Page 21 of Bitter Confessions

“Roth,” she began, but her words were cut off abruptly as his fingers dug into her throat.

“You should thank your lucky stars your father kept you hidden from me. If I’d caught you with another man, I would have killed him, and you...” He watched her dispassionately as she gasped for air. “I’m not sure what I would have done to you. I still don’t know.”

Her hand twisted in his shirt, popping off buttons as he continued to apply steady pressure.

“I worked my ass off to build myself into a man worthy of you, and you let those filthy fucks defile what I worshipped.”

Watery hazel eyes flicked up to his face. The homicidal maniac staring back at her sent a surge of terror through Jasmine that made her claw at the back of his hand. He didn’t seem to register the blood she drew or her frantic fight as he watched with detached interest, eyes completely blank.

CHAPTER 6

When she went limp in his arms, he loosened his hold enough for her to get a sip of air. He buried his face in her hair, panting as if he were the one being suffocated.

The hand on her throat trembled as he fought his demons. It took every ounce of self-control she possessed to keep her body pliant when she was seconds away from death. She closed her eyes and focused on the clock that was still ticking, letting her know time wasn’t standing still.

She was rewarded for her patience when his grip on her throat eased a little more. Hot breath fanned her face as he tried to get a hold of himself. She couldn’t tell if seconds, minutes, or hours had passed, but eventually, his hand fell away.

“The housekeeper insists on floral arrangements. I don’t give a shit.” His voice was muffled by her hair. “And I didn’t get the vasectomy because I was fucking around—I did it because I don’t want children.”

She forgot herself and tried to pull away. Instantly, his hands locked, and his energy, which had been leveling out, went electric. Her gaze rose instinctively and collided with the monster Kaia had warned her about. Her mind was wiped clean with stark terror.

“I never wanted to see this look on your face,” he said softly, his finger tracking a tear that slipped down her cheek. “But it was inevitable. Everything I touch I ruin.”

More tears fell.

“You were my one good thing. The only thing that had ever been just mine.” He leaned down to taste her heartache. “I didn’t want you in London while I was fighting for my life. What man wants his woman to see him knocked to his knees when things go to shit? Am I wrong for wanting things to be perfect?” When she whimpered, he nuzzled her. “You say I meant more to you than your family.” He brushed his wet lips over hers, letting her taste the salt from her tears. “You meant more to me than anyone. Ever.”

His hand came back to her throat. The metallic tang of blood clogged her nostrils.

“At times, I hated you more than Maximus.” The vicious, vindictive thing that lurked inside of him surveyed her as his thumb monitored her uneven pulse. “Maximus said you used me to get back at him.”

It took several seconds for her to process that. “H-how could I…?” she said hoarsely.

“He said I was an experiment you gave up on when you realized I’d never be accepted in society no matter how successful I was.”

Disbelief replaced her glassy panic.

“He said you’d learned your lesson marrying outside your circle. That you’d decided to be with someone of your own class. Someone worthy of you.”

“Worthy.” She repeated a word she’d never associated with herself with glum amusement. She was astounded her dad had not only managed to spout such lies with a straight face, but that he’d convinced Roth he was telling the truth when he should have known better.

“Is it true?”

“You don’t know me at all, do you?” she whispered.

His eyes flickered before his lashes swept down to hide his thoughts. “Maximus was very convincing.”

“He played on your insecurities.” Insecurities she didn’t even know he had. Her father had been too discerning for his own good. He’d butchered Roth’s pride before blackmailing him. She thought back to their hospital reunion in Colorado. Roth’s fury had caught her off-guard. She’d chalked it up to offended male ego but now knew it was so much more. Years of anger and resentment for things her dad had planted in Roth’s head about her. Had Maximus done it to ensure Roth would keep his distance in the future?

Roth stood with his hand at her throat, head bowed, lost in thought. Sensing the danger had passed, she called his name.

“Jamie?”

His eyelashes lifted, confirming the monster had retreated.

“You’re bleeding.”

He focused on the bloody hand collaring her throat. When it shifted, she breathed a sigh of relief, before he raised her chin to expose her throat. She wasn’t prepared for him to duck his head and brush kisses over her tender throat.

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