Dangerous Kiss (Dangerous Noise 1)

She shakes her head.

"What is it?"

She pulls her hand into her chest. Her eyes go to her hand, then to me. There are six inches of bubbles on the surface of the water. She scoops a handful and blows them over the room.

Her lips press together. Her eyes close. She's trying to fight the tears, but it's not happening.

"I should go," she whispers.

I grab her harder than I should. "No."

"What do you mean no?"

"You're not leaving naked and crying."

"I'm putting on clothes first." She shakes me off and pushes herself out of the bathtub. She pulls her dress over her head and marches out of the bathroom.

What the hell?

There are footsteps as she grabs her purse in the bedroom.

"I'll see you later. After the show." Her voice breaks. "On the bus. I don't know. Just later."

The door slams shut behind her.

It's just like before.

She's locking me out.

She's walking away from me.

Not this time.

This time, I'm going after her.

Chapter 20

Violet

God dammit, I'm covered in soapy bubbles. My dress is sticking to my skin. My bra and underwear are lost somewhere in Ethan's room.

I dig through my purse for my room key. My fingers are too slick. I can barely get a grip. There. I've got it.

Beep, beep. The door unlocks. I shove it open and let it swing shut on its own.

I need out of this dress. I need out of my entire fucking body. Everything hurts again. This isn't what baths with my… whatever I should call Ethan, whatever I call our relationship, this isn't how it's supposed to go.

My eyes sting. Tears or soap, I'm not sure. I can do something about the latter. The former is a lost cause.

I step into the bathroom, throw my dress over my head, and turn on the shower. No waiting for the water to heat up. I need every bit of that bath washed off my skin.

Fuck, it's cold. But that's how it should feel. The water pounds into my chest and face. It hurts but that's nothing compared to how much my heart aches.

Memories flood my mind.

That's how I found him, in that bathtub. His eyes were closed. The expression on his face was serene, like he was finally at peace. But the rest of it… the gashes on his wrists… the blood.

There was so much blood.