Page 5 of Unzoned

"What?" She tried to pull back, but his tight grip didn’t give, and she didn't want him to stop touching her.

"Discipline. Punishment. We have those in common, too."

Chapter 4

If her eyes widened any further, she might actually damage them, and her eyes were too damn beautiful, too damn transparent to be injured.

Garrick released her, but didn't step back, nor did she pull any further away.

"Now. You have a few choices here, Jade. One; you can stick by my side tonight, and I'll give you the tour of the place or you can go off on your own."

Her mind worked fast. He didn't know anyone who could size up a situation as quickly as Jade, probably a side effect of being an ER nurse.

"If you give me the tour will you introduce me to some of the guys here? Like the good ones?"

She didn't understand, but he was nothing if not a patient teacher. "No." He shook his head. "If you stick with me, you'll be mine for the evening."

"Oh." Her lips formed the perfect ring, and her body released some of its tension. "Uh, what does that mean exactly?"

He laughed again. Turning, he pressed his back against the bar and his arm snaked around her waist. With a swift move, he yanked her to his side. Damn, she fit so well. He always loved pulling her against him. It always felt right, but this time there was more than comfort involved. This time, he claimed her. For him to hold a woman at the club in the way he cradled her to him meant she was under his protection. Those who knew him, would see the act and know what it meant.

"It means, Jade, that you belong to me."

"Garrick, I can handle myself. I'm not a little girl." She pulled out from his side and faced off with him. The woman really didn't know. She had no fucking clue how much he wanted her. It was his fault really, having distanced himself from her for so long. For her protection, he'd thought.

"So, you want to go off on your own?" No fucking way that was happening.

She stuck her thumb nail between her teeth and nibbled.

"Jade." He pulled her hand from her mouth and pulled her toward him until her chest pressed against his. Her dress barely held her tits inside of it, not that he minded, but he really wasn't into sharing or having his girl flaunt what was his. Except they weren't his, yet. "Do you really want to go out on your own? I mean maybe you just think of me as a friend, but-" he paused. That fucking friend zone shit needed to end, and it was ending now. No more hiding there. The whole point of the night for him was to bust out of his restrictive mentality. "I don't think of you that way anymore. I haven't for a long time." There. He’d said it.

Her fingers wiggled in his grip, but he didn't let go. She needed to say the words if she wanted to be let go on her own.

Confusion passed over her expression first, but only for a second before understanding filled her. In the glow of the white Christmas lights sparkling overhead, he could make out the fresh blush of her cheeks. Every tense muscle relaxed in his body all at once.

"Really?" She tilted her head. If she was waiting for him to say he was kidding, she'd be standing there a long ass time.

"Really."

Her teeth scraped over her bottom lip and her pulse pressed harder against her wrist. "Okay."

"Okay?" That's all? He'd practically poured his heart out, and he got an okay?

"Yeah. I mean, give me the tour. You obviously know a lot more than me, and if things aren't totally fucking weird by the end of the night, maybe we could talk more about it. Later."

Practicality was yet another trait he liked about her. No frantic panting, or panicky questions. Just open mindedness toward something new, even when chartering the new waters with him.

"And if it destroys our friendship, I'll kick your ass." She yanked her hands out of his and waved to the bartender. "Can I get a Moscato please."

He didn't intervene, instead he stepped aside to let her get nearer to the bar. She hadn't forgotten his dictate about the wine, no, she had a memory like a steel vault. She either hoped he'd cave because of their unique situation, or she pushed to see what he would do. Either way, his response remained the same.

"Sorry, Jade. Garrick said no wine; I can get you a water if you'd like."

She turned her eyes to Garrick. "You really meant that? I mean he's going to listen to you about what I can have?"

Garrick nodded and cupped her elbow, pulling her away from the bar. "Absolutely. And you should have listened, too." He didn't pause in his step even a moment when she hesitated at the door to the dungeon. "We'll just count that as one. I wouldn't let the count get too high before the night ends, though."

"What does that mean?"

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