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“I was distracted. Sometimes…it just happens. I can’t promise it will always be like that.”
His hand slowly skimmed down my arm in a feather-light touch. “I can wait until you trust me, until you look at me and don’t have that fear in your eyes, Izzy.”
“What if that never happens?” I asked, feeling tears well in my eyes. “What if I’m too broken?”
A soft smile tilted his lips. “Not possible. You’re too strong to be truly broken. I’ll help you pick up the pieces.”
God, I wanted to believe him so much. The things he said…they made me believe I could actually be normal someday. I took a tentative step forward, and then another until I was chest to chest with him. Raising my hand, I placed it over his heart and closed my eyes, feeling the steady beat. Just like last night when he held me, I found myself drawn to him, needing his touch. As my arms slid around his waist, I felt his heavy exhale against my head. Then I was cocooned in his arms, safe and cared for.
“We’ll get there, Izzy.”
26
JASON
After dropping Carli off with Tahlia, I headed into OPS for a proper training session. The urge to kill someone was growing stronger by the minute, and unfortunately, the man I wanted to kill was already dead.
I didn’t waste a minute wrapping my knuckles or stretching. I was ready to go, teeming with energy that needed to be expelled as quickly as possible before I fucking exploded. I hit the bag for a good twenty minutes before I realized I had an audience.
“Is there something you need?” I asked Johnny as I stopped the bag from swinging.
“Just wondering when I get to take my turn.”
“You’re gonna have to wait,” I growled, still fucking pissed as hell.
“Not with the bag, asshole.”
I spun, watching as he stripped out of his pants and shirt, standing there in nothing but his boxers. He dropped his hat to the ground and climbed into the ring, holding the ropes open for me.
“Get your ass in here. I don’t have all day to wait for your pussy ass,” he grumbled.
I was in the ring seconds later, swinging hard at his face. The first time my fist connected with bone, I felt the first pangs of relief. I danced around the ring, keeping on my toes as he stalked toward me, his eyes dark and brooking no mercy. Thank fuck, because I wasn’t in the mood to play.
He came at me hard, faking right and landing an uppercut to my jaw. I retaliated immediately, slamming my fist into his side before he dropped his elbows, nearly breaking my fucking hand. I let out a growl as I switched it up, slamming my fist into his face hard enough to make him stumble back a step.
I shook out my arms as I let the anger work through me. Fuck, that didn’t even touch the tip of the rage burning inside me.
“That all you got?” he taunted. “Fucking pussy hit. My mother hits harder than that.”
Normally, I might make some comment about having his mother under me last night just to rile him up, but the minute I thought it, I shut it down. All I could see were the tears in Izzy’s eyes as she fucking broke down in front of me, screaming from the nightmare that tormented her. Or the way she looked when she admitted that she hadn’t felt a man’s touch in over fourteen fucking years that she actually wanted.
After that, I blanked out, letting the rage consume me as I went on the attack. I didn’t know how long I sparred with him, but I didn’t stop until I was fucking exhausted and blood dripped from a cut above my eye. I spit blood onto the mat from the last hit I took. Bending over, I rested my arms on my thighs and cringed at the ache in my ribs. That fucker went at me hard. I probably had a few bruised ribs.
“You wanna tell me what that was about?” Johnny asked, stretching his body as he hopped down from the ring.
I collapsed on the mat, then rolled under the bottom rope. Fuck, my body was sore and worn out. “Just needed to work shit out.”
“Right,” he huffed, yanking his pants on. He needed a fucking shower, but Johnny didn’t care about that shit.
I strode over to the bench and took a seat, nodding in gratitude when he handed me a water from his bag. I chugged the whole thing, only slightly quenching my thirst. What I really fucking needed was a drink, but with a kid at home and a woman who needed me sober, that wasn’t about to happen.
Johnny slumped beside me, staring across the gym as he waited for me to open my mouth. “You could just open your fucking mouth and make this easier on both of us.”
It took a minute, but I finally gave in. “Izzy’s mine.”
I didn’t need to look at him to feel the gaze he levelled at me. “Does she know that?”
“After this morning? Yes.”