Page 62 of Butterfly

Mason’s blue eyes turned to ice. “He confronted you? That asshole was supposed to leave you alone.”

“No, I bumped into him in the hallway, and he told me what happened. Mason, it’s one thing to be protective of me, it’s another to use violence against someone who never hurt me. And it’s a wholeotherthing to watch me without my permission. What I do in my room is private. It’smine.” I took a deep breath. “And that’s not even the worst part?—”

“And you’re mine,” he said, backing me against the bed. “I know you don’t understand my tactics, but you belong to me. It’s my job to keep you safe. If that means watching you, wherever you are, without your knowledge or consent, I’ll do it. If it means hurting anyone who even thinks about touching you without your permission, I’ll do it. If it means stepping in front of a bullet and dying to keep you safe, I’ll do it. I fell down on the job before, because I wouldn’t admit to myself that you belonged to me. I won’t do it again.”

His lips were an inch from mine. Less. He overwhelmed me with his heat, and the temptation to fall into his arms and let him do what he wanted. But I was stronger than that. I wasn’t going to let him steamroll me. Not into a relationship, not into letting him do whatever he wanted, not into disappointing our parents.

“You lied,” I reminded him.

“I didn’t lie.”

“Mason, we were in your bed, and I told you I never wanted you to harm anyone for me. And instead of telling me, ‘oops,I already did, it won’t happen again,’ you changed the subject! You’ve been invading my privacy for weeks, you drugged me to get me in bed. Those are all forms of lies. How the hell am I supposed to trust you?”

He spoke against my lips. “Trust that I’ll keep you safe. Trust that I’ll keep you close. Trust that I’ll never let you go.”

I shook my head, tears slipping from my eyes.

“I want you to leave.”

“No.”

I stood taller. He was so much bigger than me, but I wouldn’t let him use his size to intimidate me.

“I don’t think you understand,” I said. “I am making a choice. I am using my agency. I am telling you: You aren’t allowed to be here. I don’t give you permission to be here. I don’t give you permission to be with me. This, between us, whatever it was? It’s done.”

He reached forward, bracketing my throat with his big hand, squeezing lightly. Not hurting me, but the threat was there. “I don’t thinkyouunderstand,” he said, his voice a menacing seduction of silk and velvet. “I’m not going anywhere. If I wanted to, I could have you on your back in your bed in moments, and be inside you moments later.”

My heart raced with fear—and if I were honest, desire.

I stared at him levelly. “You could. You could make me do all sorts of things I don’t want to do. But I would hate you for it.”

“No, you wouldn’t,” he argued. “You want me, butterfly. You don’t want me to leave, not really. You think you’re not supposed to want me, not allowed to accept my version of care, so you’re looking for any excuse to push me away. This is an excuse.”

I pushed against his chest. “It’s not, though. Mason, you’re scary. You scare me. I know who I am, and it’s not someone who fucks her stepbrother. It’s not someone who condones violence,and it’s certainly not a doormat who lets her boyfriend walk all over her and lie to her.”

He stared at me, a look in his eyes I couldn’t read.

“And you really feel this way.” He didn’t bother to make it a question.

I swallowed. “Yes.”

“And you’d really hate me if I didn’t give you a choice.”

“Yes.”

The word was like a dagger in my throat. Because he was right. I wanted him. But I wanted to be someone I could look at in the mirror and like who I saw more.

He dropped his hands and stepped back.

“Then I guess this is goodbye.”

“I guess it is.”

He shook his head. “I expected more from you, butterfly. I don’t want you to be a doormat, I want you strong. If you want to fight me, fight me. But you want to fly away…”

He muttered something under his breath as he walked the few steps to the door, and reached on top of it, plucking the last camera off the wall.

“Goodbye, Daddy,” I whispered, swallowing back my tears.

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