Chapter 7
The sun is just starting to peek over the trees, and I'm not sure I've ever anticipated the sunrise more than I have the last two hours.
It's morning.
Which means it's officially February sixteenth and no longer the day of the mission or her and Zander's date night, so Jade is free game.
I'd heard them come in last night, way fucking late, but it's a pretty usual routine for them when they get down to the 'fungeon' as Zander likes to call it.
We all have our things, and for the most part, Jade finds a way to fit into everything without missing a beat, just like she does the rest of our lives.
It took everything I had not to go and grab her when they came back, but I know the rules. If I had tried to take her before their date night was over, I would have been handing Zander another night with her, and there's no fucking way I could have handled that again so soon.
Their dates are necessary; we have people to handle, and this often is the best way to do it, but that doesn't mean I enjoy them.
I'd much rather stalk these fuckers and kill them in an alley or shady club, but Jade said that wasn't the best way to handle them.
I know she's right; I'm not stupid, but that doesn't mean I still wouldn't prefer it.
The house is quiet. The only other people who are ever up this early are Kratos and Jade, and I know for sure Jade isn't. Which also means Kratos will make himself scarce.
We're all closer now. After everything we went through and living together for the last five years, it would be impossible not to be.
But despite that, or maybe because of that, Kratos tends to hide from the chaos when he can.
And anything to do with Zander is chaos. He just can't fucking help himself. It’s like he craves it.
Which is why it's not surprising that he about loses it when I barge into his room and scoop up a very naked, sleeping Jade from literally right under his nose.
"It's my night, you Neanderthal!" he shouts, scrambling to the end of his bed without a care that his dick is hanging out or that other people in the house are sleeping.
I flip him off without looking back or slowing as I approach the door. "It's morning." I pull the door closed behind me with my foot, and it slams shut, but I can still hear Zander whining from the other side.
Too damn bad.
I look down at Jade, and she smiles up at me before a yawn overtakes her. She stretches out like a cat in my arms before nuzzling into my chest.
"I missed you too, Ricky," she says, her words quiet and slightly slurred with sleep. I hate that damn nickname, always will, but damn her, she somehow makes it sound adorable.
With her in my arms, I make my way downstairs and to the kitchen.
I would love nothing more than to take her right to my room and spank her ass.
It's what I promised her, and while I intend to stay true to that, I know it needs to wait at least long enough for her to eat something.
Hell, at this point, I don't care if it’s a fucking bowl of that sugary cereal she loves so much.
I just know she hasn't eaten all night. They never do when they're down there.
At first, I thought it made sense. Who wants to eat when they are torturing someone?
There's blood, guts, and with those two, body parts often get cut off thanks to Zander's strange collection of pinkies, but that wasn't it at all.
No, none of that bugs them in the least. Their issue is that they get so into it that it consumes them.
They lose track of time and of basic needs like eating and drinking.
I'd never much cared when it was Zander doing our 'negotiating' and hadn't even paid attention, but it's impossible for me not to worry about Jade.
I swing past the bathroom down here and grab a robe before heading into the kitchen.
Setting Jade on one of the bar stools at the center island, I drape the robe over her shoulders.
I don't give a shit if she ate naked, but I don't want her to get cold.
She sits without swaying, and when I'm sure she can handle sitting, I move to the cabinet to grab her cereal and a bowl before taking the milk.
Last, I grab a spoon and set it all down in front of her.
"Aw, I'm allowed to have cereal?" she says, and although she tries to sound sweet, I can hear the sass.
"Don't start, Jade. Eat your cereal and drink some water." I set a bottle of water next to her bowl and give her a pointed look, hoping she understands how close I am to snapping.
I'm not sure why I bother with the look. She knows how close I am, and I assure you, she doesn't give a single fuck. If anything, it makes her smile wider, but I can't be sure that's what it's from. Thankfully, instead of putting up a fight, she simply pours herself a bowl and begins to eat.
She must be hungry, or maybe she’s also excited for her spankings. Either is a very real possibility. Jade is forever keeping us on our toes, so who knows?
"Can I get some coffee?" she asks after she's eaten a few bites and drank half of her bottle of water.
Jake chooses that exact moment to walk in, and her eyes snap to him the same way mine do, making him freeze in the doorway.
"Well, good morning, Princess," he says, looking her over with wide eyes, no doubt caught off guard by the fact that she's sitting naked, eating a bowl of cereal. It's not the strangest thing that’s ever happened with us, but I can appreciate the fact that he's appreciative of her body.
Shaking his head, he moves to the coffeepot, stopping to drop a kiss on Jade's head as he passes her and earning a smile full of affection from her.
I'm not sure how she does it, balancing all of us and everything else she does, but she manages to do it all in a way that makes it impossible to doubt her.
She gets results, and the way she loves us, it's not something you can fake. She really loves each of us.
Jake stops at the coffeepot and grabs a cup before he turns back to look at Jade, silently asking her if she wants a cup. Her eyes jump to mine, and even if I'd intended to tell her no before, I can't possibly bring myself to do it now. Not when she's defaulted to me for her answer.
Damn it.
"One cup," I tell her seriously, but I'm not even sure she hears me as she claps her hands together in excitement.
Jake quickly starts preparing a cup the way she likes, with way too much creamer and sugar to even be considered coffee.
It's not that she won't or doesn't drink it black; no, she will drink coffee any way she can get it, and that's the problem.
She's addicted to caffeine and chocolate, and everyone knows it.
Which means they have no problem using that to their advantage whenever they can.
Without even getting his own cup, Jake brings her cup over to her and sets it down next to her bowl with a smile that almost seems nervous.
Even after years together, he still has moments of doubt from his father.
For a long time, I hated him, and he didn't help.
I thought he was a douche, and for the most part, I think that's what he wanted people to believe.
I never would have guessed Randall was pulling all the strings the way he was behind the scenes.
Jade, of course, knew from the start. I'm not sure how, but she seems to always see past the bullshit. She saw past his, mine, and even Spencer's. Something about her is too hard to resist, and I can't even be upset about it because she's easily the best thing to happen to all of us.
She takes her time eating and sipping her coffee, during which time I decide to make a shopping list. This weekend, Hazel will be back here to visit, and I know Jade wants her to come here along with Leo and Dom, which means I need larger meals.
It's a pretty good distraction for the whole of the ten minutes it lasts.
Trent is up next, and Kratos is after him. Neither bats an eye at Jade's mostly naked appearance, but they do stop to appreciate it before moving to get their breakfast or coffee. I can't say I blame them. If they didn't notice, I would be concerned, but it does piss me off all the same.
I never claimed to be rational.
Jade should be in my bed already. I gave her the night with Zander; let her go out in that little black dress that should have never left the bedroom, let alone been wasted on a piece of shit like the guy they dealt with. She promised me those spankings, and I'm sick of waiting.
Just like that, my patience runs out. Before I can think better of it, I've got Jade thrown over my shoulder, her robe falling to the ground as I march us out of the kitchen.
"I'll see you boys later." She laughs, and I hear her blow them a few kisses before we’re around the corner and out of sight.
"I wouldn't be so sure about that. You owe me spankings, Firefly."
A sharp sting on my ass makes me pause mid-step, and her laughter rings around the living room.
"You said I owed you spankings," she says in a fit of giggles that makes me roll my eyes. Only Jade would dare spank my ass like that. Anyone else and I would break their damn hand.
I don't bother responding. Instead, I reach up and pinch her ass, making her jump and let out an adorable little squeak.
"That was uncalled for!" she protests, pushing up on my back, but I easily adjust her so that she's once again hanging limp as we head up the stairs and to my bedroom.
"So was you taking over an hour to eat and drink a single cup of coffee," I tell her, and she once again gives a laugh.