From the bellows of my being, fire erupts from my throat, and I scream, “IT’S FUCKING COMING, YOU NARCISSISTIC TWIT!”
I charge through the kitchen, grab his drink, and then chuck the bottle at him, hitting him directly in the chest. Two days ago, I would’ve asked him if he was okay, today I want to know if I broke any ribs because I hope I did.
“Jesus,” he says, rubbing his chest.
“Oh, did I hurt ya? Did the bottle hit you in the wrong spot? Get a bruise?” I clasp my hands together and hold them to my chest. “I wouldn’t want you to get hurt, have a rib penetrate your lungs and make it hard for you to breathe. That would just be terrible.”
He eyes me. “I think you’re being sarcastic.”
“Oh, what gave you that impression, Sherlock?” Jesus. I start up the stairs, and I’m on the third step when his bell jingles. My skin curdles and steam blows out of my ears as I turn around and, through clenched teeth, ask, “What now?”
“This is mango. I asked for fruit punch.” He shakes the bottle I just threw at him at me.
And just like that, my face splits in two.
A feral scream roars out of me.
And I spin around and donkey-kick a dining room chair across the room before charging out of the house, keys and phone in hand. On the way out to my car, I text Stella and tell her I’m coming over and to make sure she’s dressed and ready for company.
I cannot take another minute in this house with Pike.
Not ANOTHER minute.
Chapter Twenty-Five
PIKE
My mobile beeps, and then Killian’s face comes into view. “Pike, how are you feeling?”
I shift uncomfortably on the couch and say, “Not fucking great.”
“Well, I’m glad to see Nurse Ratched hasn’t killed you yet.”
“Yeah, it was touch and go there for a second.”
“Finally push her over the edge?”
“I think so,” I say, looking toward the entryway. It’s been hours and she hasn’t come back yet. I’m pretty sure my demand for fruit punch was the final straw. “She kicked a chair and then flew out of here. That was hours ago. Pretty sure she’s done.”
“And why are you pushing her away, again? Don’t you love her? Don’t you want to be married to her? Don’t you want to spend the rest of your life with her?”
“Yes,” I say with a deep sigh. “But, Kill, she wants nothing to do with me. I know she’s here out of pity, and I don’t fucking want that. I either want her here because she wants to be with me, or I want her gone. It’s too fucking painful to have her here. To not touch her, hold her, kiss her. Thank her the way I want to thank her.”
“And you don’t think there’s any chance you can win her back?”
I shake my head. “There was a moment we had in the kitchen, a very small moment, but I think it was just old habits, you know? Because she’s put up a strong guard ever since.”
“Maybe you should switch up tactics.”
“What do you mean?” I ask as I wince from the pain that’s radiating up my leg. I was supposed to take my pain meds an hour ago but haven’t found the strength to stand up and get them.
“I mean . . . instead of pushing her away, try to win her back.”
“I told you,” I say, exasperated, “she wants nothing to do with me. And, frankly, I don’t deserve her, Kill.”
“I don’t believe that. I think you do deserve her. Yes, you might not have told her the truth in the beginning, but everything you two experienced, that was real. And she loves you. You just don’t get over something like that so easily.”
“She had papers drawn up. I signed them. It’s over.”
“Papers mean nothing. And that was probably a gut reaction on her part, done out of anger. If you’re saying you had a moment in the kitchen, then there’s still something there. Instead of pushing her away, try winning her back.”
I stare up at the ceiling, thinking about the prospect of getting Cora to fall back in love with me. It holds great appeal, because I still fucking love her. Even when she’s kicking dining room chairs across the room, I still love her. Hell, I think I love her even more, seeing that fiery spirit come to life all over again.
I’d want nothing more than to be able to pull her onto my lap when or if she gets back and tell her how much I love her, how much I appreciate her, how much I would do anything to have her in my life again.
But I’m currently at her mercy with some severe limitations.