Page 117 of In Your Wildest Dreams
I feel like my legs have been taken out from underneath me while skating hard down the ice.
“How many times?”
“What?”
My brows lift and I hold her gaze. “How many times has he put his hands on you in anger?”
She looks away first. “Twice. The first time he swore it would never happen again. When it did, I broke up with him.”
A memory of the first night I saw her outside the bar makes my stomach twist. He grabbed her arm and she winced. It was right there in front of my face.
“I wanna fucking burn him alive.” I wrap my arms around her and pull her tight against my body, wishing I could turn back time and keep her safe. I can’t change the past, but I can protect her now.
“If anyone gets to do the honors, it should be me.”
“I’ll hand you the matches.”
She sighs into my chest. “We have to be more careful. We’ve been spending so much time together that we’ve gotten sloppy in trying to hide it.”
“Fuck that. I’m not hiding you anymore.”
“Ash,” she says quietly. “This was only ever supposed to be casual for this very reason.”
“Is that what you want?”
“It’s what’s best for both of us. I won’t let him destroy your career because of me.”
“I can handle myself.” I lift her chin up. “Do you want this to be over?”
She shakes her head.
Relief washes over me. “Good. I was going to have a real hard time letting you go.”
A hint of a smile graces her lips.
“I’m so sorry.”
She nods in acknowledgment and then presses her lips to mine. “Make me forget.”
I stand with her in my arms and carry her into my bedroom. I place her on top of the comforter, then remove my T-shirt. She looks up at me, eyes still a little glossy but sparking with heat.
I undo her pants and she helps me get them off, then she sits up and removes her sweater. My gaze drifts to the bruising again. I lie down beside her and kiss the spots he touched.
I’m slow and unhurried despite the way everything inside me feels amplified and urgent.
“Don’t you dare treat me differently,” she says, her voice finding some resolve again. “I won’t break.”
“Never, babe. You’re the toughest girl I know.”
33
THINKING OF NABBING ONE?
BRIDGET
It’s stilldark outside when I wake up. Ash sits on the edge of the bed, leaning over to tie his shoes.
I roll over on my side. “What time is it?”
