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But I wasn’t going to give up.
His eyes narrowed. “Baby, what?”
“Don’t fucking baby me.” I finally made my move and snatched the large decorative platter sitting on the coffee table. I gripped it with both hands and stepped back, ready to smash it against his skull once he came close enough.
His eyes widened noticeably, like he was genuinely surprised by what was happening.
“If you think I’m stupid enough to just walk in there, you’re an idiot. You wanna kill me? I’m not going down without a fight. So bring it, asshole.”
Instead of chasing me across the room, he folded his arms across his chest and just stared at me.
Adrenaline was pumping in my veins, and I was ready for any move he made. I had to fight to the death because I had nothing to lose. If I didn’t overpower him, I’d be dead anyway.
“I’m not going to kill you.”
“Bullshit. Why else would you bring me here?”
“To show you something.”
“A video camera and a knife?” I hissed. “Already seen them.”
He stepped toward me and raised his hand. “Put the plate down.”
“Fuck you.” I stepped back as he came closer.
“That was my mother’s.”
I almost slammed it onto the ground and shattered it just to be spiteful. He wanted to take away my entire family, so why should I give a damn about a plate?
“I didn’t bring you here to kill you. I promise.”
He said he kept his promises, but he would probably say anything to keep me calm right now. He slowly came toward me, one hand extended. “I have no intention of killing you, baby. But if you break that plate, I might. That’s the one thing I have of hers. Make a single scratch, and I’ll slit your throat.”
I slowly lowered the dish then looked down to stare at it. It was bright blue and decorated with deep sea fish. It was the one thing that didn’t match the rest of his place because the color was so vibrant compared to everything else.
When my gaze was lowered, he made his move. He crossed the room and took the plate out of my hand. He could have snapped my neck or punched me in the face, but he walked back to the table and returned the plate where it belonged. “Now, if you’re done with your little meltdown, can we move on?”
I stayed rooted to the spot, still afraid of the place he wanted to show me.
“Vanessa, if I were going to kill you, I would tell you. Believe me, I want to see you cry and scream. I get off on that shit. But that’s not on the itinerary today.” He came back to me, his large arms stiff by his sides as he approached me. He stopped in front of me then looked down, annoyance written all over his face.
“Promise me?” I whispered. Listening to him make a promise was the only way I could really trust him. He said he would always be honest with me, so listening to a promise shouldn’t make a difference. And if he was a liar, he wouldn’t have a problem making an endless line of promises because he would break every single one of them.
But it made me feel better.
His hands slid up to my face and cupped both of my cheeks. “I promise.”
He was the man I was afraid of, but once the danger passed, he somehow became my savior. I shouldn’t be grateful for his gentleness, not when he threatened me every day. I shouldn’t appreciate his good days when there were so many bad ones. He dropped my expectations so low that every good thing he did was received as a gift. It was a form of psychological warfare.
He kissed me softly on the mouth, his fingers reaching into my hair. He bent his neck down to kiss me and yanked me onto my tiptoes so our mouths could reach each other easier. He pulled me into him and let me balance against his chest, his warm touch surrounding me.
I felt better once I had that kiss, but I shouldn’t love his affection so much.
He took his kiss away then walked toward the hallway.
This time, I followed him.
We walked across the hardwood floor and then turned to the door on the left. He grabbed the doorknob but didn’t turn it right away. Instead, he looked at me. “I had someone help me with this. If it’s not what you want, let me know. I can change it.”
My eyes narrowed, having no idea what he was about to show me. Was it my own bedroom? Why would I care about having my own space, especially when my apartment was just fifteen minutes away?
He opened the door and stepped inside first. He moved to the left, so I could walk in past him.
