Truly Madly Deeply Boxed Set

He shook his head and leaned closer. “This time I have a son,” he said in a loud, clear voice. His forceful tone left no doubt that he intended to get his way, regardless of the means. To make his point, he pulled back on her hair.

Though she suppressed a groan, Chelsie no longer cared about the physical pain. Lashing out at the person she had allowed to ruin her life overrode all sense of caution. “You had one last time, too,” she spat at him.

His eyes darkened in fury. As he yanked her backwards, her head hit the wall again. Tears sprang to her eyes. She bit her lip but refused to utter a sound. Her helplessness rose like bile in her throat. The past five years closed in on her, suffocating her worse than Jeff’s proximity.

Suddenly, Chelsie couldn’t take any more. She wanted to live again. She wanted to be free.

ELEVEN

Griff stepped out of the elevator. Voices carried down the corridor leading to Chelsie’s apartment. City living was much different than suburban life, he mused, thinking of his quiet home.

When he reached her partially open door, he realized one of the voices belonged to Chelsie. The words stopped him cold and he couldn’t help but overhear.

“This time I have a son.”

“You had one last time, too.” Silence punctuated her statement. “You killed my baby.” Her voice raised in near hysteria. “I’ll be damned if I’ll let you do it to Amanda.” She was sobbing now, and the heartwrenching sounds made Griff move. He burst into the apartment.

Her back was pressed against the wall. Tears streamed down her cheeks. The man Griff assumed was Jeffrey Sutton stood beside her. He raised one hand and Griff realized the other held Chelsie against her will. He cursed the time he’d spent outside her apartment.

“Chelsie.” She jerked her head towards the sound of his voice, wincing as she did so. Her ex-husband turned to see who had interrupted. Griff took one step forward, but Chelsie moved faster. Taking advantage of the opportunity, she smashed her hand against the back of the other man’s head. He staggered away from her with a loud moan.

She looked down at her hand in stunned silence. Griff watched as one of her crystal treasures fell from her fingers. She followed, sliding to the floor in relief.

Griff grabbed the man by the back of his suit collar, thrusting him up against the same wall where he’d cornered Chelsie. Rage filled him. This man had laid his hands on Chelsie again. Blood rushed to his head and pounded in his veins. So easy, he thought. He could kill Jeffrey Sutton without a second thought.

“How does it feel to be cornered?” Griff asked.

The other man remained silent.

“You’re not so brave against someone your own size.” Griff raised his fist. “One good blow could do a lot of damage. Then again, jail could do a lot more.”

The man turned white beneath an obviously fake tan.

“Griff, don’t.” Chelsie’s low voice penetrated the throbbing anger that heated his body.

“Press charges, Chelsie.”

Her gaze swung back and forth between the two men, but she remained silent. Griff knew she might be in s

hock. Dealing with the police could come later. She no longer had to face Jeffrey Sutton alone.

He turned to the man Chelsie had once called her husband. “You’re a lawyer, so understand this. From now on, you’d better act like a restraining order has already been issued. Stay the hell away from Chelsie and Amanda.”

Chelsie emitted a startled cry. Griff turned towards her, unwittingly loosening his hold on the man he’d had pinned to the wall. Jeff darted around Griff and out the door without looking back.

Chelsie ran straight into his arms. Half an hour passed in which Griff did nothing but hold on tight. When the adrenaline pumping through his veins subsided, concern for Chelsie filled the void. The questions came next

“I take back every rotten thing I ever thought about those animals,” he said.

“They did come in useful.” She leaned her head against his shoulder before pulling away and wrapping her arms around her legs. Her chin rested on her knees and she gazed at him from beneath thick lashes. She appeared pale, but composed. If he’d arrived any later, if her ex-husband had seriously hurt her...

“He didn’t hurt me. Not really,” she said, rubbing her scalp. Her insight into his private thoughts didn’t surprise him. “But...”

“What?”

“This is going to sound ridiculous.” She averted her gaze.

“Let me be the judge of that. What’s on your mind?”