“Inside.” The word is harsher than I intended, but I’ve never let anger have this kind of hold on me before. I step through the threshold, hearing his footsteps behind me.
“Brooke!” The command in his voice stops me in my tracks. The door slams and I flinch at the sound.
Spinning around to face him, he scans my body, his eyes locking onto my wrist. My gaze follows his and I gasp. The skin around my wrist, leading halfway up my forearm, is red, dark bruises already forming in the shape of fingerprints.
Surging towards me, he lifts my arm, holding it at the elbow. His tender touch doesn’t match the rage in his eyes or the venom in his tone. “Who thefuck did this to you?”
Sighing, my own temper slowly recedes. “My ex-husband, Brian.”
His eyes snap to mine, confusion written on his face. “What? I thought you cut off contact with him after the divorce?”
“I did. I saw him in town when I was leaving the post office. I’m just as confused as you are. I don’t know why he’s here or how he knows you.”
“Me?” He sighs. “Tell me everything that happened, now.” He leads us to the couch, pulling me onto his lap as he sits.
Filling him in on what happened, a dozen emotions play across his face. Once I’m finished, he rests his forehead against mine.
“I’m proud of you, baby. I can’t imagine the verbal and emotional abuse he put you through while you were married to him. You kept quiet for so long until you had enough and left. Today, you didn’t hold back. You were brave and pissed off; you stood your ground.”
His words wrap around me, boosting my confidence. I may have been weak before, but I’m strong now. I won’t let anyone treat me like shit again.
Our breath mingles together as we soak each other in. “Gabe, I’m worried. He’s conniving and I don’t know what he’s up to. I sure as hell don’t know how he found out about us. There’s no way he could’ve known.” I sigh. “The day I asked for a divorce, he punched me in the face.”
His body tenses and his chest stops moving.
I should’ve kept that part to myself.
He brushes his lips across mine, sending a shiver down my spine. “I’ll take care of him.”
“What does that mean?” His words should scare me, but his lethal tone ignites a fire in my belly.
“No one touches you but me. You’re mine, Brooke. He’ll pay for what he’s done. That’s all you need to know. Can you accept that?” Tilting his head, he patiently waits for my answer.
Can I accept that? I’ve never been a violent person or wished bad things on people. When uncomfortable, I’ve closed myself off from the world and avoided everyone. Gabe’s shown me I need to live my life and find happiness. He’s shown me how to open up and not be afraid to ask for what I want.
Losing control today and not giving a damn about the consequences, I stood up for myself and it felt incredible. I don’t want to live in the shadows anymore and simply exist. I want to enjoy my life and experience what it has to offer.
Mind made up; I agree to blindly accept his punishment for Brian. “Yes.”
“Good girl.” He licks my bottom lip, trailing his tongue across my jaw and down my throat. Tilting my head to the side, I give him better access to the sensitive skin. Between the adrenaline and Gabe’s touch, my body feels like a live wire.
“Does it hurt, baby?” My thoughts stumble fora moment before I realize he’s talking about my wrist.
My heart constricts with the concern in his voice. “Yes. I hate to admit it, but it does.”
His chest vibrates against mine as a growl rumbles in his throat. “I’m sorry I wasn’t there to protect you.”
If there’s a man who deserves my heart, it’s him. I’m falling for him fast and I don’t know how to handle it. All I can do is live in the moment with him and see where the road leads.
“Don’t apologize, Gabriel. I never would’ve expected something like this to happen. I’ll be okay. The bruises will fade in a few days.”
Grasping my elbow gently, he holds my arm between us. He presses feather light kisses over my wrist and up my forearm. “Let me erase his touch.”
My body trembles against him. “Don’t you have to go to work?”
He nibbles my earlobe, the sensation bolting straight between my thighs. He traces the shell of my ear with his tongue, breathing heavily against me. “You’re more important.”
That one statement crashes through the walls surrounding my heart. I can’t fight this anymore. I don’t want to. Cupping his cheek with my palm, I finally let go. Crashing our lips together, I give him everything. He groans as if sensing the shift in me.
