Chapter 6: Colliding Worlds
The bedroom door felt heavier than it should have, a barrier between the chaos of the living room and the fragile sanctuary she’d tried to create. Jade took a deep breath, the familiar scent of her own perfume—sandalwood and vanilla—offering a brief comfort. She’d chosen her clothes with deliberate care: a fitted black skirt that fell just above the knee, a simple slate-grey tank top, and her best leather jacket. Armor. She twisted her dark curls into a loose knot, applied a swipe of deep red lipstick, and grabbed her keys and phone.
When she opened the door, the scene had shifted.
The coffee table was upright. The whiskey bottle was in the trash. The splintered remnants of the doorframe were gone, replaced by neat, fresh wood around a brand new, heavy-duty deadbolt. The air smelled of sawdust and fresh wood glue, overlaying the ghosts of leather and violence.
Dex was gone. His toolbox was gone. Only Cole remained, perched on the arm of her sofa as if he’d been waiting for a curtain to rise.
He watched her cross the room, his eyes a lazy, appreciative sweep. “Wow,” he breathed, a slow smile spreading. “You clean up good.”
Jade ignored him. Her focus was on the door. She ran her fingertips over the smooth, newly-sanded wood of the frame, then tested the deadbolt. It slid home with a solid, satisfying thunk. He’d done a perfect job. The finality of it, the silent apology in the precision of the work, sent a confusing pang through her chest. She shoved it aside.
“Where is he?” she asked, not looking at Cole.
“Had to go. Club business.” Cole stood, stretching with a predator’s grace. “Told me to make sure the lock worked for you.”
“It works.” She turned, keys in hand. “You can go too.”
He was in front of her before she reached the threshold, a wall of easy confidence. “Hold on now. That’s a chilly send-off after I kept you company.” He reached out, not grabbing, but his fingers closed gently around her wrist as she moved to pass. His skin was warm. His thumb found the delicate flutter of her pulse point and stroked, once. “You look dangerous, sweetheart.”
A jolt, hot and unwelcome, shot up her arm. She tried to pull back, but his hold was firm yet gentle. “Cole. Let go.”
“Or what?” His voice dropped, playful but edged with something more intent. He stepped closer, backing her the single step until her shoulders met the cool, solid surface of the newly repaired door. The fresh wood scent was stronger here. “You’ll yell for Dex? He’s not here.”
“This isn’t funny.” Her voice was steady, but her pulse hammered under his thumb, betraying her. “I’m not playing into your weird rivalry game, Cole.”
“Who says it’s a game?” His other hand came up, not touching her, but bracing against the door beside her head, caging her in. His eyes weren’t laughing now. They were focused, intense, scanning her face. “Last night… you were gonna let me kiss you. Weren’t you?”
The elevator at the end of the hall chimed, a soft, metallic ding that sliced through the thick tension.
Both of them froze.
Cole’s gaze flickered toward the sound for a fraction of a second, but his body didn’t move, pinning her in place.
The elevator doors slid open.
Jade turned her head, a desperate, involuntary motion.
Two figures stood frozen in the elevator’s illuminated rectangle. Addison, her blonde hair a brilliant cascade over a hot-pink designer jacket, her mouth a perfect ‘O’ of shock. Beside her, a striking woman with sharp, intelligent eyes and dark hair cut in a severe bob—Liliana, Jade presumed—looked from the scene before them to Addison’s face with raised eyebrows.
Addison’s manicured hand flew to her mouth. Her eyes, wide and disbelieving, locked on Jade pressed against the door by Cole’s formidable frame.
The keys slipped from Jade’s suddenly nerveless fingers. They hit the scuffed linoleum with a jarring, discordant clatter that echoed in the silent hallway.
Cole didn’t jump back. He simply leaned back, dropping his hand from the doorframe and releasing her wrist with a slow, deliberate looseness of his fingers. He turned, a lazy, unrepentant smile already curving his lips as he faced the newcomers. “Ladies.”
Addison found her voice first. It was a high, strangled thing. “Jade? What the…?”
Jade pushed away from the door, the solid wood suddenly feeling like the only thing holding her up. She bent, a stiff and awkward motion, to scoop up her keys. The metal was cold in her palm. “Addison. Hi. This is… um.”
“Cole,” he supplied smoothly, stepping forward and extending a hand toward Addison with disarming charm. “A friend of Jade’s.”
Addison ignored his hand, her eyes laser-focused on her best friend. “A friend.” The word was flat, dripping with implication. Her gaze swept over Cole—the worn jeans, the tight t-shirt, the confident, roguish stance—and then back to Jade’s flushed face and smudged lipstick. “You didn’t answer any of my texts. I was worried. I came to check on you. And I brought Liliana to finally meet you.” She said her girlfriend’s name with a strained emphasis.
“I’m… sorry. It’s been a morning,” Jade managed, her voice sounding thin and far away. She could feel Liliana’s quiet, assessing stare. “Cole was just leaving.”
“Was I?” Cole murmured, but the mischief in his eyes had tempered into something more cautious, reading the room. He gave Addison and Liliana a slight, courteous nod. “Ladies, a pleasure. Jade, you have my number.”
It wasn’t a question. He brushed past them, his shoulder barely grazing the doorframe, and disappeared into the stairwell, his footsteps echoing on the concrete steps before fading into silence.
The hallway felt empty and too bright.
Addison surged forward, pulling Jade into a hug that was more an interrogation by proximity.
She whispered fiercely into her ear, “What in the actual hell? Who was that? And why did he look like he was about to eat you alive against your own door? A door that looks… new?”
Liliana approached more slowly, a small, knowing smile playing on her lips. “I’m Liliana,” she said, her voice calm and melodic. “It’s nice to finally meet you, Jade. Addi’s told me a lot about you.”
“Hey, it’s nice to finally meet you to.” Jade disentangled herself from Addison’s grasp. “Sorry about that. It’s complicated.”
“Oh, I bet,” Addison breathed, her eyes shining with a mixture of concern and unbridled curiosity. “I leave you alone for two weeks and you’re getting pinned to doors by sexy outlaws? And what happened to the old door? Did he break it? Is that, like, a thing?”
“Addison,” Liliana said softly, a gentle warning in her tone.
“No, it’s… it’s a long story.” Jade fumbled with her keys, the urge to flee almost overwhelming. The gallery opening she’d vaguely planned to attend now felt like a necessary escape. “I was just about to head out and meet you.”
“Well now you don’t need ti take the bus,” Addison declared, linking her arm through Jade’s. “You are coming with us for brunch. And mimosas. Many mimosas. And you are telling us every single detail. Starting with who the broody mechanic was that Liliana and I saw stomping out of here twenty minutes ago looking like he lost a fight with a thundercloud.”
Jade’s breath caught. So they’d seen Dex leave. The pieces were assembling in Addison’s mind, a puzzle she was too clever not to solve.
Addison’s grin turned triumphant and wicked. “Two of them? Jade. My quiet, artistic best friend. You dark horse.” She leaned in, her voice a gleeful whisper. “You’re buying the first round. I want the whole, filthy, delicious story.”