Page 39 of Smolder

“Get in,” Amory said to me in a gentler tone.

I lifted my eyes to meet his and expected to see pity or disgust. Instead, I felt a chill run down my spine from the enraged gleam in his brown eyes.

I didn’t try to soothe him, but then I had no idea what to do or say. I sat down, and he waited until I adjusted my dress before closing the door.

“You think I don’t know you’re spreading your legs for that man? Only reason he’s here, ain’t it? Your Grams would be ashamed of you if she knew.” The slurred speech was low and held the disgust that it always did.

When he was drunk, he made no attempt to hide how he felt about me. All my mother’s transgressions were blamed on me.

I said nothing, but kept my focus straight ahead at the poorly lit parking lot. Amory climbed back into the car, and I remained tense, waiting for my father to start in on me or possibly him next.

Amory fixed the rearview mirror until it was aimed at the back seat. “Say one more motherfucking word to her or about her, and I’ll pull this car over, jerk you out of it, and beat your sorry-ass face in.”

I sucked in a breath, staring at him. Surely, he was joking.

No words came from my dad. He grunted in response. If I was lucky, he’d pass out before we got home.

Amory started the vehicle and shifted it into drive before he reached over and once again coaxed my fist open with the soft brush of his fingers. My stomach went from the tight knot it was in to once again fluttering wildly from being touched like this. Simple, kind, and reassuring, all at once.

I opened my fingers, and his hand slid over mine. Then, he threaded our fingers together before firmly closing his large hand over mine with a sturdy grip. Just like before, my body began to relax. It didn’t feel lonely when his hand held mine. The desperation evaporated, and the world seemed less fraught with obstacles ready to leap out at me. I knew that wasn’t the case. I would wake up tomorrow with all the same troubles from today and more, but in this moment, I didn’t fear them because we had this connection.

The drive back home was quiet. I waited to hear my father’s snore, but it never came. It wasn’t until we pulled into the driveway and Amory’s hand left mine that the heaviness reappeared. Dad was still awake, and Amory would be leaving. My father was going to make me pay for this.

It wasn’t anything I hadn’t dealt with before, but I normally tried to avoid setting him off. Too late for that. Amory had done enough that he’d be ready to unload the moment the Porsche pulled out of the driveway.

We opened our doors at the same time. I climbed out, then turned to move my seat forward and get Dad, but Amory had already done so on his side and was roughly snatching my father out. I winced as my dad groaned, staggering onto the broken pavement.

I hurried the best I could in the heels, not wanting to trip over any of the cracks, but needing to get to the two of them before it got worse.

“Thanks for your help,” I told Amory. “I’ve got it from here.”

The moment my father’s palm connected with my face in a loud smack and I felt the familiar sting from his slap, I realized my mistake. It was one of those things that I should have been prepared for, but since the routine was different, I was off my game.

“Stupid bi—” my father started, glaring at me, but he was slammed back against the car hard with Amory’s hand gripping his throat so tight that his face was instantly red.

“AMORY!” I cried out as he lifted my dad off the ground like he weighed nothing.

He couldn’t breathe. My dad’s eyes bugged out, and my heart was slamming against my chest so hard that I thought it might crack it open.

“STOP!” I begged, grabbing his arm and pulling it, trying to free his hold on my dad.

He wasn’t letting him go.Oh God.

“AMORY!” I shouted again. “LET HIM GO!”

Amory looked down at me, and that terrifying darkness I’d seen in his eyes before, in the parking lot at the bar, was back.

Tears stung my eyes, and I pleaded with him to let my father down. “He can’t breathe!”

There was a small flicker there that I hoped meant he was going to listen to me. When my dad was lowered back to his feet, I heard him gasp for air, although Amory hadn’t released him yet; he’d eased his grip enough so my dad could get oxygen.

He swung his eyes back to my dad. “When I let you go, you’ll get your sorry ass in that house and go to bed. Don’t touch her. Don’t speak to her. Don’t look in her goddamn direction. If you do, I’ll find out. And the next time, I won’t stop.”

I crossed my arms over my chest even though there was no real chill in the air. The sinister sound in his voice had caused a disquiet to settle over me. The shadows that lurked in his eyes now were eerie.

His hand fell away, and my dad started to turn to look at me when Amory grabbed his face and snatched it back to focus on him instead.

“Don’t look,” he reminded him.

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