Page 183 of Maddening Fixation

“My father abandoned us. He disappeared without warning. He left my sick mother. He hurt me more deeply than he’ll probably ever know.”

I shook my head.

“But none of that means I’ll help someone kill him.”

Silence stretched between us.

Then...

The corner of Romeo’s mouth lifted ever so slightly.

Not a smile.

Something far more unsettling.

A calculating smirk.

As though I’d answered a question he’d already known the outcome of.

Slowly, he lifted one hand.

His fingers slid beneath my chin.

Firm and warm.

He tilted my face upward until I had no choice but to meet those piercing green eyes.

“I’ll drag your father out of whatever hole he’s hiding in. With or without you.”

His thumb rested against my jaw, almost gentle if it hadn’t felt like a threat.

“But you will live with the knowledge that I offered you redemption from his sins... and that I will never offer it again.”

His gaze held mine with pure, quiet contempt.

Romeo’s hand shot out and clamped around my arm.

His grip was iron, his fingers digging into my flesh as he pulled me toward him.

With one sharp tug, he spun me around so quickly the room blurred.

A gasp escaped me as my balance vanished.

An instant later, my back slammed into the solid wall of his chest.

Heat radiated through the thin fabric separating us.

His body surrounded mine—unyielding muscle, controlled strength, and barely restrained fury.

I couldn’t move. Couldn’t even think.

Then came the sound.

A violent rip.

My eyes flew wide as his hand tore down the front of my shirt. The fabric split apart beneath his grip, falling away in ruined strips.

Cool air rushed over my exposed skin, leaving me standing in nothing but my bra.