Page 90 of This Woman


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But all of the chaos disappears when I spot her.

I’m forced to take a nearby ledge to steady myself, heart palpitations rendering me unable to squeeze any air out.

Look at her.

Just... look at her.

How the fuck did I walk away?Whythe fuck did I walk away?

Because if I hadn’t, I wouldn’t currently be torn up inside with guilt and shame. Or, at least, more.

“You okay, man?” Sam asks, but my eyes don’t stray from Ava, and he follows my line of sight. “Okay,” he breathes. “Remember what I said?”

I remember fuck all.

She’s placing some drinks on a ledge, smiling at someone on the dance floor. Why is she on her own? Where are her friends? She turns and heads toward the bar, and I definitely detect a drunken sway. She’s had too much to drink, and she’s alone. A sitting duck. What the fuck is she playing at?

“Drink?” Drew asks, his voice distant.

“Get him a water,” Sam answers, seeing I’m in no position to form words. “Come on.” He tugs me toward a table near the front, and I let him lead me, my stare trained on Ava. She makes it to the bar where I see Kate talking to a guy. They say hello. Kate moves back, her attention on the guy, leaving Ava alone.Alone. Vulnerable.I don’t have a second to wonder what Sam might be making of this.

“You okay?” he asks, putting himself in front of me, trying to hamper my view.

I crane my neck to look past him. “Yeah.” My eyes widen when a man moves in on Ava, taking her in a hug.The fuck?It’s too much of a friendly hug for him to be a stranger. So who the fuck is he?

My feet are moving before I can convince them otherwise. “Whoa.” Sam laughs, somehow managing to hold me back. “You said you’d be cool.”

The guy kisses her cheek, and I growl, fighting against Sam to get free. “I’m cool,” I bark, struggling in his hold. “Let me the fuck go.”

“No way,” Sam argues, knuckling down, tightening his grip. “She’s just talking to him.”

Just talking? I’m watching, and I can see the way he’s looking at her. Fuck me, the rage. “I’m fine,” I say as Drew arrives and holds out a bottle of water. “So fine.” Sam’s right. I can’t steam on in there and cause a scene. That would go down about as well as a bottle of vodka right now. I’d kill all hopes of making amends.Be cool. Be cool. Be cool.The guy reaches for her arm and strokes it.Be cool.

“Oh boy,” Drew murmurs, and I’m gone, charging through the crowds like a rhino, my rage irrepressible.Get him. Kill him. Claim Ava.My hand is out in front of me of its own volition, and his neck is soon in my palm. I slam him into the nearest wall and get up in his face, snarling like a rabid dog.

I have no words. Can’t talk through the unbridled violence consuming me. All I’m capable of is constricting my hand. He touched her. He can’t touch her. No one can touch her. Only I can touch her.No one will take this piece of heaven from me.I search for some self-control. None. “Keep your fucking hands to yourself,” I hiss.

I can hear Ava’s voice, yet it’s a muffled white noise. Fuzzy. Unclear. But then I feel her on my skin, her small, smooth palm stroking my bicep. Touch. I blink my vision clear, realigning my attention on the fucker currently held in my grip.

“Who the fuck are you?” I demand, not easing up, not appreciating that he probably can’t talk with me squeezing his throat. “Who?” I yell.

“Matt,” he squeaks. “Ava’s ex.”

My snarl is lethal. Judging by the way he was looking at her, he doesn’t want to be an ex. I hear more voices. More white noise. I can’t make sense of any of it. It’s just me and this dizzying rage.

“Jesse, my man, come on.” A hand takes my wrist, trying to ease me away. “Let go of him, for fuck’s sake.”

“Jesse,” Drew says, joining the party to calm me down.

I shake my head, frowning to myself, flexing my fingers and pulling away. The guy is gone like a shot, stumbling his way through the bar.

“Jesus,” Sam breathes. “I knew this was a bad idea.”

Drew scoffs, placing a bottle of water in my hand, giving me disappointed eyes. “What the fuck?”

“He was all over her,” I growl, turning to findher. “Where is she?” I scan the crowds, searching for Ava, my anger disappearing, being replaced with a panic of equal strength.Fuck, what have I done?

“Let’s take a timeout, shall we?” Sam sighs, taking one arm, Drew the other. They both lead me to the end of the bar, flanking me, and take up position, barricading me in.

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