Chapter 41 Jade #2
“Man, they're slow,” Zander says, sounding slightly out of breath.
“Gee, I wonder why,” I tease with a laugh, but he waves me off.
“It’s not my fault they got all that muscle to lug around, makes ‘em slow, but I’m like a cat, agile, quick, and of course, adorable.
” He hops around in front of me, getting low to the ground and pressing up against my leg, just like a cat.
He looks ridiculous. I attempt to glare down at him, but when he looks up at me with wide eyes and meows, I lose it.
Laughing so hard, I almost fall off the damn wooden bridge into the water.
“Whoa, careful, Doll. I don’t mind getting you wet, but maybe save swimming until we get to where we're going.” He smirks, wrapping his arm around my stomach and pulling me back against his chest.
“So smooth,” I tease, pinching him when he nibbles at my ear. “Wait, where are we going?” I ask, turning in his arms to look up at him as his words sink in.
He chuckles, shaking his head as he looks down at me. “You didn’t think this was it. All the hype, and I was going to just take you out to the marina?” he asks, his brow raised in question.
“Um, yes?” I answer, unsure what else to say. I don’t even know what a marina is, though I can guess it’s probably where we are now.
I feel his laughter build in his chest a moment before he throws his head back and laughs, and I pinch him again.
Rude. How was I supposed to know there was more than this?
“Oh no, Doll, this is just the pickup,” he says, turning toward the biggest boat in the water that sits at the end of the walkway and throwing his arms wide.
Absolutely not.
No way. Not happening.
With his back to me, I back up a step, shaking my head because there’s no way I’m getting on that thing. We worked on swimming in a pool. The ocean was a whole other story, and a boat… not even something I want to consider.
I make it two steps before Zander turns back around, and I watch as the smile melts from his face when he sees I’m no longer right behind him. I pause, feeling guilty for all of two seconds, before his lips tip up in a wicked smile. One I know means mischief. Which isn’t good for me right now.
My guilt disappears as I turn and run, not willing to give him more time to do whatever he’s got in mind.
I turn and run right into Rick’s outstretched arm. One second, my feet are on the ground, and the next, I’m hanging over his shoulder. Looking back at the rest of the guys who stand behind him with varying looks of amusement on their faces.
“Put me down right now, Roderick!” I demand, forcing every bit of harsh Froggie energy I can into my words.
He doesn’t listen. Instead, his hand comes down on my ass hard, pulling a shriek of surprise from my lips.
Damn them and their huge asses, big muscles, and this thing they all seem to have with smacking my ass lately.
“Sorry, Firefly, no can do. Zan planned a whole day away for us. We wouldn’t want to disappoint him, would we?” he asks, and I hear the smirk on his face as he continues back toward Zander.
“Yes, yes, I very much would—” Rick chooses that moment to ‘adjust,’ deliberately bouncing me and cutting me off.
Fucker.
I beat my fists on his back with a growl of annoyance.
I don’t actually want to hurt him, but with every step he takes, I know we get closer to that damn boat, and I really might have to.
Looking over the ledge, I see the bottom of the water.
It doesn’t look too deep. If I can get him in the water, I might have a chance to get away while he’s distracted.
A rough hand closes around my chin, forcing my eyes up from the water. Kratos’s dark eyes peer into mine so intensely that I lose my train of thought.
“We will swim later, Killer. For now, be a good girl and get on the boat. We’re going to spend the day together, and we won’t let anything bad happen,” he tells me, his voice deep, husky, and delicious, leaving me at a loss for words.
Damn this little swimsuit. Between Rick and now him, I'll be soaked far before we hit the water.
“Damn, I think you broke her, K,” Spencer says, barking a laugh. I glare at him, but he ignores me.
I know the second we reach the boat, as the world tips and Rick starts up the ramp that connects the boat to the bridge.
I dig my fingers into Rick’s shirt as fear grips me.
Logically, I know we’ll be fine; boats are made to handle the water, and I don’t think the guys would take me out just to die.
But damn it, if I still don’t hate this.
“Maybe this is a bad idea, guys. She looks terrified,” I hear Jake say, but I don’t look up, instead keeping my eyes fixed on the metal ramp beneath their feet as it turns to the smooth wood that I can only assume is the boat.
“Nah, she’s going to love it. She just has to trust us and give it a try,” Trent says, sounding so sure that I want to believe him.
The world spins as Rick pulls me off his shoulder and cradles me in his arms, looking down at me with those beautiful mismatched eyes I love.
“You got this, Firefly. Trust us, and let us show you what living feels like,” he says, his eyes open and honest.
I swallow down the panic that claws at my throat and do the only thing I can.
I nod in agreement because I do trust them. Even after everything I’ve been through, they found a way to worm their way past every wall I had. They earned my trust, and I know they wouldn’t throw it away so easily.
He smiles at me in response before he sets me down on my feet, but he doesn’t let me go. His hand finds mine and laces our fingers together as I take my first real look at the boat.
Woah.