Violence (Antihero Inferno #3) - Lily White Page 0,90
of my bed, his forearms resting on his spread knees, his head hanging down. When he looks up at me, he runs his thumb slowly along his bottom lip, pure hatred brimming in his eyes as he studies me.
“He deserved a lot worse. The only reason he’s not nursing a busted nose and several broken bones is because he’s your brother. Although, you might want to warn him he just used up his last chance with me.”
Right. Like I can warn Dylan about anything. The little shit wouldn’t listen even if I did.
I open my mouth to argue, but the words hang there unspoken when Ezra pushes up to his feet and storms toward me. My back hits the door and he cages me in, bringing his face down so we’re eye level as usual.
As far as intimidation tactics go, I’ll never deny this one works. That damn amber stare of his has a way of making my heart stutter and my fear explode. His eyes glimmer with male appraisal, trapping me in place, so cold they burn.
“I just realized today that I owe you something. It’s why I’m here.”
I shake my head. “Yeah, nope. You don’t owe me a thing. Sorry you wasted your time coming over. Be sure to drive safely on your way home.”
He grins, but not in a way that makes me feel safe.
Leaning in closer, Ezra runs the tip of his nose against my jaw line, his fingers sliding over my waist in a soft threat, his smile stretching against my cheek when my body trembles at how close he is, a soft, feral sound of pure male satisfaction crawling up his throat.
“You’re cute,” he whispers, and sadly it’s the nicest thing he’s said to me in the past four weeks, even if it is said in a way that drags icy fingers down my spine.
I fight to swallow, my voice a shaky whisper when I ask, “What do you owe me?”
“Three truths. Three pieces of my fucked-up life.”
My teeth are sharp against my lip. And while I want to tell him not to worry about it, that he can move away from me now and take his truths with him, I need those pieces and refuse to give them up.
I need to know. Even if he’s terrifying and cold while he gives those secrets to me.
His breath beats against my face, his scent wrapping around me in the most sensual of promises. But it’s his heat that melts me against the door, my legs weak and palms pressed to the wood beside my legs.
Closing my eyes, I absorb this man. Take him into me. Every part of him.
His cold rage.
His threats.
His insults.
His hatred.
His violence.
Like the stupid woman I am, I invite all of him in.
Because I love Ezra and always will.
Even if he stopped loving me a long time ago when I had no choice but to hurt him.
“Fine, Ezra,” I say, my voice so weak even I can barely hear it, “if that’s what you want, just tell me.”
Ezra
There’s wisdom in the belief that a person should keep their enemies within reach. Keep them close. Keep them where you can study their behavior, their words, their every thought and movement.
It’s what I’ve been doing to Emily these last couple of weeks, ever since seeing her at my father’s house, her long red hair blowing around her shoulders as she walked down the driveway without a care in the world, not realizing my attention was on her.
The next time she saw Damon and me, she gave her usual smile to him and her typical scowl to me. She behaved as if she wasn’t going behind our backs and getting cozy with a man who’d abused us for more years than we can count. She batted her lashes and lied when joking with my brother, and she was careful not to meet my stare that often.
Maybe because of the way I watched her. Without an ounce of the love I’ve always felt for her. Without an ounce of remorse for the things I said that were intended to cut right down her fleshy center and twist into her heart.
I’m not sure Emily has any clue that I know what I know, but seeing as I’m not as patient as I’d like to be, I’m sick of waiting around to see if the guilt of what she’s doing ever gets to her.
Today I realized she doesn’t know the full story, that all this time, I’ve protected