Page 35 of You for Her (The Edge of Retaliation 2)
God, he’s not listening.
He’s just not listening.
It’s not even entirely about him. At least I’m here saying sorry for what I did. He hasn’t given me that pleasure yet. He is far too angry at me, to see that he started this damn war. Now he can’t handle how it has ended.
“Why is this all about you?” I cry. “I’m the one who killed your sister. I’m the one who went away for it. I’m the one who got tormented for months because of it. Don’t you dare fucking turn it all around on me. You’re right, I am a monster, but I learned from the very best.”
He bares his teeth, and leans in close, “Be very fuckin’ careful what your next words are.”
“Or what?” I say, stepping up to his face. “What are you going to do that you already haven’t done? You’ve made my life a living hell, you’ve hurt me in ways you couldn’t imagine, and all along I thought you were a good man. The best type. The kind I could trust.”
“Well, how fuckin’ wrong you were.”
“Yeah,” I say, my words coming out like acid. “How fuckin’ wrong I was.”
“You’ve had your fun, Callie. Go home.”
“I’m not done, Tanner. I want Chase. I want my name cleared. I’ve lived through enough, I don’t deserve to keep living through it. I’m going to find him. I won’t stop until I do.”
He just stares at me, his eyes blank. “Go home.”
“No,” I challenge. “No, I won’t.”
With a feral growl, he moves quickly, putting his hands on my shoulders and slamming my body up against the wall. He leans in close, hands moving to press against the cold brick either side of my head. “Do you want me to lose it, Callie? Is that what you want? You want me to fuckin’ break?”
“No,” I say, my breaths coming out in short, hard pants.
“What do you want then?”
“I want to be happy, that’s what I want. I want to live without Celia’s shadow being cast over me everywhere I go.”
“Then you shouldn’t have stolen that car and gone for a fuckin’ joyride that night.”
I slap him, hard. My hand stings mere seconds after contact, and his head whips to the side before coming back to face me. His eyes are full of fire as he growls, “Fuckin’ slap me again and-”
I raise a hand to slap him again, but he grabs it with his, slamming it down by my side. Then, in all the emotional glory, his lips smash against mine. His kiss is angry, and full of pain and hatred, but I’m hungry for it. So damned hungry for it. I kiss him back, shoving my body against his, wanting to make it hurt and yet not being able to get enough of him. He growls angrily against my mouth, his hand sliding down to grab my ass, hauling me up against him.
We shouldn’t be kissing.
We shouldn’t even be talking.
Yet here we are.
I want him, yet I hate him so heavily my whole body thrums with the vibrations it brings.
My hate.
My love.
My confusion.
My passion.
His lips tear away from mine and he growls, “Is this what you came for? You want me to fuck you against this wall? To make you hate me even fuckin’ more?”
“Yes,” I spit, my voice bitter.
His fingers curl into my ass, squeezing until I hiss in pain. Then slowly his hands move around to the front, rubbing up and down my pussy through my pants. He does this until I’m whimpering, until I’m desperate, until I’m arching into him, desperate for more. Then and only then does he let me go and step back.
I stare at him, panting, my cheeks flushed and my skin prickling.
He stares at me, panting too, and then slowly, he bows. His big body curls over as he goes down, his hand swinging out to the side. Then comes back up again, a bitter look in his eyes. “Congratulations, Callie, on a game well played.”
With that, he turns and walks off, disappearing into the darkness.
Fuck.
Fuck.
Fuck.
11
“CALLIE,” JO SAYS, SHAKING me awake from my sleep.
I blink a few times, trying to clear my vision. What time is it? Why is Jo waking me? I didn’t end up going to sleep until probably three in the morning, and now she’s waking me up. Something must be wrong. I rub my eyes and, slowly, she comes into focus. The events of the night before wash back over me, the memories flooding my mind. Tanner finding out, me trying to chase after him.
I feel like I’ve been hit with a damned truck.
“What is it?” I ask croakily.
“You need to come out here.”
I shake my head, confused. “What?”
“Just come.”
I get up and she walks out of the room. I rub my eyes a few times, straighten my clothes, and sleepily walk out into the living area. I stop dead when I see that my living room is full of not one, not two, but three men. I stop in my tracks, my eyes falling on Tanner, who looks exhausted but determined. His jaw is tight, his arms are crossed, and he looks like he’s about to bust somebody.
