Page 72 of Reckless Vow

I watch his profile, the statue of imperfect perfection.

Stay away from me.The statement hurts, and its poison spreads fast through my veins. “Wow. I’m sorry I’m such an inconvenience.”

I march to the elevator.

Away from this.

Away from him.

Away from all these conflicting feelings.

He catches up with me so fast I yelp, but still I try to dash away. His arm weaves around my waist and he whips me around.

Fuck, this manhandling routine is getting really annoying.

“You’re a goddamn inconvenience.” He grabs my throat and my back hits the elevator door.

It’s a violent gesture, but he inserts care into it, controlling himself. And as someone who’s dealt with abusive assholes, I know the difference.

And I believe without a trace of doubt, in this moment, he’s protecting me. Perhaps from himself.

Or from us.

“You destroyed me once already, Brook, and I swore I wouldn’t be the idiot who lets you do it again. And yet, here I am, offering to marry you to help you out. You’re a damn inconvenience, and I still can’t stop thinking about you, worrying about you, spending my days wondering if there is anything I can do to make your life better.”

He squeezes my throat and lowers his head to my ear, the warmth of his breath sprouting goosebumps on my skin. My breath hitches.

“You’re a fucking inconvenience. The most painfully tantalizing, magnificent inconvenience.” He punches the steel above my head and turns away.

Gasping, I circle both my hands around my throat. Not to soothe the hurt he caused, because he didn’t really, but to keep the warmth of his touch confined, closer to me.

I recognize how fucked up this is, but I can’t explore that further, because another, much bigger realization ripples through me.

I enjoy this. I enjoy his roughness. I enjoy the lingering fear while I know I can trust him.

Jesus. Fucking. Christ.

“I’m yours,” I whisper.

Right now, I know that this has always been true. The enormity of it grabs at my stomach and my chest with a tight grip of fear. So I immediately have to protect myself and add, “For now.”

He lets out a cruel chuckle and turns back to me. “We both know you can’t handle me, Tokyo.”

“Fuck you, Baldo. What is it going to take? Because you can hide in your office all you want, but we both want it. Or maybe the past versions of us need it.”

He watches me for what feels like several lifetimes.

Years of longing, denying, and wondering all mount in the space between us.

“Careful, sweetheart, because there is nowhere to hide if you change your mind again.”

Chapter21

Baldo

“You’re such an asshole,” she snaps and slides past me.

Stopping by the dining table, she groans.Yeah, there is nowhere to go, sweetheart.

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