Rather than open his mouth to give me the answers like a normal person, he steps forward, grabs me by both shoulders, and pulls me into his apartment. He closes the door behind us, locking the dead bolt into place. Suddenly, I feel like I’m caught in a cage with a wild animal rather than a human.
Before I can get a word out, not that I could get a word out anyway, he’s in front of me. His face is so close to mine, I can feel his hot breath on my skin. His body takes up all the light in the room, covering me in shadows.
I part my lips slightly, inviting him to kiss me, hoping, praying he does.
Instead, his hand slithers out, his fingers curling into the back of my neck.
My pulse pounds furiously in my ears. When he releases me, I almost sigh, but my relief is short lived, because he grabs a fist full of my hair and tilts my head back until I have to look up into his eyes. My scalp is on fire as he pulls on the roots, forcing me to keep my eyes on him.
“Is this what you want? The answers you came to find?” His voice is dripping with venom as he lowers his head to my neck, grazing the tender skin next to my ear with his teeth.
My whole body aflame, every inch of my skin electrified. This isn’t Hero.
This is the man he warned me about—the man he told me he really was.
His free hand starts roaming my body, down my throat, over my breast, and trailing down my belly. It only takes a second of him touching me for my mind to go blank.
“Did you come because you want this?” He grabs my uninjured hand and brings it to the iron shaft between his legs.
I wrap my hand around him through the thin material of his shorts, and he groans. I want to squeeze harder, give him more pleasure, but I stop myself and pull my hand away. I can’t give into him like this. I need to keep a clear head and get what I really came here for.
That’s easier said than done, though. Before I can open my mouth, Hero leans into me, pressing his kissable lips harshly against mine, swallowing any of my words and pushing all my brain cells out the window.
Then it occurs to me…
What if this is the only way I can get to him?
If this is what he needs from me right now, I’ll give it to him.
I’ll give him myself.
Chapter Eleven
Hero
I wrap my hands around her tiny waist and push her toward my bedroom. Part of me wants her to stop me, push me away and run out the door as fast as she can. The other part is terrified she might do just that. Then again, I’m not sure I’d let her. I warned her, told her not to come here, yet here she stands in all her glory.
Demanding answers, acting like she can trust me.
Didn’t she learn anything?
She’s asking for things I can’t give her right now, maybe never. She knows I’m not a good man and I’ve done bad things, yet here she stands.
But at the same time, I’ve missed her so fucking much. I’ve missed how soft her skin feels, the honey taste that lingers on my lips when I kiss her, and the way her hair smells, like sunshine and flowers on a summer afternoon.
She’s life, and I want to breathe her in, every single fucking molecule of her.
I bury my face into the crook of her neck and inhale her unique scent. It tickles the inside of my nose and does crazy things to my head. She rests her hands on my shoulders as I walk her backwards all the way up to my bed.
Her wrist is now in a brace, and it takes everything inside me not to ask her if she’s okay. Leaving her that night killed me. It ripped me apart. But it’s for the best—all of this is for the best.
So, I’ll give her this. I might not be able to give her answers, but I can give her something else—something she wants just as much as answers, or at least something her body wants.
“What were you doing that night?” She sounds breathless.
I clear my face of any emotions. I can’t let her know what I’m thinking, or how having her this close makes me feel. “Let me ask you something, Elyse, why did you come here today? It wasn’t just to ask questions.” I grin down at her as we reach the bed. The backs of her legs hit it, forcing her to sit down. I’m not sure I can go through with fucking her. I don’t trust myself with her, not physically at least.