AllFreeNovel
Share Us
She smiles up at him, and the look in her eyes is a lot like the one she tends to give me, and while I might not want to share, I think I can manage it if it makes her happy. If it keeps her demons away and this look of bliss on her face.
“Hey, big daddy.” She says as she walks over to stand with us. The smirk on her face screams trouble, and I have to work harder than I should to keep my smirk off my face as I watch her toy with him.
He huffs a breath at her before he steps back and holds his arm towards his office as a gesture for us to enter. Jade doesn't hesitate, and as she passes him, she trails her finger over his chest and down the length of his extended arm before walking past him and sinking into his chair behind his desk.
This girl has balls of steel.
I shake my head at her as I walk in behind her, Kratos closes the door behind us, and I walk over to take one of the seats in front of his desk, you know, the ones I’m sure he intended us to sit in.
When he turns back and spots her in his seat, he lets out a groan that borders on a growl before he runs his hand down his face in a clear sign of exasperation.
“Killer.” He says, and my back stiffens for a moment, unsure about what that means. That is until she lets out a very girlish giggle.
“What’s wrong, daddy?” She asks him, and I realize Killer wasn’t something sinister. Instead, he said it in response to her being in his chair. He’s given her a nickname.
I try to control my reaction, but I’m sure if he looked at me, the shock would be clear on my face. Thankfully Jade seems to hold his full attention.
He stalks around the desk to stand next to his chair, looking down at her. She looks like a child next to him normally, but with her in the chair, as he towers over her, the size difference is even worse. He reaches for her, and I feel my body stiffen even as I remind myself that he won’t hurt her. He’s the one who told us to keep her safe, so doing so would be just plain stupid, but I can’t stop myself from worrying anyway.
He doesn’t hurt her but what he does is almost more shocking than if he had. He puts his hands under her arms and effortlessly scoops her up before he sits in the chair and deposits her on his lap.
Neither of them makes a big deal about it, but I’m like losing my mind as quietly as possible. Kratos never lets women so much as touch him and I’ve never seen him even attempt to pursue one, I’m sure it would have been easy for him, but he’s never been interested. Now he sits at his desk with Jade on his lap as if it’s no big deal as if this is just what it is.
Jade’s cheeks heat as she looks up at him from her new seat, and his lips twitch just the slightest bit at the edge in an almost smile.
What the fuck is going on.
They stare at each other for so long that I feel like they might have forgotten I’m even in the room. So while I’m not feeling jealous exactly, I also don’t exactly feel comfortable just watching them while they all but eye fuck each other.
I clear my throat, and just like that, the Kratos I’m used to is back. Gone is any softness he just had for her, and back is the hard, ruthless Kratos who scares the shit out of most people.
“Been spending time at Emerald today, I see?” Kratos says as he grabs Jade’s chin, moving her head back and forth to get a good look at her new jewelry. He nods, letting us know he’s happy with the work, and her face lights up.
“Yeah, Jade needed a day out, so we walked the streets for a while. When she saw the art in the window, we went to take a look. She picked that, and Mad did good, but she wanted to talk about a tattoo, and apparently, the boss isn’t in at the moment.” I tell him with just a hint of a teasing tone. It’s not enough that Jade picks up on it, but I know he will.
He gives me a dry look before he huffs out a breath again and turns his attention back to Jade.
“What were you looking to get?” He asks her.
“Oh, um, I wasn’t really sure about anything, I had a few ideas, and there were some amazing pieces on the wall that I liked but nothing that I was set on.” She tells him. “But I guess I can put more thought into it now that I’ll have to wait, huh.” I can hear the sadness behind her words even though she plays it off as if it’s not a big deal. Judging by the way Kratos's brow dips, he can as well.
“I don’t have anything here.” He tells me, and I nod because I didn't think he would. “Have Dom call and push my one o’clock meeting to tomorrow. I'll take her with me and meet you guys back here for our meeting later.” He says as he stands, with her still in his arms, as if it’s nothing, and I mean, it’s probably not. I can lift her easily enough, and Kratos is built like a tank.
“Tell the boys we will meet at nine instead of seven.” He says over his shoulder before he scoops up his key off the hook and goes over to his closet for his shit.
He looks down at Jade for a minute, and I get the feeling he doesn’t want to set her down, but I can see that he knows it will be easier, so eventually, he does.
With her feet on the ground again, she takes a step back to look around Kratos and shoots me a questioning look. I just shrug at her like I have no idea. I do, of course, but it’s more fun to make her bug Kratos. The look she gives me lets me know that she knows I know.
Before she can call me out on it, Kratos sets a helmet on her head, pulling her attention back to him. He now stands with his leather on and helmet tucked under his arm while he continues rummaging around in the closet for something else.
“Okay, what is happening?” Jade finally asks, and I can't help but find it hilarious that she's yet to put the pieces together.
“You wanted a tattoo, right?” I ask her, and she looks at me like I'm stupid.
“Yes, but I don't see what that has to do with any of this.” She says as she gestures at Kratos wildly with her arms.
“The boss isn’t in the shop, but that doesn't mean you can’t still get what you want, Doll. You just have to know the right people.” I tell her purposefully, not telling her flat out. It takes a moment, but I can see the wheels turning as she slowly puts the pieces together. Then, before my eyes, I see the moment she gets it, her eyes going wide before she turns to Kratos with her hands on her hips in a show of her frustration. She’s tiny and adorable, but it's still crazy to see anyone dare look at Kratos like that.
