Page 17 of Hell Hath No Fury

I snort and frown as I practically growl, “Not fucking hardly.”

He leans out into the hallway, looking in both directions before finally looking back at me. “Then why are you knocking on my door?”

I press my lips together, huffing a bit and crossing my arms over my chest as I attempt to come up with a reply that’s not completely insane. Apparently, I wait a moment too long because he steps back into the room, moving to close the door. “I don’t have the energy for you right now.”

“Excuse me,” I scoff, stepping into the doorway and pressing my arm against the door as he attempts to shut it. I give the door a shove, pushing by him and walking into the room as I mutter, “Don’t have the energy for me? I think not.”

The door clicks shut behind me, and I stop in the middle of the room, realizing there’s a hundred percent chance that I’m acting like a crazy person. Not that I’m at all surprised because our entire situation makes me crazy. This guy makes me crazy.

I slowly turn, knowing Antonio is standing there, waiting for me to either say or do something—preferably something not crazy. So, after a long pause, I manage to gather the courage to say, “Since I’m here, we may as well clear the air, as Agatha keeps insisting.”

He groans, his hands rubbing over his face tiredly before grasping the door handle with one hand, turning the knob and opening the door a few inches. Motioning with his free hand toward the door, he responds, “It’s not a good time.”

“It will never be a good time, so now’s as good a time as any.”

He opens the door a bit further, obviously intent on me walking out of it, but I lift my chin stubbornly, deciding now is the time to get this conversation over with, once and for all.

Crossing the distance between us in a few short steps, I force the door shut with a thud. It only takes me a few moments torecognize the error of my ways. Because now, I’m standing far too close to a man who’s not even wearing a shirt.

The man is pretty put together for one of his age. And there’s no denying he’s a handsome guy on a bad day. I lean in slightly, doing my best not to make it too obvious that I’ve shifted closer and failing.

He shifts backward, frowning as he asks, “What the fuck are you doing?”

I straighten and step back with a shrug. “Nothing.”

He’s eying me thoughtfully, his expression giving nothing away. I search for words, for a reasonable explanation as to why I’m suddenly here, in his space, insisting on discussing painful events from decades gone by after avoiding it for so long. Maybe it’s being so close to getting Antoinette back. Maybe it’s the timeline of love and loss documented in pictures on Declan’s walls. Maybe it’s the insistence from Agatha and just knowing that there’s no more leeway for excuses.

Maybe it’s none of that at all.

Maybe I’m tired of carrying it inside, and this is the only obvious step.

Without warning, he leaps forward, and all I manage to do is step back as he turns me so my back is pressed against the door, effectively trapping me as he crowds me with his body.

He rests his forearms against the door, bracketing my head, and I feel the heat of his chest against my breasts.

He doesn’t say anything; he just leans in closer so we’re not so much physically touching as the auras of our bodies mingle. Dancing. I hold my breath, my blood singing in my veins as he becomes still, his cheek just touching my temple.

This is certainly the closest I’ve been to him in decades, and I find my breath stuck in my throat as shame and anger rush over me. My hands rise, hovering along his torso, itching to touch him but fearing if I do, he’ll shatter into a million pieces.

“Did you come here to torture me?” His voice is low as it cuts through the silence, barely even a whisper, but it echoes through my head like thunder. “Did you come here to play a little game with me, to get another thrill in your bid for restitution?”

I frown, shaking my head in confusion because, frankly, he’s making no fucking sense. “No. What the fuck are you talking about?”

He shifts forward, closing the hair’s breadth of distance between us until he’s pressed against me, his hips to mine, his chest to my breasts, and his head lowers as he whispers into my ear, “No need to play coy with me, Lilith. You know I’ll happily take whatever punishment you put forth. Just make a list, and we’ll check it off one by one. But I’m sure, even then, it won’t be enough.”

Again, I shake my head; this time, my hands come up between us, and I shove at his chest until he steps back a few feet. “No, really, Antonio. What the fuck are you talking about? Restitution? Punishment?”

He frowns, and his handsome face twists in pain as he says gruffly, “Surely, I don’t have to explain restitution and punishment to the likes of you.”

I push off the door, taking a step toward him before I stop myself. “Well, if nothing else, you seem to have your wires crossed because if anyone deserves restitution, you do. And if anyone deserves punishment, it would be me.”

At first, he stares at me dumbfounded. Then he laughs, rough and pained bitterness falling from his lips as I stare at him like he’s a crazy person, but I don’t say anything. I let him laugh it off until, after a while, he stands there, shaking his head, a look of disgust on his face. “I don’t know how you could even say that after what I did to you.”

I will admit when Agatha mentioned he may not have the story straight, I figured that maybe she was confused. But it’s quiteevident from this short exchange that he honestly has no idea what happened so many years ago.

My shoulders slump, and I hang my head, not at all wanting to have this conversation but knowing I now have no choice. It’s bad enough living with the sins of your past without having to admit them to those you’ve sinned against.

“Antonio,” I reply softly, closing the distance between us until I’m stopped in front of him. Briefly, I wonder if there’s a way I can get around the bitter truth here, but the look of agony on his face has me continuing, “Whatever it is you think you did, I can assure you, it’s not true.”

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