Wife (Betrothed 1)

I held on to her hips and watched her fuck me, watched her enjoy me without shame. She took what she wanted without apology.

That was exactly how I liked her.

She finished us both off then got out of bed like nothing happened. She fished a shirt out of her drawer then walked down the hallway.

I almost stayed behind because I was satisfied, getting the best sex of my life without having to lift a finger. But I pulled on my boxers and followed her into the kitchen.

She already had a bowl of cereal in front of her, and she was texting on her phone. Her feet were pulled to her chest at the dinner table, her ankles crossed.

I sat across from her and ran my fingers through my hair.

She set her phone down. “I’m going shopping with Esme.” She didn’t even finish her cereal because her plans were more important. “I need to get in the shower. Let yourself out.” She walked past me.

Every time we moved a few steps forward, she abruptly turned in the opposite direction and hit the gas. Whenever she felt anything meaningful, she shut it down and pretended it never happened.

I grabbed her by the arm and dragged her back toward me. I forced her into my lap, our eyes locked on to each other. “I’m your man, alright? So, stop treating me like a stranger you picked up last night. Stop cooling us off the second we get hot. I know exactly what you’re doing, so knock it off.”

She stayed quiet, put on the spot like a deer in the headlights.

“I would never hurt you.”

She dropped her gaze altogether.

I squeezed her arm and gave a gentle tug. “Look at me.”

Her eyes shifted back to me.

“I promise you.” I grabbed her hand and placed it over my slow-beating heart. “I’m the kind of man that keeps his promises, so I hardly ever make them. I’m true to my word. There are a lot of assholes out there, but I’m not one of them. I’m the kind of man that would rather die than let something happen to you. I’m the kind of man that will rip apart a man who even looks at you wrong. I’m the kind of man that gives everything when he’s committed to something. If I were committed to you…I would never let you down.” A speech like that had never left my lips in my entire life. I hardly gave a woman a few minutes of my time once the sex was over, but here I was, fighting for just seconds of her attention. I’d never worked so hard for anything in my life, but I was pouring my heart out to her just for the chance to actually have her. Every time she turned me down, it was like a knife to the heart. It really did feel like a punishment, like someone out there put a curse on me. “Baby, give me a chance.” I’d never wanted something so much in my life, something that made my hands shake when the rest of my body was absolutely still.

Her hand slid away from my heart, and she rose to her feet.

I already knew what she was going to say. My heart tightened in preparation for the rush of pain, the torture I was about to feel.

She moved behind me so she wouldn’t have to look at me. “I don’t think we should see each other anymore.”

The vehicles pulled up to the farmhouse, driving through the white picket fence around the property even though the road would have been just as easy to take. My gun was shoved into the back of my jeans, and I ditched my jacket because my temperature was running high.

Once we were on the grass, I hopped out and headed to the front door.

Damien lingered behind, letting me take the lead.

I kicked down the front door to the sound of screams.

A woman picked up her young son and sprinted away from me. Another kid cried from a different part of the house.

His voice was audible. “Stay behind me.”

I rounded the corner and saw Miles standing in front of his family, keeping his arms back so his wife and his two kids were protected. A gun was on his hip, but the second he saw the vehicles storm his property, he knew it was pointless. His wife sobbed as she held her two kids close to her chest.

His chest exploded with every breath, and a film of moisture covered his eyes with emotion. “Please don’t hurt them…please.” His bottom lip shook, his emotion uncontrollable. “I know you’re here for me, not them. Please, let them go.”

His wife was beautiful, so any other man would rape her right in front of him and shoot his kids. Luckily for him, that wasn’t me. “Come with me.”