She hops off the counter in one fluid movement and, the next second, stands beside Zander, reaching for the hem of her shirt as if she’s going to undress right here.
I’m on my feet so quickly I knock the stool to the ground. I step around Zander and grip her wrist hard enough to stop her but not hard enough to hurt.
Her eyes snap up to mine, confusion written all over her face.
“He was joking.” I tell her.
“A very poor joke, I might add.” I toss the comment over my shoulder at him as he sits on his stool, looking like a deer in headlights.
“You don't have to sleep with anyone for anything if you don't want to. Not anymore.” I tell her as I look back at her, meeting her eyes, hoping my face conveys just how serious I am.
“Spencer’s right,” Rick says as he pushes off the counter and puts his coffee cup in the sink. “In the future, just threaten to beat his ass, and if that doesn’t work, just come tell me. I’ll straighten him out for you.”
She focuses on Rick as he talks to her even though his back is to her, and for the first time since entering the kitchen, I remember she’s in very little clothing.
I knew she wore Zander’s shirt last night to bed. Hell, she almost stripped down in front of all three of us to put it on, but I didn’t realize that was still all she wore.
Was it all she wore?
I push the thought away as quickly as it pops into my head. I told Zander his joke was in poor taste, and here I am, wondering what was under her shirt.
I realize I’m still holding onto her wrist. I look down at where my skin meets hers.
What I see tests my self-control. I fight back against the urge to grasp her arm harder in anger, but I don’t want to hurt her. Her legs are littered with scars. Some raw and red, some lighter, but they’re everywhere, covering small patches of skin on almost eighty percent of her exposed legs. The skin that isn’t scarred is covered with bruises.
Her arms seem less scarred, but they do have bruises in all different stages of healing, some looking as if they could fade away at any moment. On the other hand, some are so fresh I wonder if she got them the night we found her.
“Will that work?” Her question pulls me from my mental cataloging of her body, and I release her wrist. Her focus is still on Rick as she allows her hands to drop to her sides.
“Of course, it will. Have you seen the boss? He’s terrifying.” Zander laughs, and while I know he’s joking again, it’s also true. Rick is terrifying, and for a good reason. He’s not only a huge guy, but he’s skilled in hand-to-hand combat and weapons. He’s deadly, we all are, only he looks deadly no matter what he’s doing.
Jade just shakes her head at Zander, and I have a strong suspicion his joke was missed again. Clearly, we will have to help her with that, or life with Zander will be impossible for her.
“No, I mean, can I just beat him up, and he will listen?” She asks, and for a moment, I wonder if maybe she does understand his joking after all.
One look at her face tells me she’s serious.
“Oh yeah, Doll, if you can beat me up, I’ll do whatever you say.” He winks at her, and a small smile tugs at the corner of her lips, excitement dances in her eyes.
Does Jade know how to fight?
“The mall opens in thirty minutes, so let's get ready and head out. I want to get this done before it becomes overrun with teenagers and bimbos.” Rick says as he looks down at his watch, pulling me from my train of thought. Everyone heads back to their rooms to get ready.
* * *
Less than fifteen minutes later,everyone is ready and in the living room as we head out. Jade kept Zander's old shirt on but threw on a pair of leggings I’m pretty sure were once Clair’s, with shoes I’m sure are hers as well.
We pile into Rick’s SUV. He drives, and I ride passenger with Jade and Zander in the backseat. I expect them to talk nonstop on the ride. At the very least, I expect Zander to flirt with her until he gets himself in trouble. After a few minutes of silence, I turn around to make sure we hadn’t forgotten one of them.
Jade stares out the window, and Zander alternates between looking down at his phone and watching her. It makes sense the moment I see the look on her face. Jade’s probably never had this kind of freedom, to just sit in a car and take in the things around her. Her eyes bounce around, trying to see everything, and I feel the anger stir inside me, knowing something so simple has been kept from her.
I turn back around and slump against the seat with a huff, Rick cuts his eyes to me in silent question, but I just shake my head and let it go. We can’t do shit about it now, so why make a big deal about it, especially if she’s not.
Since there's no traffic at this time of day, we get to the mall pretty quickly.
The look of wonder has yet to leave Jade’s face, and I swear it’s contagious to have someone be so happy with so little. We all seem to be in a better mood than usual, even Rick looks content, and usually, he hates the mall the most.
* * *