JADE
The air in the car was silent.
My eyes kept darting from Roman, who was busy on his phone, to the driver, who would look away the moment our eyes met.
I rubbed my sweaty palms on my skirt.
Every time I closed my eyes, it was a replay of last night.
I licked my lips, wanting to ask him all the questions popping up in my mind.
“Be mindful of Sable,” he said.
I did a double-take at him, and he had not once taken his eyes off his phone.
“What?” I squeaked, confused.
He finally lifted his gaze to me, and my heart flipped.
I couldn’t stop staring at his lips.
“Sable,” he said slowly.
“She is a good person but has a wild side.” He blinked rapidly, and I slowly nodded, waiting for where that was going.
“I am just trying to say that when you are with her, be careful so she doesn’t fill your head with fantasies.”
“Fantaisie?” My tone spiked, and he nodded.
“I know she was the one who brought those sex…” I lunged forward and clasped my hand over his mouth.
I narrowed my eyes at him in shock.
How could he talk about those kinds of things so freely with a third party?
The driver let out an uneasy sound, avoiding our eyes.
I couldn’t blame him; if I were in his shoes, I would react just like him.
I realised how close I was to him.
I tried to pull away, but his hand steadied mine.
He blinked rapidly and puckered his lips against my palm.
My lips parted, but before I could say anything, the car swerved, and I landed right in his lap.
I looked at the driver, and the man who had been avoiding my gaze all day long was staring
straight at us.
He had a dangerous look in his eyes, as if he were waiting for an order.
Roman pulled me closer when I tried to get out of his lap.
“Stay still,” he whispered, holding me.
I froze at his closeness.
I looked at the driver, who was now manoeuvring the road like he was trying to escape something.
I looked through the mirror and saw a car following our movement.
I looked at Roman, but he didn’t look like the same man who was teasing me earlier, and I wanted to get that back.
“Roman?” I gasped, and he pulled me closer.
“Hold onto me, Jade.” His voice was soft, but it was a command.
My hand flew up to his neck.
I wrapped my arm around him and buried my face in his chest.
I focused on the sound of his heartbeat thumping in his chest.
“Lose them,” he commanded, a low rumble in his chest.
“Yes, sir.”
The driver stepped on the gas as if we weren’t already going fast enough.
I held on for my dear life.
‘Was this how I was going to die?
I had not yet done everything I wanted to do.
’
We both jerked forward, a loud bang followed by a continuous ringing in my ear.
His hand
guided my head so it didn’t slam into the headrest in front of us.
I let out a scared sound and dug my nails into his shoulders.
“I got you,” he whispered.
His grip on my waist was the only reason I hadn’t screamed my lungs out.
He was too calm for this situation.
Someone was going after us, probably to kill us, and he sounded like I was making a big deal out of a roller-coaster ride.
They slammed into us again, and this time, a loud, sharp sound left my mouth.
The impact came from the side of the car, and my back slammed into the door handle.
I let out another distressed sound.
I had no idea how, but the driver was able to get us to safety.
The car turned off, and Roman was the first to speak.
“Step out.”
“Yes, sir.” The door opened and closed.
I slowly opened my eyes to meet his.
His dark grey eyes were firm, but I didn’t miss the hint of worry in them.
Our car had been hit twice, and he looked like it was a normal day.
“Are you okay?” he asked.
I put my hand over my chest and gasped.
“Am I okay?
You just asked me ifI was okay?”
“I meant …”
“I know what you meant.” I raised my hand in his face and looked away.
I bent my head and took deep breaths to steady myself.
“We were just chased by unknown men, and they ran into us twice, and all you have to say is ‘Are you okay?’” I let out another shaky breath.
I was sure he could tell how terrifying that was for me.
But in reality, what terrified me more was the thought of him being totally calm.
“Are you hurt anywhere?
Any pain?” he asked.
He was too calm, and it was getting on my nerves.
He moved closer and tried to check me, but I leaned away from him.
“I am fine,” I murmured, climbing out of his lap.
I pulled down my shirt as I sat back in my seat.
He had used his body to shield me all through the attack.
How could I cry out in pain when I had been hit only once?