Chapter 14

Jade

The next thing I felt were a few hard taps against my cheeks.

“Jades, wake up. Julian’s here.”

I was about to blink myself awake when strong arms suddenly lifted me into a warm body, solid and unyielding.

A delicious scent of clean soap layered over a faint trace of sandalwood abruptly wrapped around me. I snuggled closer trying to get to the source until I heard a male grunt of disapproval.

“Jades, stop acting like a koala wrapping itself around a tree branch!” Bells’ harsh whisper reached my ears.

“You don’t seem tipsy to me.” The broad chest I was lying against vibrated with the words that came out of it and I giggled because it was a bit ticklish.

“Uhh, I drank a lot of water to keep myself awake.”

“I see. How would you be getting home then?”

“I stay in this hotel. I’d just find my way back to my room.”

A pause from the giant vibrating barrel. “Okay, you do that. We’ll be leaving now.”

Then it began to move and I smiled and settled in deeper, loving how cozy and peaceful I felt.

The next moment I was aware of my surroundings, I was lying in the back seat of a moving car, sprawled out on my back with someone driving up front.

I tried to sit up but felt a sudden surge of vomit rushing up my throat instead. I panicked and tried to shout for the car to pull over but it was too late.

I threw up all over the back seats of the car, chunks of food mixed with alcohol projecting out of my mouth and ruining the fine, expensive leather. To my horror, some splattered on the jacket of the man driving.

“Jesus fucking Christ!” The brakes screeched, the car abruptly swerving and pulling to a stop by the side of the road.

The man turned and my eyes widened to the size of dinner plates when I saw that it was Julian.

Oh sweet baby Jesus, I was doomed. Utterly and completely doomed.

“Fuck! Are you fucking shitting me?!”

My hand slapped over my mouth in total fear. He looked pissed. No, he looked livid as he took in the absolute destruction of his car. A vein in his forehead was pulsing erratically and his neck was strained in anger, eyes bulged out and shooting me deadly daggers.

Before I could utter a useless apology that would probably piss him off more, he slammed out of the car and stood by the side of the road, just staring at the ground with his hands on his waist doing nothing.

I saw that he was breathing heavily though. He was probably trying to calm himself down so he wouldn’t lunge into the car to strangle the life out of me.

Oh God, I was so stupid. What had I done?

I flinched when he abruptly shrugged out of his jacket and walked towards the back of the car out of sight.

I had no idea what he was doing and I trembled from fear, worried he might pull me out and abandon me by the side of the road for what I had done.

And I wouldn’t even bloody blame him.

Before I could overthink any further, he suddenly appeared in front of my door and pulled it open, standing there like a hulking god of vengeance.

I reared back in alarm, eyes wide and afraid as I stared up at him, the pungent smell of vomit swirling around us.

“Get out!” he growled.