Page 87 of Serena
“You’ve been lying to me?”
“No, Serena, I’ve been protecting you.”
“From whom?” she shouts. “From whom, Ian?”
“From anyone and everyone. You’ve been my everything since the moment I saw you.”
“You did a background check on me?
“Yes, a VERY thorough one. Miles did it, and he’s the best at what he does.” I see her connecting the dots.
“That means you know.” She’s holding on to the pendant that surrounds her neck. It’s become her favorite and, at this moment, her anchor. “Yes, Amanda Serena Nunez.”
“Amanda Serena Nunez.” He said my name. My real name. I haven’t used that name in almost five years. Not since I decided to leave the past where it belonged. Not since I decided to leave Caligo Valley.
“When I graduated from college, I didn’t want to be Amanda Serena Nunez anymore. I hate that name. It represents what was done to me. I went to Mr. Lobo and asked for help. He didn’t hesitate. He said he knew someone who could help. In a few days, I was a whole new person. No one cared to look deep enough, and if they did, there were trails where they needed to be. I only kept my middle name because it was my grandmother's. People assumed I died, and that’s what I wanted. That’s another reason why I didn’t go back. It was better when people thought I no longer existed. Only a few know my real name.”
“I don’t give a shit who you were.”
I’m facing the man I’ve trusted with my secrets. The man whom I opened up to. The man who already knew everything. I feel rage. “You’ve known all along. God, I feel so stupid. I opened up to you, and you already knew!”
“Yes, I knew, but it changed nothing.”
“That’s all I get? A fucking yes! It changes everything! This is a lie. It was built on a lie.” I don’t realize I do it until I feel the sting in my hand. I slap him over and over. “You fucking manipulated me,” I scream at him. “I thought you were different. I should have known better. This is a fucking game to you.” I move to slap him again, but he grabs my wrist. I raise my other hand, but he grabs it too. He places my hands behind my back. He grabs my thigh and pulls me onto his lap. I’m straddling him with my hands secured behind me.
“Are you done?”
“Never. Let me go, Ian.”
“Never,” he says back.
“I hate you so much.”
“No, baby, you don’t. You hate that I kept this from you. You hate that I lied. But you don’t hateme.” His other hand pulls my hair back. He kisses my neck and moves to my scar.
“The moment I left the wedding, I knew I could never be with anyone but you. I had Miles do a background check. I told you, he’s the best. He found everything.” He kisses my scar. “I was at the office when he sent me your file. I opened it. I read everything about your life. I read what was done to you. I went crazy; I even destroyed my office.” I see a small blade in his hand. He brings it to the collar of my shirt and tugs on it. The fabric parts in two. He kisses along my collarbone. “I disappeared for a week. I can’t remember the number of bodies. There was an insatiable rage inside me. The need to hurt others, hurt those who hurt you.” He looks at my breasts and kisses the mounds. So soft. I feel his hand glide up my thigh. “I went toCaligo Valley.” He kisses my other breast. “Do you want to know how I killed him?”
“Yes,” I try to say without moaning. I feel his smile against the skin on my chest.
“I tied him up. I cut off his fingers, one at a time. Then I cut his tongue out. I forced him to swallow it.”
“More.”
I don’t know if I mean more of his touch or more about Lars’s torture, but he continues. “I used my knife to cut into him. I watched him bleed out.” I don’t realize my hips are moving. He tugs at my nipples with his teeth. “Then I set him on fire. Along with the entire bar.” His words, his actions. What he did for me. What he does for me even now. The hand that isn’t securing my wrists moves between us. I hear a deep growl. I’m in such a daze that I don’t notice when he pulls his cock out from his sweatpants. Holding my waist, he motions for me to move up and lines his cock up to my entrance, slamming me down onto him. Yes. I need this. I need him. “Look at me,” he orders. I look into his eyes. “I don’t regret what I did.” He thrusts into me. “This is real. You and me—always.” More thrusts. “I would do it again and again because I know it would lead to this. To us.”
“I still hate you.”
“Keep telling yourself that, baby.” His thrusts are slow. Savoring the moment. He lets go of my wrists. I remove the torn shirt and instinctively wrap my arms around his neck. He grabs my thighs and walks us to the glass window. He pins me against it. My ass is on display.
“Baby, look at me.” I do. “Please don’t run.” A tear escapes my eyes. He doesn’t stop fucking me. I feel myself falling. “I love you,” I hear him say. Then we shatter into a million pieces together.
He takes us to the bedroom and lies us in bed. Still inside me. “Move in with me. If you don't, I'll lock this building down with you in it. I mean it, Serena.”
“Is it a request or an order?”
“Aren’t they the same things?”
“They aren’t, but yes, I’ll move in with you. I’m still very mad at you.”
