35. Adair
35
ADAIR
J ack is usually lukewarm, at best, when I suggest getting takeout for dinner. But this time, back at the house, I put my foot down. By which I mean, I bug him and whine until he huffs out an exasperated sigh and shakes his head.
“Jesus H . Fine, but you’re paying for it.”
Oh, this is a two-fer. My favorite pizza place and Jack letting me pay for something? Winner, winner, pizza dinner. I’m practically bouncy.
Eyeing me, he smirks. “Are you that excited for pizza? God, you’re such a child.”
“No —well, not exactly.” I make myself sit still. “I’m excited that you’re letting me pay for dinner for a change. I know that sounds back-asswards, but I’m happy you’re letting me contribute. I think it makes me feel a teeny bit like things are more equal.”
There’s an edge to Jack’s chuckle, stirring something deep inside of me. “Is that what you think now?” He shoots me a bemused look and goes back to browsing his phone. “Just figuring out what type of radiator hose I need to replace yours with,” he says, nodding towards the screen.
“Thank you.” OK, so maybe it was stupid to make a big deal out of paying for pizza when I can’t even get my car fixed without Jack’s help. A lightbulb goes on in my head. “Um, how much is that going to be?” He looks up. “The radiator hose, I mean. I can pay you for it.”
I’m kind of expecting his response, but it still stings a little when he snorts and rolls his eyes like he can’t be bothered to answer me. I realize with embarrassment that I’m torn between indignation and a stupid, inexplicable craving for his dismissive derision. Trying to push it out of my mind, I inspect the fingernail I snagged in my rush to get out of my smoking car earlier. There’s probably a nail file around here somewhere, but I don’t want to ask.
Jack jerks his head up when he hears me biting it. Without putting down his phone, he leans over, yanks my finger out of my mouth and swats the back of my hand.
“ No .” He scowls. “Did that lesson really not sink in for you yet?”
I cringe. “Sorry.”
“Don’t be sorry, just keep your damn fingers out of your mouth. Next time, you’re not getting another warning — you’re going to be wearing that collar again. Don’t think I won’t do it.”
Don’t say it, don’t say it, don’t s— “Never doubted you for a second,” I say in a saccharine tone.
There’s a flash of what looks like real annoyance in his eyes as he studies me. I might be on thin ice. I should change the subject.
“When do you want to eat?” As if on cue, my stomach growls and I remember I haven’t eaten anything today.
Jack shrugs. “Whenever. I’m easy.”
I look up from my phone with a grimace. “Delivery is going to take like an hour.” A bratty thought pops into my head and I can’t help myself. “I don’t mind picking it up. Can I take your truck?” I ask, putting an eager expression on my face.
I’m just screwing with him, of course. Jack barely tolerates me using his good chef’s knife. There’s no way in hell he’d lend me his truck.
Sure enough, his eyebrows lower. “Fucking kidding me?” he growls “Over my dead body.”
I roll my eyes at him, enjoying myself. “I was kidding . Geez. You don’t have to go all possessive and caveman on me.”
“ Caveman? That’s the second time today you’ve come out with that bullshit.” He snorts. “You wouldn’t know caveman if it grabbed you by the hair and threw you over its shoulder.”
I giggle. “You know you’ve pretty much literally done that to me before, right?”
His eyes narrow. “You haven’t seen the caveman in me come out.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?”
“That means I don’t think you know what you’re asking for.” He adds after a pause. “Brat.”
I let my eyebrows creep up. “Maybe you haven’t really seen me being a brat yet, either,” I retort.
Why ? My brain groans at me. But I can’t answer myself. I don’t know why I’m risking pissing Jack off after we literally just patched things up. I told him I loved him. And I definitely meant it. So why the hell am I poking the bear?
I thought Jack wasn’t going to take that provocation well, so I’m surprised when he bursts out laughing. But I second-guess my decision to tease him when he stops laughing abruptly, his expression scaring off the smirk that was just on my lips. “You didn’t order that pizza yet, right?”
That’s out of the blue . “Nope, not yet. Why?”
“Good. I’ve got something to take care of first.” He gets up and heads for the stairs. Nerves start vibrating low in my belly. I hope I didn’t bite off more than I can chew.
When he comes back down, my eyes go straight to his hands —and a bolt of real fear shoots down my spine when I realize he’s carrying that shock collar.
“Hey!” I protest. “I stopped biting my nails!”
Jack ignores me. I’m perplexed at first when, instead of coming towards me, he heads into the kitchen and rummages around in the junk drawer.
When he stalks over to me, I sigh. “Were you saying something?” he asks, his voice threatening. I shake my head, knowing better than to try to pull away or fight as he fastens that collar around my neck. He pulls the strap through one more hole, making it tighter than last time. I swallow nervously, my throat bumping up against the snug plastic.
He pulls whatever he grabbed from the junk drawer out of his pocket. A wicked smirk curls his lips. My eyes widen when I see what he’s holding.
It’s a zip tie. Before I can pull away, he threads it through the holes in the collar and jerks it tight, effectively locking it onto my neck. I try to bite back a whimper and fail, which makes Jack snicker.
“That’s cheating!” I protest.
Jack seems to find this funny. He grabs me and pulls my face towards him, his big hand squeezing my nape. Could he be going in for a kiss?
“Open,” he barks.
I part my lips. My eyes fly wide and I let out a squeak of surprise when Jack spits in my mouth. A shudder runs through me at the sensation —warm, viscous and gross. And fuck if it doesn’t make my dick snap to attention instantly. I whimper, my mouth still open.
Jack’s eyes narrow to slits as he spits into my waiting mouth again.
“You want to run that smart mouth of yours, Bunny, you better not be surprised when I come up with better ways to fill it.” He huffs out a laugh as he appraises me. “Swallow it already, dipshit.”
I didn’t know I was allowed to close my mouth. I dutifully, hurriedly swallow it down. Ugh . But my dick doesn’t care what my brain thinks.
Jack reaches for me and roughly palms my crotch. “That’s what I thought,” he says in a low voice. “Fucking freak.” He snickers again.
“Here’s how this is going to go,” he says once he releases me. “I’m going to give you a thirty-second head start out there.” He points to the sliding glass door and the dark forest beyond it.
“But I don’t know any of the woods around here,” I protest faintly.
Jack grins. “I know. That’s why I’m giving you a thirty-second head start. Use it well, because —” he grabs my chin and forces me to look up at him, “I’m not holding anything back.” He smirks at me. “I hope mouthing off was worth it, brat.”
I look down at myself. I’ve got a thermal shirt on, but I’m wishing I had a jacket, too. It’s going to be cold out there —and definitely damp, given how much it’s rained recently. Not to mention that I don’t have the slightest idea where I’m going. My mind races as I try to visualize the lay of the land.
With a hard grip on my shoulder, Jack drags me over to the sliding door. He taps the glass. “The other side of this door is where you want to be. I know you’re not going to make it back before I catch you, but I like to set goals.” Whatever expression he sees on my face makes a wicked smile tug at the corners of his mouth.
“I’m not going to think any less of you if you use your safeword,” he says. “In fact, I expect you to.”
Oh fuck.
I don’t have time to dwell on it. After Jack checks the time, he pulls open the door and gives me a slap on the ass. “Thirty seconds starts now.”