Fighting For A Goddess

Falling Hard

Jade looked up at her house from inside Xander’s truck. Eric and another guy Jade didn’t know parked behind them. The house used to be white, but most of the paint peeled off a long time ago. The yard was completely dead, leaving a carpet of brown and yellow grass. Her house stood out like a sore thumb in the otherwise charming neighborhood.

Jade hopped out of the truck and walked up to the door, pausing to collect herself before she walked in. Max and Eric stood on either side of her, the other guy was leaning against Eric's car, scanning the neighborhood.

She stepped inside and moved quietly through the house. Eric and Max followed her silently. She took them to Aidan’s room. It wasn’t much bigger than Jade’s. There was a small bed and a box of toys in the corner. A few glow-in-the-dark stars were stuck to the walls. Jade left the room for a minute, coming back in with a couple of large baskets. She started pulling clothes out of an old dresser and placing them in the basket. Eric kneeled down beside her.

“I got this room, why don’t you go get your things together?” He placed his hand on her arm and gave her a soft smile.

“Thank you,” Jade surprised him by wrapping her arms around him and giving him a quick hug.

“No problem, angel,” Eric gave her a small squeeze.

Max followed her up to the attic. Jade let out a sigh of relief when she opened the door and didn’t see her father passed out on the floor. She went straight to the corner where she kept her clothes.

She didn’t have a dresser. Her clothes were already folded neatly in a few baskets on the floor. She dug to the bottom of a stack and pulled out a cream turtleneck sweater dress. Max walked to her bed and sat down picking up the book on her nightstand. Jade grabbed a pair of white panties and the white lacy bra Monica gave her and hurried into her small bathroom.

She quickly dressed, brushed her teeth, and combed through her messy hair. She piled her hair up into a high ponytail. Then she put on some lotion and lip gloss. She tried to ignore how badly her hands were shaking. She could never sleep in this room again. The peace she once felt in her little hideaway was shattered last night.

She stepped out of the bathroom and Max looked up at her. His gray eyes were dark and lustful. She looked away, blushing. She busied herself in sorting through her favorite books, trying to ignore the way Max's eyes seemed to follow her every movement. There was a quiet knock on the door.

Max opened the door for Eric, “Hey, I’m all done with Aidan’s room. You guys need some help up here?”

“Yes, thanks Eric,” Jade answered. There wasn’t much to pack, but she needed a break from the tension with Max. She was feeling overwhelmed by how her body seemed to be so aware of him like there was a string between their bodies that would tighten and soften depending on how close he was in proximity to her.

It only took the three of them 15 minutes to pack up. Jade only owned a couple of boxes of clothes and a few dozen books. Jade grabbed her worn copy of “The Heart Of A Woman” by Maya Angelou from her bedside table and began picking the pictures off of her mirror and placing them inside of it.

Max came over to help her. He reached out and pulled off a picture of Xander smiling. The picture was a few years old, so the edges were worn. Max stood there studying the image.

“Did you and Xander date?” He asked.

Jade looked up at him and noticed the photo he was holding.

“No… I’ve never dated anyone,” Jade confessed quietly. She took the photo from his hands and placed it in the book, closing the cover. She held the book to her chest.

“You’ve never dated anyone?”

“Nope.”

“So... you've never….,” Max started but trailed off.

“Yeah,” Jade answered, trying to ignore the flame in her cheeks.

“Oh," Max said with a bit of surprise in his voice. "With how possessive Xander is with you, I thought you two had a past.”

“No," Jade said softly. "Actually, I think he just doesn’t trust my judgment right now. I did practically beg him to kiss me last night, which is not like me at all,” Jade answered, shame evident in her tone.

Max raised his brow at her, “You and Xander kissed last night?”

“No,” Jade answered quickly. “I've never kissed anyone, Max. Xander turned me down...said he wouldn’t take advantage of me. I’m honestly grateful. I had no idea at the time that he had a girlfriend. And now that I think back, I think I just wanted the choice. I wanted to feel like I had control over who touched my body,” Jade admitted sadly.

For the first time in his life, Max felt envious of Xander. It was obvious that Alpha wanted Jade. The guy must have Jedi-like self-control. He couldn’t help but respect him for it.

"I'm sorry you went through that Jade. It's understandable that you wanted to feel in control." Max said kindly.

Jade eye's flickered to Max's handsome face. He had a solemn look etched into his features and she could feel an array of emotions coming from him. He reached out and gently enclosed her small hand in his. Jade felt her heart race. All those years of having a crush on Xander, this felt nothing like that. This felt like free-falling without a parachute. There was no stopping it. She was equal parts terrified and excited. And, for the first time in her life, she felt like she and Aidan could be safe. She didn’t have to fight anymore. She could let herself fall… And she was falling hard.

Max pulled her close and wrapped his arms around her. Jade laid her face against his chest and relaxed into his touch.

“Heaven,” he whispered. Jade gave him a shy smile. He leaned forward and kissed the top of her head.

“Come on, let’s get you home,” Max said as he led her out of the house.