Chapter 7
Jade tried hitting the buttons on the elevator, but nothing happened, as Marcus stood back grinning as Jade became frustrated quickly.
"Kitten, I don't think we are going anywhere for a while." If looks could kill Marcus would've been ten feet under with the look Jade was giving him.
"Well, do you have a phone?" Marcus held up his phone which had no battery left.
"Great, just great." Jade walked over to the corner as far away from Marcus as possible before crossing her arms over her chest. She looked towards where Marcus was, only to see him making his way over to her private corner.
"What the hell do you think you are doing?" Jade questioned and Marcus stopped moving and leaned against the wall.
"Well, it looks like we are stuck." Marcus grinned while Jade rolled her eyes wondering when the hell they were going to leave this tiny death trap that they were standing in.
"Well, we better get unstuck soon," Jade grumbled wishing she was trapped with anyone, but the arrogant, pig-headed sergeant. Marcus smiled knowing he would have a good time watching the corporal slowly tick until she exploded.
"So, Jade, what did your mother want the other day?" Marcus got comfortable and watched the way Jade reacted to his question.
"That is none of your business, Sergeant," Jade said staring him down.
"Well, I think I have a right to know what is going on." Jade turned to face him and took a step closer.
"What gives you the right to know about my life? I don't ask about yours, so don't ask about mine." Marcus not backing down took a step closer until they were both chest to chest
"True that, but I believe it is my right to know what is going on the in the house next to me. Considering I always seem to find myself in there. Plus, I am concerned about my fellow soldier." Jade continued to stare him down even though they seemed to get closer and closer with each passing breath until the tip of her breast where touching against his chest.
"Well, fortunately, I am not your soldier." Jade took a step back before leaning against the wall behind her not wanting to face the pushy man standing next to her.
"Again, this is true, but aren't we all soldiers for the same cause?" Huffing Jade crossed her arms fuming, wishing the stupid man standing next to her would stop before she hit her limit and blew up.
"Fine, don't tell me then, but I will get it out of you." Jade rolled her eyes knowing she would never tell him willingly. They both waited together before Marcus let out a loud sigh causing Jade to face the man who was staring at her.
"What!" She snapped and Marcus shook his head.
"Nothing." He grinned and shrugged his shoulder with that look on his face that said he wanted to say something.
"Just say whatever you want to say." Jade huffed as she sat down because her leg was hurting from standing around doing nothing.
"No, I have nothing to say, why would you think I have something to say?" He said smugly as he looked down on Jade who was sitting on the floor.
"You have that look on your face where you want to say something." Jade looked up as the stubborn man who shrugged his shoulders at her while grinning like a cat.
"Nope, don't want to say anything. Do you?" He raised an eyebrow, and she rolled her eyes before looking at the blank wall in front of her hoping someone would hurry and get them out of here before they put her away for murdering the man standing next to her.
"Why would you think I have something to say?" Jade didn't need to look at Marcus to know he was grinning.
"No reason." They both fell into silence again and the longer they waited the more Jade wanted out of the small space that she was trapped inside. Jade found the silence of the small space peaceful yet chilling at the same time as she entered a world of her own as she let her mind escape her body so she could forget that she was trapped inside a small death trap.
Bored, Marcus started tapping his fingers on the rail behind him creating a very annoying tapping sound in the small space.
Trying her best to ignore the sound of the tapping Jade clenched her teeth together and clenched her fist before groaning and facing Marcus.
"Can you stop?" She raised her voice and Marcus looked at her with that smug grin and she wanted nothing more than to wipe off his face.
"Why is it annoying?" He tapped his finger against the rail again as Jade ground her teeth together as her skin felt like bugs were crawling underneath it that she wanted to scratch out.
"Yes, so please stop." She said through clenched teeth trying to control her anger. Marcus ignored her request and kept tapping until she snapped.
"Can you fucking stop!" She yelled out and her voice bounced off the four walls that were keeping her trapped inside. Her breathing became laboured as her mind took her back to a different place when she was younger and she was trapped inside a small space with the single sound of pipes tapping against each other as she begged her mother to let her out.
Jade looked around only to find the four walls closing in on her as her heart began to beat faster as chills ran up her arms.
"What do you think you are doing?" Jade questioned as Marcus sat down next to her and took her cold hand into his warm ones.
"You're shaking." He stated, and it was then that Jade noticed that her hands had a tremble in them from being stuck in the confined space. She had been focusing all her energy on being angry that she didn't note the way her body was reacting to being trapped in such a small space. Jade knew if she was paying attention to her body then she wouldn't be about to go into the panic attack she knew was coming.
"Try to breathe Jade, take some deep breaths with me ok." Despite Marcus being an ass, Jade followed his instructions taking deep breaths until her heart stopped racing and her body stopped shaking. Even though her panic had subsided Marcus didn't let go of her hands as they both sat in the quiet elevator.
"Talk to me." He asked after she calmed down. The serenity in his voice made Jade almost sigh, but she restrained herself.
"What would you like me to say? My mother used to lock me in a small room with nothing, but the sound of a dripping pipe whenever I misbehaved." Jade closed her eyes the memory almost still fresh like it had happened yesterday.
The room was always cold and wet. Jade remembered it smelled of mould which she was sure was growing in the small space. She remembered the single pipe that ran along the back wall where water used to drip onto creating an echoing sound in the silent room. Shaking her head, she tried not to think about how she used to scream for help or anyone to come to take her away, but no one ever listened to her cries or pleas.
She looked over to Marcus to see he was sitting still as if he was lost in his own train of thoughts.
"Marcus, you can let go of my hands now." She tried to release her hands from his, but he kept a tight grip on them. Not enough to hurt her, but tight enough she couldn't let go without struggling.
Marcus looked down at his hand in wonderment as if they were the most magical thing on the earth being in Jades keeping them warm. He couldn't remember the last time he had contact with a female that wasn't a one-night stand. He knew Jade differed from the other girls he normally slept with. She had a fire to her that ignited him from the inside out, her quick wit and snarky comments, from anyone else would piss him off, but he loved pushing her buttons just so he could get a response out of her.
Jade felt her heart skip a beat as Marcus raised his hand slowly running the back of his knuckles along her face. Closing her eyes, she got lost in Marcus rough, callused hand running along her face creating tiny sparks that she didn't know existed outside of stories. The way he was touching her felt too intimate like they were lovers caressing each other under the moonlight.
Getting lost in the feeling of human contact Jade didn't realise until it was too late when Marcus pressed his lips against hers. Getting caught up in the moment Jade couldn't resist returning the kiss with as much passion. It was like someone had turned a switch on inside of her that she didn't know existed and her body came to life. She felt fire lick through her body at such a simple kiss and she felt the need to get closer.
Marcus deepened the kiss as he reached past the invisible barrier that was between them, as though he could kiss her trauma and bad memories away. As his hands found their way to her hips, Jade tried to get closer to the warm body, missing the feeling of being in a man's arms.
As the kiss became more aggressive, hands began to wander as Jade gently scraped her nails along the hard ridges of his chest. Marcus's left hand moved underneath her shirt drawing long strokes along her rib cage. However, as his hands started to wander further up, it was like a band snapped inside of Jade's head and with an all mighty shove pushed Marcus away from her.
"What the hell!" Jade yelled out scrambling to stand up despite the protest coming from her leg and she gently touched her swollen lips. Marcus stood up with Jade putting his fingers to his lips, wondering what in the world possessed him to kiss Jade.
"What the actual fuck Marcus!" Marcus snapped out of his daze and masked his emotions like Jade had already done.
"You kissed me back." Marcus raised his eyebrow and watched as Jade became flustered waving her arms around the place.
"You freaking kissed me first. Why the hell did you do that?" Jade waved her hands around feeling confused about whether she should be mad or happy. Her emotions were running high which made her head a foggy place and she couldn't decide if it was a bad or good thing so she locked the emotions into the dark corner of her mind to deal with later.
"I didn't think it would be such a big deal." Marcus crossed his arms and Jade struggled to keep her eyes on his face and not his bare arms flexing in the singlet he was in.
"It's not," Jade replied which caused Marcus to snort.
"Then why are you yelling at me?" Marcus replied with a raised tone as Jade threw her hands up in the air.
"I am yelling at you because you kissed me," Jade yelled again as the light above her flickered.
"So, if I was to kiss you again." Marcus took a step closer and Jade felt her heart leap in her chest. If he kissed her again, she wasn't so sure her body would let her stop the way her mind wanted too.
"Don't even think about it." Jade threatened, raising her hands in front of her that collided with Marcus' hard chiselled chest.
"Why not, if it wasn't such a big deal?" Marcus said sarcastically as he grabbed Jade's hands into his and moved it along his chest. Jade quickly snatched her hand back despite her body telling her to let those hand wander and feel what lay beneath that shirt.
"You want me, Jade, I can see it in the way you look at me. You want me to touch you, to kiss you. You want my hands exploring every inch of that beautiful body of yours." He came in close whispering in her ear as goosebumps appeared on Jade's arms. The husky sound of voice made her shiver as she felt her body responding to his. He placed his lips below her ear, blowing hot soft air along her neck. Jade found her eyes closing in instinct despite her mind screaming at her to stop as danger singles were flashing around inside of her head.
As Marcus lips gently suckled on the skin beneath her ear the jolt of the elevator snapped her out of the daze that Marcus was putting her in and she shoved him away again right as the elevator started moving and soon they were greeted by the bright artificial light when the doors opened.
"Glad to see you guys didn't kill each other." Marco grinned as the doors opened and revealed a flushed Jade and a smug-looking Marcus. Confused about what she was meant to be feeling Jade shoved past Marco towards her apartment and finally out of the elevator. As Jade finally made it to her front door she was consumed with rage over what happened and turned around to face the brothers.
"Come anywhere near me again and I will have your balls in the palm of my hand so tight I will make you infertile for life." With that, she stormed into her apartment slamming the door on everyone's faces.
Once her door was closed, she leaned against it and pressed her hand to her lips still feeling the tingling sensation of Marcus' lips on hers. Shaking her head, she knew she shouldn't think anything of it, but it was too hard to ignore the way her body reacted to him being around even if her mind screamed at her to run far away.
Trying to push the idea of her bare body curled up against Marcus she decided that now would be a good time to clean her already spotless apartment, trying to give her mind something else to think about that didn't involve Marcus or her mother.