Page 82 of Her Vampire, His Ruin

“Get the hell off me,” I yell, struggling against his hold, but his grip tightens as he shoves me up against the wall, pinning me there. Leaning close, he runs his lips against my cheek, his hips pressing against mine, his dick hard between us.

“If I’d known you liked it rough and dirty,” he snarls, curling his hand around my jaw, his fingers digging into my cheeks, “I would never have fucked all those other women.”

“Get your hands off me.”

But he just smiles and slams his lips against mine in a brutal kiss.

The kiss lasts just mere seconds before cold air rushes between us, Dorian hurling him across the room as though he weighs nothing at all.

“Keep your motherfucking hands off her!” he roars, stalking towards Robert, who scrambles backwards on his arse. “You dare to take what hasn’t been freely given.”

Robert’s panicked gaze flicks to mine as he shakes his head furiously. “She came onto me,” he accuses, the fucking liar. “She’s my ex… She’s infatuated with me.”

“Don’t fucking lie to me. I know exactly what you are.”

“It was a mistake,” Robert begs, holding his hands up.

Reaching down, Dorian grips him by the throat and slams him against the wall. “A mistake? Was it a mistake you cheated on Edie over and over again? Was it a mistake that you continually broke her heart? Was it a mistake you spent many nights here fucking other women when you should’ve been at home with Edie, huh?”

Stunned by his unnatural strength, I barely process Dorian’s words until icy dread seeps through me, making every muscle lock tight. Wait, what did he just say?

“Robert came to this club during our marriage?” I ask, my voice controlled, even though my stomach churns and the ground seems to undulate beneath my feet.

Dorian releases Robert, who collapses on the floor in a heap, coughing and spluttering as he tries to catch his breath. “Edie, let me explain,” he says, whirling to face me.

Pressing my palms against the wall to steady myself, I meet Dorian’s fierce gaze, matching it with my own. “How long have you known?”

“I realised he was your ex-husband the night I turned up at your house uninvited,” he admits. “He’s been a member for years.”

“And you didn’t think to tell me?”

“He’d hurt you enough. I didn’t want this to hurt you more.”

I laugh bitterly. “So, you brought me here to the same place where Robert cheated on me? Did you know he’d be here tonight? Is this some sick joke?”

“No, I didn’t know he’d be here tonight⁠—”

“But he is a member of your club,” I snap, shaking my head in disbelief. “And given what you just said, the likelihood he’d be here tonight was high.”

“He’s not going to be a member for much longer,” Dorian replies.

“W-what? You can’t do that,” Robert splutters, pushing to his feet. “I pay good money to be here.”

In two strides, Dorian has Robert gripped by his arm and is hauling him across the room, shoving him out the door. “Fuck your money, and fuck you. Your membership has been revoked. Get the hell out of my club.” Then he slams the door and takes a step towards me. “Edie⁠—”

I throw my hands up. “You’re no better than he is.”

“I’m nothing like him. I would never treat you the way he’s treated you.”

“And yet you just did,” I reply, shaking my head. “Robert wasn’t just a lying, cheating prick, he was incapable of emotional regulation, blowing up at the slightest thing.”

Dorian flinches, but he doesn’t speak, instead he swipes a hand through his hair, and grits his jaw.

“Outside of the marital home, Robert was charming, attentive, the life and soul of any party we attended. He spun a web of lies to make himself look good. Yet, behind closed doors, I spent the majority of my marriage behaving a certain way to keep the peace, making myself small so he could feel comfortable, suppressing my wants and needs, only serving his,” I yell, my past trauma bubbling out of me in a torrent that I can’t, that I won’t hold back. “I never felt emotionally safe with him. The way you just behaved, withdrawing emotionally, that’s exactly what he used to do to me. I won’t put myself through that again.”

I try to push past him, but he steps to the side, blocking my path.

“You don’t understand. I was protecting you. You’ve no idea how dangerous I am,” he murmurs, his gaze haunted.