Page 17 of Yours To Keep
Suddenly, I’m struck with the sensation that someone is watching me. The hair on the back of my neck prickles, and I look around uncomfortably. I don’t recognize anyone here, just an endless stream of tourists and hipsters picking up coffee and pastries, chattering about the next sight to see. But I can’t shake the feeling. There’s someone watching me, I know it.
Standing, I type out a message telling Rose something came up and we can get together another day, but before I can hit send, a clammy hand wraps around my wrist. I gasp, dropping my phone onto the table as Aaron Montgomery’s eyes meet mine. What the hell is he doing here?
“Hands off, Montgomery,” I say. I try to wrench my wrist from his grasp, but he squeezes harder. I wince slightly, wondering who the fuck this man thinks he is.
“Have a seat, moo. We have some things to discuss,” he says, his voice cold, almost unrecognizable.
“I have nothing to say to you. What are you even doing here?” I ask, wondering if this is coincidence or something a lot creepier.
“Just looking out for my investments,” he says, a sick sneer spreading across his face.
“What the hell are you talking about? Actually, I don’t care. I’m waiting for Rose, Aaron. Just leave,” I tell him, desperate to put some distance between him and I.
“Here’s the thing, Magnolia. You and I are going to be together. I know it, you know it, our parents know it. So why are you wasting time with that degenerate, letting him put his filthy fucking hands on what belongs to me?” My skin crawls as he speaks about me like I’m something to be owned. I don’t belong to him, or anyone else, for that matter.
“I don’t know who the fuck you think you are, Aaron. But I belong to me. No one else. Who I spend my time with, and where I let him put his hands, doesn’t concern you at all. It’s really none of your fucking business,” I tell him, pulling my phone off the table with my free hand and sliding it into my lap, out of sight. Without alerting him, I scroll through my contacts, finding Iris’s name and pressing the call button. I see the timer start counting, letting me know the call is connected. “You need to leave, Aaron.”
“Oh, that’s where you’re wrong, you little bitch. You’ve always been mine, whether I wanted you or not. I’ve just decided that if you’re gonna slum it with the fucking trash, I have to put a stop to that before he defiles you. I’d prefer not to have anyone’s sloppy seconds.” My stomach roils at the way he’s talking about me like a piece of meat.
I wouldn’t fuck him with somebody else’s pussy, let alone my own. I’m not sure where he’s getting this idea that he has some kind of claim over me, but I’m over it. He squeezes my wristtighter, and I gasp, drawing the attention of a few people around us. He quickly drops my hand, smiling sweetly.
“You need to go. Myboyfriendand I are very happy, Aaron. I’m not sure why you have this insane idea that you and I are anything at all, but we aren’t.” The call with Iris is still connected, and hopefully he’s hearing the bullshit pouring from Aaron’s mouth.
“Oh, but we are. Your mother already signed the contracts, Magnolia. It’s only a matter of time now. And when you’re my wife, that pussy better be untouched by any other man. You won’t like the consequences of resisting me, Magnolia. I’ve broken women much stronger than you. You belong to me now. Every single part of you,” he says, and bile rises in my throat. Contracts? What the hell is he talking about? “Get rid of the boyfriend. It’s not a request. I’d hate for something to happen to him, Mags.”
“You touch him, and I’ll fucking kill you.” The sudden murderous rage I feel when Aaron threatens harm against Iris shocks me. I’ve never thought of myself as a violent person, but the thought of someone hurting him makes me enraged.
He stands, shooting me a cocky smirk, and walking out the door without another word. What the actual fuck just happened? Scrambling for my phone, I hold it up to my ear, hoping someone else heard that shit.
“Hello? Tell me you heard that,” I say, seeing the call is still connected.
“Meet me at Breaker’s. I’ll send you the address.” Iris hangs up with no discussion.
I’m so confused by every man in my life right now. I don’t know what the hell to do. Before I can talk myself out of it, I tell my sister something came up and I’ll meet her another day. Jumping in my car, I plug the address into my GPS and pull out of the parking lot.
As I pull up to the wrought-iron gate in front of Breaker and Rory’s house, it swings open before I can even hit the buzzer. Obviously, somebody’s been waiting for me. Iris stands outside the front door, talking intensely on the phone when I pull up next to him.
As I’m climbing out of my car, he quickly hangs up and moves to my side. Before I can think better of it, I throw my arms around his neck. He has quickly become a safe place for me, and right now I don’t care about anything else. He holds me just as tightly, one arm wrapped around my waist, and the other hand gently threading through my hair. I breathe in his scent, all cedar and leather and so completely Iris. He places a sweet kiss on the side of my head, neither of us willing to pull away from the other.
“Are you okay, angel? He didn’t hurt you, did he?” he says, his eyes finally scanning over my body.
I rub my wrist instinctively, slight bruising already present there. Iris picks up my hand, turning it over and inspecting it intently. Rage builds in his eyes as they finally find mine again.
“I’ll fucking kill him,” he says, and I shiver. If I had any confusion about Iris’s feelings for me, they’re clear now.
Cupping his cheek with my hand, I guide his eyes back to mine. Not thinking or over analyzing for once in my life, I lean into him, ghosting my lips across his. I’ve never been forward enough to be the one to make the first move. But with Iris, I don’t care about formalities or anyone else’s opinion. All I want is to feel his lips against mine.
Even though he’s surprised, he reacts instantly. Pulling my body flush against his, both of his hands slide into my hair,directing my head exactly where he wants it. He kisses me without reservation, without concern for anything else at this moment. His lips are firm, commanding, but still so inviting. Like he was made just to kiss me for all the days of our lives. This is the type of kiss that probably shouldn’t be happening. It could be a mistake, both of us knowing we’re standing on the edge of a cliff, daring the other to jump first. But I just can’t find it in myself to pull away. His tongue demands entrance, tracing every inch of my mouth until I’m saturated in his taste, in his all-consuming presence. This kiss seems to go on forever, neither of us interested in breaking the connection. I know I could fall so easily for this man, for his kind heart and ruthless protection. I could fall for the way he refuses to let me talk down to myself, always telling me how beautiful he knows I am. The person I am when I’m with him is the person I want to be.
The sound of someone clearing their throat behind us surprises me, and I jump back. Damn, I could get lost in his kiss forever and beg not to be found. My tongue darts out, tasting him on my lips, and he growls. Literally fucking growls.
“This is not over, angel. But I have something to show you,” he says, placing one last quick kiss against my lips.
“Hey, Mags,” Breaker says, leaning against the front door with his arms crosses and a smirk splitting his lips.
I give him a tiny wave, grabbing Iris’s hand as he leads me up the stairs and into the house. I barely have a free moment to take in my surrounding, gaping at the beautiful interior of Breaker and Rory’s house for only a second before I’m being led down into the basement. Suddenly, I’m transported to another world. Monitors of every size line the wall in front of me, each one scrolling through various news outlets around the world. I feel like I’ve fallen into the bat cave with no warning about what I could see.
I’m drawn to a video playing on one of the monitors. In it, a girl who can’t be much older than sixteen is tied to a chair in a room with several men surrounding her. Her eyes are red and puffy from crying, and she has a gag tied around her head. I know the work these two do exposes them to some of the ugliest part of the world, but it’s different to see it for yourself. My heart aches for her, my eyes welling up with tears for everything the unknown woman had to endure. I feel Iris’s presence at my back, but he says nothing.
