Chapter 36 Kratos #3
I’m not sure how long we lay here, but I must’ve dozed off at some point because I wake to the sound of movement in the hallway.
Thank God this house has old bones. The creaks and shifts of it make it damn near impossible to sneak up on someone, unless you're Jade. I’m not sure how she does it, but she either knows every step to avoid, or she just doesn't weigh enough to make the floor creak.
Probably a bit of both.
Rick comes through the door with a tray of food.
His hand is wrapped up now, and while he looks a bit flustered, he still seems less on edge than usual.
He makes it to the end of the bed before he looks up and notices me.
The smoothie he’s prepared for Jade almost tumbles to the ground when he stops dead in his tracks, but he steadies it just in time before setting it on the nightstand beside the bed.
His whole expression shuts down as I watch him. I knew he would be upset. Who wouldn’t be in this situation? But Jade said it would be fine, and I’d been unable to deny her.
I open my mouth to excuse myself, but Jade cuts me off before I can.
“Did Trent clean you up?” she asks without moving. I hadn’t even realized she was awake, and she’s damn near on top of me, so I doubt Rick knew.
His face softens just slightly when he looks down at her before his gaze moves to his hand.
“Yes, now it’s your turn.”
She raises a hand to wave him off. “I will.”
I catch sight of her hand and the cuts that line her knuckles. Thankfully, Trent cleaned them up earlier, so they aren’t so bloody, but she could probably do with another wipe-down and a good wrap as well.
“Later. For now, I’m tired,” she murmurs into my chest, letting her hand fall on the bed behind her.
Rick stands there for a moment looking at her as if he might argue before he huffs and runs his good hand through his hair. I’m not sure I’ve ever seen Rick back down so easily before, but he doesn’t give up completely as he moves his attention back to the food he just brought up.
“At least eat,” he grumbles, but Jade ignores him. If I didn’t know better, I would say she was asleep again, but she’s far too still for that.
“Tell me what's wrong first,” she says, her voice clearer than it was before, even though she doesn’t appear to be any more awake.
Rick’s eyes flick back to her in confusion as he looks her over.
“Nothing,” he says, but it’s not convincing.
In one swift motion that shouldn’t be possible with how tangled she is—not only around me but the blanket—Jade pushes up and turns to face him, putting her back to me.
“Don’t lie to me,” she tells him, her voice serious but also sincere.
Rick looks at her for a moment, his eyes searching hers as if he’s checking to make sure she’s okay, before he turns back to the food.
“You need to take better care of yourself,” he tells her, his voice gentle in a way I’ve never heard him be with anyone. It almost makes me feel like I should excuse myself, like I’m intruding on something.
“If I drink the smoothie, can we just lie down for a little while?” she asks, and he turns to look back at her before his eyes land on me for a moment, then goes back to her.
She doesn’t miss the shift of his gaze, though.
“Does him being here upset you?”
“No,” he answers her quickly with a shake of his head before turning away again.
Jade pushes up onto all fours, crawling over to the side of the bed closest to Rick, and I don’t even try to keep my eyes off her ass. Her very bare ass.
Fuck, if I wasn’t hard before, I sure as hell am now, painfully so.
“Eyes up, Daddy,” she says with a snicker, and when I manage to pull my eyes away, I see her looking back over her shoulder at me with a smirk.
“Not my fault you put it on display for me,” I grumble at her with no real anger, so she knows I’m playing.
She laughs again, turning her attention back to Rick.
“That would be Rick’s fault. So you can thank him for that.”
I laugh as Rick tenses up at that. I’m not sure what the fuck is going on with him, but this might be the most uncomfortable I’ve ever seen him.
Jade reaches past Rick and grabs the smoothie, sitting back on her feet while she sucks it down.
I’ll never understand how she’s able to be both adorable and an actual cold-blooded killer, but she does it.
Pulling my eyes from her mouth that’s wrapped around the smoothie straw is a struggle, but I manage, and my gaze shifts to Rick, who still stands watching her.
The look on his face is half amazement and half confusion, and yeah, I can understand that.
Jade drinks the damn smoothie in one go, gulp after gulp, until she’s sucking on air. The moment it’s gone, she thrusts the cup toward Rick, and he takes it back to set it on the tray without question.
“I really think you should eat some—”
“Nope,” Jade says, popping the p. She flings herself back on the bed next to me without letting him finish.
“I’m serious, Jade. With the way you just drank that, it’s clear you're hungry, so just eat–” This time, he cuts himself off, and while I can’t see her face, I can imagine the look she’s giving him. I’ve been on the receiving end of it a lot over the years.
“I’ll eat more later, I promise, but I drank the smoothie, so now you get to lay with us and cuddle.” She pats the pillow on the other side of her, and I can hear her smile in each word.
Rick doesn’t move, and I’m getting the feeling I’m making him nervous if the way his eyes keep darting around is anything to go by.
“Don’t make her beg,” I tell him, hoping to ease some of his concern, but also trying to help myself. I’m having a hard enough time controlling myself as it is; if she starts begging, I’ll have no choice but to make him listen.
It seems to do the trick; he sighs and steps toward the bed.
Pulling back the covers, he doesn’t get under them, instead pushing them to the bottom with the rest of the tangled mess from earlier.
Jade scoots over to give him some room, and when he lies down on his back, looking up at the ceiling, she looks over her shoulder at me with a pout.
Jade isn’t used to having to coax people into things, especially something like this.
I might not have openly shown her my love for her all these years, but I’ve always allowed her any comfort.
One of those was holding her when she needed it, mostly after she was hurt or shut down.
And I’d bet my bike that Zander has no issues with cuddling.
Hell, that kid cuddles up to the guys half the time, lying across them on couches and hanging off them like a fucking monkey.
Not to mention the girls turning to her for comfort and the line of work she put herself in.
I smile down at her and nod toward him, encouraging her to go to him.
She turns back to him and grabs his arm, pulling him with her as she turns toward me to lay her head on my lap.
Rick has no choice but to roll with her or let her pull his arm off, so even though his eyes go wide with concern, he follows her lead.
She tucks his arm around her waist and snuggles into my side with her head on my lap.
For a minute, Rick is stiff as a board, panic written over every inch of him as he looks down at her.
But when his gaze meets mine, I give him a nod before turning my attention back to Jade, and I see some of the tension leave his shoulders.
He takes a moment to adjust. His arm never leaves Jade as he scoots in closer to her, fitting himself in behind her, before dropping a kiss to the back of her head and letting his head fall on the pillow behind hers.
It’s probably the most I’ve ever seen him show affection with a woman, well, ever.
Don’t get me wrong, Rick has no issues fucking girls.
I’ve probably seen that more than I even want to count, not to mention heard about it.
But kissing, cuddling, cooking for them, and just genuinely worrying for someone who isn’t his brothers—that’s new.
It’s also kind of hilarious because it goes against just about everything that Rick is. At least with Jade, it does. She’s not only his boss. She's just as stubborn as he is, if not more so. I bet Zander’s going to have a field day with this.
The longer we lay there, the more Rick relaxes, cuddling around her until he’s like a second skin around her.
His face is nestled in the crook of her neck, where he occasionally peppers sweet little kisses.
Jade wiggles after the first few, and Rick stiffens instantly as if he’s worried he did something wrong.
When she giggles, he relaxes back into her.
“You have just enough five o’clock shadow for that to be dangerous,” Jade tells him, still laughing, and he smiles down at her before his eyes narrow and he goes on the attack.
Jade squirms and laughs, and it’s the best sound.
For so long, I feared she would ever be in a place where she would feel comfortable, where she could be herself without all the strings and responsibilities.
She still has way too much on her shoulders, but together like this, with her happy, this is good for now. We can worry about the rest later.
Together.
“Better watch it. You keep tickling her, and she’ll start throwing around more than just some laughter,” I warn Rick, and while he pulls away, my words send Jade into a whole new fit of laughter.
“You earned that black eye. I told you I can’t control myself when you tickle me. It’s fight or flight, and we all know I’m not a runner,” Jade says as she gasps for air, and Rick’s eyes go wide.
“She gave you a black eye?” he asks as if he doesn’t believe it, but really it’s not that crazy.
It would be less crazy to him if he had known me before I was Kratos, Vengeance’s second in command.
Once upon a time, I wasn’t shit. For some reason, Jade still seems to see me that way.
I don’t intimidate her at all. Or maybe her comfort has nothing to do with that.
“Oh yeah, she fuckin’ socked me good. But she’s not lying; she told me I was going to get hurt if I didn’t stop, and I didn’t stop.” I shrug because what's a black eye, really? It was worth it then, and it’s still worth it now as she continues to enjoy the memory even all these years later.
Rick thinks about it for a second, but doesn’t comment further before he looks down at Jade and smiles.
“You're really something,” he tells her, giving her one last kiss on the cheek before he lies back down behind her.
Now that Jade’s got herself under control, she relaxes on my lap once again. A piece of hair falls into her face, and she tries to blow it away twice before she gives a tiny little adorable, angry huff, and I take pity on her, brushing it back behind her ear.
I continue to rub her head, and the room falls quiet as we all enjoy this little bubble of calm and normalcy together.
Rick’s breathing evens out a few minutes later, and all I can do is shake my head.
Jade came in and fucked up everything these guys knew, but she still might be the best thing to ever happen to them. I let my head fall back against the headboard as I continue to card my fingers through Jade’s hair, letting my mind wander about nothing in particular.
“Thanks, Daddy,” Jade whispers, and I can hear the smile on her lips even though she sounds like she’s hardly awake.
“Anything for you, Killer,” I tell her, though I’m pretty sure she’s already asleep.
I’m not sure what she’s thanking me for, but it doesn’t really matter. The answer will always be the same.
There isn’t anything I wouldn’t do for her.