21. Jade Like Her Eyes - Rafe
I kept her hands under lock and key for two days. The punishment wasn’t easy, on either of us, but it was necessary. Something had to break through her rebellious spirit. Maybe we’d fallen into a battle of wills, but I didn’t care. I was determined to win this one.
On the second morning since I’d caught her masturbating, I pushed open the bedroom door and found her right where I’d left her the night before.
“I have to fucking pee.” Alex glared at me from the bed. The morning announced its presence by beaming sunlight through the window, splashing her body in warm, golden tones. Dark curls cascaded around a face pinched in anger.
She didn’t like being strapped to the bed, both hands cuffed to the headboard, one foot trapped by the chain at the end. Spread out before me, vulnerable to my every whim, Alex had never looked so beautiful.
I entered the room and set her breakfast of cereal and dried fruit on the bedside table. “Sleep well?” I asked, a smirk on my face as I freed her hands from the cuffs.
She crawled toward the edge of the mattress. “What do you think?”
I figured she’d slept horribly these past two nights. Between that and having her hands cuffed at her back for long periods of time, I hoped it would be enough to deter her from trying to get herself off the next time her rebellious cunt tempted her hand.
Alex padded into the bathroom, chain slithering along behind her. While she used the toilet, I went through her side of the dresser and searched for a pair of tight denim shorts. Today, she’d get her hands back, but to be safe, I wanted a layer between her and temptation.
And yeah, maybe I was a little twisted too, because I was counting on the coarse denim to drive her mad, the texture a constant reminder of what she couldn’t have.
She returned from the bathroom and wasted no time in digging into her cereal. I arched a brow at her sudden healthy appetite, because this was Alex, the girl I had to prod to finish a fucking meal.
That wasn’t the case this morning. She inhaled the cereal in about three minutes total. Before she started on the fruit, she slapped a hand over her mouth.
“What’s wrong?” I set the shorts beside her on the bed.
“Nothing,” she mumbled, letting her hand drop to her lap.
Something was off. I brushed her hair back from her face and slid my fingers to the nape of her neck, but she didn’t feel warm to me. “Are you feeling okay?”
“I think I’m about to get my period.”
“Maybe a bath will help,” I said as I bent and freed her ankle.
“Yeah, maybe.” The way she pulled her lip between her teeth drove me insane. She knew it, and I was certain she did it on purpose, though why she was attempting to distract me, I didn’t know.
“I won’t cuff your hands today.” I tugged on her arm and brought her to her feet. “But after your bath, I want you in those shorts. You’ve got thirty minutes.”
“What about a top?”
I ate up the sight of her tits. They were perfect, her nipples darker than usual as they played peekaboo through her curls. “Hell no, sweetheart.” I shot her a lecherous grin. “You can play with those nipples all you want, but keep your horny hands away from your cunt, you hear me?”
If a heated stare could incinerate a man, I’d be ash at her feet.
Without saying a word, she headed toward the bathroom, and I took her breakfast dishes with me before exiting the room. Five seconds later, I detected the tub running.
Not too long ago, she hadn’t been capable of setting foot in a tub, let alone submerging her entire body. Her strength was one of the many reasons why I loved her, but it was that same strength that sent her headfirst into the kind of bravery that bordered on stupid.
“She’s driving you out of your mind.” Jax came in through the front door, tucking a half-smoked cigarette behind his ear. Flannel pajama pants encased his legs. Going by the messy state of his dirty blond hair, nicotine was first on the list of priorities over a comb first thing.
“She’s had me out of my fucking mind since she was thirteen. You’d think I’d be immune to it by now.”
He snickered. “That ain’t ever changing.”
Couldn’t argue him on that front. “Where’s Angel?”
“Soaking in some vitamin D.”
The girl stayed outside as long as she could. At first, I thought she was avoiding Jax and me, but after a while, I realized she lived for being outside.
“I gotta go to town today. Can you keep an eye on Alex? She’ll need someone to check on her and bring her lunch.”
“You’re not springing her today?”
“Not yet. She’s still testing me.”
Jax laughed. “That ain’t gonna change either.” He pulled a bowl down from the cupboard, followed by a box of cereal only suitable for kids, though even that was questionable. “Whatcha going into town for?”
“Milk,” I said, nodding toward the near-empty jug he pulled out of the fridge.
“That all?” He glanced up, a mirthful light in his brown eyes as he poured the last of the milk over his sugary cereal.
I shrugged. “And maybe a jewelry store.”
“So you’re really gonna do this wedding thing.”
“I am.”
“What about Zach?”
“What about him?”
Jax carried his breakfast to the other side of the bar and perched on a stool. “I think you’re taking a risk, man.”
“What am I supposed to do? Hide out here forever?”
“That’s not what I meant. I just think a wedding is a distraction you don’t need right now.”
“I’m not stupid, Jax. I’ll hire security if I have to.”
“Maybe you should hire someone to find his ass.”
“Already thought about it, especially once we go back to the island.” Which wouldn’t be much longer. I’d hired an out-of-area contractor to add my more questionable touches to the cabin. He’d informed me yesterday he was close to finishing the job. “I’m done running. If Zach wants to come after us, I’ll be ready this time.”
“You’re not worried her old man will be an issue?”
“I’m worried about all kinds of shit, but marrying her will add a layer of protection. Once I’m her husband, legally, he’ll have no say over her life.”
“Okay,” he said with a nod.
“Okay?” I asked, my tone dubious.
“Let’s get you hitched.”
It felt good to have him onboard, but first I needed a ring, and I had the perfect one in mind. A unique piece I’d found online at an exclusive jewelry shop, the stone a deep jade to match her eyes.