“Ezra…hello?” I blink and turn my gaze to Jordin, who was waving her hand in my face. “Did you hear me?”
I shake my head and frown, “No, sorry, my mind just wandered off. What did you say?” I peek over Jordin’s head and see the gate open, and Damien walks in. Our eyes lock: even from a distance, his steely stare sends shivers through me. He makes his way over to me, toward the guest house.
“…so, he told me that you two never got a chance to talk, and he was really confused with the whole announcement with you and Calum getting engaged, and then you announcing you suddenly married this Damien.”
I tear my eyes away from Damien as he gets closer and look at Jordin. “Bish, what the hell are you on about. Who never got to talk?”
“You and Xavi!” She exclaims, clearly annoyed that I wasn’t listening to her. “He told me he wants to see you, to explain things and wants to know about this engagement and sudden marriage when you were supposedly seeing him,” Jordin explains in one breath, and I blink.
“Who’s Xavi?” I lift my gaze to Damien standing just behind Jordin, who turns and peers up at him, her mouth slightly ajar.
“Um…” She gulps and looks at me wide-eyed and mouths the word ‘wow.’
“No one important. Just a mutual friend.” I shift awkwardly under his glare and clear my throat. “Jordin, this Damien, Damien, my best friend, Jordin.” I introduce. Jordin waves at him and Damien nods before he moves over to me, leans down, and kisses my temple.
“Can we talk?” I nod and look up at him.
“Sure, give me a couple of minutes.” I watch as he disappears into the guesthouse and look back at Jordin.
“Jesus. That is one hell of a man, bit scary, but I dig that.” I chuckle and stand up.
“I’m glad you dig my husband. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I need to go and see what he wants before he bends me over his knee and spanks me for making him wait.” I tease bashfully, and Jordin laughs. We hug for a couple of seconds and pull apart.
“I missed you, Bish.”
“I missed you too, Bish. Now go, get your ho ass spanked by your sexy husband.” I laugh and wave as she walks off.
I turn and walk into the guest house. Damien took his jacket off and turned to look at me as he hangs his coat on the back of a chair. I’m just bursting to ask him where the hell he’s been, but I refrain. “What did you want to talk about?”
“What’s the deal with this Xavi?”
“Xavi?” I question with a scowl. “That’s…that’s what you want to talk about? Where the hell have you been, Damien?” I cross my eyes over my chest and glare at him. Damien turns his molten gaze to me.
“Who is this Xavi that seems to think you two have unfinished business?” I can feel my temper slowly growing, and I try and bite back, but it felt like a storm was brewing deep inside of me.
“I’m disappointed you don’t know Damien; considering you researched every aspect of my goddamn life, how the hell did you miss that I had a boyfriend?”
Damien’s jaw begins twitching, “Are you going to give me a straight answer?”
“Are you going to give me one?” I demand and don’t even flinch when he takes a couple of steps toward me. “Where have you been?”
No answer. He glares heatedly, and I glare right back. It wasn’t until he looks away that I notice something on his neck.
I lift my hand and turn his head and see the deep red love bite on his neck. I scoff. “God, you have some nerve coming in here demanding answers about Xavier when you’re the one standing there with a fucking love bite on your neck.” I back away from him when he takes a step toward me. “Don’t you dare! Stay the fuck away from me! I sat here like an idiot worried sick that something happened to you when all the while you were out there having a grand old time balls deep in a fuck fest with one of your fucking submissives?” Damien doesn’t say anything, doesn’t defend himself, just stands silently staring at me with those unsympathetic eyes. I shove him away from me. “Say something!” He grabs my arm, yanks me to him, and I fight against him.
“What do you want to hear exactly? You just don’t cut it for me, Ezra.” He whispers. I feel the already broken pieces of my heart shatter one bit at a time at his words. I turn my head away and bite back the sob that was choking me. He’s not worth it, he’s not worth the pain, but something in his voice made me look at him. His eyes were glassy, and his jaw set tight. His voice cracked; his voice never cracks. Something deep in my heart was telling me not to believe him while my mind screams at me to run.
So, I did.
I shoved him away from me and ran as fast as my legs would take me. I hear him calling my name from behind me. I ignore it. I didn’t want to hear his voice or see his face. I was disgusted with him, and even more so with myself for allowing him to worm his way into my heart and break me.
“Ezra!” I push the back gate open and run. I can hear him chasing me, his footsteps getting closer, but I don’t stop. “Ezra, stop!” I gasp and halt when a black van pulls up in front of me, blocking my path. My heart hammering against my ribcage Damien comes up behind me, grabs my upper arm, and pulls me close till my shoulder is pressing against his chest. “You make it impossible for me to protect you when you run off like that, Ezra.” He tells me, his chest rising and falling quickly.
I lift my gaze to his, “Protect me?” I tug my arm out of his hold. “Who is going to protect me from you when you’re the only one I need protection from.” I push past him and walk back to the house with Damien hot on my tail.
Luckily my parents are away at some business retreat, or they would have had questions, though I can’t even say that I cared anymore. I didn’t want to be around him anymore. I feel like I was suffocating slowly. When I steer toward the main house, Damien grabs my arm and pulls me toward the guest house again. I dig my heels and refuse to move.
“Let me go, Damien. I’m not staying in that house with you.” Damien looks back at me and sighs. Every time I see that love bite on his neck, my anger flares up all over again.
“I don’t remember giving you a choice.” He snaps, grabbing my arm; he tosses me toward the guest house, much like he used to when I was first held captive. I rub my arm where his fingers were gripping me.
“Of course, you wouldn’t because that would go against your barbarous principles. It’s always all about what you want. Hear me…I don’t want to be around you. I don’t want to see your goddamn face. Just leave me alone. Do you understand me? If you want to protect me, Damien, stay the fuck away from me because you’re not good for me or anyone for that matter.” I tell him hotly, and he stares at me.
“How can you be this cruel? I have never met anyone as cold-hearted as you. You’re so fucked up that you can’t recognize a good thing if it came and slapped you in the damn face.”
“The only thing you seem to have down is hurting people and wrecking anything and everything in your path without consideration or a single thought of what the person standing in front of you feels. You’re like a goddamn swamp. You suck up and destroy everything and anything good around you.” I look up at him and step closer. “Including me.” Damien stands still, his eyes on me. I brush past him, grab a bottle of tequila and a glass before I walk outside to the pool.
I kick off my shoes and sit on the side, dangling my legs in the water. I stare at my reflection in the water. I uncap the bottle and pour myself a shot.
Here’s to you and your broken heart, Ezra Wolfe.