Page 250 of Duty and Desire
CHAPTER 3
Abby finished carting her groceries out to her small compact, careful not to break the cage-free eggs this time. The small and only grocery store in the tiny town had finally started carrying organic offerings, and she chalked that up as one blessing. The shrink had suggested they all count little blessings before the next meeting, and so far, she was liking the practice. Maybe life didn’t suck as much as she’d feared. She gingerly shut her trunk and turned, stopping short.
Nope. Life totally sucked.
“Hi,” her ex said, standing way too close, his car nowhere to be seen. She’d checked before leaving the safety of the store for her car.
She took a step back and looked up to his clean-cut face. Intelligent brown eyes, slightly shaggy brown hair, rugged jaw. If he never moved or spoke again, she’d consider him good looking. “What do you want?” she asked, holding her purse against her chest.
His brows drew down in a familiar frown. “Why must you be so rude? I just wanted to check and see how your anger management class went. I’m hoping it does you some good.”
She swallowed, looking around the nearly vacant lot. An unfamiliar black SUV sat near the lone gas station. Had Monte gotten a new vehicle? She couldn’t see any other options. Winter had just turned to spring, and small sprouts showed through the wide planters set around the two street lights. There was nobody around to offer help. “You hoped I’d go to jail, and you know it.” She lifted her chin and met his gaze.
He stepped closer, his eyes blazing.
Her breath stopped. She slid one leg back, even though she’d end up in jail if she kicked him. Self-defense didn’t mean anything in this town. “There are cameras on the storefront,” she reminded him, out of pure self-protection.
His chin lifted. “So there are.” His body visibly relaxed in complete opposition to the anger in his deep eyes. “I swung by your apartment earlier and was surprised by the mess in the kitchen.”
A small gasp escaped her before she could stop it. “You broke into my place?”
His chuckle was chilling. “Of course not. You’re so forgetful, Abby. You left the door open.” He sighed, the sound long suffering and seriously irritating. “You know you can’t survive on your own. Why don’t you stop this nonsense and just come home where I can take care of you? Where you have a washer and dryer, for Pete’s sake?”
They’d been divorced for more than two months, and he just wouldn’t let go. “I guess I just got tired of getting the crap kicked out of me.” She was done cowering in front of him. Marrying him had been a colossal mistake, and someday she’d forgive herself for that. But not yet.
He shook his head. “You have such a bad memory and you make things up. You know that, right?”
She was finished doubting her own sanity. How could she ever have trusted him? Sure, she’d been in a weakened statewhen they’d courted and married, but even so. Where had her brain been? “No. I don’t.”
“You owe me, Abigail,” he said. “How could you ever forget that?”
Yeah, she had once owed him. Maybe. He’d saved her life in a car crash, and their whirl-wind romance had gone on from there. They’d married too quickly, and then hell had descended. “Not anymore. I figured I’ve paid you back or done my penance or whatever. We’re even, and it’s time you moved on.” There. She’d said it.
He clucked his tongue. “I’m never moving on. We belong together, and someday, you’ll realize it. No matter what I have to do.”
Her knees trembled, and she hid the reaction. There had been a time she’d been fearless, and that was too long ago. Living with him had taken a toll, and she was just starting to find herself again. “Shouldn’t you be chasing ambulances or something?”
Surprise shot into his eyes a second before he grabbed her arm. Hard.
“I suggest you release her before I break your entire wrist,” came a low voice from behind her.
She jumped and partially turned. Noah Siosal’s long strides ate up the distance between them, his massive arms carrying two huge bags of groceries. Where in the heck had he come from? She glanced at the doorway to the store. The guy had moved silently, now hadn’t he?
Monte looked over the stranger. “This is a family matter. If you know what’s good for you, you’ll move on your way.”
Noah flashed his teeth in a parody of a smile. “Oh, friend. You don’t want to threaten me. Remove your hand. Now.”
Real chills cascaded down Abby’s spine, and she almost instinctively intervened to tell Noah that things were all right.There was a time she would’ve done so, just to avoid a scene. Not now. Now,she wasn’t responsible for either of their actions. So she kept silent.
Noah’s chin lowered, and his very broad shoulders went back.
Monte dropped her arm.
She blinked. Wow. Okay, then. She took several steps back, leaving nothing between the two men, who stared at each other with equal amounts of derision. Most people backed down when faced with Monte’s wrath. Not Noah. Interesting. If anything, he looked slightly irritated. Did he truly not understand how the town worked?
Monte smiled then. “Listen, buddy. You’re mistaken in your actions here.”
“Buddy? I’m not your ally here.” Noah leaned forward, his body one long and lean line of pure threat. “My buddies don’t mishandle women, and I’ve not once found myself itching to take off a buddy’s head. So that must not be you.” His voice, low and hoarse, wound through the chilly day. “Touch her again, and it’ll be the last thing you do.”
