‘And that’s your main concern, is it?’
‘Don’t be stupid, I love you,’ he protested, and then for good measure, he added, ‘and you love me.’
‘I do?’
‘Well … don’t you?’
Marla bit her lip and frowned. She didn’t want to hurt him any more than was necessary, but this wasn’t the moment to pull any punches.
‘I’m sorry, but I don’t think I do,’ she whispered.
Disbelief hit his face first, followed hot on the heels by self-righteous anger.
‘So you’ve been stringing me along then?’ He was like a petulant child.
‘No! I was fine with dating, but then you got all heavy out of nowhere and proposed.’ Marla knew her voice was rising but she couldn’t control it. ‘And for the record, I didnotsay yes!’
He glared at her, shaking his head slowly, and Marla wondered how she’d never noticed the coldness in his eyes before.
‘There’s a name for women like you,’ he said with a nasty laugh. He took a few steps closer.
‘What are you talking about?’ Marla whispered in shock, taking a few small steps away from him.
‘Women who lead men on.’
He moved closer still.
‘I didn’t lead you on, Rupert, I never …’
She backed up again, now halfway up the aisle.
‘Prick tease.’
He made a lunge for her and she stumbled on her high heels.
‘Get your hands off me!’ she yelled, as his fingers gouged into her upper arms.
He made a noise in his throat that sounded horribly like a snarl as he yanked her hard against him. Panic kicked in hard when she felt his excitement bulge against her thigh, and she sent a chair flying as she tried to scrabble out of his grasp. The thud of footsteps echoed through the chapel as Jonny flew down the stairs and dragged Rupert off her.
He floored him with a hard left hook.
‘You’ve broken my nose!’ Rupert wailed as he struggled to stand up, blood all over the turned-up collar of his pristine shirt.
‘And I’ll break your fucking neck if you come within fifty foot of Marla again!’ Jonny roared, dragging Rupert along the aisle by the scruff of the neck.
He karate-kicked the front doors open and flung him unceremoniously out onto the path.
‘I’ll sue you for assault,’ Rupert squawked from his lowly position on his backside.
Jonny loomed over him menacingly. ‘Do youwantme to kill you?’
‘And you can add threatening behaviour to the list!’ Rupert tried to get up but Jonny pushed him back down again with a size ten crocodile-skin cowboy boot to the chest.
‘Just try it, twatbag, and the police will be knocking on your door for sexual assault,’ Jonny glowered, aiming a sharp kick at Rupert’s ribs.
He turned his back on Rupert to take care of a visibly shaken Marla. ‘You okay, sweets?’ He shepherded her back inside the doors and put his hands on her shoulders as he scrutinised her with concerned eyes.
‘God, I’m so glad you were here, Jonny,’ she said, her voice shaky with relief. ‘You are officially the most macho gay man in the world.’