Total pages in book: 71
Estimated words: 69155 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 346(@200wpm)___ 277(@250wpm)___ 231(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 69155 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 346(@200wpm)___ 277(@250wpm)___ 231(@300wpm)
He stares at me, his eyes scanning over my face, tipping his head to the side slightly. “I could ask you the same thing.”
“Why are you here, Reece?” I groan, trying to sit up but my god my head is pounding. I reach for the bottle of water on the ground and manage to get myself up enough to drink it.
Only then do I look to the man still staring at me. There is a look in his eyes I’ve seen so many times before, this calm yet terrifying stare that tells me even though he looks like he’s not going to do anything, he can flip his switch in the blink of an eye and lose his shit. I’ve seen it happen a million times before, and I’m certain that one wrong word will have it happening again now.
“Who was that man last night?” he asks, his voice scarily calm.
“He’s a friend, he dropped me home because I was drunk after a night out with the girls. He left soon after. That’s it.”
Why am I justifying myself to this man? We’re over, right? I don’t owe him any explanations and yet, in the darkest, most broken parts of me, I worry that he’ll be hurt, that he’ll hate me for being with someone else, even though I wasn’t. I care about how my actions will make him feel because I have some stupid tie to him that I don’t understand. A toxic tie laced with acid and broken promises and dreams.
A tie I should really look at cutting and discarding, once and for all.
“Why don’t I believe you?” he questions, his eyes raking over my body.
What is he expecting to find there? A hickey?
I push myself to my feet with an exhale because I need a shower more than I need to sit here and justify my actions to him right now. I turn and walk down the hall, and when I hear his footsteps behind me, I stop and turn, looking back at him. “What are you doing?”
“I want you to answer my question, Zariah.”
“There’s nothing to answer,” I say calmly, continuing my journey down the hall toward the blissful heat of the shower.
Every step is agony; my head pounds like it’s going explode any moment.
“You’re lying to me.”
I exhale and, when I do, a slight snorting sound comes out of my mouth. It’s accidental, but I also know immediately that it’s the worst possible sound that could escape my throat right now. Before I can turn to explain myself, Reece’s hand is around the back of my neck and he’s slamming me into the wall. I smash into it with a thud that nearly brings me to my knees. He’s usually careful with my face, and as if realizing this, he jerks me backward until my back is pressed against his chest, head tipped back, his face turned into mine, his hand on my jaw.
“Who is he?” he growls, his voice a low whip.
“He’s no one,” I say, my voice strained. “He’s just a friend, he doesn’t even like me. I’m not lying to you, Reece.”
“If I find out you’re lying to me, that you’re seeing someone else, you’re going to hate what I do to you.”
I clench my eyes shut as I feel the tickle of his warm breath against my jaw. “You promised you wouldn’t do this anymore,” I whisper.
His grip releases just a little, and he growls into my ear, “Why do you provoke me, Zariah, why do you make it so hard for me? You know I love you. You know I don’t want to hurt you. Why do you keep pushing me?”
“I’m sorry,” I whisper, heart racing.
He releases my jaw and spins me around until I’m facing him, only then does he take my face in his hands, thumb grazing down my cheek. “You know I don’t want to hurt you.”
“I know,” I say, my voice shaky.
“You know that I’m trying.”
“I know.”
“I love you; you know I love you.”
I swallow, and my knees tremble as he keeps stroking my skin. I know how wrong this is, I know I should fight him off, I know so many things about this situation is toxic yet I find myself unable to step back, unable to say no, unable to do anything but let him treat me the way he does. My body craves something deadly when it comes to this man. I’m a cop, I protect women like me all the time, I could stop him if I really wanted to, so why don’t I?
What am I so afraid of?
What keeps me locked onto this monster?
“I need to shower, Reece, please.”
“I’ll join you.”
He lets me go and, without question or argument, he walks into the bathroom.
I follow him, because I know there is no other choice.