.

I saw it in the way his posture stiffened—just for a second—before he forced himself to relax. He reached for the diced onions, tossing them into the hot oil with practiced ease. The loud sizzle crackled through the air, filling the silence between us. I watched as he stirred, his movements slow, methodical, as if focusing on the mundane task would drown out whatever was clawing at the edges of his thoughts.

When the sound finally faded, he muttered, "Let’s not go there tonight, okay? We don’t want to kill those butterflies just yet, do we?"

His voice was light, almost teasing, but there was something underneath it. A quiet plea. A warning.

I sucked in a deep breath, studying his face in the dim kitchen light. Shadows danced along his jawline, flickering like ghosts of things left unsaid. I wanted to push, to dig deeper, but I knew better.

I nodded slowly. "Okay."

For now, I would let it go.

But later... later, we would have to talk about it.

Because Jace’s family wasn’t just a sore subject. It was a wound—one that had never truly healed. And whatever pain was buried there, I could feel it creeping through the cracks.

I couldn’t imagine what he had endured as a child, what kind of home had forged someone as kind, as guarded, as Jace.

But I had a sinking feeling that whatever it was... it wasn’t done with him yet.

But Jace wasn’t the only one with shadows lurking behind him.

Some things were better left buried. Some stories didn’t need to be told—at least, that’s what I kept telling myself. Maybe that was why Jace’s silence didn’t bother me as much as it should have. Because I understood. Because I had my own past, my own ghosts, and I had spent years convincing myself that keeping them locked away was the safest choice.

But deep down, I knew the truth.

Sooner or later, I would have to tell him.

I would have to tell Jace about Ben. About everything that twisted, vicious bastard had done to me. About everything I had let him do.

A shiver ran down my spine, and I clenched my fists at my sides, willing the memories away. I wasn’t ready. Not yet.

For now, my secrets would stay where they belonged—buried. Hidden in the dark corners of my mind, where they couldn’t touch me. Where they couldn’t touch us.

And maybe that was why I understood Jace’s reluctance. Maybe that was why, just for tonight, I was willing to let it go.

We needed this. A night free of ghosts, free of the past clawing at our heels.

Sucking in a slow breath, I stepped forward, closing the space between us. I wrapped my arms around him from behind, pressing my forehead against his broad back.

His body tensed for half a second before he exhaled, his muscles relaxing beneath my touch.

For tonight, this was enough.

For tonight, we could pretend the past wasn’t waiting to devour us whole.

"Hey baby," he muttered after a while as he turned to pull me close as well. "My words didn’t ruin your mood, did they?"

"Well, kind of." I replied, "But it’s okay, I promise. It might be a sore subject, just know that whenever you’re ready to talk about it, I’m here to listen to you."

"That’s so sweet, baby. And I’ll hold you to your word."

He then leaned over to kiss me deeply. I kissed him back at once, wrapping myself tighter around him as I squeezed his firm butt. I moaned against his mouth, suddenly heavily aroused for him. The more I kissed him, the more I wanted from him.

Soon, I pulled away from him, breathing hard and fast as I stared at him, "You got one thing wrong though."

Almost panting for breath, "I did? What was that?"

"With or without Kira, I would still have found my way to you. One way or the other, fate would never be able to keep us apart. I can assure you of that."

With a smile, Jace leaned closer in, "You’re damn fucking right."

He kissed me again, but this time, it was different. There was an urgency to it—something raw, something almost desperate. His body pressed against mine, his warmth seeping into me, his breath heavy as his lips moved hungrily over mine.

I felt his tongue flick against mine, slow at first, teasing, before deepening with a fervor that sent a shiver racing down my spine. My pulse pounded in my ears, drowning out everything else.

One of his hands moved over my boob, fingers curling possessively around me, while the other gripped my butt, and he squeezed—pulling me closer, as if he needed to anchor himself, as if letting go wasn’t an option.

There was something in the way he held me, something that almost felt like a silent plea, a need beyond the physical. A hunger not just for me, but for escape—for distraction—for anything that could pull us both away from the shadows creeping at the edges of our minds.

But even as his touch sent fire licking through my veins, I couldn’t shake the unease curling in my gut.

Because no matter how much we tried to lose ourselves in this moment, the darkness was still there.

Watching. Waiting.

"Jace..." I laughed suddenly, my voice husky with passion. "What about your food?"

"It can burn," he replied gruffly. "This is all that matters!"

I felt the same way... I was ready to ignore everything else as long as this aching need inside me was met!

With a grunt of pleasure, he began to kiss me all over again.