Page 37 of Imperfect Saint
He hadn’t expected her to fight. Why would he? She never had before. She’d cried and begged and pleaded. She’d curled in on herself and she’d let him have his way. It had been easier. That was what Jill had said too. It was easier to give him what he wanted and save herself the pain, but he couldn’t hurt her anymore. She’d gotten away from him once and she’d do it again.
“Newsflash: you’re not the center of my universe anymore. I don’t want you and I don’t want your attention. Why would I? Hunter’s twice the man you’ll ever be.” She spit the words out at him and knew she’d severed the last thread of his control when he snarled.
He released his grip on her and she tried to move away from him but she wasn’t fast enough. Joshua pulled his arm back and then his hand was coming at her. He backhanded her so hard across the face her glasses cracked and flew to the ground. Her vision blurred and she stumbled, nearly going to the ground before she caught herself on the edge of the old desk. Pain bloomed from the spot, heat burning through her skin, warning her that this would leave a bruise. She licked at her lip and tasted blood as she pushed herself backwards, putting more space between them, trying to put the desk between them as she regained her balance and her senses.
It took Joshua a second to get a grip on himself and process what he’d done. He blinked at her before he rubbed his jaw and glared. He’d snapped. She’d pushed him too far and he’d lost control. That had been rare in their relationship. He’d hit her before. She couldn’t pretend any longer that he hadn’t. But when he was in control, he’d always been very careful not to mark her where anyone would see.
People would be able to see this. She couldn’t hide it, not even if she’d wanted to. After all, she was supposed to be in hair and makeup for the wedding happening in mere hours. By then her cheek would be bruised and her busted lip would be swollen. There would be no hiding this and despite all the times she’d told herself that she wouldn’t confront Joshua here, not this weekend, not at this wedding, she knew it had been inevitable now.
It was always going to come to this with him. And there was no going back. Not this time.
“Look what you made me do.” Joshua shook his head as if he was disappointed in her.
She wiped at her bloody lip, “I didn’tmakeyou hit me. Inevermade you hurt me, Joshua. That was all you. It took me a long time to realize that but once I did, it was easy to see you for what you really are, nothing but a monster.”
“Don’t talk to me like that!” He flexed his hand as he moved closer to her again and she continued to move around the desk away from him. “I don’t want to hurt you, Mills. I never wanted to hurt you. You know that. You know I love you.”
She scoffed at the words she’d been too young, too naïve and too hopeful to see through before it was too late, “You don’t love me. You love the idea of having me at your side. You think with me at your side that Dad might pass up Colin and make you head of the company but you’re delusional. You always have been. Colin and Dad might have their issues but that company is his and you’re never getting your hands on it or me ever again.”
“That’s not true. You’re mine. You’ve always been mine, Millie.”
“Maybe I was at one point, but you ruined that. You ruined us, but you won’t ruin me.” She felt her way around another corner of the desk and tried to calm her racing heart. Almost there. She just had to keep him talking. She had to keep him distracted. If she kept him walking towards her while she circled the desk, she’d be on the other side of it soon, closest to the door, and then she could make a break for it. “You don’t love me and I’m okay with that. It’s fine. Because I don’t love you anymore either.”
Joshua slammed his fist down on the desk, making her jump and scramble backwards again, “Don’t say that. You love me. You’ve always loved me. If this is about settling the score, that’s fine. Go fuck some other guy, Millie. Make us even because I messed up. But don’t say you don’t love me. You do and you’re going to come back to me. You always come back to me.”
“Not this time.” She stepped back again and felt the sharp point that signaled the edge of the desk. “Not ever again.”
As soon as the words were out of her mouth, she turned and ran. It was only a dozen feet or so to the door of the library but she knew if she didn’t reach it first that he’d make her pay for her words. She heard him scream something behind her, cursing her and calling her names, but she put all her focus on the door and sprinted as hard as she could…
Right into Hunter’s arms.
“Oompf.” He grunted as he opened the door and stepped through right as she ran into his chest.
He wrapped his arms around her instantly. She buried herself inside his embrace and tried to force air into her lungs. Fear had taken over and her fight or flight response had been full force. She’d fought until she’d found a way to run but now Hunter was here. Hunter was here and he would keep her safe. She knew he would. She sagged with relief as he held her up and then groaned as he pushed her back just enough to look at her.
“Millie? Babe… what’s…” His words trailed off; his question answered without her saying a thing.
His beautiful golden flecked green eyes scanned her face and she saw his expression change from confusion to anger even without the aid of her glasses. She saw his jaw tighten. She saw his muscles tense. But it didn’t scare her when he reached out and softly touched her jaw, even though it hurt and she winced. He pulled his hand away and quickly gathered her back into arms.
“It’s okay. You’re okay. I’m here now. I got you.” He whispered in her ear a moment before he let go of her and pushed her around him so that his big body was between her and Joshua. “Get behind me and stay there while I deal with this.”
“Oh look, there’s the white knight here to save his princess.” Joshua taunted but Hunter didn’t move a muscle.
“Oh look, there’s the piece of shit that gets off on hitting women.” Hunter’s voice was thick with restraint. “Why don’t you pick on someone your own size, asshole?”
Joshua glared, “She had it coming, not that it’s any of your business.”
“Millie is my business and that makes you my business.” Hunter stepped forward, “You hurt the woman I love and that means I get to hurt you.”
Millie sucked in a surprised breath as Hunter uttered words she’d never expected to hear. He loved her? Or was that just another way of picking at Joshua so that he would fight him? If it was, it worked.
Joshua growled and launched himself at Hunter. Millie screamed and scrambled backwards, trying to stay out of the way as the two men barreled towards her. Hunter got his feet under him again and held his ground. He punched Joshua in the ribs one, twice and when the other man let go of his waist to pull back, he punched him in the face as well. Joshua fell backwards but Hunter didn’t let him go. He grabbed him by the shirt and pulled him back up before slamming his fist into Joshua’s face again.
Millie screamed when she heard the sound of something breaking, “Hunter! No! Stop. Please stop!”
“Oh my God.” A shocked male voice pulled her attention back to the door and she squinted enough to realize that Reed, Colin, and Jill were all standing in the hallway now.
“What the hell is going on in here?” Her brother moved towards her and raised his hand, stopping himself before touching her face. “Mills? What happened? What did he do?”
