Page 33 of His Reward
“How could you do that to me, Malcolm?”she demands.
My days on the hero pedestal are over, and I lost the privilege of the affectionateMaltoo.Even though, now more than ever, I deserve the nickname since I’mbad.
It reminds me of how my mom would refer to me by my full name when I pissed her off as a kid.Malcolm Frederick Bowen.Just as it did back then, shame tightens in my chest.
I stand.My erection pressed against my boxers worsens this tense situation.I consider covering it but there’s no point trying to preserve my decency after my indecent act.
June darts her gaze lower, her lips parting as a scandalized look replaces her distrust.She tightens her grip on the sheet.
Resistanceshould be the goal now that I’ve been caught.Don’t give out any vital information.Thenescape.But I can’t just turn around and leave, and I have to do damage control.I have to tell her the truth.
“Because I want you.I’ve wanted you since the day you showed up at your parents’ house.”
Her eyes widen, her mouth still open.Then she closes it and scowls.
“That didn’t give you the right to take what you want without my consent!”she spits.“What you did was wrong.What youwantis very wrong!”
“I told myself the same things.I just…” I scrub my hand through my hair.“…I couldn’t help myself.I’m sorry.”
Truthfully, I’m not sorry about what I did.Why would I be when I got to enjoy her?I only feel bad that she thinks less of me now.
“You couldn’t help yourself?That’s your excuse?”She scoffs.“I trusted you to keep me safe from someone who wanted to take advantage of me, and you turned around and did it yourself!”
And it wasn’t the first time either.
If I admit that, she’ll be on the phone with the police within seconds, and I wouldn’t blame her.Hell, it’s possible she’ll do it once this conversation is over.
Heavy, suffocating silence fills the room as I struggle to think of what to say to fix this mess I made.A faintclickoutside June’s room grabs my attention.It sounded like a door being unlocked.
On high alert, I turn away from June and stride to her bedroom door as quietly as possible.
“What—” June starts to say.I cut her off by raising my hand while I strain to listen.
Another gentle click, like a door being carefully shut.
Light, measured footsteps moving closer.
Someone’s in the apartment.
I press my finger to my lips, then hide behind the door.June’s confused expression tightens with fear.I hold perfectly still, cold fury in my gut as I wait for the fucker to make his appearance.
He eases the door open and steps inside.The hood of his dark blue sweatshirt and his black balaclava hides his face.
The calm silence is abruptly ruined by sound and movement.June cries out and scrambles off the bed.I come up behind the asshole and hook my arm around his neck in a chokehold.
Predictably, he tries to yank on my arm but I’m a snare trap.The more he struggles to get free, the more I tighten my hold, pressing against the sides of his neck.Less than ten seconds.That’s all it’ll take to put him to sleep.
“Get off me!”he chokes out as he thrashes against me, his voice muffled by his mask.
Extreme desperation must have kicked in.He summons enough strength to shove me backward.A hard edge jabs me in the back, and I’m vaguely aware it’s June’s dresser as the sudden pain makes me loosen my hold.
The bastard squirms free and flees the room.I chase after him while June has her phone pressed to her ear, frantically alerting the person on the other end that an intruder is in her apartment.
Don’t let him get away!
But he’s fast.He’s already halfway down the hall when I burst out of the apartment, his feet a dark blur in his black pants and boots as he books it toward the rear exit.
My anger climbs at the distance between us, and that I’m likely not going to catch him.When I exit the building, it’s just in time to see him take a flying leap over the retaining wall.He rapidly disappears down the quiet street.
