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I can’t stand and watch anymore, and apparently, I’m not alone as I stride forward, hearing both Zander and Spencer fall in behind me. I expected Zander, but Spencer following is a bit of a shock. I may have even taken a moment to give him shit about it if this wasn't so serious, but it is. So instead, I file that piece of information away for later and focus on getting to Jade before we end up making a show for everyone here.
We make it a handful of steps in just a moment but as quick as we are, I worry that we won't make it to them in time to stop what I’m sure is about to turn into a bloodbath.
I see Kratos move, and I open my mouth to say what I’m not sure, but I have to do something. The words die in my throat as his reaction plays out in front of us.
I expected him to violently push her away or do some other terrible thing my brain imagined. But instead, he gathers her in his other arm, pulling her further into his chest. They were close before, but now it appears he’s trying to consume her. His hand in her hair doesn’t release, but he uses his hold on her to angle her head to the side.
Before our eyes, and the eyes of every curious bystander here at a very public party, Kratos loses himself in a kiss with Jade. Shocked gasps can be heard around the room, one of which comes from Zander, who has stopped right behind me.
They stay locked together in a heated kiss for only a few moments. It’s so intense that it almost feels like I’m intruding by watching them, yet I can’t seem to pull my eyes away.
Jade pulls away first, and for a moment, Kratos leans with her as if chasing her lips as she retreats. Then, his eyes blink open to look at her as she stares back up at him. The heat in her eyes right now would be enough to set a lesser man into a fit of lust until he was throwing himself at her.
She licks her lips, and Kratos isn’t the only one who follows the motion with his eyes. I’m pretty sure everyone in the room does, both men and women.
“Thanks for the dance, Daddy.” She tells him, her voice no more than a husky whisper as she gives him a cocky smirk.
We're close enough to hear them now, but I almost wish we weren’t. This time, I can’t ignore my growing issue, and I have no choice but to adjust myself. I hope that it’s subtle, easily missed as everyone around us watches them, but as I look around quickly, I catch Spencer’s eye, knowing he noticed. I look away, not wanting to hear him give me shit about it because he can hate her all he wants. But that doesn’t mean I have to; I can’t help how my body reacts. He doesn’t say shit, though, and I wonder if it’s because he knows Kratos will hear him or maybe because he has no room to talk this time. My eyes dart back to him, but if he has any issue with his self-control, it doesn’t show. His focus is once again entirely on Jade and Kratos, who stands just a few feet away from us.
Jade untangles herself from him, and he lets her go, his hand untangling from her hair but not dropping. It’s almost like he doesn’t want her to leave but is letting her go because that’s what she wants. She reaches up on her tiptoes and brushes a kiss on his cheek before she turns and heads toward us, where we all stand waiting. I’m not sure if she was headed toward the kitchen or was aware that we're here, but either way, she stands before us in the blink of an eye.
My eyes dart from her back to Kratos, who stands in the same space she left him, watching her with a look so intense that I expect him to snap and lunge at her.
He doesn’t. Instead, he gives a subtle shake of his head before his lip turns up in the faintest hint of a smirk. I’m sure I’ve lost my fucking mind, but I swear I even see a slight color tint his cheeks before he turns towards the door and makes his way through the crowd without so much as a backward glance. Of course, the people around him hurry to get out of his way, and yeah, public display of affection aside, he’s still got that scary motherfucker vibe down.
“I have so many questions.” I hear Zander say from next to me, and while I agree, I also know we have an audience, and this isn’t the best place to do this.
“Not here, you don’t.” Spencer says as if reading my mind. He grabs Jade’s upper arm and steers her toward the door that Kratos disappeared through. She doesn't fight his hold even though we all know she could if she wanted to. We all head out together, just like we came in.
The moment we are outside, Spencer releases her arm as if touching her burned him. She looks back at him, and they take a moment to stare each other down. I’m not sure if they plan to murder each other or tear each other's clothes off at this point but after the turns tonight continues to take, I’m not willing to find out. I clear my throat pulling everyone's attention to me before nodding to the car. They all turn to head to it without complaint, and at this point, I’ll take what I can get. Tonight was not at all what I expected it to be, that’s for sure.
The majority of the drive home is silent. Spencer and I again take the seats up front with Zander and Jade tucked together in the back, heads bent low as they have a quiet conversation that I can’t make out. One look at Spencer tells me he can’t either, and it’s pissing him off. He wants to know what's happening, but instead of asking, he wants her to just give him the information, and everything she shares with Zander, instead of him, is eating him alive.
He needs to get over this shit he has with her if we ever hope to handle this mission successfully. I have no doubt he can keep her physically safe in a fight if she even needs us, but this arguing is going to put a strain on everything eventually, and Froggie won’t be happy. I make a mental note to talk to him about it later, without an audience.
We pull up to the house and into the garage. Both of my parents' cars are here, as they should be this late at night, but some part of me was hoping they had been called out for something because, judging by the growing tension, this is about to blow up in our faces.
No sooner than we exit the car does that very thing happen. Spencer slams his door shut and whirls on Jade before she’s even entirely out of the vehicle.
I’m not sure how often I will watch her hold her own before it becomes normal, but it’s not this time. I’m struck once again by the fact that she doesn’t cower before him as so many others do. I’m not sure she would cower before anyone, and where I used to think that was stupid, I now know it’s not from lack of fear but from years of fighting those fears and coming out on top.
“What the fuck was that?” Spencer all but screams in her face, and I find that I’m at least grateful that we didn’t make it into the house. If he has to scream, this is the best place to do it without waking my parents. Though, I would rather him not scream at her at all.
I reach forward to pull Spencer back, but Jade catches my eye over his shoulder just before I do and gives me a subtle shake of her head. I pull my hand back but don’t step away. Obviously, she wants to handle this herself, and that's fine, but I’ll be damned if he’s going to put his hands on her whether she can handle it or not.
“What was what?” Her voice is light as she addresses him as if she has no care in the world, and I feel she’s doing it specifically to piss him off. Based on his taught jaw and stiff posture, it's working. While I’m still in awe of her ability to stand tall, I also wish she wouldn’t right now. It’s not that Spencer doesn’t deserve it, because with the way he’s been acting around her, he really, truly does, but this whole night has been one shit show after the other, and I can’t help but feel like it still has potential to get a lot worse if we let this get out of control.
“Don’t play stupid with me, Jade!” He roars back at her. He’s leaned so far into her space that just a simple sway could make their noses touch. Jade puts her hand on his chest and guides him backward a few steps, completely unaffected by him as she slides out of the car and closes the door before leaning back on it with her hands tucked behind her back.
Zander stands next to her as his eyes volley from them back to me as he tries to figure out what to do. She must notice his desperate glances just like I do because even without looking at him, she reaches out and grabs his hand. She may not break eye contact with Spencer, but he still notices her exchange with Zander; not much gets past him.
“Oh, that’s cute.” He says as he gestures to where their hands now hang connected between the two of them. “What, Kratos isn’t here, so now you need someone else?” She doesn’t respond, not with words or body language, and I see it get to him. He’s angry, and when Spencer’s angry, he wants other people to be upset as well. He hates feeling out of control, and the only way he can deal with it is to push others around him to be the same. He’s usually really good at it. It’s one of the main reasons he and Zander always end up at each other's throats, Zander is quick to take the bait, but it appears Jade knows better.
“Or maybe I should call Trent? Hell, I’m sure there are half a dozen guys you would love for me to call at this point. We left you alone for at least an hour. Who knows what kind of connections you were able to make in-..” His words are short by the sharp sound of skin on skin, Spencer's head turns towards me, and I realize she’s smacked him.
Considering her skill set, it seems like child's play that she only did that, but I know Spencer won’t see it that way. His hand comes up to rub at the spot on his face, and I catch a glimpse of it. She couldn’t have hit him very hard. While his face is red, that's the only indication of what happened. Had she hit him hard enough, she probably could have split his lip or even busted his nose.
“What I do with my body is none of your concern. Now, how about you tell me what your actual issue with me is, Spencer, because I would love to get on with my night if you're quite done with your tantrum.” She says his name as if it leaves a sour taste in her mouth, but everything else is devoid of feeling, and for a moment, I worry that he may have pushed her too far. She’s been a lot of things while with us, but cold and hard is rarely one of them, and when she is, it’s usually not good for us.
