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“I…” I try to speak. My chest is rising and falling so rapidly I’ve forgotten how to breathe. A deep burning jealousy now taking over. “Sure,” I say as steadily as I can. “Then I’ll give Patrick a ca…”

I don’t finish my sentence. His hand wraps around my throat and I drop the bottle of rosé, letting it shatter onto my hardwood flooring. “Like fuck you will,” he growls before his lips come crashing down on mine.

I fold and let him devour me. I don’t want to play this game anymore. I want him, and only him.

His grip on my throat tightens a little, just enough to earn a deep moan from me. He releases me and lifts me by the waist, his shoes crunching against the broken glass as he carries me to the bed and tosses me onto it. I’m up on my knees, crawling to the edge and as he begins unbuttoning his shirt, I get to work on his buckle, needing to taste him.

But he stops me, gripping my chin with his thumb and forefinger, pulling my gaze to focus on his. Heat blazes in his eyes and it sends a thrill through my body. He brushes the pad of his thumb over my mouth, no doubt smudging what’s left of my red lipstick.

He pushes his thumb into my mouth, and I instantly suck. He groans in pleasure and then pulls his thumb out of my mouth. I waste no time pulling his pants and briefs down his thick thighs and take him into my mouth.

I’ve never felt like this; the need for him so intense it makes me feel dizzy.

I swirl my tongue over his wet tip, flicking my tongue over his piercing, and then take him all the way in until his cock hits the back of my throat.

“Fuck, baby, yes, suck my cock.” He gathers my hair into his hand as my head bobs up and down his hard length.

The need for some friction becomes too much and I reach a hand between my legs and begin rubbing circles over my clit as I continue to suck his cock. He pulls back, his chest heaving, breathing ragged as he looks down at me on my knees for him, a wild look in his whiskey eyes.

And to my shock, he pulls up his pants.

“What are you doing?” I pant.

“I’m not doing this with you, I… I can’t.” He runs a frustrated hand through his hair.

“Can’t do what?” I feel my heart fracturing, sending an unbearable pain through my chest.

“Cassidy, because of her.? I’m sorry, I...” I stutter.

“What?” he hisses. “No, it’s got nothing to do with her, she means nothing to me, Gabriella. I can’t do this because I can’t do this,” he gestures between us, “and then watch as you go running back to him. It’s fucking tearing me up inside. The thought of you being with him, him touching you, him…” His voice shakes on the last word as his face contorts in pain and a lead weight of guilt lands in my stomach.

“What?” My words are barely a whisper as I step closer and press my hands against his chest. His nostrils flare as he squeezes his eyes shut.

“Treat you like you’re nothing. There’s something going on and you won’t tell me and I need to know.”

“Why?” I fist the lapels of his shirt. A lone tear rolls down my cheek as I silently beg for him to the say the words I’m desperate to hear.

“Because I want to fix it for you.”

I shake my head. “Why?” I choke on a sob.

He rests his chin on my head as I let my silent tears fall. Is this it? Is the moment I tell him how badly I’ve messed up and the web of lies I’ve got myself caught up in. “Why?” I repeat. Waiting for his answer, but it doesn’t come.

I take a step back and look into his eyes, which looked hollow and pained. I hate myself for causing this, but I can’t keep a lid on my emotions; it all comes bubbling to the surface. “You can’t fix this for me,” I yell, making him flinch.

“Yes, I can,” he says reassuringly.

I shake my head rapidly.

“No, no you can’t. This is all my fault, my doing. It’s me who has to fix it, not you, and I’m sorry if that hurts but you just haveto trust me that I know what I’m doing and—” I’m rambling, the words falling out of my mouth like it's confession time.

“Gabriella, please, let me—”

“No, you don’t get it, this is my fault, I messed up, again, and now this is my punishment, I don’t deserve your kindness. I don’t even deserve you, but I do deserve your hatred, so just leave, please, I’ll fix this, but you need to go if you can’t stand to be around me.”

“Tell me what’s going on.”

“I can’t.”