Page 42 of Undisputed Chaos
Adrian
The phone rang three times before Isla picked up, and I could finally hear her pretty voice again, this time breathless with excitement and nerves.
"Hello?" She sounded surprised, like she hadn't quite believed I'd actually call.
"Hey there, angel." I settled back into my leather couch, letting warmth flood my voice. "Miss me already?"
A soft laugh bubbled through the speaker. "You're the one who called me, remember?"
"Technicality." I grinned, twirling my knife between my fingers, a habit when I was feeling strong emotions.
"How are you feeling after your grand exit? Any regrets?"
"Actually..." She paused, and I could practically hear her thinking. "No, it felt kind of good. Really good. Is that weird?"
"Not weird at all. It means you're finally listening to your instincts instead of their bullshit."
I kept my voice gentle, encouraging. "You've got questions, don't you? I can hear them bouncing around in that pretty head of yours."
"How do you do that?"
The wonder in her voice made everything in me get warmer. "How do you always know what I'm thinking?"
"Because I pay attention to what matters." I traced lazy patterns on my thigh with the knife tip.
"And you, angel, are the only thing that matters. So ask me whatever's making you curious."
"What did you think of them? They're not... I mean, they can be catty sometimes, but they're not evil."
I paused, choosing my words carefully. No need to be cruel about it—she'd figure it out on her own soon enough.
“My soft, angelic, pretty girl," I started softly, "real friends don't make comments about you to tear you down. They don't roll their eyes when you order what you want. They don't treat you like someone they're stuck with.”
I let that sink in before continuing. "You deserve people who make you brighter, not dimmer.”
Silence stretched between us, but it wasn't uncomfortable. I could hear her processing, that brilliant mind working through the normalized toxicity.
"I never thought about it like that," she whispered finally.
"Because you're too sweet to see malice where you expect friendship. It's one of the things I love about you, but it also means you need someone looking out for you."
I grinned, injecting playfulness back into my voice. "Lucky for you, I happen to be excellent at that job."
She laughed, and the sound went straight to my dick. "Are you applying to be my bodyguard now?"
“Pretty angel, I'm applying to be whatever you need. Bodyguard, chef, entertainment committee, personal chaos coordinator..." I counted off on fingers she couldn't see. "I'm very versatile."
"Chaos coordinator?" Curiosity colored every syllable.
"Oh, you have no idea what you've gotten yourself into with me." I chuckled darkly.
"I'm like a tornado in designer pants. Beautiful to watch, absolutely devastating to anything that threatens what belongs to me.”
“You’re funny.” But her breath hitched-just a fraction-and I filed that sound away in my mental collection of Isla-noises.
That little catch in her throat was going straight to the spank bank.
We fell into easy conversation, her voice wrapping around me like smoke.
