Page 114 of Adoration: Isn't What It Seems (Love Isn't What It Seems 2)

I would never let her go; until the last dying breath I had in me, I would fight for her. There was no life without her and Brandon.

A sting of sorrow hit me remembering the hurt in her eyes when I spat at her we had shared custody of Brandon. Desperation for her was making me sloppy. I was scared out of my mind she’d leave me. She called my bluff on joint custody. She knew I would never keep them apart, but I was desperate. I couldn’t bear the idea of losing her and Brandon.

“Alexander,” my grandfather’s voice had me raising my head from the glass of scotch in my glass.

I didn’t answer, just watched the man that practically raised me while my father obsessed over Liberty’s mother. My mother was a gold digger and wanted nothing to do with her kids. My father, on the other hand, wallowed in his desperation for Liberty’s mother and tried to forget her in a bottle of whiskey. He never let go of her; even when she disappeared, he hung on, a desperate shell of a man he once was. Would that be my destiny too?

“Alexander, secrets will destroy your marriage.” I knew he was right, it was already on a path to destruction and we’d only been married three weeks.

Fuck!

“What do you want?” I spat out as I took a gulp of the scotch.

My wife’s face was the only thing I wanted to see right now. I wanted her blissful and hazed look as I fucked her hard. It was the only time her eyes were on me with adoration. That wasn’t good enough. I wanted it all the time.

“Don’t ruin this with your stubbornness, Alexander,” Grandfather warned. As if I needed a warning. “You’ll push her away instead of bringing her back to you. Just like your father-”

“Don’t bring him up,” I cut him off, practically bellowing at him.

Fuck, I needed to get a grip! I never raised my voice at my grandfather before. The old man was more of a father than my own father.

“Alexander, don’t let history repeat itself,” he warned me and turned around, leaving me alone with my thoughts and my alcohol.

I refilled my glass with more scotch. As I held it, his words echoed in my mind.

Don’t let history repeat itself. Don’t let history repeat itself. Fuck!

In one move, I threw the glass through the air, and the shatter of glass was the only sound echoing through the house.

I headed for our bedroom. I should talk to Liberty. With the firm determination to resolve all the secrets between us, I opened the door to our bedroom to find her head leaning against the glass. She didn’t hear me come in.

Regret panged through me at seeing my beautiful wife fragile like this. Her shoulders were slumped, as if she couldn’t carry on anymore. I wanted to wrap my arms around her, feel the graceful skin of her exposed back pressed against me. I wanted her to take comfort from me. I needed to protect her.

“When did you become so smart?” Her voice was soft and sad.

The silence followed and my hand reached out to her, to let her know I was here when her next words had me balling my hands into fists.

“I love you too.”

Her voice was a soft murmur into the phone and I wanted to punch the glass. Fucking Callen McLeod. Those were words I wanted her to say to me. I was prepared to bring Callen’s publishing company to ashes; conquer his business. I didn’t want him anywhere near my family. I wanted to murder him; which put me in the same calliber as my despicable father.

“I gave you an hour.” My words were calm when in fact I wanted to bellow at her, rage at her. It was hard to hold onto my control around her. She was barely a foot away from me and it felt like she was already slipping through my fingers.

She was mistaken if she thought I’d ever let her go. She could try to slip, but I’ll hold on for both of us till she realized what we had was real, volcanic, special. It came only once in a lifetime.

Those hazel eyes lingered on me, their expression guarded and distant.

“I have to go,” she spoke into her phone, ending her call, her eyes never wavering from me.

Silence stretched, her eyes watching me with a challenge and despite everything, my cock twitched. This woman was turning me into her slave and she didn’t even realize it.

“If I knew you were timing me,” the softness of her voice would be a sound I’d never get tired of. “I’d have turned my timer on.”

I couldn’t help but admire her strength and beauty. The lush green dress enhanced the beauty of her hazel eyes. Her skin was pale against the color of dress, her soft skin on her neck and decollete exposed. Her hair was pulled up into a fancy ponytail, exposing her graceful neck. There was light bruising at her collarbone.

I did that,I thought possessively. Everybody would know she was mine.

“You look beautiful,” I couldn’t keep desire out of my voice.

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