I was rock fucking hard, holding my body in a position over her, hoping that she wouldn’t feel my cock pressed against her leg.
She glared up at me, the fire burning like a hot blaze. It was so fucking beautiful to see it rage. I wasn’t sure if using Tobia would make her break down or fight back, but after seeing her today in the restaurant, I figured it was time she realized we weren’t fucking around. This wasn’t a game, we didn’t go to people and ask them for information, we fucking demanded it. And sometimes, they needed more than a little persuasion.
Two men were shot, without even a second to consider their lives, who they might leave behind, or what kind of people they were.
No, we didn’t care.
She’d seen it now, so there was no holding back.
Shit was about to get crazy, the hunt was on, and I wouldn’t give up until I found Tobia Bellucci and ripped his throat from his neck. She needed to be aware of the asshole I could fucking be, and the shit I would do to make things right again.
I slowly released Emerson, climbing to my feet, watching her out of the corner of my eye as she did the same.
“That was unfair and a low blow,” she protested, pressing her hands into her hips.
“But it got you to fight back, didn’t it? You wanted to kill me, didn’t you?” I countered. “And you used whatever means you had in order to do that.”
She huffed. “Why would you take me back there?”
Rolling my shoulders I took a step forward, but this time she didn’t back away, staring me down as though she was daring me to come at her again.
My cock twitched.
Fight me, Bella. Fight me.
“How do you think you’re going to feel when you see him again?”
“I’m going to want to maim and murder him,” she answered confidently.
I laughed loudly, and she narrowed her eyes at me while straightening her shoulders. “You’re not going to run at him with a knife and stab the little asshole, you’re going to freeze up. You’re going to remember the way he touched you, the smell of his breath, the look on his face, and it’s all going to remind you that your sister is gone.”
“Then why bring him up?”
“Because you needed to feel that emotion to bring out your fury, so you can learn to control it,” I explained. “You say you want to make Tobia pay for what he did, right?”
She nodded sharply. “Of course, I want him to feel what I felt the day he took her from me. Destroyed.”
“How are you going to do that if you can’t remember that day without feeling anything but sadness and heartache?” I could see my words seeping into her mind, but was she seeing it yet? “How are you going to be strong enough to hurt him, if all he reminds you of is pain and suffering? No. You need to change those emotions. You need to use those memories and not feel the fear he instilled in you that day. Instead, you need to transform it into something more powerful, something deep in your gut, something like… revenge.”
I saw her eyes light up like she was suddenly seeing the answer for the first time. She shouldn’t be running from her pain, and I knew that’s what she was trying to do. She wanted to be distracted from it, hide it away and not speak about how it made her feel inside. But that was never the answer. The answer was always to embrace, not disguise.
“Again,” she said suddenly, just as I turned my body to walk away. “I want to try again.”
I turned slightly to the side so I could see her. “No, that’s enough.”
She balled her hands into fists at her sides. “You said you wanted me to feel something else, and right now, I feel anger and frustration.”
“You think you’re suddenly ready? That all this is going to change in a second, and you’re gonna be some badass bitch that doesn’t take anyone’s shit?” I scoffed, shaking my head. “You’re still too weak. You aren’t ready to deal with the reality of this world.”
She stormed forward, surprising me as she got in my face. “You have no goddamn idea! Have you ever felt real pain? Pain so earth shattering you don’t even want to survive it? You think you’re so powerful, but have you even been broken.” She screamed in my face, her words hitting home.
I growled deep in my throat. If she wanted to be a bitch and talk like she knew me, then I’d give her some home truths. Taking a strong step forward, I pushed her back, further and further. Not once did her eyes leave mine, the challenge there, bubbling at the surface. Her body jolted as her back thumped against the wall. Nowhere left to go. Nowhere to run.
“You want to know if I’ve ever been broken?” I asked menacingly. “I watched my father murder my mother, all because she tried to escape his abuse, and she refused to leave me behind. From that day on, I was broken down, beaten, and mentally abused every single day. Blamed for my mother’s death. Told over and over that she’d still be alive if it hadn’t been for her wanting to protect me.”
Her perfect pouty lips fell open, her eyes softening as she heard my story, one which I’d never told anyone.
My hand raised, a mind of its own as it caressed up her arm over her shoulder and moved to her throat. This time, when I added pressure, she didn’t choke and struggle against me. Instead, her eyes drifted closed, and she tilted her head back in submission, allowing me to squeeze a little tighter until she released a soft fucking whimper that had me licking my lips.
“So the answer is… yes. I have been broken. I have felt real pain. The kind of pain that makes you wish you were dead. The kind of pain that had you wishing the next breath you took would be your last,” I informed her, pressing my other hand against the wall by her head. “You have no idea what kind of hell I’ve been through, child.”
Emerson’s eyes slipped open, her hands moving to my chest. Her touch was electric, sending chills through my body and lust through my veins. “Fuck you,” she hissed, her body burning, her chin raised in defiance as I stroked the soft skin on her neck with my thumb.
I chuckled. “What’s that? Thought you had me figured out didn’t you. Trust me, you’ve seen nothing yet.”
“Go to hell,” she sneered.
“I’ve been, it’s not as bad as it sounds,” I shot back, feeling my self-control go out the fucking window. I slammed my lips down on hers, instantly delighting in the warmth and sweet taste of her mouth. Her hands reached for my neck, her fingers still covered in my blood as she swept them through my hair at the back of my head, her nails once again clawing at my skin.
Fuck, I couldn’t get enough of her.
She was becoming this perfect fucking mix of sweet and sour, every word from her sharp tongue made me want to tame her even more. I hated to be disrespected, but when it was her, I begged her to do it, just so I could fight back. Something deep inside me wild with the excitement of making her succumb to me.
My hands moved down her body as I continued to devour her mouth, spurred on by the soft sounds that escaped her, the moans that vibrated against my lips.
She pulled away on a gasp. “I’m not a child,” she protested.
I grabbed a fistful of her hair, tugging on it, stretching her neck back to the point where it would be almost painful. Then I leaned in, allowing my tongue to trail across her jaw, flicking at her lobe before continuing down her neck. Her skin tasted slightly salty, sweat shimmering across it.
My body jumped when her hand reached out and brushed across the front of my workout shorts. My lip curled as I struggled to remain in control, the idea of pressing my cock into her beautiful, smart mouth was almost too much to bear.
But it was when she started to squeeze harder, firmer, that was when I realized that this game had turned around. Pain started shooting up my body, and I fought the urge to cower as I pulled back so I could see her face.
“This is something they teach in self-defense class,” she gloated, her vise grip not giving any room for movement or even to breathe. “I’m not a fucking child, don’t think you can control me with your mind games.”
With that, she pulled her hand back and flashed me a bright smile before jumping from the ring and heading for the door.
She raised her middle finger in the air and called out over her shoulder, “How’s that for badass bitch?”