Page 119 of The Billionaire's Bride
Ed stiffens, his shoulders go solid, then he seems to force himself to relax. He jerks his head in our direction, "I’ll make sure to swing by."
43
Baron
The elevator doors close behind Edward. Silence descends in the room. I pull my hand from between Ava’s grasp and stand. "I am going to bed."
I begin walking in the direction of my bedroom, when she calls out, "That’s it?" Her voice is incredulous, "That’s all you have to say about what just happened?"
I tilt my head, "Well, that was a surprise. I hadn’t expected to reveal my background quite that way... But now you know."
"What happened wasn’t either of you guys’ fault." Her voice grows closer as she walks up to me. "You know that, right?"
I raise a shoulder, "Doesn’t matter whose fault it was or wasn’t; it happened."
"And you are not responsible for it."
"Maybe so," I rub the back of my neck, "but surely, I could have done something to prevent it."
"Like what?" She reaches me, presses her palm against my back, "You were kids, and you had been kidnapped and—"
"Spare me the details." I drag my fingers through my hair, "I was there, remember?"
I move away from her, pushing open the door to my bedroom, "Goodnight, Ava. Get some rest."
I turn to close the door, getting a glimpse of the hurt on her face. Her features are ashen, those big green eyes wide with hurt and…empathy. Shit, this is why I hadn’t been able to tell her what had happened. This is exactly why I had refused to tell anyone else about the incident. I don’t need anyone’s sympathy. Certainly, don’t need them telling me how sorry they are.
Shit happens. You deal with it… Or not, as the case may be. Either way, you move on. As I had.
I had left for the army, and while the rest of the Seven may think it was a way of escaping what had happened, and perhaps it was, it had been my way of dealing with the shit-show of cards that I had been dealt. Besides, I had come back, right? I have faced the music, so to speak. Hell, I’ve even buried my differences with Edward…
So why the hell can’t I let this woman, who means so much to me, in? Why is it so difficult for me to take that final step and allow her into my life completely?
I close the door gently, shutting out the sight of those gorgeous green eyes. My heart squeezes in my chest and I ignore it. I strip as I head to the bathroom, stand under the shower. Not that it helps. I need more.
I. Need. Her. Need to bury myself in her sweet core and forget about the world for a while. I need to wrap myself around her curves, draw in her scent, lick her lips and taste her cries as she comes. I need to bite down on the tender skin where her neck meets her shoulder, and mark her as mine. My dick throbs as the blood rushes to my groin. But I refuse to jerk myself off. I hurt her. Again. I deserve to live with the discomfort. It is the least I can do.
I switch off the shower, dry myself on the way out of the bathroom. Dropping the towel, I climb under the sheets.
I close my eyes, and instantly, the sound of my screams fills my ears.
"Don’t hurt me." I cough. "Please don’t." I throw up hands to protect my face, even as the vicious kicks continue—in my side, in my stomach, on my other side. Pain rips up my spine and I gasp for air.
"Stop." Edward voice sounds behind me, "Stop beating him. I’ll do it. I’ll do as you say."
The blows stop and I slump against the floor. My back aches, my shoulder screams in pain. My entire body is one throbbing mass of hurt.
Hands grip my pants and someone pulls them off of me, along with my briefs. Someone else pulls off my shirt. The cool air hits me and goosebumps pop on my fevered skin. I want to cover myself, want to draw into myself and pretend I am not here. But I can’t. I won’t. I will survive this. I will do what is needed to come out of this alive. I will do what is needed to keep myself and Edward in one piece. Edward, I need to get to him. I push myself up to my hands and knees, beginning to crawl toward him.
Laughter follows me. "Look at him go," a voice yells. I jerk my head around and glare at the masked man with the gray eyes. I memorize the shape of his eyes, his height, the width of his shoulders. If I get out of here alive, I am going to hunt down these monsters and kill them. I am going to make them pay for this.
"What are you looking at, you piece of shit?" He takes a step toward me and I scramble away. I crawl as fast as I can until I reach Edward. "Ed," I grip his shoulder, "Ed, you okay?"
"Baron," he blinks rapidly, "Baron… I am so sorry."
"I am sorry too, Ed."
"Enough." Someone kicks my thigh from behind and I fall onto my side. He kicks me in the stomach and I groan, double over.
