Page 47 of Love Unbound
Jodi took a breath in, taking the briefest of seconds to bury hernose in his chest, and allowing his now familiar scent to wash over her. He felt like home. She shrugged then, thinking. “We’d been married ten months when I filed and moved back in with Mom and Dad. That was last April, I think. Divorce took until this May when it was final. So, just over a year, and three months since then.”
Free squeezed her gently, his fingers trailing over the skin of her back that was left bare from the tank top she wore. Pressing her forehead into his chest, she laughed sadly. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have lost my temper like I did earlier.”
He pulled away and looked down at her in astonishment. “Why are you apologizing? Jodi, the man came onto your property uninvited, stole your car battery and vandalized your vehicle. He clearly has a history of abusive behavior. Youshouldbe mad. You should be calling the police.”
Jodi was shaking her head before he finished talking. “I don’t have any proof that he did it.”
Free stared at her for a long moment, and Jodi fidgeted nervously. “You’re still scared of him, aren’t you,” he murmured, not so much a question as a statement.
Jodi shrugged again, and Free blew out a frustrated breath, releasing her and walking away several steps. He turned on his booted heel and placed his hands on his hips, watching her. She lowered her gaze to the ground sheepishly.
“What hold does this douche have on you, Jodi?”
Jodi sighed heavily and turned to her Jeep, lowering the hood with a metallic clunk, then dusted her hands off. She would have to call Shaun and Tristan to come do the repairs and bring a new battery, she thought to herself. She so badly didn’t want to have this conversation with Free, but it seemed that he wasn’t going to let it go.
“Jodi,” he pressed.
“You want me to admit that I’m still scared? Yes, yes I amscared of him!” Jodi finally shouted, whipping around to face him again, her breathing harsh. “Where should I start, Free? Was what I just told you not enough of a reason? It’s like he knows what I do as soon as I do it. It’s unnerving the way he keeps tabs on me. He’s allowed to move on and do whatever he wants with his life, but I’m not afforded the same privilege, because I humiliated him by getting him arrested and divorcing him so quickly. I am the villain in his story, he loves to play the victim, like he didn’t do anything to me. I wounded his pride and poked holes in the façade that he works so hard to keep in place. Not only had he been committing adultery— sleeping with that girl you and I ran into at the store— that I didn’t even find out about until a couple months ago— but after that ended, he started seeing someone new. This new girl was the affair I had found out about just before I gave him the divorce papers. He moved her in just weeks after I left, but I even think abouttalkingto someone new and he has to be his douchey self and sabotage it.That’swhy he came to you as soon as he knew we were even potentially a thing. He likes to remind me he can manipulate my life any way he feels fit.”
Jodi threw her arms wide, pointing to her house, her car. “He shows up here whenever he wants, makes passive aggressive comments about how I dress, how my weight fluctuates, who I’m seen in public with.But,” she laughed maniacally, “probably my favorite way he exercises his control over me is this: When I was buying the building for the bookshop just after we got married, he made some sales pitch about how it would be smarter for us to put the deed in his name first, which then gave him majority ownership. I had been working on opening it for a year, before we even met. I was so stupid. He put some puny amount up for the down payment, and used that as a way to manipulate me, too, even though Dad and I were the ones that financed it. I fought to get sole ownership when we divorced, but he had agood lawyer. They left it as is. Not only do I have to pay him rent onmybuilding formybusiness, but he also feels entitled enough to help himself inside after hours. Which, because he owns the building, isn’t even illegal! And, to put the fucking icing on this cake, I don’t even have any proof because he’s smarter than I gave him credit for and stole my surveillance tapes last week!”
Letting her head fall back until it almost touched her shoulders, she closed her eyes, taking several deep, steadying breaths to calm herself. If this tirade didn’t scare Free off, she would be amazed. Tears made her nose sting, and she fought them back.
“Is that what you wanted to hear, Free? All the different ways this man has terrorized me and continues to manipulate my life? Is that sufficient reason for me to still be afraid of this asshole?”
Free came to her then, wrapping her in a bear hug. “I can take care of him for you.”
Jodi laughed, then took a deep breath in, letting it out slowly. “Dad has already offered, but thank you.”
“You said he took the surveillance tapes. Do you have a new system in place yet?” Free asked, resting his chin against the top of her head. She remained settled against his chest, her arms tucked between them. She nodded.
“Yes, Warren came to the store and put in an all-new system. I’ll catch him, it’s just a matter of time. I don’t know what good it will do me, but eventually I hope to be completely Joshua Murphy free… I keep asking him if I can buy him out of the property, but he refuses,” she said, shrugging.
“I will do whatever I can to help you, Jodi,” Free said, squeezing her.
But Jodi shook her head, looking up at him then. “No. If you do anything, it will only make it worse. Trust me. He knows how to play the game.”
“And I’m not afraid of some piece of shit woman beater,” Free snapped, though his eyes were gentle. “You have no reason to be scared of him anymore. I’m not going to let him do anything else to you.”
Tucking her head back into his chest, she sighed sadly. She wished that she could believe him… but she knew this was only temporary. He would be gone in another couple weeks, and then she’d be left alone to pick up the pieces of her broken heart all over again when he left.
But, when Free tipped her chin up and lowered his mouth to hers, all thoughts of his impending departure flew from her mind.
Chapter 34
“Good morning.”
Jodi opened one eye and grumbled unintelligibly, rolling over in bed so that she was laying on her stomach, burying her face in the pillow. “It’s not even light out, yet.”
“It’s almost six,” Free breathed close to her ear. His fingers trailed, feather light, over the curve of her shoulders, down her back, to the dip of her hips.
“You kept me up all night,” Jodi whined petulantly into the pillow.
“I didn’t hear you complaining earlier, or the time before that…” he breathed, palming one ass cheek in his hand before sliding his hand down between her thighs, which fell open with little prompting.
“I’m not complaining now…” she sighed, her hips moving against his hand. “Ooooh, yes. Please.”
Free nipped at the meaty part of her shoulder, making her gasp. He shifted, moving so he was between her thighs, his front pressed to her back. “I like it when you say please.”
