Puppet Master

Chapter Twenty

She was stunned by the blizzard of anger and jealousy that she could feel pouring from him. She knew well enough by now that it was jealousy that prompted this reaction, and it sent a thrill of love down her spine to know that he wanted her, that he cared enough to intimidate every other man that came within three miles.

But he never staked a claim on her.

He tugged her out of the chair by her arm, and from the cafe by sheer magnetism and absolutely no other physical touch. He'd clenched his jaw and stared Sebastienne in the eyes for twenty seconds, not another word passing from his lips, looked her over, then growled in frustration and stormed away.

He gave no reasons away, Jayden never did.

It was as though she was back with the overprotective guardian, as though she was a wayward child that knew no better. She was a ward of the Caine industries, no more and no less than a particularly animated possession.

So, despite the tiny thrills, anger churned her blood and rolled through her body, so that she was practically vibrating with it by the time they reached the car, and the heavy, bass throbbing rock that he plays for the short drive home didn't help.

It also drowned out conversation.

So by the time they reached her apartment block, she had lines rehearsed in her head.

The argument was not only imminent, but meticulously planned on her part. Of course, as anybody knows, these plans almost never come to fruition. Rehearsal only works on a clear head: clouded with anger and betrayal it becomes a hazy fog over a red flag.

Especially when you're up against a man like Jayden Caine, whose anger never clouds his judgement: A man who could reason his way out of a paper bag in the centre of a tropical tornado.

For the first time in her life, she stormed ahead of a man. Slamming the car door behind her, she never even looked behind to check if he was following.

She was a woman on a mission.

She turned to face him the second he shut the apartment door behind him, her face a mask of livid colour, as she spat out her words, "How dare you embarrass me like that!"

He hung his head, taking a deep breath as he took a sudden intense interest in her oak floors.

"I know babe, I uh... Oh fuck, I can't even tell you ..." He growled in frustration, running his hands across his face in distraction.

The script flew out of the third storey window, a pterodactyl could have flown in to have a read for all the notice she took of it.

What the absolute fuck? Jayden was apologising?

He'd suddenly developed a talent for it, but she still hadn't acclimatised to the concept.

Her jaw fell to the floor, and her eyes widened. A completely dazed grunt may have fallen from her lips.

"Seb's gay for fucks sake, what is the matter with me?" He began to pace the floor, bringing a new matte shade to the polished oak, jangling the keys in the pocket of his trousers, "I just can't seem to be okay with you being around anybody! I told you to stay in the fucking car!"

His tone turned accusatory, and he stood still suddenly staring her down, but it took her a moment to even remember why. She was still frozen into silence with the shock. While he was frozen into attack mode.

"That's sort of besides the fucking point Jayden! I got out of the car to buy a coffee, and you start screaming at me in the middle of a cafe! That was the most humiliating experience of my life!"