I freeze.
Slowly, I look up at him. His expression hasn’t changed. Not smug. Not defensive. Just… flat. Certain.
Anger flares hot and fast.
“That’s why I asked to come with you,” I say bitterly. “Because Ihadto. After what you did.”
He pulls his hand back, flexing his fingers. “You didn’t have to do anything.”
I laugh, sharp and humorless. “You think I can just leave him after that? Do you have any idea how angry he’s going to be?”
Something flickers in his eyes. Gone before I can name it.
“You going back to him?” he asks.
“None of your business,” I fire back automatically, even as my chest tightens. The words feel thin. Defensive. I hate that he can probably hear it.
I grab his hand again and dab at his knuckles with the ointment, gentler now, like the anger leaked out of me all at once and left exhaustion behind.
“You think you know us,” I say, my voice shaking. “You think you saw something awful and that means you understand. But you don’t. You don’t get us.”
He doesn’t interrupt.
“That was just… an ugly moment,” I insist. “Every couple has them. It’s not all the time. It’s not who we are.”
The silence stretches.
My sleeve rides up without me realizing. His gaze drops to my arm. The bruise is already blooming—blue and purple, shaped like drunken fingers.
Shame crashes through me.
“And that?” he asks quietly.
I yank my arm back, tugging at the sleeve. Panic spikes, sharp and blinding.
“I’m sorry,” I blurt, the words tumbling over each other. “I just—I need a minute. I can’t?—”
I don’t wait for him to answer. I turn and bolt down the hall, my heart hammering, every nerve screaming.
The bedroom door slams behind me.
Only then do I realize I’m shaking.
Chapter
Four
ALLIE
Shadows stretch long across the room. Floorboards squeak, and soft country music plays in another room. Pine sap and smoke fill the air as my senses return to me.
I gasp, eyes popping open. I’m in a strange man’s house. In a strange man’s bed, and I just slept for God knows how long.
What in the hell is wrong with me?
Another smell fills the air, too. Something savory and herbal—oregano, basil, garlic, tomatoes.
I rise, stretching before smoothing the blankets. “Stealing a man’s bed without even asking, Allie.”
