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“Is that what you think, little girl?” Ian asked. My shoulders stiffened at the tone in his voice. Gruff. Dark. Angry. The voice he used when I pushed his limits nearly too far, and while I loved to do so, to see how much he’d punish me, I knew I shouldn’t be thinking about that.
Looking up, my breath froze in my chest. The familiar spark grew within my veins, a flash of desire pulsing in my core. Fire crackled in his gaze, warning me, and for a brief moment, as I opened my mouth to respond, I thought about taking back what I’d said. I’d missed them, and after everything, it was good just to be in the same room as them.
My body ached as I remembered Jensen’s arms around me earlier, holding me close to his chest. I hadn’t felt the warmth of anyone since them, and I wanted—craved—more. I’d started my new life, but I hadn’t dated, hadn’t slept with anyone—not even one night stands. I missed feeling as if someone else could hold me together despite knowing it was all in tatters. They made that possible … did I really want to give that up again?
But I knew I couldn’t stay.
Shaking my head, I waved off my thoughts and desires even as I sucked in a breath and met Ian’s eyes. “Yes,” I lied. “I don’t need you. What I need is to go home. Take me home, Ian. I’m not your doll anymore.”
“You’re not my doll anymore?” The repetition of my own words as they escaped his mouth made me sidle against the counter, moving to the side—inching away from him. I wasn’t afraid, I had never been afraid of them, but the further our back and forth went, the harder it’d be to leave. He slammed a fist down on the counter, stopping my retreat. “You were never my doll, America.”Oh shit. My eyes widened as my full name left his lips. He only ever called me that when he was really mad. And even though it’d been half a decade since I’d last seen him, since I’d last felt the way he held his volatile emotions in check, I still remembered the consequences. “You were my girlfriend,” he hissed. “Ourgirlfriend. But more than that…” His voice trailed off as his other hand reached up and sank into the strands of hair at the back of my skull. He gripped my hair and pulled it tight until my neck craned to look up into his sapphire eyes. The planes of his face looked as if they had been sculpted from stone, hard and chiseled, his expression giving nothing away as he leaned closer until I could feel his minty breath wash over my skin. “You weremine,and you took what was mine away. Did you really think I wouldn’t come for you?”
My breath came in rapid pants, sawing through my throat as my chest pumped up and down. I darted a glance over Ian’s shoulder, finding Jensen and Archer’s equally disapproving expressions. “I wasn’t just yours,” I stated. It seemed to be the only logical thing to say. A correction that needed to be made clear.
“No, you’re right,” Ian agreed. “But I was the one that punished you for your bad behavior. You were good for Archer and Jensen, weren’t you, baby? But oh so bratty to me.” Goosebumps pebbled my skin, and I let my eyes slide shut with a swallow. This was it. The push and pull that always occurred between us, this secret yet addicting game we played. It was pure magnetism, drawing me to him like a moth to a flame. “Open your fucking eyes, America,” Ian ordered, and I did, unable to stop myself.
“Ian—” I began, trying to speak around a suddenly dry throat.
He interrupted me with a shake of his head. “No, I don’t want to hear another word out of your mouth until you apologize.”
I arched my brow.So this is where we’re going on our first go around?“Apologize?”
“Yes, right now. I want you to apologize to me—first for your behavior and then your lies. We both know you didn’t have shit handled tonight. Don’t try to play it that way. You needed us, and we were there. We will always be there.”
Humiliation made me blanch. I may have loved the dynamic we had, but they didn’t know what I’d become over the years when I’d fucking handled shit without them. I hadn’t needed them when the US Marshals had taken me to safe house after safe house. Didn’t need them when I’d been briefed on my new life and I hadn’t needed them when I moved to this piece of shit city and started over. I may have wanted them even though I knew I shouldn’t, but I didn’t fuckingneedthem then, and I didn’tneedthem now. “I had it—”
“And then,” he continued, speaking over me, “I want you to apologize to Archer and Jensen. Again for lying, and then you’re going to apologize to all of us for leaving, for stealing away the only thing we’ve ever given a shit about. We missed you, baby, and it’s taken us a very long time to track you down. We don’t like having our possessions stolen from us.”
“Possessions?” I gaped at him now. He couldn’t be serious, yet his stare was unwavering. Waiting for a moment to see if his statement would change, and when it didn’t, I shook my head. “No,” I said, “I’m not going to apologize.” I was more likely to punch him in the face.
He sighed, the sound heavy as it lifted his massive, broad chest, and when he spoke again, he truly sounded disappointed, the emotion making his voice sound as if he were about to bear the consequences of my words with me. “I’m sorry to hear that,” he said. “I guess that means we’ll have to take care of this the hard way.” Memories flickered in my mind, warmth mixing with the anger in my body as the previous times he’d handled things the hard way raced through my thoughts, but I didn’t let myself believe that was what he was about to do.
“The hard way?” I repeated as he stepped even closer and bent down. In the blink of an eye, he’d wrapped an arm around my legs and thrown me over his shoulder. “Ian! What are you doing?” I squirmed and wiggled, pounding my fists against his back.He cannot be about to fucking punish me right now, I thought in disbelief. “Put me down!”
“Can’t do that, little girl.” He strode from the room. “We’re doing this the hard way.”
Goddammit.
