Spark ( Book 3: Stronger Series )

37. Deals

I felt warm, warmer than I'd ever felt before. And I knew exactly where that warmth was coming from. I opened my eyes to find Jaden's sleeping form draped across my chest. My nose was resting against her hair, allowing me to inhale the soft floral scent I loved so much. She felt so good against me, so perfect, like a puzzle piece that was always supposed to be there. And she was one hell of a puzzle.

Last night had been a complete surprise, and I wasn't one for those. I honestly didn't know what was more surprising—the fact that Jaden had taken control or the fact that I had let her. In truth, I was curious to see what she'd do. Booze always seemed to be Jaden's liquid courage, though it certainly had its backlashes when it disintegrated the filter in her mouth. But her smart mouth was worth the bridge we crossed last night.

Jaden had opened up far more than anticipated. It was clear she was made for leadership roles, which made it more evident as to why she wasn't very good at doing what she was told. She liked to be in charge, and fuck if she wasn't good at it. I liked that she could stand up to me, but there were still times when she needed to remember her place. And the bedroom was likely the only place I'd allow such deviation.

Jaden stirred in her sleep, sucking in a breath before snuggling deeper into me. I'd never seen something that could be so adorable, fierce, and sexy all in the same package. She was everything I wanted and more, and she was finally coming around. Getting her to admit her desire had been a struggle, but now that she accepted it, we were one step closer to the emotional desire. In time, it would come; I just needed to be patient.

I laid there with Jaden for another half hour just stroking her skin and savoring the softness of her body, but seven a.m. was quickly approaching and, like always, I had shit to take care of. Carefully easing myself out from under Jaden, I pulled the covers back over her shoulders and watched her ease onto my pillow. Once her breathing evened, I changed into my workout gear, grabbed my phone, and headed down to the gym.

Scott was already there, curling weights in front of the mirror. I headed over to the end of the room and joined him. We lifted weights together for about an hour and sparred for another hour in the cage. Scott was the best training partner out there; he was the only one who could provide a challenge for me in one-on-one combat. He was the one responsible for training all of our onsite security and hiring trainers for those offsite. We didn't just have guards in our organization; we had soldiers, a necessary requirement for a member of the Triguard. We didn't fuck around with anything. Everyone was armed and trained, no matter who they were. Even my household staff had training.

When Scott and I finished in the gym, we had contracts to review for a new business proposition in Chicago. An associate wanted to overtake a failing hotel on the main strip so he could better launder his drug trafficking finances through it. He wanted me to go in on it because he knew I had the connections to legitimize it. And I did. I could actually use my own hotel down there instead of the apartment I rarely used. At least this way, I'd make money by having a residence there.

When we were finished, I handed Scott the completed paperwork to send off and stood up to stretch.

"Make sure the guns are ready. I'm going for a shower," I said before heading for the door.

"Half hour," Scott said with a nod.

I bypassed him and went straight to my room. Jaden should be up by now. I was letting her sleep in for the holidays to give her another reason to appreciate them, but when I got back to my room, all I heard was yelling.

"I just want to take her outside for a fucking second so she can go to the bathroom!"

"And I told you, you'll have to wait!"