“But was I, Tabby? I’ve been wondering that more and more lately. You were so brave to move and follow your dreams. I did what was expected. My life was mapped out for me here. Join the family business, get married have kids…”
“And I’m glad you’re finally getting what you wanted, Robbie. I hope you and Hilary will be very happy together. If you excuse me now, I’ll just make my way back to my sister and—”
“That’s just it,” Robbie says, clearly not taking a hint any more now than he did back when we were dating. He grabs my hand by the wrist before I can get away. His touch feels wrong and warning bells move through my body. I really need to get back to the dressing room and talk to my sister. She may not listen to me, but I wouldn’t feel right if I didn’t at least warn her one last time. Despite what my mother and her believe, love really should be part of a marriage.
“Robbie—”
“I’m not getting what I want, not truly. This marriage is just a big mistake. I should have called it off, but everything just kept snowballing and I felt trapped…”
“I…I don’t know how to respond Robbie. Maybe you should talk to Hilary, you two… care deeply for each other, I’m sure you can work it out.”
“That’s just it, we don’t. I mean we get along well and we both expect the same things out of life, but we don’t have anything in common. She doesn’t make me laugh like you used to Tab.”
And there go more of those warning bells.
“We were kids, Robbie. Everyone has to grow up. If you will excuse me, I’ll just be going and—”
I yank on my arm to get away from him, but Robbie doesn’t budge. He pulls me into him, I stumble trying to resist, but his hold intensifies to the point that it’s probably bruising my skin. In all of my years of knowing Robbie, he’s never been this assertive and the look on his face is so forceful it scares me a little.
“Tabby you know you miss what we had once. You never wanted me to break up with you,” he says and I cry out because somehow he twists my arm so that I fall into him, when I had been trying to maintain distance between us.
“I didn’t but that was a long time ago. Now I’m glad you did. It worked out best for both of us.”
“Tabby—”
“You have Hilary now, Robbie and—”
“I want you, Tabby. Don’t you ever just want to go back to that moment we broke up and imagine how things would have been different if we had stayed together?” he asks, and before I can respond he clamps his lips down on mine and kisses me.
Chapter Nineteen
Tabitha
I close my mouth tightly. My fingers biting into Robbie’s arms. Robbie bites my lips, harshly and I cry out. I feel his tongue begin to invade my mouth and I want to scream.
“What the fuck do you think you’re doing?” I hear Brody growl, as I’m desperately doing my best to push Robbie away from me, fighting this kiss with everything I have inside of me.
In a second there’s no need to fight, because Brody has grabbed Robbie, pulling him away. The next minute he draws back and hits Brody in the nose. Blood spurts everywhere, but Brody’s not finished. He hits Robbie again, this time in the mouth and with a hit so hard, I have to wonder if he knocked Robbie’s teeth out. Then, he hits him again and yet again… and again. Robbie’s not trying to fight back. I’m not sure he can. I hear a scream in the background, but I’m more focused on Brody and how to stop him from killing Robbie.
“Brody, stop.” I tell him, but it doesn’t seem to get a response from him. If anything he seems to hit him harder.
“You don’t put your hands on my woman!” he growls and those words have a way of making my heart speed up and a warm sweet heat fills my body. I should be more concerned with Robbie and keeping Brody out of jail, but for a moment I just enjoy the thought of Brody thinking of me as his.
“Brody!” I cry, louder this time, because it suddenly occurs to me that he could hurt himself with the strength he’s putting behind every punch. There’s no way I want something to happen to Brody’s hands. He’s a gifted surgeon, and he loves what he does.
Brody stops mid swing and turns around to look at me. His face is full of fury, and anger so intense I take a step back.
“He had no right to kiss you. Your lip is bleeding, Tabitha,” he growls.
My hand goes up on instinct to touch my lip and I feel the wetness there. In my excitement I didn’t feel the sting, but it’s there now. When Robbie bit me, he broke the skin. I want to go to Robbie and kick him in the balls—maybe even ground them in the dirt, since he’s lying on the ground now groaning from Brody’s hits. I don’t think that would help calm Brody down, however. If anything it might make him worse.