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“Don’t lie to me”
“I’aze “Soht I’m confused”
“About what, exactly?”
“Don’t be like that,” she said quietly “Don’t get all icy and freeze me out”
“You’ll have to forgiveto my wife tell ood mood”
She squire her—with some distance between us “I don’t kno to explain it”
I deliberately ignored the cold knot in ut “Try”
“It’s just—” Looking down, she chewed on her lower lip “There’s sonot finished”
My chest grew tight and hot “Does he turn you on, Eva?”
She stiffened “It’s not like that”
“Is it the voice? The tattoos? His ic dick?”
“Stop it It’s not easy talking about this Don’t make it harder”
“It’s da to my feet
I raked her fro to fuck her and punish her at the same time I wanted to tie her up, lock her up, safe frorip on her “He treated you like shit, Eva Did seeing the ‘Golden’ videoyou need that I’ you?”
“Don’t be an ass” Her arered me further
I needed her open and soft I needed her completely And there were times when I wasI couldn’t i I couldn’t bear hearing
“Please don’t be ugly about this,” she whispered
“I’ how violent I feel at the moment”
“Gideon” Guilt darkened her gray eyes, and then tears glistened
I looked away “Don’t!”
But she saw into me the way she always did
“I didn’t er—ht and shot sparks of ainst the wall “I hate that you’re upset and pissed off at me It hurts me, too, Gideon I don’t want him I swear I don’t”
Restless, I went to the , trying to find the caler Brett Kline presented I’d done everything I could I had said the vows, slid the ring on her finger Bound her to h
The city spread out before s From the penthouse, I could see for miles But from the Upper West Side apartment I’d taken next door to Eva’s, the vista was lied with yellow taxis or sunlight glinting off the many skyscraper s
I could give Eva New York I could give her the world I couldn’t love her more than I did; it consu strides on edging me out
I re him with a desperation she should feel only for ht still affect herapart
My knuckles popped as my hands fisted “Do we need to take a break already? Take some time for Kline to clear up your confusion? Maybe I should do the same and help Corinne deal with hers”
She sucked in a shaky breath at the mention of my former fiancée “Are you serious?”
There was a terrible stretch of silence
Then, “Congratulations, dickhead You just hurt me worse than he ever did”
I turned in tiid and tense The keys she’d used to let herself in were left ondesperate “Stop”
I caught her and she struggled, the dyna
“Let o!”
My eyes closed and I pressed ainst her “I won’t let him have you”
“I’ht now, I could hit you”
I wanted her to Wanted the pain “Do it”
She clawed at my forearms “Put me down, Gideon”
I turned her around and pinned her to the hallall “What am I supposed to do when you tellon the edge of a cliff and ”
“So you’re going to tear atanywhere?”
I stared down at her, scraht between us Her lower lip began to quiver and II unraveled
“Tellher wrists and exerting gentle pressure “Tell me what to do”
“Handle me, youhere I knew Brett during a time in my life when I hatedthe way I wanted hi me a head trip”
“Christ, Eva” I pressed harder, flattening ainst her “How am I not supposed to feel threatened by that?”
“You’re supposed to trust et weird vibes and jump to conclusions I wanted to be honest about it so you wouldn’t feel threatened I know I’ve got so to see Dr Travis this weekend and—”
“Shrinks aren’t a cure-all!”
“Don’t yell at me”
I fought the urge to slam my fist into the plaster behind her My wife’s blind faith in the healing properties of therapy frustrated the hell out of ot a probleoddamned psychiatric community!”