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He sat back on his feet, stunned by her reaction. “No…I didn’t mean it like…”
Distress contorted her lips as she tried to stop the tremble surfacing in her jaw and bury the shocked pain that had surfaced.He knows. No, I wanted him to hear this from me, my version of my life.No way to spin this; her rehearsed speech obliterated before it began: fight or flight hijacked her reactions.
She lunged at him with her words. “What are you, a fucking priest? You forgive me for what? What the fuck are you forgiving me for?” she hiss-yelled, her eyes wildly darting around the room as if the walls were closing in on her.
He stood, taking several steps back, giving her space, trying to push down the emotion swelling in him, a comingling of anger, panic, and empathy as he watched her coming undone.
Her hands clenched the arms of the chair, and her eyes flitted around the room, reminding him of a caged animal.
“Just saying, I’m okay…” he said with an edge to his voice.
“Great! Glad you’re okay. I’m so fucking grateful that you, you mate are forgiving me. What a fucking joke.” Her eyes were blazing, searing him, her jaw out. “Forgive me for having sex?” An icy chuckle flew from her. “I suppose I’ll forgive you, too, mate.” Her tone was hard and cold, stabbing him.
“Jesus, it wasn’t just sex. You were selling yourself.” The features of his face hardened as fury burned up in him. “Damn it.” He turned, walking away from her. “Fucking in love with a prostitute,” he uttered just above a whisper, regretting his words even before they hit the air.
She flew out of her chair—Love? Prostitute?!Had she heard him right? Marching toward him, her anger intensifying with every step.What a bastard!“What did you say? What was that?” she snarled. Oh God, why hadn’t she just denied it?
“Nothing.” He turned. “Rae-kale, I just wanted to…” He tried to compile something soothing. Anything that would steer this train wreck in a different direction, but he was drawing a blank, his brain blaring with the realization of who she was, of who hehad fallen in love with. He was fighting with his own thoughts, unable to identify what he was feeling, what to say next…
She practically leapt back from him, her eyes blazing. Fracturing thoughts scattered in her mind, her perfectly rehearsed speech dissolving in her head, his words…love, prostitute, forgive…she couldn’t reconcile any of it. “I need to get the hell out of here.” She could feel the onslaught of tears swelling behind her eyes. She shifted her weight back and forth in a rocking motion, trying to remember where her purse was. She needed to find her phone and get an Uber. Her breath was choppy, panic creeping around her neck. God, she hadn’t felt this in so long…I need to get out of here…scrambling to remember if she’d brought her prescription…something she hadn’t needed until her mother’s message after the Jumbotron and now, now she definitely needed help . “Jake…I’m leaving…I…”
Steadying his voice, he reeled in his choppy breath. “Okay, let me get my keys.” He knew there was no way to convince her to stay and talk, but he would be the one to drive her.
“No, I’m getting an Uber,” she shouted.
His eyes flared. “No, you’re not, no. I told you before, if you need to leave, I will drive you. I’ve had two glasses, not even,” he said, looking at his wine, which was still more than half full.
“What are you going to do? Stop me?” she challenged, fear and anger battling in her head.
He stalked toward her, a couple of feet from her. “If that’s what I need to do, yes.” His tone was charged.Damnit, deep breath, Jake.
“You're going to stop me? Like, keep me fucking captive? Who do you think you are?” she screamed, shifting her weight back on her heels. “Did you forget I, Rakell McCarthy, don’t follow your little playbook, Jake Skyler?” Abruptly, she spun away from his stare. “Fucking Neanderthal!”
Yep, that’s me, you little wild minx!“Don’t you fucking move, or you’ll see just how Neanderthal I am! Stop!”
She halted mid-stride. The undercurrent of rage in his voice made her spine stiffen. “So I have no choice… you're going to use your stupid football player muscles to stop me?”
Shaking his head, he wanted to throw her to the ground, forcing her to listen to him, but he closed his eyes and calmly replied. “Yes,Rae-kale, that’s exactly what I will do if you try to leave without me. I won’t let you.”
“And if I scream…” she hissed, forcing herself not to lunge at him.Damn, you…I was going to tell youblared in her head.
“I told you James moved out with his girlfriend, so no one’s here…” he responded, his head tilting toward the bathroom. “I’ll lock you in that bathroom until you settle the fuck down.” His voice dropped a few octaves. “Maybe a warm bath would cool that fire.”
“You wish, and don’t you dare talk to me in that patronizing tone. You backward fucking Neanderthal.”
“Call me whatever you want to, but I’m driving you home,” he countered flatly.
“Fine,” she huffed. “Should have listened to my first instincts about you,” she added under her breath, walking out of his room and grabbing her purse off the sofa before marching out of the house, slamming the door behind her.
Chapter Sixteen
“Damn it, Rakell,” he shouted as the door thudded shut. “You…I swear…you…” He darted to the kitchen counter, scooping up his keys and wallet.
He flung open the front door to follow her, her muted utterances trailing behind her as she approached his truck. He tried to wedge himself in front of her to help her in, but she had already swung open the door, using it to push him out of the way as she jumped in.
He watched her, thinking he wasn’t sure he could be more pissed off, and now she had ratcheted up the tension by not letting him open her door. He stood by the truck, looking at her through the window as she stared the other way, not meeting his eyes.What the hell just happened in there…how did that go so wrong?
Yanking himself back in, he stepped methodically around the back of the truck, gathering his thoughts, internally begging himself to bury the flare of anger, going back to his resolve to understand her past. His promise to Jenae−hell…himself.
