Page 1 of Inked Desires
PROLOGUE
ANDREW
A glass shattered against the wall, scattering glittering shards across the marble floor.
I didn’t move.
My body stayed frozen, strung tight like a wire about to snap. The air was thick with rage, heavy with dangerous electricity—this violence, I knew it too well.
Jace was staring at me, shirtless, a bottle of whiskey in one hand, the other clenched into a fist, his muscles tight with fury. His hair hung in messy strands across his forehead, his eyes burning with a manic glint.
"Tell me it’s not true, Andrew."
His voice was low, dangerously calm. Worse than a scream.
I swallowed, my fingers tightening around the fabric of my jeans.
"Jace, I—"
"Say it."
I held my breath, knowing anything I said would only feed the fire.
"I didn’t cheat on you."
It was the truth. Of course it was the truth. But my words had never meant anything to him.
Jace let out a laugh—cold, joyless, stripped of anything human. He raised the bottle and took a long swig.
"Don’t lie."
He hurled it at my feet. The glass exploded in a thousand fragments.
I flinched.
And then he struck.
The blow landed on my cheek, sudden and brutal. My head snapped to the side, pain flaring through my jaw. A metallic taste flooded my mouth.
"You think I’m blind?" he hissed. "You think I don’t see you throwing yourself at every asshole who looks your way?"
"He was a waiter," I managed, barely.
"A waiter?"
He laughed again, and the sick gleam in his eyes made my blood freeze.
"Then why the fuck is he touching what’s mine?"
I said nothing.
His fist crashed into my stomach.
A strangled gasp escaped my lips as I doubled over, pain tearing through me. My knees hit the thick carpet.
His fingers grabbed a fistful of my hair and forced my head up.
"You never learn, do you?"
