Chapter 41 #2
“Ew, can you guys stop? This is almost as bad as seeing you drool over Trent,” Hazel says with a teasing smile, and I stick my tongue out at her in the mirror.
She does the same with a laugh. “There, all done. Try not to mess it up before we get there.” She tells me with a serious look.
“No promises,” I tell her with a shrug, but I know it won't be an issue tonight.
Hazel has been doing my hair for the last few weeks, but I tend to mess it up more often than not.
I don't usually care about my appearance or how my hair is styled. But this is about more than letting Hazel do my hair because she wants to. No, this is pretty much a job, and I’m more than used to the fact that I need to look my best.
“Where did you go?” Zander's voice is low as he whispers in my ear, and I turn to look at him. I hadn’t heard him approach, but that seems to be happening more often now that I’m comfortable here.
It’s probably going to bite me in the ass later, but I can’t deny it’s nice to feel comfortable with them, safe even.
“Nowhere,” I lie with a shake of my head, and while he doesn’t seem to buy it, he lets it slide.
He doesn’t need to know the panic that lives in my head or the memories that this is bringing back to the surface.
Nobody does, and if we can handle Randall and the auction tonight, I’ll never need to live through it again.
He walks over to one of the high-back chairs he brought up here last week for me to read in, snagging my heels off the table as he goes, setting them on his lap.
“Come here, Doll,” he purrs, beckoning me with a curl of his finger. I move without thinking, eager to be near him.
“Remember, if you need my dick at any point tonight, it’s all yours,” he says with a wicked smile, and I get the feeling he’s not joking. “You don’t even have to ask.”
“Ew, okay, I’m out. You guys are equal parts adorable and vomit-worthy,” Hazel whines, snagging her own shoes and heading for the door.
“Sorry, Haze,” Zander calls with a laugh, not sounding the least bit sorry.
“Yeah, yeah. See you guys down there,” she calls back with a laugh before she disappears.
Before, I would’ve worried Zander made her uncomfortable, but over the last week or so, she seems to have warmed up to the guys.
I know they used to be friends once upon a time, and I’m happy they seem to be heading in that direction again.
I’d talked to Zan this week a few times, worried about Hazel being there, and he assured me he would keep an eye on her for me.
I would hate myself forever if something happened to her because of me, or happened to her at all, but knowing he’s in her corner, and probably the other guys as well, really helped my anxiety about it.
“Why are you scaring my friend away?” I grumble, trying to sound upset and failing when I can’t keep the smile off my face.
He shrugs. “I’d say I’m sorry, but I’m not. I’ll take any alone time I can get with you,” he says with a wink, and I roll my eyes.
“Give me your foot, Doll. Let's get these shoes on you.” Zander holds his hand out, and I lift my foot so that he can slip the shoe on.
I expect him to let it drop after, but instead, he sits back, pulling my foot to rest on his chest while he gets to work lacing the straps up my leg.
Hazel picked out my shoes, and while they are gorgeous, they seemed annoying at the time.
The straps wind all the way up my calf, stopping just before my knee, where you're supposed to tie them into a cute little bow.
Every brush of his fingers on my leg is like a shock to my system, and maybe these shoes aren't quite as annoying as I thought they would be. I silently thank the universe that my balance is good because falling on my ass right now would be less than fun.
When he finishes, he leans forward slightly to tie it off, and I can feel his breath tickle my leg.
Before he pulls away, he closes the distance and brushes his lips over some of my exposed skin between the laces.
It’s hardly a kiss, just a brush of skin, but I still suck in a sharp breath at the contact and have to fight to keep my eyes from fluttering closed.
“Other foot,” Zander says, squeezing my ankle before he releases it so I can lower it to the ground.
I stand frozen for a moment before I realize I’m supposed to move, dropping my foot down to the ground.
Shifting my weight, I lift my other leg for him.
He takes his time, holding my gaze as he lets his fingers glide up and down my legs a few times before he even reaches for the shoe.
I know he’s doing it on purpose, but I can’t find the words to stop him.
I don’t know if I would, even if I could.
“You know we're supposed to leave in like ten minutes, right?” Spencer’s voice has us both looking toward the door.
He stands, leaning on the jamb almost the same way Zander had been a few minutes ago.
His tone says he couldn’t care less, but his posture is stiff, and I see the tension in his shoulders and jaw.
When I catch his eye, I swear it’s like I’m back in that store again, his gaze like a physical presence.
It’s gone in the blink of an eye, replaced by his typical icy stare that I’m pretty sure he has just for me.
It’s like a bucket of cold water being poured over me as I remember this isn’t the time to be flirting. No matter how badly I wish it were.
“Fucking killjoy,” Zander grumbles as he finishes lacing my shoe before he lets me pull it away without all the extra fanfare.
I walk out before them, focusing on the night once again as I head for the stairs, not waiting to see if they follow.
“You couldn’t let her have a fucking second?” The anger in Zander’s voice has me slowing as I listen while continuing down the hall. “She’s terrified. You, of all people, should know that since you’ve seen it. You've witnessed the effect Randall has on her multiple times now.”
I stop at the top of the stairs and look back to find them arguing right outside my bedroom door. Zander’s in Spencer’s face, but Spencer doesn’t flinch away or bite back, instead taking the verbal lashing.
“Just because you can’t get your head out of your ass doesn’t mean you get to make her miserable, too.
Next time, think about what you're saying because you don’t get to make her feel small so that you can feel better.
I don’t care who you are. Next time, you won’t get a reminder either.
I’ll just add your pinkie to my collection,” Zander hisses the words in Spencer’s face, and I have no doubt he’s serious.
The guys always talk about how easy it is for Zan to flip, and while I haven’t really witnessed his unhinged side, I can see it in times like this.
He shoves Spencer's chest before he walks away from him. Spencer doesn’t so much as stumble, but when he looks up, and our eyes meet, I swear I see a glimpse of regret. He looks away too quickly for me to be sure, though.
Zander stops beside me, and when I look up at him, he’s smiling down at me. No hint of his anger from just moments ago.
“Let’s go show the world how good those legs look in that dress,” he says with a wink before he offers me his hand like a gentleman to help me down the stairs. I appreciate the show of humor, but we both know this is going to be so much more than just a gala we can attend and have a good time.
No, with any luck, everything will change tonight.
I just hope it’s in our favor.
I have to ride with Jake since I’m his date, but I know the guys won’t be far behind. Zan, Spencer, and Hazel stood in the foyer as I left. Everyone else was out handling last-minute things, but knowing they will be there soon brings me comfort.
It’s strange how easily everything can change. Just weeks ago, I wouldn’t have cared if they came or not. My plan would have been to shut down the ring from the auction alone, but now the plan involved everyone.
I fidget with the bracelet on my wrist as every second ticks by. We have to be getting close, and while I’m ready to have this over and done with, my nerves are at an all-time high with everyone else who’s at stake.
Jake looks down at my fidgeting hands, and his brow creases, watching me pull on the single charm.
When Jake took me to buy my dress, he insisted I needed something to go with it.
I didn’t really want anything flashy or anything at all, but the bracelet itself was quite plain–just a silver chain that you could add charms to.
I had wanted just the plain chain, but he refused.
We argued for at least twenty minutes in the jewelry store about it.
He told me to pick charms that had meaning, but I refused; I couldn’t.
I didn’t know how to tell him that none of the beautiful charms in the display case had any meaning to me without sounding pathetic.
I knew normal girls could probably find dozens, but not me.
Eventually, he’d walked off with a huff, and I thought I’d won, that I had made him give up. It wasn’t until he flagged down a sales rep that I realized I was wrong. I hurried over to him, but by the time I got to the counter, he’d not only picked what he wanted but paid as well.
‘Just one charm. That way, it’s not plain, but it’s not full.
We’ll call it a draw, alright?’ he’d said as he handed me the bag, and I couldn’t do anything but watch him walk away.
I didn’t even look at it until I was back at the guy's house later that night, and I’m happy I waited.
There’s no way I would have been able to hide the smile it brought to my face when I opened the box.
A crown with jade gemstones. It’s beautiful, honestly, one of the nicest things I’ve ever owned. Prior to living with the guys, it would have been the nicest, but the twin blades from Zander still hold the top spot.
Jake reaches out, stilling my fidgeting fingers, pulling my hand away from the bracelet. I’d expected him to let my hand drop, but he shocks me further when he laces his with mine, letting them rest on the seat between us before he turns his attention back out the window as if nothing happened.
We drive the rest of the way in silence, my need to fidget momentarily calmed by the warmth of his skin.
The limo we’re in pulls up, and our driver gets out to open our door.
“I won’t let him fuck with you again, Jade,” Jake says, his voice quiet, and when I look up, I find his intense gaze set on me. “We’ve got you, Princess,” he says with a small smile and warmth in his eyes that isn’t usually there. He squeezes my hand once before releasing it.
The door opens before I can think of a response, and he nods me toward it before he steps out. I take one more deep breath before I reach for his hand to help me out.
I have a new plan now, and all I can do is hope the people I’ve come to care about don’t get caught in the crosshairs.