Page 67 of If You Dare

I bet he did. Motherfucker. “What did you do?”

Her delicate brows furrow. “What do you mean?”

“I mean, did you scream? Claw out his eyes? Knee him in the balls?” God, I hope she got in a few good shots.

She’s thrown off by my question, eyes wide. “I...didn’t do anything.”

“You just let him carve you up?” My grip on her hip tightens, thinking about her standing there, gritting her teeth while he cut into her like a pumpkin, thinking she deserved it.

“Isn’t that what you wanted?” Her whisper nearly breaks me. “You’re the one who sent him after me.”

“No.” I close my eyes and breathe slowly through my nose, forcing myself to stay calm. “Yeah, I told him to cut off your hair so I’d stop fucking fantasizing about pulling it. But not the rest. He didn’t even give a shit about Chloe. That wasn’t him seeking to avenge me or her—that was him being a sadistic fuck. Stop taking whatever assholes like Trey want to dole out to you. Fight back.”

She swallows, forcing her hazel eyes up to meet mine. “Even you? I thought you liked me at your mercy.” A bitter edge to her voice.

“Only because you like it too.” I shake my head. She has no idea. No fucking clue. “You’d fuckingloveit, Violet.”

I grab the paper towel from her and drop to my knees, dabbing at the cuts. She lets out a little gasp that makes my cock twitch. I rub at her gently until I’m certain she’s clean, the rivulets of blood wiped away.

I should be salivating, seeing her punished like this. She’s done so much fucking worse. Caused a thousand times more pain.

But I’m not getting a single ounce of pleasure from this.

I toss the soiled paper towel in the trash and stand. With my thumb, I pull her bottom lip out from under her teeth. Lean closer, let my breath caress her skin. Before dropping my hand from the wall behind her and clasping it over her throat.

Her eyes widen, but she doesn’t move. I don’t squeeze the way I did last time. “I’m not like him. Your pleasure gets me off—not your pain. You liked this before, didn’t you? You get wet every time you think about me choking you again.”

She blinks furiously, wondering how I could possibly know her darkest fantasies. Like I haven’t noticed the new books she started reading. Dark covers with seductive titles. Only took five seconds on Google to figure out exactly the new kinks Violet has discovered she’s into.

“Tell me what the new book’s about.” I already know the answer.

Her throat bobs beneath my palm. “Um. It’s, uh, about a girl who gets kidnapped. And...falls in love with her captor.”

I smirk. “And what does he do to her?”

“He ties her up,” she whispers. “He gags her. And chokes her.”

I squeeze the hand around her neck, just a little. Her nostrils flare as she sucks in a shuddering breath. “That’s what you like, huh?”

She debates her answer. Whether she should lie and tell me no or admit the truth. Finally, she breathes, “Yes.” Then she amends, “With you.”

My eyes fall shut, heart hammering now.

“Wes.” Her voice gentle, uncertain. Hazel eyes wide when I finally open mine. “Can we please...talk about what happened? That night.”

She sure as hell knows how to kill a moment. How to kill a lot of things. “What the fuck is there to talk about? You killed my sister. Nothing more to say.”

She nods quickly, dropping her gaze and twisting her hands together. “You’re right. I did. I didn’t mean to hurt her, but I did.” Her voice breaks, and fuck if I don’t want to sweep her up in my arms right now, let her cry herself hoarse. Cry with her like I’ve been longing to since the night my sister died.

The only girl I’ve wanted to run to. The only girl I’ve wanted to hold while she holds me. The only person on this entire fucking planet I wanted to trust with my heart, my soul.

The last person I could.

“The guilt has been killing me. I know—it should be. I deserve that. But there’s a lot I’ve wanted to say to you since that night, and I need to finally say it. I just need you to know that...” She sniffles, blinking fast to try to hold back the tears. Bury down the feelings we’ve both been keeping six feet under, knowing we didn’t deserve to let them out. To find any second of relief with Chloe gone.”If I could do anything to take it back, I would. Without a second thought. I wish I’d been the one to die that night instead of Chloe. I wish you still had your sister, and I’m sorry there’s nothing I can do to bring her back. I know that I deserve everything you’ve done to me, and worse. We’re in agreement about that. I just thought you should know.”

I wait for her to ask me to put an end to the torment. To feed me some bullshit line likethis isn’t what Chloe would want. But she doesn’t.

She means it. The guilt is eating her alive. This whole time, I’ve been wanting to punish her for what she did. But her own mind has been punishing her more severely than I ever could.

---