Chapter 27 Jade
Dinner last night might have been a disaster, but despite what the guys thought, it wasn’t as bad as it could’ve been.
Not even close.
With Randall, it could’ve been so much worse, but I didn’t tell them that. All that would do is raise questions I don’t want to answer. I'm perfectly content to let them be angry about the outcome and our supposed lack of information.
Zander had found me in the music room, and while I was grateful, I knew Randall only wanted to put his pieces in place last night. I’ve played this game of cat and mouse with him for far too long not to recognize how he works.
Zander had all but hauled me down to the car before he went back in to grab the guys after our run-in with Randall. I doubt that's all he did, though. If it were, he could’ve just called them, but going back in made me think it had something to do with Jake.
I let my mind wander to Jake for a moment.
He’s confusing. I didn’t really trust him.
How could I? He hadn’t exactly been warm and welcoming when I first met him.
If anything, he was a bit of a creep. Not to mention his sister clearly has issues with me, and, of course, Randall is his father. How the hell could he be trustworthy?
Yet, for some reason, last night I had, in fact, trusted him. He’d directed me to Randall's office, and I hadn’t even questioned him. He very well could have led me into a trap.
But he hadn’t, and I wasn’t sure why.
When I had followed him out of the dining room, my thoughts had been on Spencer being alone with Randall. I’d originally planned to ditch Jake to search the manor. Somehow, I’d not only stayed with him but also enjoyed the time in the music room, especially when he was playing.
Shit.
I push all thoughts of Jake away with a sigh of frustration.
I’m not sure what time it is, but I can feel the sun shining down on the bed through the crack in the curtains, and I know I need to get up.
Kratos set the meeting late enough that I wasn’t worried about that yet. But lying in bed allowed my mind all the time and space to wander every which way. I was starting to annoy myself.
“What could you possibly find frustrating so early in the morning, Killer? You haven’t even opened your eyes yet.”
Kratos's voice is deep and rough from sleep. I’d be lying if I said it wasn’t one of the hottest things I’ve ever heard, which is saying something because his usual deep baritone was already pretty swoon-worthy.
The sound rumbles through his chest, under my ear, and that only makes it deeper.
I can’t help the chuckle that escapes me.
He’s right. I hadn’t opened my eyes yet, though I’m unsure how he knows that. I’m not even facing him.
Propping my elbow on his chest, I sit up enough to put my head in my hand to meet his gaze.
Fuck, bad idea.
Whatever I’d been planning to say vanishes the moment I look at him.
Kratos has always been someone worth admiring. Even when he was young and less intimidating in size, he had an air about him that drew people in. It was one of the reasons I’d allowed him anywhere near me when I was at his father's house all those years ago. But now he’s a force in and of himself.
He’s built fucking huge and knows how to use those muscles.
They aren’t just for show, though they are nice to look at.
He isn’t afraid to get his hands dirty, but even beyond that, his name alone is enough in most cases.
Kratos doesn’t just command respect; he demands it, and those around him thrive with him.
Why he’d decided to name me the head of Vengeance instead of himself, I’ll never understand.
“You’re drooling,” he says with a chuckle that's just as delicious as it is dangerous. The sound goes right to my throbbing clit, while he swipes his thumb across my mouth as if wiping drool from my lips.
Not helping.
I pull back out of his reach, sitting up, and swat his hand away. Which makes his chuckle morph into full-on laughter.
I shoot him a venomous look, but he doesn’t even seem to notice.
I wasn’t drooling, and he knows it. No matter how good he might look with his hair loose on the pillow, ruffled from sleep, and his fucking chest on display covered in a beautiful mix of ink, scars, and muscle…
Crap.
“I was just messing with you, Killer. Calm down and get back here,” he says, reaching out to grab me and tug me back down on his chest. This time I lay facing him.
I don’t fight him, though. He might deserve a good whack in the head, but cuddling with him is warm and comfortable, and I don’t need to punish myself for him being a dumbass.
Instead, I do what anyone in my situation would do. I stick my tongue out at him.
His chest rumbles again, and I see the amusement dance in his eyes.
“You’ve been spending too much time with Zander,” he says, though there's no heat in his words, which lets me believe he doesn’t actually have an issue with that.
I shrug in response because he’s not wrong. I spend a lot of time with Zander, and I might be picking up a few of his quirks.
We lay there for a while, both of us comfortable in the silence. His heart beats against my ear in a soothing rhythm that I could easily let lull me back to sleep, but his gaze on me keeps me from giving in to it.
Last night, he had insisted that he’d sleep on the couch, and I would take his bed. It was beyond ridiculous. The man is at least six feet tall, probably taller, and that couch would not be big enough for him. I knew that without even seeing the couch.
It took a little while, but eventually, he caved and agreed to sleep on the bed with me.
Only after I told him I would go back to the guy's house if my being here was an inconvenience. I hadn’t come here to be a burden, and while I know he thought there was some deep ulterior motive, the truth was I really did just want to be here, with him.
I watch him watch me and think about how different my life has become in such a short time. Before Zander and Kratos, I’d never slept in a bed with a man because I wanted to. Now, as I lie here with him and share a bed with Zander most nights, I wonder how I’ll ever go back to sleeping alone.
I push the thought away as soon as it surfaces. But with how closely Kratos is watching me, I know he saw it. He raises a brow at me in question, but doesn’t push.
“So, are you sick of him? Is that why you came here last night?” he asks, and I know he’s messing with me, but I also see the question in his eyes. He still thinks I came here for a reason other than him.
I shake my head against his chest. “No, I like Zander’s company. He’s fun and energetic–”
“And psychotic,” he adds with a pointed look, and I roll my eyes.
“Yes, and that. Let’s not pretend we're both so normal, Daddy.” I remind him, expecting some kind of sass of his own, but he remains quiet. The only tell that he even heard me is his elevated heart rate beneath my ear.
Oh?
“What’s the matter? Your heart’s beating awfully fast all of a sudden,” I say, a smirk on my lips that I don’t even attempt to hide.
His gaze burns into mine.
“You think you're cute, huh?” he asks, his gaze no less intense, even though his tone is playful.
“Cute? Ew, no, I think I’m a badass.” I say only half joking.
“Cutest badass I’ve ever seen,” he says, nodding in agreement.
He’s mocking me now, and fine. If he wants to play, I'm happy to play.
“So you think it’s cute when I call you Daddy? Is that why your heart’s damn near trying to beat its way out of your chest right now? Because I’m just so adorable?” My words drip with sarcasm as his eyes narrow.
I don’t give him a chance to answer, though. Instead, I turn my head just enough that I can press my lips to the bare skin of his chest while still keeping my eyes locked on his.
The moment my lips touch his skin, his eyes threaten to close, and he sucks in a sharp breath.
“Killer.”
He hisses that damn nickname with a gruffness that causes my stomach to knot. His voice is so low that I feel it rumble through his chest more than I actually hear it. This was meant to tease him, not me, yet somehow, that one word changed that.
But he started this little game, and I’ll be damned if I’m going to back down now.
Lifting my head slightly, I hum softly in response. As if I have no idea what I’m doing, I move slightly higher up his chest and once again press my lips to his bare skin.
This time, his eyes fall closed. His head drops against the headboard, and it sounds painful, but if he feels it, he doesn't show it.
Taking advantage of his eyes being closed, I move ever so fucking slowly, pulling back, only to move slightly higher, dropping my lips to his skin repeatedly as I work my way higher up his chest.
I feel his heart as it hammers a wild beat beneath my hand and lips. I can’t help the smile that curves my lips even as I press them to his skin. Reaching the center of his chest, I pause.
He proudly tattooed the Vengeance symbol just above his heart, and seeing it on him only reminds me I have the same one.
Mine is on my left thigh, high enough that it won’t be seen unless it's meant to be.
Every sworn member of Vengeance bears this mark, but something about us being linked sends a thrill through me.
Even more so because Kratos put mine there.
I place a kiss on the ink, but it's not enough. Without thought, my tongue darts out to lick the same spot, suddenly desperate to taste him.
His whole body goes rigid at the contact, and when I look up, I find him watching me with hooded eyes, pupils blown wide.
“Jade.”
Again, his voice is low and husky, but this time I also hear the warning. One simple word, my name, has never sounded so good, and I don’t know what his warning means, but I desperately want to find out.
I don’t exactly know what I’m doing, but I don’t stop.