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“Bro, what the fuck.” I shout as I catch myself and rub at my nose, which had made a solid impact with his back. Again I’m ready for an argument, at the very least for him to tell me to watch where the fuck I’m going, but he says nothing. He doesn’t even turn around to look at me. He just stands frozen in place, staring dead ahead.
Curiosity gets the better of me, and I walk up next to him so I can see what’s got his undivided attention, and the second I see, it makes sense.
Sitting at the dining room table is Jade. Like the girl we just saved from sex traffickers earlier this morning.
She’s obviously had a shower, no longer covered in dirt, and her blonde hair is braided back from her face on each side of her head, the color even brighter now that it’s free of grime.
Her clothes are also clean and fit much better, though they still don’t seem to be her exact size. Something about her shirt pulls at my mind though I can’t place why.
I feel my jaw fall open and all but hit the floor as she sits there, looking back at us with confusion apparent on her face and laughter in her eyes. It only lasts a moment before she smiles, and a laugh slips past her lips. She quickly covers her mouth with her hand as if she can use it to hold in her laughter. It doesn’t work, but man, she looks adorable while she tries.
Holy shit, her laugh is like a melody. My mind goes into overdrive as I try and think of a million different ways to make her laugh so that I can hear it again. Clearly, she finds our banter funny, or maybe it was our reaction to us seeing her sitting in here. Either way, I can work with that.
She drops her hand after a moment, though her smile remains. “Hello.” She says, and my heart feels as though it literally skips a beat. What the fuck is happening to me right now. How can one girl I barely know have me in so many knots without us so much as even having a conversation? I’ve fucked girls and felt less for them before.
I’m pulled from my thoughts by the sound of a glass breaking. We all turn towards the sound and find Rick standing in the doorway opposite us, which leads in from the kitchen.
“What are you doing here?” His voice is low so as not to draw the attention of anyone who’s not already in this room. But the volume doesn’t disguise the fury that drips from each word.
Oh shit, this won’t be good.
I glance at Spencer to see what he’s going to do, but he just looks from Jade to Rick and back again before his gaze finally rests on Jade. Apparently, he’s going to just see how this plays out. I guess we can always step in if it gets out of hand.
“Um, I was invited here.” Jade’s voice is also low, but her words come out strong, which is impressive considering that I have seen grown men cower at Rick’s fury before. Shit, I’ve been on the receiving end of it more times than I can count, and it’s not pleasant.
Spencer lets out a huff and moves towards the table, taking the seat opposite her. I didn’t notice until now that the table’s set for dinner, and seeing the food reminds me that Clair wanted us all to have a meal together. I guess I should have grabbed a shirt after all.
Jade watches Spencer as he moves. Once he’s seated, her eyes jump from me back to Rick as if keeping track of everyone in the room who could be a threat. The moment I have that thought, it makes sense. With her past, that’s probably exactly what she’s doing.
I make my way to the table and have a seat next to Spencer. Throwing a lazy smile on my face as she watches me, hoping she will realize I’m not a threat. After my ass hits the seat, her attention snaps back to Rick, who still stands in the doorway with broken glass surrounding his feet. He makes no move to clean it up or go to the table. It’s like he’s frozen in place.
He opens his mouth to say something, but Clair walks in behind him before he can.
“Oh, Roderick, what happened?” She asks as a piece of glass crunches under her heels. She looks at the remains of his glass scattered on the ground.
His jaw clenches, but it’s the only sign that he’s still angry. At hearing Clair, his face falls back into its usual neutral mask.
“The glass slipped. Don’t worry, I’ll clean it up.” He tells her, turning around to head back for the kitchen. Clair’s hand comes up to catch his elbow before he can disappear.
“No need, dear I’ll have Jasper come down and clean it up. Have a seat, your father and I wanted to talk to you boys.” She inclines her head towards the table in a silent plea for him to go sit down. He looks like he wants to argue for all of two seconds before he gives in and stalks over to sit on Spencer's other side.
Jasper is in the doorway with a broom and dustpan a moment later, and in no time, it’s as if the mess was never there. Clair sits at the far end of the table, and James sits at the head of the table. Once we’re all seated, the air is thick with tension, and I have to fight against fidgeting.
Usually, I would be going to my knife right now to calm myself but seeing as we're at the table with Rick’s parents and I left it in my room, that’s not an option. So I pick up my fork and fiddle with that instead. Jade’s eyes snap to the movement before she looks back up at my face, and something like understanding washes over her features before she turns her attention back to Clair.
Weird. I don’t know if I’ve ever had such a hard time figuring someone out, but I’m up for a challenge.
“Boys,” Clair says, pulling everyone’s attention to her. She gives us each a smile before she turns her attention back to Jade. “This is Jade, and she will be staying with us for a little while. I would appreciate it if you could help her get to know some people and maybe show her around a bit.”
“We would be happy to Mrs. Spade!” My response is automatic and way too enthusiastic. I have to bite back a groan as I feel like an over-eager puppy. The side eye I get from Rick also lets me know I just volunteered us for something he absolutely did not want to agree to. But when I look at Jade, her smile is even more radiant, and yeah, Rick can suck it.
Rick’s evil eye goes from me to Jade, and I wish I had sat next to him so I could slam my elbow into his ribs. Not only does she not deserve that, but if Clair sees him looking at her like that, she will rip him a new one.
My concern isn’t necessary, though, because as Jade makes eye contact with him, her smile morphs from one of happiness to one of mock challenge, and I can see the mirth sparkle in her eyes.
Oh, this is going to be interesting.
* * *
