I let out a bark of laughter that fizzles away when some guy, who must have a death wish, sidles up behind Jade. He takes hold of her hips, and when his pelvis is practically glued to her ass, I shoot up from my chair.
“I’m coming too,” Jase hollers, almost tripping over my chair in his hurry to get up.
I race down the stairs, and as I stalk toward Jade, she pulls an awkward face at Mila, then her gaze sweeps through the dancing throng of people around her until they still on me.
Reaching Jade, I take hold of her arm and pull her against me, and with my right hand, I shove the guy backward and growl, “Get away from her.”
“Sorry, I thought she was fair game,” he slurs.
Fair game?
Keeping my hold on Jade, I pull back my right arm and let my first connect with the fucker’s jaw. He staggers back a couple of steps, and when Jase comes to stand next to me, the guy quickly skulks back into the crowd.
Knowing Mila is safe with Jase, I turn around and pull Jade after me. I’m done watching her dance half-naked while drunk fuckers grind their limp dicks against her ass.
I drag her right out of the club and toward my car.
“Are you guys leaving already?” Kao asks, grabbing my attention. He and Noah must’ve just gotten here.
“Yeah. Keep an eye on Fallon and Hana. I left them at our table,” I bite the words out because I have zero chill right now.
“Drive safely,” Kao calls after us.
Jade has been surprisingly quiet, but as I dig my car keys out of my pocket, she says, “I think I should drive. You’ve had a lot to drink tonight.”
I’m not going to argue with her about that, but I can’t resist taunting her. “Yeah, and how would you know?” Tilting my head, my voice drops low, “Have you been watching me, Jade?”
“Just give me the keys. We can talk at home.” There’s no sign of her ever-present fire and spark, and it grinds against my last nerve.
I shove the car keys into her outstretched hand and stalk around the car to the passenger side.
After Jade slides in behind the wheel, she stretches her body over mine, which instantly makes every single one of my muscles tighten. “Just helping with your seat belt,” she whispers as she straps me in.
I’m clenching my jaw so damn hard, I won’t be surprised if I crack a tooth.
Jade starts the engine, and the vehicle roars to life. My heartbeat is still erratic and just as out of control as my emotions as she drives us back to the dorms.
Where I get the strength from to not lay into her, God only knows.
She’s hardly brought the car to a standstill outside of our building when I shove the door open and climb out. The anger that’s been simmering on the way home begins to bubble back to the surface. Grabbing her hand, I drag her toward the elevator, and once we're in the confined space, I glare at her.
“I think we should wait to talk until you’ve sobered up,” she says cautiously.
Shaking my head, I say, “No, it’s happening tonight.”
The elevator doors slide open, and Jade follows me to the front door. Once we’re both inside, I slam the thing shut behind us and turn my thunderous gaze on her. “Did you enjoy wearing next to nothing tonight?”
“Huh?” Her expression instantly turns to confusion.
Angrily, I gesture over the length of her body. “That fucking dress can’t even be compared to a t-shirt!”
Jade frowns at me, her expression clearly stating she thinks I’ve lost my mind. “Did you lose your shit because of my outfit?”
“It was either that or have every fucking guy in the club rubbing up against you,” I bark.
“Seriously?” There’s a spark of anger in her dark eyes. “So, you didn’t drag me out of the club so we could finally talk about what happened over the past two years?”
“That’s a whole different story,” I snap, growing frustrated that she didn’t even realize how provocative her outfit looked. “Dressed like that, you might as well go stand on the nearest corner.”
Her lips part, and anger ripples over her face. Her features tighten, and it makes her only look sexy as fuck. “You did not just call me a hooker?” she hisses.
Crossing my arms over my chest, I glance over her body. The sight of her tight curves and totally fuckable ass, only makes my anger explode out of control. “Yeah, you totally look the part.”
“This is ridiculous!” she snaps, and then my eyes widen as she reaches for the zipper on her side. She pulls it down and shoves the fabric from her shoulders. Watching her wiggle out of the dress, my mouth goes dryer than a desert, and it grows scorchingly hot in the suite.
With Jade standing in her bra, panties, and boots, I have to blink a couple of times, while all my rampant emotions are drowned out by desire.
Fuck, she’s looks nothing short of erotic.
“There.” She scowls at me. “The dress is gone. Can we talk now?”
My eyes travel back up her body, drinking in the perfect curve of her hips and the taunting V between her legs. Her toned stomach and the firm curve of her breasts peeking from her bra does nothing to quench the heat spreading through me.
When my eyes finally lock on Jade’s, I have zero self-control left and darting forward, I bring my hands to her face, and my mouth crashes against hers.
All my frustration, anger, and exhaustion spills over into the kiss, and when Jade tries to push me away, it only spurs me on.
Wrapping an arm around her waist, I yank her body against mine. When her struggle against me intensifies, and she tries to break the kiss, I move my other hand to the back of her neck to keep her in place.
She manages to free her mouth for a moment and cries, “Hunter, stop!”
I’m beyond the point of rationality. My body moves forward, and my touch is biting when I take hold of Jade’s neck, crushing her lips beneath mine.
She lets out a whimpering cry and fighting against me to turn her head away, she manages to scream, “Stop!” The flat of her hand connects with the side of my neck, and the sting causes me to flinch away from her.
My eyes focus on her face, and when I see tears glistening on her cheeks, I sober in an instant.
Her breaths explode over her lips, and there’s a panic-stricken look in her wide eyes. “Please… just stop,” she begs.
The blow is hard as disgust for my actions begins to smother me.
What the fuck did I do?
Darting forward, I wrap my arms around her, and my voice is hoarse as I say, “Fuck, I’m so sorry. I… I…” There’s a lump in my throat that’s threatening to choke me. “I’m so fucking sorry, Jade.”
Bringing her hands up, she pushes me away again. A sob escapes her, making me feel worse than dog shit.
Using the tips of her fingers, her hand visibly trembles as she wipes the tears from her cheeks.
Needing to do something, I run across the room and grab one of the throw blankets from the sofa. I rush back to Jade and quickly wrap it around her shoulders. Seeing the red imprints, my hands have left on her neck and cheeks makes utter devastation rattle me to my core.
I hurt her.
“Christ,” I breathe through my horror. “I’m so sorry.”
Her breaths shudder through her, and the paleness of her skin only makes the red imprints stand out more. My voice cracks, “I won’t hurt you again. This should never have happened. I’m sorry.”