Page 8 of Dark Torment

I hate that I’m lying in my bed watching her cry herself to sleep, because I can’t be there holding her. It got so bad, I had to mute the feed on my phone because the sound of her soft sobs crushed me with every breath I took.

Watching isn’t much easier on my heart, but at least I’m less murderous this way.

I watch as she reaches for her phone, her brows furrowing before answering it.

Checking the time and seeing it’s almost two a.m., has me turning the sound back on to listen in.

“I’m okay, Shelbs,” she whispers into the phone, her voice cracking a little.

You’re not okay, baby, but you will be soon. I’ll make sure of it.

Her face scrunches up as she listens to her best friend.

“No. Absolutely not. Have lost your mind?!” she shrieks, sitting up and wiping the tears away.

This time it’s my turn to be confused. What the hell could have made my Olivia shriek like that?

“How did you go from my being insulted and called a fat cow, to setting up a dating profile for me in the span of a few hours?”

I growl into the air, narrowing my eyes at the screen.

Hell, no. My girl is not going to be on any fucking dating site. If any assholes even try to touch what’s mine, I will kill them.

I will break their fingers and hands before taking their life by slitting their throats, and leaving their lifeless bodies to be found wherever they die.

No one touches what’s mine.

“I’m not interested in dating anyone!” she tries to tell her friend.

I’m starting to re-think allowing that woman to live.

Olivia moves the phone away from her ear before putting it on speakerphone and throwing the phone to the table in frustration.

“You can’t be a virgin forever, Liv,” Shelby says through the phone, and I blink.

My girl is a virgin? Fuck, yes.

Knowing my girl is untouched has my entire body heating with desire. I will be the only one to ever touch her, and bring her pleasure. I will make sure that I’m the only man she ever wants to touch her.

“I can too,” she sasses back, and it brings a smile to my face.

God, she’s cute.

“Fine.” I hear Shelby huff before continuing. “Let me rephrase that. Why the fuck would you want to remain a virgin forever? You need to go on dates, Liv.”

“I don’t want to go on dates. The last thing I want is to meet someone like my father or brother, Shelbs,” she hisses, and I make a mental note to look deeper into her family.

She clearly doesn’t like them, and there has to be a reason. If they’ve been mean to her, I will add them to my list of people that need to die.

I haven’t taken the time to really look into her background since the contract for her hit came across my desk yesterday. That’s something I plan on doing tonight once I know my woman is asleep in her bed, finally resting after crying most of the night.

“Not all men are money-hungry, disgusting assholes. Stop making the entire male population out to be bad guys.”

Olivia snorts at that. “Right, because you’ve had great success in finding someone decent.”

“My sex life is mine, and mine alone. I don’t want to date, but you’re not the fuck em’ and leave em’ type,” her friend says.

Her voice is starting to grate on my nerves.

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