Chapter 23 Zander #2
I pull her into my arms with a smile before falling back onto the bed.
She pushes herself up with her arms enough to look down at me but doesn’t try to get out of my hold.
I love the feel of her skin on mine. I would lay here all day just like this if she’d let me, but that’s not what I need to focus on right now.
“Jade, everyone’s got issues. You don’t have to apologize for having a tough life.
Shit, we all have. You’ve seen firsthand how untrusting Spencer is.
How much Rick needs control, and how nuts I can be, right?
” She nods even though she doesn’t seem to understand where I’m going with this.
“It’s all from past shit. Yours might be more than ours, but we all have baggage.
Don’t worry about it,” I tell her with a smile, and this time, she gives me a small smile in return, and even if she’s not one hundred percent, it’s a start, and I’ll take it.
I roll us over so that she’s beneath me as I hold myself over her, supporting most of my weight on my hands so as not to squish her. Her hair’s spread out around her, and her smile grows bigger now that I’ve shifted the mood.
She’s fucking beautiful.
“You want to know what I’ve found is the best way to deal with a breakdown?” I ask her, slowly lowering myself until our noses are almost touching.
“What?” she asks, pushing up and planting a gentle kiss on my nose. I go cross-eyed watching her, and when she pulls back, she lets out an adorable little laugh that pulls a dopey-ass smile to my face.
“Being spontaneous!” I let some of my weight drop on her to keep her in place as I press my lips to her neck and alternate between nuzzling, biting, and kissing her anywhere I can until she’s laughing so hard she’s fighting to breathe.
“Okay, okay!” she yells, and I pull back just enough to let her take a few deep breaths.
“What did you have in mind?” she asks as she lifts a brow at me in question.
I push up off her and then off the bed in one quick motion.
“Get dressed and meet me in the garage in fifteen,” I tell her before all but sprinting out of the room.
“Make it twenty, and you got a deal!” She laughs just before I make it out the door, and I stop to look back at her.
“Fifteen should be more than enough time, Doll. You only need clothes, and you're good,” I tell her, but she rolls her eyes before pulling herself off the bed.
My eyes roam over her naked body without shame.
If she’s going to put herself on display for me, I’m not going to waste it.
Besides, it’s not like I don’t know that body already.
The longer I look at her, the more I wonder if we should even bother leaving the house.
I can think of a bunch of fun things we can do right here.
I finally manage to pull my eyes back up to her face, only to find a knowing smile on her lips. Damn, she did that on purpose. Not fair.
“You were saying,” she says, the challenge clear in her tone.
“I was saying if you didn’t want to leave, you should have just said so.
No need to play dirty,” I tell her with a smile, letting the door fall closed as I stalk back toward her.
Gripping her hips, I pull her to me roughly.
She opens her mouth to say something, but I don’t give her a chance, instead leaning forward to seal my lips to hers.
Our kiss is hard and sloppy, but neither of us cares as we take a moment to try to dominate each other.
I let my hands slide down her body until they rest against the perky globes of her bare ass, kneading it roughly in each of my hands.
Her responding moan is music to my ears, but while I’d love to continue this, I really think going out and having a day away will help her.
I squeeze her ass one more time before regretfully pulling away from her. At the last minute, she surges forward and catches my lower lip between her teeth. When I look down at her, her eyes find mine through her lashes, the challenge clear.
I huff but give in easily enough. I can always win the next round.
“Fine. Twenty minutes,” I tell her, and though my words come out slightly slurred from her hold on my lip, she understands me. She releases me before quickly darting away with a smile on her face, and I can’t even be mad that I lost when she looks at me like that.
“Brat!” I call over my shoulder as I walk out the door. Her laughter bounces around the room and through the door, leaving me with a dopey smile as I head back to my room to change.
Damn, this girl’s got me all tied up in knots.
Twenty minutes later, we’re in the garage and heading out.
I have no idea where we're going yet, but the music is loud, and Jade sings along with a smile. I can already see that this was a good call. I drive on autopilot, and we end up in town by all the small shops that line the area's main street. Almost everything you could need is here, and I’m pretty sure this is where Clair took Jade last week. Maybe she’ll find something she wants to explore, or maybe we will just walk around. I’m happy to do whatever she wants.
We park outside a newer coffee shop with a lot of the trending drinks you see on social media and a good mix of normal shit. I'm sure we can find something she likes with all the options.
Getting out, I head around the car to grab her hand and walk with her. The shop is busy but not the worst I’ve ever seen it. We stand off to the side as Jade looks over the options. It only takes her a minute before she decides what she wants, and we move into line to wait.
Jade takes in everything around her while I can’t help but watch her.
I’m not blind. I see the people around us.
I hear the whispers from the guys, wondering who she is and the girls who are confused about seeing me out with a girl at anything other than a party, but it’s not bothering Jade, so I don’t let it bother me either.
We get to the counter, and I order a white chocolate mocha while Jade gets the salted caramel mocha.
As the girl behind the counter gets our coffees together, we move down the counter to pay and wait.
Jade’s eyes light up as she takes in all the desserts, and while she drools over them, I order a salted caramel drizzled cinnamon muffin before I pay.
I’ve never tried it, but it sounds like something she’ll love.
They hand me our coffees, and Jade takes the bag with her muffin, letting out an actual squeal of excitement as she opens it to see what’s inside.
We take our stuff to go, making it back outside before she takes a massive bite, and one of those sinful noises that she can’t seem to control when she eats falls from her lips.
Fuck.
I forgot how hot those sounds are. Maybe the muffin was a bad idea.
She looks up at me after her first bite with wide eyes and a look of pure joy on her face. Just like that, I can deal with the sounds no matter what effect they have on me.
“You have to try this, Zan!” she shouts before shoving the muffin toward me. I take a bite because it’s either that or I’m going to have it smashed in my face.
It is good, I'll give her that, but I’m more taken by the fact that she just used my nickname than the damn muffin, though I don’t point it out.
I nod while I chew, letting her know I like it, and she smiles.
Then, she damn near inhales the rest of it while she does the most adorable little wiggle that I assume is a happy dance.
She licks her fingers clean before tossing her trash in a nearby bin and skipping, like actually skipping back to my side.
“So, where to now?” she asks as we start down the street.
“I don’t know. We don’t really have to have a plan. This was more about going out and seeing what we could find, so let’s find something.”
We look in the windows of each shop we pass. Some she wants to go in, like the candle and soap shop and the bookstore. She makes a face at others, and I can’t help but chuckle. Apparently, Jade has zero interest in high-end purses and heels the way most girls around here do.
Man, it feels like she was made for me.
We’ve walked by most of the major shops, and I feel like the time away has done exactly what I wanted. Jade seems lighter than she has since she stepped into our lives, and I can’t help but feel a surge of pride knowing I was able to give her this, even if it is temporary.
We’re headed back to the car on the opposite side of the street when a shop I didn’t expect her to care about catches her attention.
Emerald Ink.
It’s the shop we go to for all of our piercing and tattoo needs, not that Jade would know that. Jade stands looking in the window at all the art proudly displayed there.
“Did you want to go in and maybe get something, or were you just admiring the art?”
The art they display in the window is ever-changing but always eye-catching.
She turns to look at me with wide eyes. “I can get something?” Her pure look of disbelief makes me laugh, but she doesn’t seem concerned by my reaction.
“Jade, you can have anything you want with me, Doll,” I tell her, steering us towards the door and into the shop.
I’ve spent a lot of time in this place. So much so that Mad hardly even glances up before he realizes it’s me. He shouts from the back that he will be up in a minute to help us. While we wait, Jade wanders around the small front area, taking in the body jewelry on display.
“Hey, Zan, what’s up? It’s been a minute, man. Are you finally coming to book the rest of that back piece?” he asks, pulling me into one of those bro hugs and slapping my back.
“Nah, man, shit’s busy right now, and recovery on that thing is a bitch. Today’s all about her and whatever she wants,” I tell him, nodding to Jade, who’s still crouched in front of the jewelry cabinet.
Sometimes, I forget how small she is because her presence is so fucking big, but judging by Mad's reaction, I would almost bet money he hadn’t even noticed her.