Page 19 of Hard
‘No, you don’t,’ he snarls, releasing my forearm only to grasp one wrist and then quickly follow by grabbing the other. My purse clatters to the ground, my sudden shock all consuming. As he twists both my wrists behind my back, I start to panic and thrash. ‘Stop fucking about, you bitch.’ He shakes me just once, and the back of my head hits the mirror behind me with some force.
Stunned—I fall silent, captive to him and the thundering of my heart as I blink up into his unfamiliar expression. The hate. If it’s possible, the venom in his tone and the look on his face is more shocking than the bump I’ll no doubt have on my head. And I have no words—nothing to say. No retort. Though my gaze slides left, seeking something, someone. Some kind of help.
‘G-get off me,’ I finally gasp, beginning once again to struggle against his hold. It’s the strangest kind of experience. Never in a million years would I have seen Robin as violent, but more importantly, I would never have seen myself as a victim. Yet here I am, my wrists trapped in his hand, my body compliant to his whims as his free hand grabs my jaw in a piercing hold.
‘Did you think you could make me jealous, standing there flirting with that twat in a skirt?’
‘What are you talking about? W-we split up.’ I’m ashamed to say I cry out as his fingers tighten. ‘Please, Robin, you’re hurting me,’ I whine.
‘Do you think I paid for your room tonight so you could fuck someone else in it? Fuck someone in our home?’
Now is maybe not the time to point out the deposit was jointly paid. And honestly? Rationally? Even a little abstract right now? Up until an hour ago, I thought we were still on decent terms. I thought we were dealing with our split like adults. I’d even tried to tell myself he’s a fundamentally nice guy—a nice guy who did something wrong.
Now I know all that is untrue.Especially about him being a good man.
Yet I still shake my head when he presses me again.
‘Did you?’ He looms over me; his eyes full of anger and frightening ideas.
‘I-I. Let me go, Robin. Please. You don’t want to hurt me.’
‘Don’t I? Can’t you see you have me fucking unhinged?’
‘I can see that you’re angry—’ I don’t get to finish as he shakes me again.
‘It was a mistake—I’m sorry I fucked Tamara. Sorry I hurt you, but you can’t do this to me.’
From the corner of my eye, a figure turns into the hallway. As I raise my head, we lock gazes. A woman—someone I’ve never met. Someone from the wedding... someone who looks right through me as she turns back the way she came. Like she hadn’t witnessed anything. How? How can someone ignore violence and abuse? What happened to human decency? Sisterly solidarity? Especially as he begins to shake me violently.
‘You drive me insane with your hot and your cold. When are you going to make up your mind? Fucking give in. Come back to me!’
Is he drunk? Hot and cold what? We’re over. Kaput. Our relationship was dead long before he turned up tonight with Tamara. But I say none of this as his breath blows over my face because it isn’t liquor that has him crazy.
‘I will. I’ll make up my mind’—have made up my mind; you’re a fucking fruitcake—‘just-just let me go.’
‘What the fuck?’ My head whips around at the low masculine growl, my frightened gaze met by a feral one. ‘Get the fuck off her,’ Keir growls, striding closer. ‘Before I tear your bollocks off and make you eat ’em.’
‘This has got nothing to do with you, jock.’
‘Oh, that’s original.’ He looks as agreeable as his sudden tone. Right before he punches Robin in the side of the head.
‘Oh!’ I cry out, stumbling as Robin releases my wrists.
‘I’ve been insulted better by six-year-olds, you fucker,’ Keir grates out, using the tips of his fingers to push Robin farther along the hallway. ‘What sort of a man are you, eh? Laying your hands on a woman. Didn’t your da ever teach you hitting a woman is the lowest of low?’
‘She was going to be my wife!’
‘I don’t care if she was going to be the fucking queen,’ he growls, though I don’t miss his gaze sliding to mine with a look of abjectwhat the fuck.
‘We s-split up two months ago, and he’s here with the girl he cheated on me with.’ He doesn’t reply but for one sardonic brow twitch, which makes me open my mouth and babble. ‘I wasn’t trying to make him jealous. I swear, it was a serious invitation.’
‘Invitation?’ Robin shouts. ‘What the fuck were you inviting him to?’
‘It was an invitation to separate her from her knickers.’ Keir’s head turns back with precision of a gun turret, pinning the other man withthesmuggest look. ‘And when I’ve done that, I’m gonna spend the night making her scream my fucking name.’
Robin makes a noise—not actual words—more like a strangled cry as he launches himself at Keir, whose response isn’t nearly so manic as he coolly steps into Robin. And with an almost beautiful economy of movement, he headbutts him. The sound of cartilage on bone echoes through the space as Robin reels back
‘Argh! You boke my dose!’ he yells. ‘You ducking well boke my dose!’
