“Go ahead,” he seethed. “Tell me I’m a piece of shit. Tell me I don’t deserve her.”
My teeth clenched when he reached me, but he paused for a heartbeat when he should’ve thrown a punch.
Motherfucker. Rage ignited in my veins. Marco didn’t want to hurt me. He wanted me to hurt him.
I grabbed his shirt and jerked him close to me, yanking him off-balance so I could turn our bodies. I switched our positions, slamming his back against the wall and pinning him there.
“Asshole,” I seethed. “If you want to hit me, hit me. But I’m not going to hit back. I’m not going to let you use me to punish yourself. That’s bullshit, Marco.” I wouldn’t hurt him, but I didn’t disengage. My fingers remained tightly fisted in his shirt, and I kept him trapped against the wall. If I gave him an inch of space, he’d stalk away from me and shut down. I would make him talk to me, whether he liked it or not. “What happened?”
His lips peeled back, a cornered predator baring its teeth. “I hurt Ashlyn, that’s what happened. I lost control, and I hurt her.” The manic gleam in his eyes flickered and died, and they dulled to bottomless, inky pools. Harsh furrows creased his face, twisting his features into an anguished mask.
I pushed my fists a little harder into his chest, applying pressure right over his heart. “Ashlyn is okay,” I promised. “I’ve marked her up before, and she’s loved every second of it. She was made for us. You’re the one who told me that, remember? She can take both of us. She loves both of us.”
“I made her bleed.” The words rasped from his throat, as though he was confessing his darkest sin.
“So have I,” I reminded him. “You never thought I was a monster for it. She hasn’t thought so, either. It’s been a while since we played like that. She’ll be a little sore tomorrow, but you didn’t harm her.” I kept him locked in a steady grip and spoke in a low, firm tone that demanded his honesty. “You were fucked up about something before you came home. You’re tormenting yourself because you got rough with Ashlyn, but something else happened that made you lose control. Tell me.”
His lips pressed to a thin line, and his chin lifted, locking the truth inside.
“We’re a family, Marco,” I said, emotion roughening my tone. Seeing him in pain burned like acid in my heart. “Whatever it is, we’ll handle it together. You can’t carry all the bad shit by yourself and lock us out. That’s not how this works.”
His hard mask crumbled. “I don’t want her to be scared. Never again. And you…” He trailed off, leaving the words unsaid. But I heard the whisper of his deepest fears: And you will leave. You’ll abandon me again if things get bloody.
My fingers loosened in his shirt, my muscles going slack as guilt and dread flooded my system. “I won’t leave you, Marco,” I swore. “No matter what. I won’t leave. Tell me what happened, and we’ll deal with it together.”
His entire body tensed, and his tanned cheeks paled. “I don’t want you to have to hurt anyone, Joseph. I can take care of this. I can take care of you and Ashlyn.” His eyes burned with a feverish light as he spoke the words like a vow.
“Did you have to hurt someone today?” I murmured, coaxing. I wasn’t holding him harshly anymore, but I remained firmly in his personal space, refusing to allow his evasion.
His jaw ticked as he chewed on words he refused to speak aloud.
“Marco.” My tone dropped deeper, commanding his full attention. “If Ashlyn is in danger, you have to tell me. She needs to be protected. I know you’re strong, but she needs both of us to keep her safe. I can’t protect her properly if I’m blindsided. Talk to me. Tell me what’s going on.”
Some of his resistance cracked. “You can’t tell Ashlyn.”
My blood ran cold at the thought of my angel being threatened. “I won’t. I don’t want her to be afraid, either. Whatever it is, we’ll handle it. Together.”
“Someone was stalking her,” he admitted hoarsely. I tensed but forced myself to remain silent, biting my cheek hard enough to draw blood. “He followed her after she got out of class. He was dressed like a student, but the clothes were wrong. Too new. So, I texted you to join us at the café and watched him. He tailed her.” Light flashed over his black eyes like white-hot flames. “He watched our girl. I knew…” He swallowed hard. “I knew he wasn’t a student. I told myself there was a chance that he was just some guy who’d become obsessed with her, and I had to question him to find out.