"I will never do this again unless you want me to," he said against her skin, making her shiver. "But right now, Pigtails," he paused, a ghost of a smile on his lips, "I don't give a fuck!"
She had a moment to gasp before he pressed his lips against hers.
It was every bit as perfect as he'd experienced the previous night. He placed both his hands on her face and kept her close as he showed her how much he wanted her. She leaned into him and grabbed his shirt in fists, making him groan.
It frustrated him. What did she want? Why did she kiss him back if all she ever did was reject him?
He pushed her till her back pressed against the wall, earning himself a little moan that he felt in his core. He grabbed her hands and pinned them against the wall above her head as he left her mouth to murmur her name.
She gasped for air, her chin raising, and he pressed his lips under her jaw. His mind fogged at the sensation—the delicacy of her skin, the vibration of her throat, the scent of her neck. It was all too much to take.
He was lost enough not to notice his door opening. He heard a yell of, "Bastard!" and someone pushed him off her to the floor. All his breath knocked out of him. He didn't get a moment to recover before someone punched him in the gut.
Chapter 34
Chris pulled away abruptly from Giselle, but she waited for him to come back, her mind still fazed at the realization that somewhere along the way she'd fallen in love with him.
It took her a few moments to return to reality. She opened her eyes, and what she saw injected panic into her veins. Chris lay pinned beneath Xavier who punched him repeatedly.
"How dare you force yourself on her?" Xavier bellowed, then struck him. "What? You thought she was helpless? Did you think she had no one?"
It started with mumbles, "No, no, no, no..." She covered her mouth, horrified. "No, please stop!"
But they didn't listen. Xavier continued his onslaught, clearly mistaken about Chris's intentions. How could he ever force her? They loved each other. It was the purest form of love she'd ever experienced, and she wanted to curse herself for realizing it so late.Too late.
"Xavier!" she called, but he paid her no attention.
Chris lay under him, bloodied and limp, though conscious. Xavier wrapped his hands around his throat, squeezing so tight, he went red.
Gasping, she ran to pull him away. She clawed and pulled and punched and yelled, "Stop it!"
He continued to choke him.
"Xavier!" she screamed at the top of her lungs, till her voice became hoarse, "Xavier! Stop! Stop! You're killing him! Xavier! Stop it!"
He froze as if he'd finally heard her, left his victim, and turned toward her while Chris gasped for air on the floor before collapsing.
Scared, Giselle stumbled back a few steps as Xavier stood, looking unhinged. He held her hand and pulled her to him. She whimpered in his arms, trying to push back.
"Do not pull away from me!" he said harshly. "You're mine!"
"Please leave me. You're scaring me! What is wrong with you?"
He let her go. "You'rewrong with me! I've lost my mind because of you!"
She stared at him for a moment, moving back till her back was against the wall. She asked, "Why are you doing this?"
"He was forcing himself on you, my love," he said gently, giving her whiplash. "I couldn't let that happen. Thank the Devil, I saw that weird girl running out of his house when I was looking for you. She told me of his intentions. She told me he was forcing himself on you. I was only protecting you."
"You were about to kill him," whispered Giselle.
He threw a disgusted glance at Chris who lay bloodied and motionless on the floor. "He deserved it."
"No, he didn't!"
His head tilted. "Even if he was trying to rape you?"
She gasped. "He was not. Stop saying that!"