𝐕𝐈𝐓𝐑𝐈𝐎𝐋𝐈𝐂 ❶

𝟏𝟖. ✭ 𝐓𝐎𝐑𝐄𝐘 ✭

Everyone heads out the door and I look down at the woman I'd wrapped in my arms, who is now currently glaring at me. "What'd I do now?"

She slips out of my hold. "This." She gestures to my arm. "Why do you have to be so protective? You've always been... prepotent in your own way but never quite like this. It's so territorial, Torey." I ponder that for a moment because she's not entirely wrong.

The difference is that, previously when we had been together, I knew none of Dedaj's men would try to pursue her. None of them would be arrogant enough to think they could get away with it besides me. Now, she's got another man who pines for her affection, one that isn't afraid, and one that she's also slept with— and I hate it.

"Do you want me to be honest with you?" Probably the best route at this point since our relationship has been riddled with lies. "Because I can tell you the blatant fact of why I'm acting the way that I am." Even though I'm sure she already has an idea.

"I think it's about time we were honest with each other." She crosses her arms over her chest and assesses me. "I am not a tree and you are not a dog." Meaning I cannot piss all over her. But I could very damn well near try. "I do not belong to you, Torey. I am not a thing."

"Tucker... Brooks... whatever his fucking name is." I wave offhandedly. "The two of you had a relationship, like a real relationship, like how normal people have a relationship. Well, as normal as you would consider a relationship is with your hired stalker." Her features twist up at that and I know she didn't particularly care for being reminded that he had watched and followed her for a year. "Anyway, we never got to be like that, Dani. We never got to be with each other freely like that."

In truth, Dani and I had to hide our relationship completely. There were never any dates anywhere. No trips to the movies or cutesy regular couple things. We never got the chance to live together or to even wake up together just because we wanted to. On the occasions we accidentally did awake in the same bed it was an extremely rare and risky endeavor to not be found out.

"I used to think that you were ashamed of me." She looks away from me. "That being with your boss's daughter made you seem weak somehow to the others." I remember us having that conversation over pillow talk one night. "Then you tried to explain it to me and I didn't understand. When you wouldn't leave with me that night I didn't understand. I thought I wasn't good enough, Tor. Then I met Brooks." She looks up at me with large, sad eyes. There's even a bit of guilt there and that is guilt for sleeping with me, I'm sure of it. "Brooks made me feel good and more than enough. He made the world a brighter place than the dark pit I had fallen into after... everything."

I want to tell her that everything between the two of them was a lie, a ruse because it was his job to make sure she was okay. I can't tell her that though, not in good conscious, because he would not be wanting to kick the absolute shit out of me for being covered in her marks if that were true.

Brooks saw Dani as his and, because I'm the arrogant dickhead that I am, I'd wanted him to take in the muscles and the tattoos as well as her marks— the choice Dani had made over him. I wanted him to feel like he was just a place holder and he had done exactly that. Apparently, as it would seem, she is not so much over him though.

"So what exactly are you trying to tell me, Dani?" I spear a hand through my hair angrily and lean against the wall. "You want to be with him over me after we fucked several times last night?" She shakes her head as she looks at me, seemingly not knowing what to say. "Well what is it, Dani, huh!?" The last words came out a bit more vexed than I'd intended.

"It's not that simple. This situation is not black and white and you know that!"

"You know what, Dani, you want to be with him then whatever, go right ahead." I push myself away from the wall and head for the stairs in desperate need of a shower.