Page 13 of These Jagged Edges

I'm naked on our bed when I come to, my wrist and ankles tied down. My face is throbbing, and I know he hit me hard enough to knock me out.

Trent’s staring at me from the foot of our bed, his face void ofany emotion. I swallow hard, my body begins to sweat, and acid burns in my belly. Panic begins running ramped through my body, but I know better than to let it show. This is bad. Very fucking bad. I learned long ago that his rage wasn’t when he would hurt me the most. It was in his silence he would do it.

He walks to the end of our bed, tracing along my foot with a cold finger. "Petal, I realized today I’ve been neglecting you and your needs for some time now. I plan to remedy that tonight by giving you a night you'll never forget." Giving me a predatory smile, he crawls into the bed between my legs.

I feel his hard teeth bite right into my soft flesh. I open my mouth and scream, as he bites down harder each time.

This is a horrible idea,I tell myself as I stand frozen in front of The Boxing Den. The neon sign seems to be more of a warning than welcoming now that I’m here.

After that horrific nightmare, I woke up more than determined to come here this morning. I would do everything to protect my children, and I knew coming here was a step in the right direction. I can do this. I had to do this for them.

Just as I convince myself to walk in, a familiar pair of eyes meet mine through the glass door causing me to clutch my chest. To be so big, the man is stealthy as a cat. Does the man smile or even look slightly surprised to see me here? Nope. Maddox stands with his massive arms crossed over his chest, sizing me up. After a few seconds, he opens the door for me and tilts his head, gesturing for me to come inside.

Taking a deep breath, I walk in, brushing his arm as I pass by. I can't help the shiver that runs through my body. Something about the soft click of the door closing behind me makes me second guess what the hell I’m doing. My anxiety is high, causing my heart to hammer in my chest like I just ran the Boston Marathon.Maddox's mouth is moving, but his voice sounds muffled and far away.

"What?"

"I said do you want Monday or Thursday classes with Mercy?"

I meet his gaze. "What do you mean with Mercy?"

Maddox's gaze softens just slightly. The corner of his mouth that's scarred twitches, and I feel some tension leave my body. "The only word you heard out of that was Mercy?" His tone may have been stern, but his expression was almost playful, almost.

I nervously push my hair behind my ear. "Well, we are friends. Not BBFs, but it won't be long until we're braiding each other's hair and making matching friendship bracelets. Plus, he's fallen in love with my cooking, so I doubt I'm getting rid of him now."

His handsome face puckers like he just sucked a lemon. "Don't forget the sponge baths," he leers down at me, his green eyes shining brighter than usual.

My face glows bright red. "The…what!"

"He was more than ready to bathe you the other day,” he grits out.

This asshole! Who does Maddox think he is? "He was just joking around! I was sick and he was trying to make me feel better."

I've never been the aggressive type, but the angry baby Hulk standing before me brings it out in me. Where I should be terrified of him, I find myself growing more of a backbone than I've ever had every time he opens that mouth, which is sad because the man has such a sultry mouth. My eyes instantly drop to his lips.

A large hand palms my waist, causing my brain to short-circuit. Our chests are almost brushing, and both of us are breathing hard. Maddox tightens his hand on my waist. "Evie," he grates, and I swear his voice has gotten even deeper.

I flinch and take a small step back to think rationally, not about his warm hands or long fingers or how my skin feels branded from his touch. "So, what exactly does Mercy do here on Mondays and Thursdays?"

"Self-defense classes."

"You think I should take self-defense classes?" Emotion sits heavy my throat. The big grump thinks I should learn to defend myself. I've never been so damn flattered.

"Fuck yeah, I do. Every woman needs to learn to defend themselves."

Embrace life, Evie, fucking embrace life. I chant in my head over and over.

"Mondays will work. Just a heads up for next time, big guy, explain what you mean instead of barking out short commands like a Neanderthal because I could’ve sworn you've been calling me fat the last month."

His fierce gaze slowly sweeps up and down my body. "What the fuck did you just say?"

I put my hands on my hips. "I said I’m pretty sure you've been calling me fat the last month."

Maddox meets my eye. "Woman?—"

I cock an eyebrow. “Woman?” What the hell does he mean woman?

He shoots me with a look that makes me almost swallow my tongue. “Yeah, because yourallwoman.”

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