This is War (Checkmate Duet 1)

I scoff at that. “Trust me, Viola. You were dripping wet when you stormed out last night, and if I recall correctly, with a limp, too.” I grin, thinking of just how sore she must’ve been when she woke up this morning.

She lets out a dramatic snort. “You disgust me.”

“So you’ve told me.”

“Why did you kiss me last night?” she turns and asks with rage in her eyes.

“Because you wouldn’t shut up,” I say without looking at her. It’s a lie and she knows it. I kissed her because I damn well wanted to. “If I disgust you so much, why’d you jump me?”

She doesn’t respond right away. Out of the corner of my eye, I can see her chewing on her lower lip, contemplating her answer.

“Bad judgment, I guess,” she says, sounding defeated. “I shouldn’t have brought Alex back to the house.”

“Andrew,” I correct. Glancing over at her, I think about her shoulder again. The thought of it angers me but I try to push thoughts of it away.

She chuckles. “Yeah, whatever.”

“So why did you?”

She shrugs, pursing her lips. “It was nice to feel wanted. I’d hope you’d be in your room and you’d be woken up from the sounds of us coming home. I wanted you to hurt the way you hurt me.” Her voice is so soft, raw with emotion, and it’s the first time in a long time I’ve seen her this vulnerable.

I pull the car over on the shoulder and shift the gear into park, letting it idle.

“What are you doing?” she asks, looking around.

I unbuckle my belt without answering her. Reaching over the center, I unbuckle hers and wait for it to zip back into place.

“Ask me again,” I say, turning so we’re face to face.

“Ask you what?” She furrows her brows.

“Ask me again why I kissed you last night.”

She licks her lips and swallows, tracing my features with her eyes. She shifts her body slightly toward me and blinks. “Why’d you kiss me last night?”

The corner of my lips tilt, so fucking glad she actually listened to me for once. “Because I couldn’t take another minute of not having the taste of you on my lips.”

VIOLA

Oh my God.

I feel like I can’t breathe.

He’s taken my breath away.

My heart beats rapidly against my chest, faster and harder with every passing moment that stays silent. Travis’ words repeat in my head, the feel of his kiss still lingering on my lips.

This is the first time he’s admitted to wanting to kiss me ever. He’s always mocked my lack of experience, mostly by insinuating I was a virgin, but he’s never spoke aloud about wanting me in that way. Last night only happened because I had pushed his buttons and he had something to prove.

Up until he just spoke those words, I never believed he would be interested in me that way.

I still don’t believe it.

I’m losing myself in his words and my thoughts. The memories of our childhood and of last night are almost too much to handle. My insides tingle at the roughness of his voice and I think I’m in shock. Words evade me and when I look back up at him, he’s staring, trying to read me.

I’ve been waiting for him to say those words for over ten years. Instead, the words I heard him say crushed everything I thought I knew about him. He’s staring at me, and for a moment, I see something flash in his eyes, which causes his entire demeanor to shift. It almost looks like regret.

“I don’t want to be your pity fuck, Travis.” He flinches as if I slapped him across the face. Maybe it felt like it. Maybe I meant it as one, too.

“Pity fuck? Is that what you think last night was?” He nearly growls, his jaw tightening.

I shrug, keeping my emotions on the defensive. No matter how my body reacts to him, I need to always stay in control.

“I told you. I wanted to be used and fucked like a meaningless one-night stand, so of course that’s what it was. But I know it wasn’t anything more than that. You saw Andrew and saw red. You wanted poor little pathetic Viola all to yourself, even if you could never truly have me.”

I know I’m being the hypocrite here, but I need to do everything I can to push him away. I can’t afford to get tangled in his web of heartaches again.

“Is that so?” he challenges. “So it was just an itch you needed to scratch?” I don’t miss the accusatory message behind his tone.

“Yup.”

“I call bullshit,” he spits out, his eyes narrowing in on me. “You only used Andrew as a pawn to get to me. You can’t tell me you haven’t been begging for it since before your tits grew in and your mouth was filled with metal. Is that why you hated me so much?”