Page 50 of Until Tomorrow Comes
I haven’t talked to either of our parents in the five months that I’ve been here, and Alan hasn’t mentioned them to me at all. Which is fine, since I still have no idea what I would say to them.
Setting the knife down, I turn to grab a glass pitcher from the cabinet behind me, only to collide with a wall of muscle. Jackson grunts, wrapping an arm around my waist to stop me from falling backwards.
“Easy there, Tiger.” He murmurs in my ear. Now standing in his embrace, I glance quickly toward my brother before peering up at Jackson. Slowly, his arm untangles from around me, fingers trailing along the exposed skin on my back as he does. A shiver rakes through my body before I can stop it and it’s an effort to step away from him.
“Sorry.” My voice comes out a breathless whisper. “I was gonna grab Thea the pitcher.”
He smirks, his darkened gaze doesn’t leave mine. “I got it.”
I can only nod in response before turning back to the counter, realizing too late how close he still is. My ass grazes against his front, brushing against him and causing a groan to escape his lips. Jackson quickly covers it with a cough, placing his hand back on my hip and squeezing once.
I risk a quick glance toward our company, finding Alan watching Thea as she unloads bags of chips at the table.
Feeling oddly brave, I throw Jackson a smirk over my shoulder. I lean slightly back into him, letting my ass press into his crotch for a passing moment. His hand slips underneath my cropped t-shirt and tightens slightly, warmth searing against my skin from his touch.
Not wanting to get caught up with my brother across the room, I step away, refocusing on cutting the fruit, which isn’t easy, since I’m consciously aware of every move Jackson makes.
Twenty minutes later, we’re all set up at the round outdoor table on the deck with more than enough food. Thea sits across from me, doing a happy wiggle in her seat while she digs into the macaroni salad on her plate. Jackson is on one side of me, while Alan sits on the other, talking about one of the guys from their squad.
I take a sip of the margarita Thea poured me, nearly choking at the amount of tequila that assaults my taste buds. From the corner of my eye, I catch Alan about to take a drink of his, and hold myself together.
“Oh shit!” Alan coughs, his face scrunching up while he shakes his head. “Is thereanymixer in this?”
“Yeah, there’s a bit.” Thea shrugs, hiding her smirk behind her own cup. “The tequila changed color.”
I take another small sip while Jackson shakes his head, pushing his chair back and heading inside. When he returns with the margarita mix in hand, he playfully scowls at Thea.
“A splash of the mixer doesn’t make it a marg, Thea. You’re basically doing like four shots in one cup.”
She beams at him. “I see nothing wrong with that.”
He rolls his eyes, reaching for the pitcher, evening out the mixture and pouring me a new cup before settling back in his seat.
The next couple hours are spent like that, laughing over food and draining the pitcher of margaritas. It’s not until the firstpopin the distance that I realize drinking alcohol was not the best idea tonight.
Then again, I didn’t think anything about a low-key night would be an issue.
Sitting straight up, I try to focus on what’s around to keep myself calm. But when the next firework goes off, I realize that’s not possible. Blood pounds in my ears, drowning out everything except for the cracks. The next high-pitched whistle goes off, closer than the others, causing me to jump from my seat. Vaguely, I’m aware of the chair crashing to the deck. My brother and Thea’s voices are distorted and muffled, drowned out by the panic that’s taking over.
“I will find you, wherever you think you can escape to, it won’t be far enough.” Zack growls, raising his hand and making contact with a deafening slap across my face.
“Kat… I’ve got you…” The feeling of being picked up and held against a warm chest fights through my thoughts, but the memories are louder.
“Did you really think I’d let you leave? You’re mine.” Pain radiates across my cheek, followed quickly by the jolt against my back as I fall to the ground.
The chair scraping against the floor before it collides with the wall. Glass shattering and raining around me. The picture of the two of us from our engagement party falls to the ground with a thud close by. Our smiling faces taunt me while Zack destroys things around me before setting his sights back on me. Stalking toward me from across the room, he crouches in front of me. He reaches out, catching my face in his palm when I flinch away and runs his finger along the ache above my eye.
His knee presses into my ribs, holding me in place while he leans in.
“You’re nothing without me.”
“Kat, you’re safe.” Hands rub gently against my thigh, and I focus on the warm breath that tickles my ear. “I’ve got you, baby. You’re not there.”
Fingers brush through my hair while the scent of sandalwood and jasmine washes over me. Without meaning to, I tilt my head, giving the hand in my hair better access.
“There you go, little lion.” Jackson murmurs against the top of my head. Inhaling deeply, I force myself to focus on just him, nuzzling my face into his chest. I listen to the sound of his heart beat, memorizing the rhythm and using it to calm my own breathing.
The entire time, his hands don’t stop their soothing movements while he whispers quiet praises.
