Page 48 of Keep Me

“What is wrong with you?” she screams. “Everyone was having a good time, andyouhad to ruin it! You’re so fucked up, Killian!”

“You were about to let another man fuck you inmy home,” I argue, my voice so loud it’s practically shaking the walls.

“Everyone is down there fucking, Killian! You think I can’t tell what kind of party this is? You think I couldn’t see the way youwere pushing me toward him? I know what you told him, Killian! That we have an open marriage. I know deep down you werehopingI would fuck him because you think that would be your free ride to fuck whoever you want!”

“You’re delusional!” I shout in return, meeting her level of anger.

“I’mdelusional?” she retorts. Her eyes are wild with rage, and I don’t want it to end. I love the fire in her expression when we fight. “You are so manipulative and ignorant! God, I fuckinghateyou!” Her voice is a screaming pitch now, and there’s no way our guests can’t hear us.

I’m still drunk, but something about her fired-up state has me wanting to touch her. Not in a sexual way, but in a desperate way. Reaching toward her, I grab her arm again and haul her toward me. She immediately puts up a fight.

“Get your hands off me!” she shrieks, trying to tear her arm from my grip.

I tighten it and lean in, sneering in her face. “You are my wife, and I will put my hands on you as much as I want.” I say it only to fuel her rage. It’s too easy to do.

Her nostrils flare, and her molars grind as she glares into my eyes. Deep down, she’s silently wondering how much I’m truly capable of. “Touch me, and I swear you’ll die in your sleep,” she mutters with vitriol.

“Being dead would be preferable to being married to an ugly, selfish cow like you,” I say. It’s like a game. One insult is traded for another until we’re both satisfied. “You meannothingto me.”

“Good!” she snaps. “Then I’ll just go back down to Liam.”

She tries to move away, but I yank her back toward me. When I do, I spot a hint of moisture in her eyes. Something I said hit a nerve.

“Over my dead body,” I bellow. She swings an arm out toward me. I snatch it at the wrist before it can make contact with my face.

“That’s what you want, isn’t it?” she shrieks. “You want me to fuck your friend so you can be free of me. Just keep living the way you always have, Killian. So nothing has to change.”

The more she screams, the more we struggle. Until the only way I can calm her is to force her to the bed, draping my body over hers. Taking her wrists in my hands, I pin them to the bed over her head.

Suddenly, with our faces only inches apart, she stops yelling, and we are caught in silence. The way her body feels under mine is visceral. I feel so large in comparison to her, but I know I’m not crushing her. She can handle my size and anything else I give to her.

Again, I notice the moisture in her eyes. When she blinks, a tear rolls down the side of her face, disappearing into her hair. What could I have possibly said that would truly hurt her feelings?

“Why do you care so much about what I do?” she asks, her tone dripping with hatred.

“I don’t,” I reply.

Her vibrant eyes hold mine for a moment. We’re staring at each other as our breathing returns to normal. Finally, she mumbles, “Get off me, Killian.”

Carefully, I release her hands and roll away from her body.

Without another word, she stomps toward the bathroom, slamming the door behind her.

I struggle to keep from passing out as I wait for her to come out. When she does, she’s wearing the same pajamas as last night. Giving me the silent treatment, she marches to her side of the bed and climbs in. With her back to me, she huffs as she punches her pillow again.

I stagger as I tear off my clothes down to my underwear. After switching off the light, I climb into bed next to my wife.

I know I should feel bad for how I handled this tonight, but I don’t. Honestly, I’m still a little confused. I don’t understand if things went right or things went wrong. I just know that wherever this woman is concerned, I’m often more confused than not.

Part Three

Sylvie

Chapter Sixteen

The familiar click of heels on the hardwood pulls me from my book. Lounging on the chaise in the library, I turn my focus back to my current read and wait for Anna to find me. The rain is really coming down outside, and it’s been doing this all week, throwing me into the worst seasonal depression I’ve ever felt. I haven’t seen the sun in days—or is it weeks now?

“There you are,” she says in a forced chipper tone as she enters the library and hovers near the door as if she’s waiting for me to greet her.

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