His Revenge (Power Play #1)

Chapter 30

"I don't want to be with Todd!" Erin yelled back at him, "I want you, Ethan. I don't care what my parents think, I don't care about your background..." She broke off, choking back tears of fear and frustration. "Please, I love you....

"Not another fucking word Erin." He snapped, his eyes blazing. "I don't need your apology, your explanations and certainly not your goddamned pity. There's nothing you can say right now that's going to do either of us any good."

He straightened and turned away, raking a hand through his hair in frustration. "You need to leave now, before I say something we'll both regret."

Erin felt her heart break in two. She'd known he would take this hard, had known there was every possibility he would throw her out of his apartment, but a small part of her had been hoping he loved her enough to be forgiving...hearing him say those words was like a knife slicing open her heart with every syllable. Still, she wasn't going to give up, Ethan loved her and even though he was furious at her right now, she knew that if she walked away now, she would be throwing away something that meant the whole world.

Steeling her resolve, she straightened her shoulders and stared him down. "I admit I made a mistake, Ethan and that's why I came here...to fix that mistake." Folding her arms across her chest, she shook her head, obstinate. "I love you, Ethan. And there's nothing between Todd and I...if you must know, I called him a couple of days ago and we parted on friendly terms. I did this even before I knew you loved me, because you are the only man I want. I don't care what my parents think, I know what my heart wants. So you're either gonna have to toss me out or call the cops to do it. I'm not leaving until you forgive me."

Ethan went still, every nerve tense at her declaration. Erin wished he would turn around so she could see his expression, to judge just how a deep an impact her words had caused. But he didn't face her, just stood still, the only sign that he was stricken were his fists, clenched tightly. Seconds turned into a minute and stretched, then broken by Ethan's bitter laugh. "I should have known you'd pull a stunt like this. Fine, stay if you wish...I'll leave instead."

He spun round and stalked to the living room in quick strides. A moment later, Erin heard the front door slam.

"Oh God!" Erin buried her face in her hands, pain and rejection oozing out her body in waves. His harsh voice still reverberated in her ear, her mind painfully running the conversation over and over again until she felt like a broken record.

Darkness had fallen by the time Erin finally raised her head, her eyes and heart empty...unable to process anything. In a daze, she moved to his bedroom sinking down on his bed and reached for a pillow, hugging it close to her, his scent soothing her a little, stirring up a fresh round of tears that she'd thought impossible by now.

**********

Ethan rubbed at his eyes, gritty and red-rimmed from the lack of sleep as he entered the dark living room. He groped his way to the couch and flopped down, groaning as the aching in his legs eased and his muscles nearly wept in relief. After leaving the apartment, he'd walked and walked...not caring where he was going...the need to put as much distance between himself and Erin as he could possibly manage the only thing on his mind, seeking to escape the mind numbing pain that consumed him, even though he'd downed enough alcohol to fill a small pond. He'd forced himself along, the feel of the cold air on his exposed skin slowly working to clear his alcohol fudged brain until he'd been thinking logically, finally able to process the truckload of thoughts in his head.

Finally, his brain had registered the screaming pain in his legs and he'd become aware of his surroundings, stunned to find himself wandering about a small park in the dark a good distance away from his place...and Erin. Tired, but still reluctant to return, he'd sat for the next few hours, the events of the past few hours running through his brain like a bad movie, until he'd come to a decision.