Page 64 of Runaway Hearts: Seduced by Danger

Shame lingers, making it difficult to take a deep breath.

I’m having an out-of-myself moment.

I think back to how I ended up here. Assertiveness. I have none.

A picture forms in my mind, showing how a woman like me ends up with guys like Eric. It’s almost like I chose him to feel worthless. To extinguish my inner fire.

The flame is there, inside me. It’s up to me to let it grow. I know that now. Why can’t I? Why am I giving up before the fight even starts?

My fingers have been tingling for a long time, and I have a pain in my neck. I stare at the water’s surface, searching for an answer that will never arise.

Eric extinguished the fire with big swooshes. I sigh; my jaw clenches. “Why do I let people who hurt me get away with it?” I wonder aloud, frustration bubbling inside.

But then, like a ray of sunshine, Kai calls out, “Marianne?”

My heart skips a beat at his voice, a warmth spreading through me.

A spark of self-respect sizzles within. A flickering light urges me not to be gentle anymore, to stop being the girl who isn’t spicy enough, thin enough, wild enough.

I’m done.

“Marianne?” Kai’s tone drips with irritation and concern, but it comes from a distance.

He calls my name again, his voice getting closer. I’m waist-deep in the murky pond, hidden among the cattails.

“Down here!”

Branches rustle, and Kai appears. He stands at the edge of the pond now, his brow furrowed. “How did you end up here?”

The pond is shallow, but there’s a five-foot drop to the ground, and I’m not sure I can climb alone.

I’m stuck here, shit.

A sarcastic giggle escapes me as an involuntary shudder rocks through me, and I wipe at my face, smearing more muck on already dirty skin.

I’m so done being nice.

“I’ve decided to become a mermaid,” I say, and another giggle escapes.

Kai doesn’t wait for a rational response. He jumps into the pond and strides, his body slicing through the water with ease. His clothes cling to his chiseled frame, revealing every sinew and curve of his perfectly sculpted body. He moves toward me, undeterred by any potential danger that may lurk within.

Like frogs. I hate frogs.

The left corner of his mouth tugs up as he reaches me. “Mermaid, huh?”

“I fell.” I sniff, my shoulders going down with my facial muscles. “The skaters zoomed by, and I tried to step back, but I stumbled under the tree row and”

“Are you hurt?” Kai frowns, his hand stretching out to take mine.

“Just scratches.”

“Fucking bitches.”

“But…” Tears gather in my eyes as I examine my dress. I wiggle out of Kai’s grip and slide my fingertips over the fabric covering my chest. “This was my favorite,” I whisper.

“I’ll buy you a new one.”

No man has ever seen me in that dress.

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