Chapter 18 #2
They continue to watch each other for a moment before Kratos says something to her.
From this angle, I can’t read his lips, but whatever it is must have pushed Jade over the edge.
She barks a laugh that’s loud enough to be heard over the swell of music and people around us.
Her laugh holds zero humor, though. Instead, it's dark and depraved, matching the look on her face.
For the first time since we met her, I see the darkness that she holds inside, the aftermath of years of life that have been nothing but hell, has had on her.
Even as we watch Kratos’ hand tighten in her hair, she doesn’t flinch or try to pull away. In fact, she does the opposite.
She lunges forward. The pull to her hair has to be intense, but it’s almost as if it has zero effect on her as she pushes forward, her smile still in place.
Her lips are on Kratos’ before I can blink, and I feel my eyes widen in shock, knowing before it’s even over that this will be his last straw.
He may have been willing to humor her on the floor, but he won’t stand for her pushing herself on him.
We’ve all seen how he reacts to being treated like a piece of meat in the clubs.
It never ends well for the girls, and over the years, most have been smart enough to get the hint.
We should have stressed that more to her when she started showing interest at the club last week.
I can’t stand and watch anymore, and apparently, I’m not alone.
Both Zander and Spencer fall into step behind me as I begin to make my way through the crowd toward them.
I expected Zander, but Spencer's following is a bit of a shock.
I may have even taken a moment to give him shit about it if this wasn't so serious, but it is.
So, instead, I file that piece of information away for later and focus on getting to Jade before we end up making a show for everyone here.
We make it a handful of steps in just a moment, but as quick as we are, I worry we won't make it to them in time.
I see Kratos move, and I open my mouth to say what I’m not sure, but I have to do something. The words die in my throat as his reaction plays out in front of us.
I expect him to push her away or do some other terrible thing, something violent.
But instead, he does the opposite. He gathers her in his other arm, pulling her further into his chest. They were close before, but now it appears he’s trying to consume her.
He uses his hold on her hair to angle her head to the side.
Before our eyes, and the eyes of every curious bystander here, at a very public party, Kratos loses himself in a kiss with Jade.
Shocked gasps are heard around the room, one of which comes from Zander, who has stopped right behind me.
They stay locked together in a heated kiss for only a few moments. It’s so intense that it almost feels like I’m intruding by watching them, yet I can’t seem to pull my eyes away.
Jade pulls away first, and for a moment, Kratos leans with her as if chasing her lips as she retreats. Then, his eyes blink open to look at her as she stares back up at him. The heat in her eyes right now would be enough to set a lesser man into a fit of lust until he was throwing himself at her.
She licks her lips, and Kratos isn’t the only one who follows the motion with his eyes. I’m pretty sure everyone in the room does, both men and women.
“Thanks for the dance, Daddy,” she tells him, her voice only a husky whisper, a cocky smirk on her lips.
We're close enough to hear them now, but I almost wish we weren’t.
I can’t ignore my growing issue this time, and I have no choice but to adjust myself.
I try to be subtle, easily missed as everyone around us watches them, but as I look around, I catch Spencer’s eye, and I know he noticed.
I look away, not wanting to hear him give me shit about it.
He can hate her all he wants, but that doesn’t mean I have to; I can’t help how my body reacts.
He doesn’t say shit, though, and I wonder if it’s because he knows Kratos will hear him or maybe because he has no room to talk this time.
My eyes dart back to him, but if he has any issue with his self-control, it doesn’t show.
His focus is once again entirely on Jade and Kratos, who stand just a few feet away from us.
Jade untangles herself from him, and he lets her go.
His hand untangles from her hair, but he doesn’t drop it; instead, he lets it hang in the air.
It’s almost like he doesn’t want her to leave but is letting her go because that’s what she wants.
She presses up on her tiptoes, brushing a kiss to his cheek before she turns and heads toward us, where we all stand watching, waiting.
I’m not sure if she was headed toward the kitchen or if she's aware we're here.
Either way, she stands before us in the blink of an eye.
My eyes dart from her back to Kratos. He stands in the same space she left him, watching her with a look so intense that I expect him to snap and lunge at her.
He doesn’t.
Instead, he gives a subtle shake of his head before his lip turns up in the faintest hint of a smirk.
I’m sure I’ve lost my fucking mind, but I swear I even see a slight color tint his cheeks before he turns towards the door and makes his way through the crowd without so much as a backward glance.
Of course, the people around him hurry to get out of his way, and yeah, public display of affection aside, he’s still got that scary motherfucker vibe down.
“I have so many questions.” I hear Zander say from next to me, and while I agree, I also know we have an audience, and this isn’t the best place to do this.
“Not here, you don’t,” Spencer says as if reading my mind. He grabs Jade’s upper arm, steering her toward the door that Kratos disappeared through a moment ago. She doesn't fight his hold even though we all know she could if she wanted to. We all head out together, just like we came in.
The moment we’re outside, Spencer releases her as if touching her burns him.
She looks back at him, and they take a moment to stare each other down.
I’m not sure if they plan to murder each other or tear each other's clothes off. But, after the turns tonight continues to take, I’m not willing to find out.
Clearing my throat, I pull everyone's attention to me before nodding to the car. They all turn to head to it without complaint, and at this point, I’ll take what I can get.
Tonight was not at all what I expected it to be, that’s for sure.
The majority of the drive home is silent.
Spencer and I again take the seats up front with Zander and Jade tucked together in the back, heads bent low as they have a quiet conversation that I can’t make out.
One look at Spencer tells me he can’t either, and it’s pissing him off.
He wants to know what's happening, but instead of asking, he wants her to give him the information, and everything she shares with Zander, instead of him, is eating him alive.
He needs to get over this shit he has with her if we ever hope to handle this mission successfully.
I have no doubt he can keep her physically safe in a fight if she ever needed us, but this arguing is going to put a strain on everything, eventually.
Froggie won’t be happy. I make a mental note to talk to him about it later, without an audience.
We pull up to the house and into the garage. Both of my parents' cars are here, as they should be this late at night. Some part of me was hoping they’d been called out for something, though, because, judging by the growing tension, this is about to blow up in our faces.
We no sooner exit the car and that very thing happens. Spencer slams his door shut and whirls on Jade before she’s even entirely out of the vehicle.
I’m not sure how often I will watch her hold her own before it becomes normal, but it’s not this time.
I’m struck once again by the fact that she doesn’t cower before him as so many others would.
I’m not sure she would cower before anyone, and where I used to think that was stupid, I now know it’s not from lack of fear, but from years of fighting those fears and coming out on top.
“What the fuck was that?” Spencer all but screams in her face, and I’m at least grateful that we didn’t make it into the house. If he has to scream, this is the best place to do it without waking my parents. Though, I would rather he not scream at her at all.
I reach forward to pull Spencer away, but Jade catches my eye over his shoulder just before I do, giving me a subtle shake of her head.
I let my hand fall to my side but don’t step away.
Obviously, she wants to handle this herself, and that's fine, but I’ll be damned if he’s going to put his hands on her whether she can handle it or not.
“What was what?” Her voice is light as she addresses him as if she has no care in the world, and I feel she’s doing it specifically to piss him off.
Based on his taut jaw and stiff posture, it's working. While I’m still in awe of her ability to stand tall, I also wish she wouldn’t right now.
It’s not that Spencer doesn’t deserve it, because with the way he’s been acting around her, he really, truly does.
But this entire night has been one shit show after the other, and I can’t help but feel like it still has the potential to get a lot worse if we let this get out of control.
“Don’t play stupid with me, Jade!” he roars, leaning so far into her space that just a simple sway could make their noses touch.
Jade presses a hand to his chest and guides him backward a few steps, completely unaffected by him as she slides out of the car and closes the door before leaning back on it, her hands tucked behind her back.