Chapter 15

Jade

Cars were speeding past us on the dark road as I stepped out barefoot, shivering all over now both from the cold and fear of the unexpected.

Was he really going to do it? Leave me here by the side of the road in nothing but a slip dress and vomit clinging to the sides of my mouth?

“Stop shaking so much!” he commanded, disgust leaking through his tone. The sleeves of his crisp white shirt were rolled up to his elbows now, showing off bulging forearms lined with veins and rippling with muscle.

“I can’t help it.” I cried out, the tears not far behind any longer.

He moved closer to me and I jerked so violently I almost had a seizure right then and there.

“Fucking hell, Jade. Will you just calm down?!” he snapped. “What do you think I want to do? Tear out your hair?”

I didn’t respond, just lowered my lashes and waited for the inevitable.

“Bend a bit,” he calmly instructed.

I looked up at him in confusion and that was when I noticed he was holding a bottle of water.

Slowly doing as he said so as not to rile him up more, I was still a bit wary as I watched him uncap the bottle then wash his large palm before pouring a little in there and bringing it up to my mouth.

“Stay still,” he said again. He then proceeded to rinse off the vomit still stuck to the corners of my mouth and brush off the ones on my dress too.

Gently and with careful movements, he also wiped the makeup off my face, holding back my ponytail so the strands didn’t get stuck to my wet skin as he did so.

Afterward, he handed the rest of the water to me so I could gargle it and get rid of the acidic aftertaste stuck at the back of my throat.

By the time I had spit it out the cold had settled so deep in my bones that even my teeth were chattering now, my dress completely plastered to the outline of my body.

Thankfully, as we were on the other side of the car not facing the road, we were hidden from view of the other vehicles driving past.

Julian capped the now empty bottle and threw it into the car through the open door before shutting it. Then he led me to the passenger side and helped me in, buckled me, closed the door, before rushing to the driver’s side to enter behind the steering wheel.

I noticed he had put up the partition behind us, blocking the sight and most of the smell of the mess I had made there.

I was absolutely never going to recover from this night.

He turned on the car and put the heat on full blast. I sighed when it penetrated my chilled skin, thawing my numb fingers and reducing the chattering of my teeth.

Then he pulled the car back onto the road and began to drive.

I dared not break the precarious silence that had settled around us, choosing to sit as still as a statue and even keep my blinking to a minimum.

I couldn’t help it when the lull of sleep found me though. I felt weak and drained of energy so I just succumbed to it, not fighting.

When I blinked awake, Julian was pulling into a parking spot in our private garage.

Somehow, I felt even tipsier than before, grogginess weighing my limbs down while my vision fogged up.

My throat was also incredibly dry and my head kept spinning in circles, making me feel very dizzy.

When Julian shut the door with a bang as he got out, I emitted a low groan of discomfort, screwing my lids shut.

I felt him open my door and bend into my space. “What’s wrong with you now?”

“I don’t think I can walk up to my room.” I breathed. “My vision’s swimming and I might end up flat on my face before I take two steps.”

He sighed before extending his arms towards my immobile body. I shifted away.

“I swear to God, Jade. What’s the fucking problem this time?”

I blinked up at him with innocent eyes. “I want a piggyback ride.”