Page 17 of Holiday Do Us Part

When I sit up and listen for Easton, the only sound I hear is the crackling of the fire. I look out the window and see him outside. How long has he been out there? The gigantic pile of chopped wood is one indicator. His blue lips, the other.

I slide on my boots and open the door, taking a few steps outside. “What are you doing?” I ask, but he doesn’t acknowledge me. “You know, I couldn’t care less if you freeze to death, but if I have a change of heart, you’re a giant, and there’s no way I can drag you inside. So stop being a stubborn mule and get inside before you turn into a popsicle.” I jump when he throws the ax onto the wooden stump. His shoulders rise and fall, then he turns and prowls towards the cabin and up the steps.

“Not the kind of pet I remember being,” he says, not making eye contact and stalking inside. I count to ten, then follow, shutting the door behind me. Easton is standing by the fireplace, his head hanging down.

“Look. . .” I start, not knowing what to say. “I don’t want to be at each other’s throats like this. This whole situation is messed up likeroyally.I would be out of here if I could, but I can’t. And what happened earlier. . . I don’t know what to say about that. For so long, I’ve only known how to hate you. And if I don’t, then. . . I don’t know where that leaves me. And I can’t—I refuse to go back to the person I was when you broke me.”

He lets off a harsh breath. Squeezing his eyes closed briefly, he lifts his gaze to mine. “You act like you were the only one hurt here.”

“I wasn’t the reason we ended. You were.”

“No, you took an assumed situation and ran with it.”

I raise my hands. “Easton, I caught you with a naked woman in your apartment.”

“She wasn’t there for me.”

“Are you kidding me! How do you expect me to believe that? This is why I spared myself the excuses. I knew this is what you would have said.”

“Because it’s the truth! I came home to her there. She was one of Russ’s randoms. She walked out of his room at the same time I showed up. She was so drunk she didn’t even realize I wasn’t him, and I was just trying to get her off me.”

“Oh, sure. You looked like you were trying real hard to get her hands out of your jeans. She was practically giving you a hand job!”

“The fuck she was!”

I shake my head. “I can’t do this. I’m not going down this road again. I’ve spent way too much time trying to heal.”

“And how the fuck do you think it’s been for me, huh? You were my world. My everything. And you dropped me without allowing me to defend myself, without trusting in me, in us. You tore my heart out and didn’t even look back. Moved on like we were nothing! So don’t you tell me I broke your heart when you shattered mine.”

“I wasn’t enough for you, so you had to cheat.”

“And you didn’t love me enough to listen.”

“Fuck you. I loved you with every fiber of my being. I loved you so much I thought I was going to die. I wanted todie. Do you know how that feels? My world crashed and burned that day. I wanted to fucking die!”

He’s on me, his mouth crashing over mine. The fire between us is uncontrollable. I’m up in his arms, pressed up against the wall. Shoving his jeans down, he tears at my only pair of underwear until it snaps, and he pistons inside me. Each thrust is hard and ruthless. The mixture of pain and pleasure clouds my vision, but I take every bit of him.

“More,” I pant, hooking my fingers into his hair.

“You’re fucking maddening.” He plunges his tongue down my throat, kissing me with unwavering passion. His cock drives into me, and my walls start to tighten. He suddenly grows thicker and spasms inside me.

Each breath is a struggle.

My heart threatens to jump out of my chest.

His is just as erratic.

“We have to stop this hate fucking,” I breathe out. “This is seriously unhealthy. Not to mention messed up.” His lips press against my collarbone. He doesn’t kiss me or move for a moment. “Easton, say something.”

He pulls away and allows my feet to hit the floor. “I think we’ve said enough.” He tucks himself back in his jeans and walks away, shutting himself in his room.

Chapter seven

Easton

“Letmetalktoher.”

“You’ve got to be kidding me. How about you get off my doorstep, or I’ll neuter you with the heel of my shoe.”

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