Page 111 of My Irresistible Enemy

Before I knew what I was doing, I was advancing on him again. He backed up farther, right up to the window, looking genuinely scared.

“People have to beconsciousto tell you they want things,” I yelled.

Then I punched him in the face.

It happened so fast, it took me a second to register what I’d done. One second, I was yelling, the next, Tanner was on the floor and my hand hurt. I flexed my fingers—I’d never done that before. I thought it might hurt more than that time I’d punched a wall, but it was worth it.

On the floor, Tanner brought his hands to his nose. He pulled one away and looked at it in disbelief. It was red, and a trickle of blood ran down from one nostril. I wondered if he’d never been punched before either.

For a second, I started to feel bad about what I’d done.Violence is not the answerand all that. But then I thought about everything—everything—Tanner had done.

Digging through my past. Violating Aiden’s privacy. Using it all for entertainment fodder. Playing God over who got to stay or go. Trying to coerce Aiden into sleeping with him, and then trying to drug him when coercion failed.

“Peopletellyou when they want things,” I growled. “If someone says no, you listen. You don’t try to roofie them so they can’t—”

I broke off, too mad to speak, and pulled my fist back again as Tanner crab-walked away on the floor. Then I felt a hand on my wrist and looked over to see Aiden by my side. I was shaking with anger, but seeing him froze me in place.

“It’s okay,” Aiden said. His eyes were a wide and wondrous blue. I wanted to drown in them.

“It’snot,” I said. “None of what happened to you is okay, none of this is—”

“I know, I know.” Aiden put his other hand on my shoulder. His fingertips brushed my neck. I didn’t think it was intentional, but my breath hitched. “I know what he did isn’t okay. But I don’t want you to get in trouble for beating him to a pulp, satisfying as it would be to see. I think, when you calm down, you’ll probably agree.”

“Heneeds to know,” I said, desperation creeping into my voice. “He needs to know what he did is fucked up. He needs to know—needs to know he can’t justdothat.” I trembled with rage. I wanted to wrap my hands around Tanner’s throat. “There have to be consequences.”

“And there will be.” Aiden nodded towards Em, who stood in the corner, still filming all of this. “But they shouldn’t come from your fists.” He squeezed my shoulder. “He’s not worth it.”

I looked at him for a long moment, caught between my desire to break something and my desire to take Aiden in my arms and hold him, just hold him, until everything else faded away. Finally, I nodded and let my hand fall.

Tanner, who’d been watching our exchange silently, eyes glittering with malice, waited until I’d started to turn around before he pushed up off the ground, lunging for me.

“Hey! Hey!” Aiden yelled, getting in between the two of us. Tate followed immediately, putting his hands on Tanner and forcing him back. I heard thumps out in the hallway and turned to see someone else at the entrance to the room. Two someone-elses.

“Everything okay in here?” Deacon asked. His large frame took up much of the doorway. Mal, standing next to him, took up the rest.

They didn’t do anything other than stand there, looking mildly concerned, but evidently, six against one weren’t odds Tanner was willing to bet on. He stepped away from Tate, lifting his hands up and straightening the collar of his shirt. Then, with a final glare, he pushed his way past Deacon and Mal.

Em heaved a sigh of relief as Tanner’s footsteps faded down the hall. He tilted his head around the camera, still filming, and gave me a questioning look.

“Isthatwhy you wanted us to come with you?” he asked. “Did you know he was going to confess all that, or try to start a fight?”

I shook my head. Technically, I’d been the one who’d started the fight. Physically, at least. But I hadn’t expected any of that.

My head was still spinning, my body vibrating with unspent energy and nerves from the confrontation. It was hard to pull my thoughts together. But then I looked down at Aiden and calm swept through me.

When had that started? When did Aiden go from being the person who drove me crazy to the person who brought me back to center? The person who made me feel likeme?

“No,” I said to Em. “No, not at all.”

“Then why—”

“Because I thought, after the way things went this morning, maybe if we filmed this, it could help to balance out whatever the show decided to air. That we could put it online or something.” I ran a hand through my hair. “I don’t think theycanair the stuff from this morning anymore. Not with everything Tanner just admitted to. I don’t even think they can finish the show, with the way things stand. But, well, since you’re here…” I turned back to Aiden. “Grand gesture time.”

His brow furrowed. “What do you mean?”

“Aiden, I fucked up. So badly. I hurt you, and I pushed you away, and I was too scared to trust you. I did all the things you called me out for doing, and I didn’t even have the courage to admit it.”

I took his hands in mine. “But I don’t want to live like that anymore. Letting fear decide what I do, instead of deciding for myself. I don’t want to be so afraid of getting hurt that I don’t let myself feel anything at all. And I am so sick of pretending that I don’t feel anything for you, because I do. Aiden, I love you.”

---