Page 36 of Fast Vengeance

His eyes snapped open and he rolled away from Tori to shut it off. When he turned back she was sitting up, the outline of her barely visible in the darkness. “Is it time already?” she mumbled sleepily.

“Yeah.”

She wound her arms around him and crawled into his lap, naked. She didn’t say a word, but the almost frantic way she held him said it all.

Brock closed his eyes and clenched his jaw, holding her tight. It felt like someone was cleaving his chest open, his heart aching so bad he could barely breathe.

“How long do we have?” she finally asked a minute later.

“Five minutes, maybe.”

She made a distressed sound and clung harder, burying her face in his neck.

Pain sliced through him, tightening his throat. They sat there in silence, holding each other, not knowing what the hell to do. He’d known there was a risk of devastating them both when he’d agreed to this, but no matter how fucking much it hurt he would never regret it. And he would never, never forget her.

More than five minutes passed before he could gather the strength to do what had to be done. “I gotta go, angel.”

She nodded against his shoulder, her breath hitching, the jerk of her shoulders making his heart split wide open. “Don’t cry,” he begged, the backs of his eyes burning.

“S-sorry,” she whispered. “I can’t help it.”

Fuck. Just…fuck.

He kissed the crown of her head and made himself let her go.

It was like peeling his skin away with a dull knife.

He went to the bathroom, flipped on the light and quickly got dressed, the crushing pressure in his chest getting worse with every second. After washing his face and brushing his teeth, he steeled himself and went back out into the bedroom.

Tori stood before him in a hotel robe, looking impossibly young and fragile, her dark hair loose around her shoulders, her feet bare. And the brave smile she gave him that wobbled around the edges all but killed him where he stood.

As if drawn to her by an invisible wire, he wrapped her up in his arms and crushed her to him. Covered her face in fervent kisses before fusing their mouths together one last time.

It wasn’t enough. Would never be enough and he wasn’t sure how he was supposed to cope with this pain, or knowing that he couldn’t protect her from it either.

His phone chimed again. 04:30. He’d barely get to base on time if he left right this instant.

He lifted his head, brushed a lock of hair back from her cheek and searched her eyes. “I have to go,” he whispered.

She nodded, her eyes bright with tears. “I know.” One hand gripped the back of his neck, the other one of his wrists. She squeezed it, her voice shaky as she said, “Thank you for everything. I’ll never forget you. Ever.”

“Don’t thank me.” He didn’t want thanks for anything that had transpired between them. The burn at the back of his throat turned into a full-on fire, the lump there all but choking him. “Won’t ever forget you either.” He crushed her to him again. Needing one last moment of holding her.

Then he took her face in his hands, gazed deep into those beautiful eyes that would haunt him for the rest of his life. How was he supposed to walk out of here knowing he would never see her again? “You be careful.”

“I will.”

“And…be happy.” He swallowed, fought back the undertow of emotion so he could continue. “I need to know you’ll be happy.”

The pain in her eyes slayed him. “I’ll try.”

You’re hurting her more by dragging this out. Go. “I…” I love you. I’m here if you ever need me. “Take care of yourself, angel.”

“You too.”

One last kiss, then he grabbed his bag and walked out, leaving his bleeding heart behind him on the hotel room floor.

Chapter Eleven

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