“Don’t do this, Hope.”
“I have no choice.”
He chewed his lip, looking wildly around the corridor as if something could make me change my mind. His chest rose and fell, quicker and quicker until his entire body trembled. Clenching his jaw, he closed his eyes and inhaled hard through his nose, getting his system under control, refusing to give in to the panic attack.
The fact I had power over him to cause such strife almost made me throw myself into his arms. To apologise. To tell him of course I wanted him. Of course I loved him. How stupid of me to convince him I wanted to live an empty life without him.
But he opened his eyes and a glint of something I’d never seen before rendered him unreachable. His hands came up, he imprisoned my cheeks, and his mouth smashed on mine with a violence he’d always kept leashed.
I stumbled as he hoisted me into his arms, dragging me into his bedroom with my cast bumping against his legs and his tongue hunting mine with heat.
A gush of anger and relief, rage and lust hijacked my control as I threw my arms around his neck, wordlessly agreeing to this attack. Giving in one last time.
I would stay firm to my word.
After.
I would walk away.
After.
But…I wanted him.
I wanted a true and final goodbye.
“Hope,” he grunted as he tumbled onto his bed, cradling me protectively. The moment we were horizontal, he spun me around and wedged me on my back.
My cast couldn’t stop the pain in my leg or the throbbing in my head, and I flinched as he kissed me harder.
His hand skated down my body, squeezing my breast and pinching my nipple. There was nothing seductive or sensual.
Our fight had spilled into sex, and it echoed with arguments and frustrations.
In a knot of body parts and fury, we permitted ourselves to drop our barriers and tangle with tempers. To be furious with one another. To be brutal and unkind and honest.
Honest about all the hurt we caused.
And the knowledge that we’d only cause more because we weren’t meant to be.
I struggled to accept such heartbreak as his teeth caught my lower lip, sharp and punishing. I bit him back, nipping him all while nervous need fluttered in my stomach. I’d always feared Jacob would overwhelm me if we collided this way.
And I was right.
Before, I would’ve embraced his torment. I would’ve dropped my guard and been as wild as he—I would’ve entered the war he wanted to lavish.
Now, I just wanted to be selfish and take what he had to give me, all while begging my heart not to get involved.
This was purely an ending to a decade-long dance.
I gasped as Jacob cupped my head with both hands, his fingers slipping through my hair. His eyes caught mine, desperate and dark, daring me to deny him.
I wouldn’t deny him because I was sick enough to crave him even when I hated him.
“This is where you belong, Hope. Right here. In my bed.”
I didn’t reply.
Our eyes battled before he finally sank over me, his mouth seeking mine in a vicious, brutal kiss.
One hand stayed locked in my hair, keeping me trapped for his plundering mouth while the other skated down my body. My clothes were wrinkly and travel-worn. Smudged with dirt from my accident and reeking of hospital, but none of that mattered as Jacob grabbed the hem of my grey skirt and hoisted it up to my hips.
He breathed hard as he looped his fingers in my underwear, his nails grazing the delicate skin on my hipbone. “Every night for the rest of our lives, I’m going to make love to you. I’m going to take my time to show you how much you are loved and remind you as the sun goes down that I will never hurt you again.” His lips sought mine, feeding the words deep into my heart while I squirmed in his hold.
“But tonight, I can’t wait. Tonight isn’t about showing you I love you. Tonight is about showing you I literally can’t breathe unless you are mine.”
With a yank, he pulled my underwear down, growling under his breath when they caught on my cast. “Goddammit.”
Wriggling, I helped him unhook the material, moaning as he got them off and pressed me into the mattress with his bulk between my thighs.
“I love you, Hope.” His hand dived between my legs, finding me hot and wet.
It took everything I had not to repeat the vow to him.
He attacked my mouth with a feral kiss as he stroked me, pinched me, then slowly inserted a finger inside me.
My back bowed. My nails latched onto his lower back. I didn’t want to show him the power he had over me, but my willpower rapidly unravelled.
His kiss scrambled my mind as he rocked his touch inside me. I couldn’t stop the rush of urgency as I fumbled with his belt buckle, undoing the well-worn leather and unzipping his jeans.