Page 31 of The Packaged Deal
“You’re welcome, Jade. Anytime,” Hazel says, but her smile is forced. She does not want to take sides here, and I can see how much that is weighing on her.
Kandi leads me out to her bike. I stare at it, circling it in awe.
“What’s wrong?”
“I've never ridden a bike before.”
Kandi smirks and throws her long leg over. I have to admit, I just kinda stand back and admire the badassery. She looks incredibly hot. Especially when she pulls on a helmet and hands one to me. I pull mine on, and then walk up behind her. She turns, watching me as I climb up. It’s a weird feeling, but I press myself up against her back and wrap my arms around her waist.
She taps my hands, and then leans forward. The bike starts, and I tighten my arms. The thrum of power between my thighs and the extraordinary woman I’m hanging on to give me this strange out-of-body experience.
Jade of two years ago would have been too scared, too quiet. How did I end up here? I've traveled so far from all I've known, but I love it.
We fly down the road, and I let out a whoop. Shouting my joy to the world. This is why I changed. This is why I broke out of my cage. For moments like this.
I’m not sure, but I think she laughs, and then we’re accelerating. She takes a winding road out of the city and takes me up to a lookout. She pauses there, looking down. For a couple of minutes, there is peace, a million twinkling lights, and a tough as fuck woman who confuses me less and less.
We travel back down to the city leisurely. She stops outside a little condo and helps me off the bike before she flicks her leg over. Before we go inside, she grabs a cup from the ground, and then trudges up a set of narrow, thin steps.
I follow her and pause when I smell licorice. That familiar scent can only mean one thing. Sven is here.
He turns when he hears us. I can’t tell what he’s thinking. His expression changes too rapidly, but he pushes off the door and levels his attention on Kandi. Oh, he looks totally stressed, there are lines around his mouth and a deep frown line between his brows. He looks adorable. I want to hug him. But…he’s not looking at me. I wait, but he doesn’t even glance in my direction! I grind my teeth and huff under my breath.
“Can we talk?”
“I think we’re pretty much done talking for today.” Kandi says and unlocks her door.
Taking my hint from the pair of them, I slip into the house and try to pretend I can’t hear the conversation from the room over.
Kandi's house is compact but clean and functional. There is almost nothing of character here at all. It could be a display room. I turn in a circle, trying to understand how someone could live like this. It’s so depressing.
I peek at the front door, but they’re both busy. I creep towards a drawer and pull it open. Oh, the organised hell. My chaotic heart wants to cry.
I open another cupboard. The glasses are arranged by size and function. Worse, they’re all grey and uniformly placed. With growing panic, I go from cupboard to cupboard, inspecting every inch of the kitchen.
“Jade?”
I turn to find the alpha and beta staring at me in concern. My breath comes out in stressed pants.
“I can’t stay here. I can’t be this clean. It’s a crime against self-expression.” The words spew out of my mouth as I really take in the pristine, spotless walls, the calm painting of palm trees on a beach, the white couch. It’s freaking white. That will be the first victim, I just know it.
I glance at them with a wordless plea.
Sven turns and beams at Kandi. “Problem solved. Send her to live with Addy. His expression is chaos itself. They’ll be happy together.”
My back stiffens, and I march towards the alpha with a feral glare. “I’m not a stray dog you can just dump wherever you want, Alpha.” Why does he keep trying to just dump me? What’s so wrong with me?
His grin fades, and he folds his arms over his chest. “Then make yourself at home.”
I give the small space a horrified look, and then deliberately move into the next room, a small dining room, and pull out a chair. With a glare in the arrogant alpha’s direction, I sit down with determination. I’m not going anywhere.
nine
Adrian
The knocking on my door is insistent. For a moment, I’m confused because very few people knock on my door, and no one at this time of night. I tug my jumper down from where it’s wrapped around me when I passed out on the couch and rush to open the door before whoever it is awakens my neighbours.
Kandi pants, looking around wildly. “Tag, you're it. I gotta go kill an alpha.” She shoves Jade into my arms, and then jogs back to Sven’s car, where the two of them start very loudly arguing.