Page 12 of Broken Promises
“What the fuck do you think you’re doing?” she yelled before turning off that damn music.
I didn’t say anything as I watched her like a predator hunting its prey. When her hand gripped the knife tighter, causing her knuckles to blanch, I took a step closer to her. When I was just in front of Hannah, I looked down at the knife and back to her, silently demanding she release it from her grip. The sound of it clanging to the hardwood floor echoed throughout the dining room.
“Why are you here, Rhys?” she asked softly. Her fear was triggering something primal inside me, something I’d never experienced before, and the meeker she became, the harder it was to fight the urge to take her where we stood.
I shook my head, silencing any more questions. “I want you to tell me why you decided to be a brat and basically cut off surveillance,” I demanded, forcing calm into my voice. “And why the hell did you have to play that annoying music so loud?”
“I—”
I held up my hand, stopping her from speaking as I took another step closer to her. When she stepped back, I tilted my head forward and advanced on her. If she wanted me to stop, all she had to do was say the word, but from her rapid breathing and dilated pupils, Hannah’s body was surging with adrenaline. But I didn’t see fear in her eyes—I saw need. She tried to turn her gaze away from me, but I pressed closer before cupping her cheek and gently guiding her gaze back to mine.
“I’m . . . I’m sorry,” Hannah said softly, and her submissive response to my demeanor had all rational thought fleeing my brain.
Leaning over, I ran my nose up her neck, smelling the faint scent of perfume mixed with something that was distinctively Hannah. Whispering into her ear, I said, “Don’t apologize for standing your ground, but don’t think I’m going to let this attitude go unnoticed. Your safety is my number one priority, and your little stunt could’ve backfired.”
“How?” she inquired in a whispered breath, and I smiled to myself as I answered.
“What if someone besides me decided to get inside? With the cameras covered and the music so loud, I wouldn’t know what happened, who took you, or where to start looking for you. So, please, don’t make me be the bad guy because I’m worried about you.”
She didn’t consider what could have happened. Someone could have broken into the house, or worse, and I wouldn’t have known about it. The thought of someone hurting her again made the animal inside me come alive, thirsting for blood.
I stepped back and looked down at her as her blue eyes tracked up to mine. Her breathing was accelerated, and suddenly, she grabbed my shirt and pulled us closer together. My arms went around her back as her hands came around my neck as I pressed her against the wall and kissed the fuck out of her. She was giving as good as she was getting as tongues swirled and teeth nipped, each of us trying to gain the upper hand.
Hannah would learn that I didn’t take the lower hand when it came to bedroom playtime.
Raising one hand up her back until I felt her hair, I found the nape of her neck and buried my hands deeply into her locks, pulling her head back and forcing a moan from her lips. With her head tilted, I kissed down her neck, nibbling at the tender skin as she shivered under my touch. She felt right in my arms, but the more we embraced, the stronger the guilt became.
As suddenly as she started the kiss, I ended it. Releasing her, I stepped back from her and turned away as I ran my hands through my hair. When I turned around, Hannah was still pressed against the wall with her mouth open and her hand covering it.
“Fuck, I . . . I shouldn’t have done that,” I started and saw her delighted eyes fall. “This was a mistake. I’ve got to go, but you need to uncover those cameras. And stop with the music, please. It makes monitoring you harder.”
I went to walk out the busted front door when I heard her say my name. “Rhys?”
Looking over my shoulder, I saw her straighten her spine as she spoke to me. The anger and hurt were clear on her beautiful face, and whatever she was going to say, I deserved it. But she didn’t need me pawing at her or making her do something that would cause her more pain.
Hannah shook her head as she pushed off the wall. “I didn’t realize you were such a pussy. Get out of my house and don’t come back.”
“Hannah, let me explain,” I started to say, but she lifted her middle finger to me before turning and walking into the bedroom. I sighed deeply and yelled across the room at the closed door for the second time today. “Safety first, Hannah. I’ll be outside until a repairman can get a new door installed.”
The door opened quickly, and Hannah stood there with a gun in her hand. She looked at me and lifted the gun to where it was pointed at my knees. “I’ll sit on the front porch and wait for someone to fix the damage you caused, but you need to leave.”
“I’m not . . .” I began, only to see her raise the gun higher, aiming it at waist level. Lifting my hands, I took a step back and said, “I’ll leave.”
Keeping my eyes on her, I stepped through the open doorway, and just as I went to turn away, I saw a single tearfall from her eye. I felt like a piece of shit, but she seemed more hurt I’d stopped than hurt by the kiss itself. She was the one who instigated it, but I had to be the one to end it. She was still healing and didn’t need my perversions screwing with her mind.
Hannah stood in the doorway with her arms crossed and the gun tucked under one arm as I backed out of the driveway and pulled away from her house. The monitor in my car was still on, and as I found a place to park a few blocks from her house, I watched, hoping to see or hear anything.
The soft sounds of her crying filled the SUV, and all I wanted to do was go back and pull her into my arms, telling her I was sorry for hurting her or causing her to remember something painful. It was what I heard next that gave me pause.
Hannah’s voice filtered into the car as she whispered, “I guess I really am beneath him.”
How could she think something like that?
Was it my actions, or was there something else in play that made her think she wasn’t good enough for me?
Whatever it was, I was going to fix it and, hopefully, help her heal, so that someday, she could find someone who was worthy of her. It just wouldn’t be me, and that pissed me off more than anything. She’d dominated my mind since the moment I laid eyes on her, and the thought of someone else holding her, touching her, or giving her pleasure was enough to push me closer to madness.
My phone rang, and looking at the screen on the dashboard, I saw it was James. Rolling my eyes, I answered. “What?” I asked gruffly and heard that asshole snicker.
