Mortal silence.
That was all there was on that dining table as the three of us ate our breakfast.
Jack sat next to me while Pattie sat on the other side of the table, her artificial blue eyes hovering around Jack flirtatiously.

  She occasionally made some clattering noise just to annoy us, but we didn't react.

  "I'm full," Pattie announced setting down her fork on the table. The damned human couldn't even place it against the platter. Why give the servants extra work?
She was so inconsiderate.

   Jack didn't respond as she expected, he only went on eating. Not sparing her even a single glance.
Oh, this was so entertaining.

  "Can I ride with you?" She asked, her eyes trained on Jack.

   "No," The male answered strictly.

"But my car is-"

"Choose any in the garage and use it for as long as you like," was Jack's response to her annoying request.

   I smiled at myself, and decided to play the villain. "Um, Jack?"

  He raised his gaze at me, "Mh?"

My heart did three somersaults and pounded thrice as fast. Why did such a small gesture make me feel elated? The sparks in his eyes almost made me forget what I was to ask.

  "I need to-"

"We'll talk on our way to work," he cut in as if he had read my mind. While I had done it to show Pattie I was above her, I genuinely wanted to know why the hell she was in 'our' house. Her foul nature didn't belong here.

   I nodded smiling and looked away, throwing Pattie a smug grin. Gosh! I felt so evil and so damn good.

  "I want to ride with you, Jack. Why does she get to-"

His harsh glare made her words fade into nothingness. What a show!
     "Don't leave the house if you don't have anywhere to be." That sounded, less cruel. Almost as if he was asking her to stay indoors.

She crossed her arms under her chest sulking like a child. "I wanted to spend the day at your office. It won't hurt to know more about Shadows."

    "Like I said, don't leave the house unless it's necessary. If there's anything you need, you can call Stan."

Pattie rolled her eyes disrespectfully.
  "I only want to go out and stay with y-"

"Enough Pattie!" Jack groaned darting her a deep scowl. "I don't need you running around. If you don't want to stay here, you can pack up and leave."

  Whoa!
That went south real fast, I laughed, my food long forgotten. I had initially thought Jack was being cold towards me, but after witnessing his interaction with Pattie, I was in a much better place. He was being so blunt and ice-cold at her that my soul hurt for her.

Naah!

I was very happy.
The feeling of knowing that I was the only woman he treated with a sexy cold attitude was so thrilling. He had never been so brusque towards me.

   "Are you done?" His question pulled me back to reality. His eyes were on me. They were struggling to transition from the glare and soften into a light gaze.
But I didn't mind. It must have been hell being so enraged by someone he couldn't hit.

   I nodded, wanting to get out of there so I could try and appease his flames.

    "Let's go."

I gave another nod and set my fork down. We both rose from our chairs, ignoring a fuming Pattie. Jack led the way and I followed like an obedient girl.

   "This isn't fair. It isn't a fair fight!" Pattie could be heard yelling as we left the room.
What was she talking about? I didn't remember any fair fight.

-------------------------------

   The soft roar of the engine as the car sped along the highway.
The awkward silence reigning mightily inside the car.

   Argh!
Where was my succubus's courage when I needed to borrow it?

Jack wasn't saying a thing, while I was afraid of what to ask. His fury for Pattie was still hanging around his head, making it difficult for us to share any positive air.

  I threw him a glance, parted my lips to speak, but refrained from that urge and quickly gazed in front.
My heartbeats slowed, my mind racing with the different outcomes that could arise if I said something.

    I ended up stealing a secret glance, wondering what the man was thinking.
   His eyes were shut.
His head resting comfortably on the seat.

The rage had vanished, leaving his face with a much calmer air. One that brought out his attractive side.
He looked so devilishly handsome. Even the devil was definitely dying with envy whenever he sensed Jack from the depths of hell.

   I lost myself in staring at his perfect perfection. I never imagined I could tame such a mature and attractive man. It had all begun with a silly crush, accidental flashing, and movie nights. Now here we were, acting almost like an established couple.

     "Am I that good-looking?" Jack startled me.

A short gasp escaped me as I whipped my head to the other side. He had caught me or had he pretended to be sleeping?

   "Are you embarrassed?"

There was a soft ruffle sound as he adjusted himself on his seat. "You amuse me at times, you know that?"

  I faked a smile facing him.
"How so?"

"One moment you're the she-devil and the next you're this innocent and naive girl," Jack answered bringing his hand to my face. He ran it down my temple in a slow caress, his eyes caging mine. "How do you do it?"

    "I, I don't know," I whispered.
My throat suddenly felt like it would crack open from dehydration as we stared into each other's eyes.

Goosebumps began to emerge from under my skin as he continued caressing my face.
  The hand slid down my chin and further down to my chest. I held my breath and closed my eyes sensually.

    To my disappointment, Jack gently pulled the left lapel of my shirt and my eyes popped open to look down. He adjusted it to level with the right lapel, creating an even appearance that seemed orderly.

"What?" He laughed moving away from me.

   "Nothing," I whispered throwing my ashamed gaze out the window.

The previous silence took over again, but it didn't last as long as had before. Jack spoke up first, "Does Pattie being there bother you?"

   "No, not really."

The bastard chuckled.
"Then what were you mad about yesterday?"

   Silence.

"Annie?"

I looked at him, "Hm?"

A serious veil had already descended on his face, casting aside all the flirtatious aura.
   "I need her help with something."

"What? I'm sure I'm in a better position to help you."

An amused grin tugged his lips.
   "If you could, I wouldn't have to endure her presence in my house."

While his words were reassuring, they didn't clear the misunderstanding in my heart. "But she's... pregnant."

   Jack's face immediately shifted to an offended expression. His eyes hardened and his brows knitted. "Where did you hear that?"

   "Paul told me."

"Paul eh? Him again?" He was more of speaking to himself than to me. There was another emotion filling his eyes besides anger at the mention of Paul's name. There was... jealousy.

   "We'll talk about that when I pick you up later in the evening."

     "Oh! Okay."
I tamed my feelings, not wanting to create any unnecessary drama over something that might not be related to Jack.

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