Page 36 of Vengeance & Sin

Her head falls back against the door as a strained moan falls from her lips.

Fuck me.

I’m not sure I’ve ever heard a sound so sweet.

She’s all but laid out before me, head thrown back, eyes closed, as her chest heaves with each breath. My eyes follow the curve of her exposed throat down her chest. Her shirt is pulled lower from our tangling of limbs, and all the bruises and scars in the world couldn’t make her unappealing. She’s like temptation in human form. The tops of her breasts peek out with the lace of her burgundy bra, and it’s all I can do to stop from bending over to lick at the exposed skin.

If I did, would she make that sound again? What other sounds can I pull from her?

How would she feel underneath me?

The thought pulls me up short. This isn’t about me. It’s about her.

I take a deep breath and push myself to think with the head on my shoulders instead of the one in my pants. I lean forward and press feather-light kisses up her neck until I get to her jaw, continuing up until I reach her ear.

“Whatever you need, I’m here for you. Just say the word.” I tell her as I nibble and lick at her ear. I doubt she will want more than this right now, and I’m fine with that. I may end up with balls so blue they ache, but this is already more than I thought I would ever get with her. I refuse to push her, at least not until I know she’s ready.

Her eyes meet mine once again as I pull back. I remove my hand from her hair and my arm from around her waist, allowing her to slide down the length of my body until she’s once again on her feet in front of me.

Her hair and clothes are a tangled mess, and I’m sure I don’t look much better. Her cheeks are flushed, and she looks a little dazed, but her smile is bright and real when she looks up at me. Her face is entirely open and unguarded.

I push some of her loose hair behind her ear to get it out of her face before I lean forward and brush a kiss on her forehead. She lets out a soft giggle, pulling a smile to my face as well.

Yeah, I could get used to this, get used to her.

“Well, since I’m sure we both have more than enough energy right now, how about you come with me and let me show you something?” I move around her to the door, and she steps back to let me open it and follows me out into the hall. I take her following me as a sign of her accepting my invitation, so I slide my hand into hers and interlock our fingers. Then, I guide her down the hallway and through the kitchen.

I glance back at her and see her smile still firmly in place.

The guys are going to give me hell, but I’ll deal with them later.

For now, I want to see what other surprises Jade has in store for us. I have a feeling she’s full of them.

“Don’t fucking start with me.” I say, not even bothering to break my set on the bench to look and see who it is. I’m almost positive it’s Rick since he didn’t come down yelling. Either way, I’m not in the mood for him or Zander at the moment.

Nothing else is said, but the sound of fists on the heavy bag a few minutes later lets me know it is, in fact, Rick. He’s usually pretty good about leaving us be, so I go back to my set and let him do whatever he wants. I move from the bench to the treadmill and then to the free weights, not paying attention to the time, just trying to work through my frustration.

I don’t trust Jade; I can’t. We know next to nothing about her, and what we do know, while tragic, also points to her being dangerous. She has been here for less than twenty-four hours, and while she seems harmless enough to us, I can’t shake the feeling that she’s hiding things from us. Again, she’s been here less than a day, so of course, she is, but I still can’t shake the unease.

That’s not what’s frustrating me, though. No, the frustrating part is that, trust or not, I still want to protect her. Some part of me wants to look out for her. The girl who can drop bodies but couldn’t make an egg. Who gave up a chance of freedom to keep others safe. She’s like a walking contradiction.

She already has Zander wrapped around her little finger. Which isn’t crazy considering what a flirt he is but this feels different. I don’t think she will be a passing thing for him. Even Rick seems different with her. He’s not as closed off as usual, and in all my years of knowing him, I’ve never seen him open up to a girl. Sure he has girls around but never in his home, never in our business, and while he might not have chosen for her to be here, he no longer seems to be fighting against it either.

Since Froggie’s orders are to keep her safe and watched, I can hide behind that and brush it off, but I know, and it’s confusing as fuck and honestly just annoying. But, like it or not, Jade will be around for a while, and I can’t do a damn thing about it.

I’m mid-set on the free weights when the stairs creak above us, pulling my attention to the doorway. Rick’s no longer at the bag, but he sits up from his spot on the bench to look as well. I didn’t even realize how quiet it is in here until now. Usually, we work out with the sound system, but I was too deep in thought to bother when I came in, and it seems Rick didn’t bother either. Then, no more than a minute later, Zander comes through the doorway.

I expect him to come in, still upset. Hell, I half expect him to come in swinging at me. He’s not one to get mad with us often, but he sure can hold onto it when he does. I know he sees my unease with Jade, and it’s just a matter of time before we end up trading blows about it.

When I see the smile on his face as he comes through the doorway, I’m almost sure he’s lost his mind. I see Rick’s eyebrow climb in confusion as he watches him from across the room as well.

It only takes a moment before it makes sense, though. As he walks farther into the gym, I see that he’s towing Jade behind him. Their fingers intertwined, and a small smile on both of their faces. It’s easy to miss her with how small she is. Even behind Zander, who’s the smallest of the three of us, she seems tiny. Everything about her screams that she needs protection, yet according to Kratos's information, she could be the biggest threat in the room.

Talk about a mind fuck.

He passes all the equipment and pulls her right to the center of the mats in the far corner, not once looking at Rick or me as he goes. Jade, on the other hand, looks around at everything. I’m not sure if it’s out of curiosity or survival.

“All right Doll, show me what you got.” Zander tells her as he stands in front of her. Rick and I have all but abandoned our workouts in favor of watching them, but neither of us has made a move to go to them. Jade looks at me and then Rick before her eyes settle back on Zander.

---