Hollis
At first,I was confused.
I wasn’t sure why Bates had brought another man into the room, or why he was bleeding from his mouth.
I took a step back, my hands firmly clasped over my stomach as a sinking feeling filled me.
Wanna play?
What did he mean by that?
“Who is that?” I asked in a shaky tone.
I don’t know why I still doubted him after being together for so long, but the one thing I knew about Bates Murphy was that he still had his secrets, and sometimes, his surprises were worse than what he would actually allow me to see.
“Hm?” he asked, his eyes still devouring me in the satin garment. I nodded at the man in front of him, and he let out a laugh. “Oh! Yeah, surprise.”
Bates reached down and grabbed the man by a fistful of his hair, jerking his head back violently, allowing me to see his face.
And when I did, the sinking feeling went away. It was replaced by hate, the memory of being violated and left to fend for myself, and being laughed at while the melee ensued.
I tucked my hair behind my ears before I let my hands settle on my hips. I was biting down so viciously on my lower lip to keep from crying that I tasted the blood I drew.
“Oh,” I said softly as a tear rolled down my cheek.
Bates let the man’s hair go as he walked the few steps toward me and wrapped his arms around me. He held me against him, kissed the top of my head, and took a deep breath.
“You know I have no problem doing this alone if you don’t want any part, babe. I just need to know,” he assured me gently.
I shook my head and pulled away from Bates. I wanted him to be able to look into my eyes so that he knew what I said next was the truth.
“I can do this.”
He brushed my hair out of my face and smiled proudly. Bates always knew I was much more capable of taking care of myself than I liked to lead on, but it was his thing. He enjoyed being able to do anything and everything he could to make sure that I was safe.
Not just physically but mentally too.
And this was just one of those ways.
By bringing the pain to me so that I could finally release it and maybe move forward with him instead of constantly looking over my shoulder.
“But first, let me look at you again, pretty girl,” he said as he held me by the hands and spread my arms to the side. I watched as his eyes crept up and down my body, slowly, deliberately, taking his time in swallowing me whole.
Body and soul.
It was when I felt the prettiest and he knew it.
Letting go of one of my hands, he ran one down his chin, then glanced at the heap just a few feet away from us.
“God, babe,” Bates said when he turned his attention back toward me. I could see the fire in his eyes that burned so goddamn brightly for me and I knew what he needed. And if I had any doubt, he reached down and rearranged himself to let me know that he was just about ready to have a go at me.
But this wasn’t the time for that.
I looked down at the man crumpled nearby and took a deep breath.
Now was the time for revenge.