Page 67 of House of Scarlett
I don’t know if it’s the ire that started with Chadwick and his orders, amped up by Christine and Ryan telling me I shouldn’t see Gabriel, but something inside me snaps.
“You are standing inmyhouse, Gabriel. I’m an adult, not a child or an invalid. Whenever decisions need to be made that affect my life,Iam the one who makes them. No one else makes them for me.”
His brows dive together, and his mouth hardens. “Are you saying you want to keep training with that fucking asshole?”
“Hell no. I’m saying that I already made that decision and told you, and you didn’t need to communicate it for me. I could’ve handled Bodhi myself. I was handling him myself, until you picked me up and moved me out of the way.”
Gabriel takes a few long, hard breaths before shaking his head. “No, you don’t deal with him. I’ll apologize for hurting your feelings and stepping on your toes, but I’m not taking back what I did or said. Bodhi doesn’t come near you. You don’t exist for him. That’s the way it has to be.”
Thirty-Nine
Legend
Shit.I’m fucking up, and I can’t stop because this is too goddamned important.
Scarlett holds up her hand with one finger raised. “Let me see if I got this straight.I’m not allowed to speak to him?Did you not hear me tell you I’m not a child?”
I don’t know how to tell her in words that will make sense and not be a total asshole about it.Fuck.This is harder than I thought.
“You’re too important to me, Scarlett.” I take a step toward her, but she shakes her head.
“No. I’m not a piece of crystal or fine china to be put up on a shelf where nothing can touch me. I’m not breakable.”
But she is,my brain argues.She’s so fucking precious and delicate, and I can’t fucking let someone like Bodhi get near her again.
Something clenches in my chest, and I’m pretty sure it’s my heart. I’ve watched her while she sleeps, and checked to make sure she’s still breathing more times than I care to admit. I want to protect her from the world and everything bad in it. Is that so fucking wrong?
Looking into her blazing steely eyes, it’s clear her answer isyes.
What the fuck am I supposed to do now?
Her chin lifts and her eyes glisten. “If you can’t see me for what I am—a strong, capable, smart woman—then I don’t know if this can work, Gabriel.”
Fuck. Jesus Christ. No.
My jaw clamps down, and the urge to reach out and drag her to me is so goddamn compelling, I can barely stop myself. But I stand there, my arms aching to hold her, and try to reconcile my instincts with her ultimatum.
“I can’t ...” I pause to suck in a breath. “I can’t hear him say those things about you without wanting to fucking kill him. It’s how I’m wired. Ineedto protect you. I don’t give a shit what he says about me, but I’m not the kind of man who will sit idly by while someone takes swipes at you. Those insults can’t go unpunished.”
Her face changes slowly as she processes my words, and I would bet she’s repeating them in her head right now, so I keep going.
“You are smarter and more fucking capable than any woman I’ve ever met. I respect the hell out of you, Scarlett, but there are things I can’t and won’t let slide. It would go against everything I fucking am, and I can’t cut out that part of me. It’s the heart of me. You deserve respect, and if I didn’t give it to you a few minutes ago, then I’m fucking sorry. I was out of line on that. But I will always demand respect on your behalf, and I will never let anyone take shots at you without answering back. That goes for him, your shit-for-brains ex, or your motherfucking dad.”
She swallows, and I watch as her head dips. My stomach plummets to the floor, and everything in me goes cold and still.
This is it.
This is where she shows me the door.
Because I’m not the kind of man she needs.
When she lifts her head, tears are streaming down her face.
Fuck. This is going to hurt.
I brace myself for the pain, even though it won’t help. My entire body tenses even more than it did with Bodhi at the door as she opens her mouth.
“I—”
