****JACKIE'S POV****
How do I explain to her what she saw?
How do I tear her away from the man behind her without revealing anything deep?
This is so frustrating.
But, this is what I chose over finding Annie on the floor passed out or poisoned. Living with a snake amongst us will be difficult, but a snake can be tamed...a lion cannot.
Paul is trying to create a rift between Annie and me, one which he can take advantage of. And if she told him about the awkward scene she witnessed, then getting her back would be a little more difficult than I anticipated.
"This is my house."
Ah yes, the grown-up card. It should work perfectly fine.
Annie looks up into my eyes, her brown pair delivering disappointment. Her lips part as if to say something, but ends up saying nothing. With her eyes still on me, she steps forward, abandoning Paul.
"Do you...need anything?" Annie asks, a faint taint of sarcasm blended into her tone. Is she...mad?
Her eyes possess a streak of disgust as she gazes up at me. What did Paul tell her out there?
The slight thought of Paul ruining my chances with Annie infuriates me deeply, but I cannot bare open my feelings in front of Annie.
"Yes." My tone softens. "Go into my office and wait for me."
A frown that conveys her unwillingness spreads over her face like butter. One which I easily ignore and shift my attention to Paul. Our fierce glares collide almost immediately, yet neither of us breathes a word. Not till Annie walks away, vanishing in the hallway to my left.
I wait for another thirty seconds, waiting to hear the door closing just to be sure she is out of hearing range.
Like the wind, I move straight at Paul, grabbing him by the collar of his heavy jacket, and push us both in one direction till his back slams on the wall. The little table close by makes some noise, but it's all ignored by both of us.
"You!" I hiss, scowling the life out of his eyes. "What have you told her?"
Paul scoffs, sounding amused even.
The arrogance flickering in his gray eyes wounds my ego. I'm the only man in Annie's life who's allowed to radiate such pride. No one else.
"What do you think?"
I grip the collar harder, inching my face closer till my furious breaths slap against his face. "Don't act smart with me Paul. You keep forgetting that I raised her for years."
"Wow! Not bad for a to-be dad. You have some skills."
"If I find out that you're misleading her, I swear to God-"
"Sweat what? To kill me? Torture me? Or do you want to break my hands now?"
Ah! How had I forgotten the old punishment for naughty boys?
A sinister grin surfaces and Paul swallows hard. "Your hands won't be enough. I can add a leg or two, and maybe a few ribs. How does that sound?"
He shoots his hands up to knock mine off of him, but the strength I have directed in my arms is far greater than his. "And how will you explain it to Annie?"
"Her? Why don't you leave that to me, hm?"
Paul suddenly breaks out in a cackle, no longer bothered by my suppression. His laughter strokes the last thread of patience inside me, fueling the hatred I've always had for him.
I haul his body even closer, my right hand retreating to prepare a hard punch. If words fail, punches always succeed.
Dark excitement brews in my soul to the mental image of Paul's bruised face and bleeding mouth. Just as my fist connects with Paul's jaw, a feminine shriek arrests the air.
Paul stumbles backward, either from my brutality or from the act he is deep into.
It all makes sense now, he was poking me intentionally, leading me to a trap because she was right there. How stupid of me to have allowed him to get into my head and bring out the beast that lays quietly?
"Paul!" Annie screams running past me and straight for him. She quickly tucks her shoulder beneath his, while Paul remains committed to his pretense and exaggerates the blow that it is. He's searching for sympathy from Annie and she's giving it to him, why?
Why does she care so much for a man whom she's met only a few times?
"How could you Jack? Is it not enough that you did what you did?"
My brows furrow as more shock electrocutes my heart following her questions. She's never been this protective over me. What could the two possibly have said to each other to create such a bond?
Her actions.
Her words.
Her temper.
They all push me to my limits.
I cannot just stand here and watch the woman I love cling on to another man.
"Come here," I breathe reaching out for her arm. Without any apologies, I tear her away from the Oscar-recognized actor, leaving him stumbling against the wall.
Annie cries out, resisting me.
"This is for your own good," I hiss arresting her arms behind her as her body smothers on mine.
"What are you do- let me go right now!"
"Enough already!"
"I'll scream till your ears bleed. Let me go!"
'When her memories slip back, she'll be glad I did this.' Words of comfort as I swing her off the floor and into my shoulder like a bag. Something that is not entirely new between the three of us. I had done it before, and I've done it again. In both instances, snatching Annie from Paul after she experiences some emotional wounds from me.
Gawd! How bad am I at this game of love?
Always repeating the same mistakes.
"Paul, call the cops. This is a case of manhandling!" Annie continues shouting and wriggling on my shoulder, fighting me against wherever I'm taking her.
Oh gawd!
I can't hold it back anymore. It crawls through my veins and muscles like it's part of me. And when it erupts, I deliver one hard spank on Annie's ass which is protected by her jeans. The impact won't be painful, but it shuts her up at least.
Or so I think.
She gasps, taken aback by my action, before resuming pounding on my back like a door. "How dare you? You're a pervert, do you hear me?"
"Oh I hear you loud and clear missy. Now be still or that won't be the only punishment you receive?"
"I'm a grown-ass woman. How dare you spank me? I swear I'll report this as a case of-"
*Smack*
*Smack*
Two more render her immobile for about half a minute. Just enough time for me to hurry into my office and shut the door.
She's still quiet as I set her down on the couch, her hair disheveled like a Hardrock fan's.
I extend my thin kindness and lower myself on the chair arm to comb it for her with my bare fingers.
She says nothing. Her eyes remain fixed on the floor like a statue, not even a single blink.
"You're disgusting. A pervert. A violent man, and a-"
My hand quickly whips her face to the side to look at me. A dark tone overtakes my tone as I whisper, "You liked this disgusting pervert...a whole lot."
She wraps her slender hands around my wrist to pull down my hand squealing, "That was before! How can I like a man who sleeps with his-"
"Don't dare insult me!" It comes out as a fierce hiss. But hearing her pour her sudden resentment at me is aggravating, to say the least. She, the horny devil who always teased and left me hard enough to cut through a stone was now calling me a pervert! How funny.
If only she possessed a streak of those horny memories, she would not run her pretty little mouth at me like this.
YOU ARE READING
His To Save
Romance(((Book 2 of His Series))) Five years since Annie embarked on a self discovery and vengeance journey. She has grown, a lot, and is ready to take on the world. And the world is hers to take, as long she does not lose herself in the process. B...
