Page 74 of Deadlier Obsessions

Placing my thumb and forefinger on her chin, I lift her head, forcing eye contact. “What are you hiding?”

She closes her eyes tight as she expels a loud sigh. “I got some text messages.”

My initial thought is another man, but she knows better than that. She wouldn’t. I’m almost sure of it.Almost.

I slide my hand from her chin to the back of her neck and hold her firm. “Have I ever hidden from you the kind of man I am?”

“No,” she whispers as a tear trails down her cheek.

“If I look at your phone, am I going to find text messages from another man, Stella?”

She sits frozen, as if she doesn’t know where this will lead, which surprises me.

“No,” she again whispers.

“Good, because I’ll kill him. The more you beg for his safety, the worse the torture. You’re ours. If any man even thinks about putting his hands on you, he’s dead.”

Her lashes flutter as she raises her gaze to mine. “I know. There isn’t another man. It’s a woman. Abigail.”

“What about her?”

She twists her hands on her lap as I continue to grill her. “She saw the live, and wanted to make sure we were okay. I was talking to Lucy, because I didn’t know how to respond to her. Or if I should.”

Moving my hands to her face, I cup her cheeks on either side. “When will you get it, Stella? When will you learn that you aren’t alone? It’s not you and Lucy against the goddamn world. It’s all five of us, yet you told Lucy but none of us?”

More tears fall, and it’s beginning to cause a sharp pain in my chest. I like her tears, but I don’t enjoy the sadness coming from my girl.

“Why, baby?”

I drop my hands from her face, and she shakes her head. “I was scared.”

“Of?”

She wipes her cheek and admits,“You.”

My mind is fucking blown. How could she be afraid of me? Yeah, I know I’m not a good guy. I’m well aware, but it’s been along time since I did anything to her that she didn’t want me to do.

STELLA

Gage withdraws as he shakes his head. “I would never hurt you,” he whispers, to himself, I think.

“Gage, I know you wouldn’t hurt me. I’m not afraid of you for me. I was afraid for her.”

He cocks an eyebrow. “Her?”

I’m not explaining this well, because now I know he thinks I’m talking about Lucy, and he would never hurt her either.

“Abigail. I was afraid you might kill her, since she might piece things together if I respond to her.”

His mouth opens in an ‘O’ and his breathing gets heavier. “Jesus, Stella. I’m not going to hurt a victim of domestic violence. The only way I would, is if she hurt either of you. I’m not that evil. Had you come to me like you should have, we would've talked about the best way to handle it. I won’t harm her.”

He takes my hand in his large one. “Baby, I need you to trust me. You don’t have to carry everything on your own. We are a family and should be making decisions as one solid unit. All you need to tell her is that Andy will not be bothering her again, and she doesn’t need to run as if he will. No details. Nothing more than that.”

Sliding his hand around to the back of my neck, underneath my hair, he stares at me with a heated dark gaze. “No more you, baby. It’s us. Do you understand?”

“Yes.”

Gage does something to me when he looks like this. My heart pounds. Thighs clench.

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