Page 58 of Battling the Enemy
Before she could reply, Reynolds tried to play at being her hero again, and that was all it took to make me snap. “Deke, Delan-”
I threw my left then followed up with my right hook. He fell back and as soon as his ass landed on the grass, I was on top of him. But before I could get a third hit in, Delaney had thrown herself in between us, shielding him, forcing my arm to reach back and drop.
“Are you insane?!” she screamed. “What is the matter with you?!”
“He doesn’t belong here!” I roared.
“Neither do you!” she yelled back.
I stood up, grabbed her arm, and yanked her to me. “You either go in the house with me right now, so we can talk, or I will, swear to fucking God, kill him, Delaney.” I wasn’t exaggerating either. Searching for her as my life fell apart all around me, only to find her with Reynolds, was fucking me up.
Her beautiful chocolate eyes rounded in outrage. “How dare you?! You have no right-”
I dropped her arm and whirled back around towards Winston to finish the job. Before I could reach him, Delaney threw herself in front of me to block me. “Stop it!”
“You’re always trying to fucking save him, Delaney,” I yelled. “Why?!”
“I’m not trying to save him,” she argued. “I’m trying to end this bullshit!”
“Then go inside and talk to me!” I demanded. Out of the corner of my eye I could see Winston slowly getting up and I wanted so badly to knock the motherfucker back down.
Delaney faced Winston and said, “Winston, you need to leave.”
“But-”
“Leave, Winston,” she repeated. “And understand I don’t ever want to see you again.Ever.”
My heart was thundering inside my chest because I was sure I was next. She didn’t have any reason to hate Winston more than she hated me and her voice was ice cold and unfeeling as she spoke to him. His eyes shot to mine and he must have believed what he saw in them, because he gave Delaney a tight nod and walked towards his car to leave.
The second his car was out of sight, I turned back to Delaney. “Baby, I-”
The slap was so powerful, my head snapped sideways causing a wave of heat to shoot up my neck.
But I deserved it.
I deserved that, and so much more.
“Don’t ever call me that again,” Delaney seethed. “I thought I told you I never wanted to see you again, Deke. What are you doing here?”
My face stung like a motherfucker, but I’d let her hit me again if that’s what she needed to do to purge out all her hate and hurt. “I know, Delaney,” I replied. “Ava told me everything.”
She didn’t look surprised at all over that little announcement. Delaney had adopted a hell of a poker face, and I hated it. “So?”
There were a million things I could say to her to try to excuse my behavior, but the truth was, therewasno excuse. I hadn’t trusted her, and that’s where I failed her. I hadn’t trusted her and, in doing so, I lumped her in with the group of people who weren’t trustworthy, and that was wrong of me.
So very fucking wrong of me.
I had nothing but naked honestly to offer her. “Tell me what I have to do, Lamb,” I replied.
Gone was her poker face. Now, she looked murderous. “Donotcall me that,” she snarled. “I am not your lamb. I am not youranything.”
“Tell me what I have to do, Lamb,” I repeated because she was my lamb. She was my lamb and I’ll crawl behind her for the rest of my life just like Ramsey said if she forgives me. I’m pretty sure I’ll crawl behind her even if she doesn’t forgive me.
“What you have to do for what, Deke?” she asked, stepping away from me and giving herself some space.
“To get you to forgive me,” I replied simply.
Delaney’s eyes widened a fraction of a second before she let out a hurtful, bitter laugh. “Are you serious?” she asked incredulously. “Do you honestly think, for one second, I would everforgiveyou for what you did to me?” Her brows drew downward. “Do you truly believe I’d forgive you for humiliating me the way you did? For flaunting Melissa in my face? For not trusting me? For telling everyone I’m horrible in bed? For telling me to abort yourmistake?”
