My nipples hardened so much they actually hurt. They were sore as they rubbed against the padding inside my bra. They ached like someone just sucked them raw. My thighs tightened together as a pool of moisture flooded between my legs. Instead of being scared and appalled, I was insanely aroused.
He continued to stare into my eyes with the same threatening expression, promising to make good on his word if I didn’t take him seriously. He finally released my wrists and stepped away, his shoulders still tense with imminent threat.
I didn’t say another word.
I didn’t know what was happening. I didn’t know what just happened between us. It was borderline violent and inexcusable, but at the same time, I’d never felt so alive. The blood in my veins sang because it felt so wrong, it felt right.
“I’ll take a cab.” I just wanted to get away from him as quickly as possible. Despite how aroused I was, I needed to run. I needed to think about what just happened here and make some sense of it.
“No. I’m taking you home.” The quiet threat in his voice told me not to disobey him. If I did, there would be serious consequences.
And I believed him.
13
Calloway
I stormed into the office and grabbed the nearest table before I picked it up and smashed it into the ground. Two of the legs popped off, and the wood cracked right down the center. “Motherfucker!” The lamp fell on the ground but didn’t break, so I grabbed it and threw it against the wall. Like glass, it shattered.
Jackson closed my office door and stared at me in shock, his lips pressed tightly together like he was preventing himself from saying something that would set me off. He locked the door from the inside and continued to watch me, his eyes following my movement. “Bad day, huh?”
“Fuck off, Jackson. I’m not in the mood.” I walked around my desk and dropped into the large leather chair. Not a single picture frame was on my desk because I didn’t have anyone waiting for me at home—not even a dog.
I rested my elbow on the desk then rubbed my temple, trying to rid my head of the migraine that appeared from nowhere thirty minutes ago. Blood pounded in my head and ignited my temper even more. I could’ve killed someone—with my bare hands.
Jackson slowly trailed farther into my office, his hands in his pockets. “I’m guessing this has something to do with that vanilla girl?”
Vanilla girl.
How ingenious.
He lowered himself into the chair facing my desk. “What happened?”
“Stop asking me shit like we’re friends.”
“We aren’t friends. We’re brothers. So talk to me.”
I didn’t tell anyone anything. I’d been that way my entire life. The more someone knew about you, the easier it was for them to tear you down. But Jackson was right. He was my last family member in the world, and I shouldn’t take him for granted. One day, I could lose my mind just the way my mother did, and my life would have absolutely no meaning—because I wouldn’t remember it. “I fucked it up.”
“What happened?”
“We were lying in bed and everything was fine. Then I told her I would take her home.”
Jackson remained quiet because he knew there was more to the story.
“She wanted to stay, and I said no.”
“Why did you say no?”
“I don’t do sleepovers. Never have and never will.” Isabella understood this because she was my submissive. I told her it was a hard limit for me, and she never broke it. She listened to my word like it was rule of law. Why couldn’t Rome do the same?
“You told her that?”
“No. I didn’t really give her an explanation. I lost my temper and said a lot of stupid shit. Then she slapped me…and that fucked things up even more.”
“She slapped you?” He grinned. “She’s got balls.”
She absolutely does. “She slapped me a few more times, and I almost raped her on my bed. Somehow, I found the strength not to. Immediately, I switched into my dominant side. I told her to obey me or I would make her obey me. I completely lost control. And I’m pretty sure I lost her too.” She wasn’t ready to see that side of me. I didn’t ease her into it or even explain what kind of man I was. She just saw the beast come out without any warning.
“Shit…”
“Yeah.” I kept rubbing my temple, wishing the night was just a nightmare.
“Again, why didn’t you just let her sleep there?”
“How am I supposed to come down here when she’s sleeping in my bed? She’ll know I go somewhere at night, and I’ll have to explain Ruin…and she won’t understand right now. We aren’t there yet.”