Before I dipped my lips down to his ear.
“My father was an abusive piece of fucking shit, and it seems you’re no better,” I glowered. “Now, get the fuck out.”
He lifted his head as he gripped his crotch. “This is my room. You get the fuck out.”
I grabbed his hair and wrenched his head back. “I’m here because of your stupid ass. I don’t give a fuck whose room this is.”
“Well, maybe you wouldn’t be involved if you hadn’t ended up with feelings for piece of shit men. Ever think about that?”
I grinned. “What does that make you, then, Caleb? Because I’ve got feelings for you now. Does that mean you’re a piece of shit?”
He moved like lightening, flashing before my very eyes before he pinned my arms above my head. His chest pressed into mine as his knee threaded itself between my thighs, effectively pinning me against the dent in the wall he had made with his fist. The anger in his eyes was something I’d never experienced for myself. I saw his anger turned on to others, but never at me.
It scared me, and intrigued me, all at the same time.
“Clearly, I am,” I growled.
And as I watched him limp out of the bedroom, snatching up a shirt from the floor in the process, I hated myself for the tear that slipped down the side of my face.
Then, I slid to the floor, gathered my knees at my chest, and placed my face into them.
What in the absolute fuck am I going to do?
17
REAPER
I shoved myself into the shirt I ripped up from the floor and limped down toward the media room. I needed some peace, some quiet, and a place to vomit without people asking questions.
Jesus Christ, I threw her father in her face.
That man had been the first in a long line of shitheads that had infiltrated Rose’s life. Her father had set the standard, and ever since then she had chased disgusting men in the hopes of getting them to love her. That man and his backhands were the root of every single issue she’d ever had with men. That man and his cursing at two in the morning because of his drinking had sent Rose ringing my cellphone until I had woken up so many god damn times I couldn’t bear to count them all.
And I had just thrown that motherfucker right in her face.
“Jesus, I really am a piece of shit,” I whispered.
As I flopped down into the leather chair in the corner, I stared blankly at my laptop screen. I knew I had work to do. I knew I had things to figure out. I knew I had that fucking transfer to start. But all I thought about was Rose. Was she crying in bed because of me? Was she cursing my name while she showered? Was she regretting every life decision that had pushed her back into my atmosphere? I had to make her mad. I had to make her so upset that whatever the hell she was feeling would disappear. The Devil’s Rage latched onto that bullshit like fucking magnets, and if they sniffed out how she felt? They’d snatch her out from beneath me in a heartbeat. I deserved that slap, though. The hurt in her eyes whenever I spoke about her father would haunt my nightmares for years to come, I was sure of it. But I had to hit home. I had to go for the jugular. I had to make sure she understood that feelings weren’t allowed right now.
I deserved that slap, though, and everything else that had followed.
“Girl packs a wallop,” I murmured as I massaged my dick.
At least she won’t feel anything for me now.
The name of the game was protection, and I had to figure out how in the hell I was going to do that with her so angry at me. Removing emotions was one thing, but accepting help was another one entirely. And after I initiated this transfer, I had to make sure I kept a watchful eye on Rose while she was at the clubhouse. Or I could set up some prospects to watch over her place in case she didn’t want to stay.
Hell, it wouldn’t have shocked me if she had already found a ride back into town.
“How the fuck did things get so complicated?” I whispered.
“I ask myself that every damn morning,” Viper said.
I whipped my head so hard in his direction that it gave me a fucking crick in my neck. “Jesus fuck. Seriously? You’re gonna sneak up on someone like that at a time like this?”
His brow slowly furrowed. “I wasn’t even trying to be quiet.”
“Well, you were anyway.”
