Page 72 of The Butcher

“Stop yelling at me.”

“You think this is yelling?” He cocked his head slightly, his eyes growing angrier.

“Don’t threaten me.”

“Do you want me to fuck other people or not?”

I stormed off, heading to the main door so I could get out of there.

He grabbed me by the arm and yanked me back to him with immense force, like I weighed nothing to him. “You can leave when this is finished.” He stepped in my way as he let me go, his back to the main doors, the security guys pretending like they didn’t notice the commotion.

“I told you I’m not looking for anything serious right now. I’m not even divorced yet?—”

“Are you over him?”

“What?”

“You heard what I said.” He crowded me. “Are you still hung up on the little bitch who stabbed you in the back?”

“No.” I’d left our home heartbroken, but the depth of Adrien’s deception was so deep that I couldn’t feel anything for him. All the love I’d had for that man just died. I’d realized I didn’t know the man I was married to.

“Then what is the problem?” He continued to speak to me in a vicious tone, like I was the one in the wrong when he wouldn’t respect my boundaries.

“I told you I’m not ready for anything serious, and you’re going around telling people that I’m your woman.”

“You are my woman,” he snapped. “You fuck my brains out and hold on to me all night like I’m your goddamn teddy bear. Is it normal for you to go around town and fuck random guys without wearing anything if you aren’t their woman?”

“No—”

“Have you fucked anyone else since we met?”

I couldn’t even imagine it. “No…”

His stare pierced mine for several hard seconds. “Do you want me to sleep with other people?”

I refused to answer, refused to dig this hole deeper.

“Your poker face is shit, you know that?” He clenched his jaw tighter when I didn’t answer. But then it slowly relaxed, his eyes shifting back and forth between mine as he read me like words on a white page. “You’re scared.”

My lungs sucked in a gulp of air, his fingers finding the wound and digging deep.

“I’m not him.”

My eyes flicked away, the button to my trigger tapped.

“I’m not him.”

I was forced to look at him again, gripped by the power of his voice.

“I understand you’re coming out of a long-term relationship that ended in a dumpster fire. I understand you haven’t had time to heal everything he’s broken. But I’m not asking you to marry me or move in with me or do anything you don’t want to do. But I won’t be disrespected either. You’re either in this with me, or I’m gone.”

I swallowed because the idea of losing him was devastating.

His eyes shifted back and forth between mine. “I’m your man—and you’re my fucking woman. Period. Do you understand me?” His ruthless eyes continued to burn into mine with the viciousness of a mountain lion.

“I—I don’t want to get hurt again.” Self-loathing washed over me, hating myself for allowing myself to be weak in front ofanother person. I only showed the depth of my despair to myself—and myself alone.

He sheathed his tone slightly. “I would never hurt you, sweetheart.”

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