alone.
I’m outraged when he grabs my arm and shakes me. “Up,” he snaps curtly, manhandling me to my feet. What the hell?
“Get your fucking hands off me,” I yell, not at all sleepily, tossing my elbow out to the side in an attempt to shrug him off, but his face is low and . . .
Crack.
My bony elbow collides with his nose, and it seems to explode, blood pouring over his lips. Danny flinches and blinks rapidly, caught off guard, his eyes watering madly in an instant.
“Motherfucker,” he breathes, taking his hand to his nose before inspecting it. It’s a blood-stained mess. Oh shit. He looks like he’s going to launch me into outer space with his fist, his knuckles going white with the force of his clenched hands. Then his bloody nose starts pouring all over the carpet, and he curses, holding it while he paces to the bathroom. For some strange reason, I follow him, finding him bent over the sink, big fat drops of blood hitting the porcelain in consistent light thuds, splashing up the shiny white enamel.
I have no idea what possesses me. No idea at all. “Did that hurt?”
His eyes lift and look at me in the reflection, his face blank. It did hurt. I can tell. He was surprised, and his watery eyes suggest pain. “No.” His lips don’t even move, his snappy answer delivered through clenched teeth.
I can’t help it. My cheeks start to pull, and as hard as I try, my smirk can’t be held back. I’m forced to reach up and pinch my nose, feeling laughter rising from my toes. I mustn’t laugh. He’ll likely strangle me if I laugh.
His shoulders rise, he wipes his nose roughly, and he slowly turns to face me, not in the least bit impressed. He’s twitching violently, and I just know it’s because he doesn’t know what to do. Well, actually, he does. Kill me. But he won’t. I’m no good to him dead.
I rein myself in and step back, seeing his muscles engaging. My face straightens quickly, my own muscles becoming alert, ready to fight.
His nose is still dripping. His jaw solid. His eyes wild. Then he’s coming at me fast, and I try desperately to locate the shield that always keeps me safe, that protects me from my life—from the pain, the grief, the plain awful. His arm draws back as he approaches. My shield can’t be found. I close my eyes and brace myself for it.
“Arhhhhh,” I scream, flying into the air and landing on something hard. I’m disorientated, brushing my hair out of my face as I bounce up and down. No sooner have I figured out that he’s flung me onto his shoulder, I’m in the air again, this time landing with a thud on something soft. The bed?
My ankle is seized, and I’m yanked to the edge where he stands. He still looks like a psychopathic killer, but that doesn’t stop me from trying to kick him. He catches my other ankle too, and I wriggle and buck like a mad woman, vehemently trying to fight him off. Then in a quick move, he crosses his arms, therefore my legs too, and I’m spun onto my front, his hand on the back of my neck, applying pressure in a small spot that effectively paralyses me. I actually cannot move, my cheek squished into the pillow.
His face appears, his knee in my back, his entire body holding me in place, but it’s his touch on my neck keeping me still. He looks like he’s been ripping apart a fresh kill, his nose smeared with fresh blood, more still dripping, making a mess of the bed sheets. “I want to fucking kill you.” He brings his face down, closer, allowing me to see the murder etched across it.
What kind of woman ever smirked at such a threat? And from a man like Danny Black? Me. That’s who. I’m certifiably in-fucking-sane. “Then kill me,” I breathe. “And make it slow and painful.”
“What the hell are you?” He’s completely stunned.
“I’m a heartbeat,” I reply simply, staring at him. “I’m nothing, Danny Black. And you are God.” His hold on my neck flexes, but he doesn’t release me. He just gazes at me while he continues to pour blood all over the place, including me. “You’re going to ruin the bed,” I whisper.
“Fuck the bed.”
“You’re going to ruin my clothes.”
“Fuck the clothes.”
“You’re going to ruin me.” I hold my breath and watch as he