The Scars of Us(Scars Series)

Kaiya’s screams woke me in the middle of the night. Gasping for air, she sat up and clutched her throat as tears ran down her face. I tried to rub her back once I sat up, but she jerked away as soon as I touched her.

“Hey, it’s just me, Warrior. You’re safe,” I murmured softly, trying to soothe her.

Her eyes were wide with fear as she looked at me, examining every inch of my face, making sure it was really me. Finally, she leaned into my body and sighed before starting to sob again. F*ck, I hate when she cries. Pulling her into my lap, I attempted to comfort her, just like earlier that day. “Shh, baby. Don’t cry. I’m not going to let him hurt you ever again.”

Heavy footsteps pounded outside the door, getting louder with every step. Bursting into the room, Kamden flipped on the light, and his eyes darted from Kaiya in my arms to my face. “What did you do to her?” he seethed, his teeth gritted and fists clenched as he approached the bed.

“Nothing—she had a nightmare,” I defended. Kaiya had her face buried in my chest. Her tears dripped down my skin as she continued to cry uncontrollably.

“Let me have her,” he demanded, motioning with his hands for me to hand her to him.

I felt like I was having deja vu from the night she was attacked. I shook my head. “Nah, I’m good. I’ve got her.”

Kamden’s nostrils flared as we stared each other. “You and me,” he gestured stiffly, the anger evident in his tone and body. “We need to have a talk.”

“Not right now we don’t,” I countered, not backing down.

He stuck his jaw out defiantly. “In the morning.”

“Fine,” I clipped. Leave already.

He angrily stalked out of the room without another word, leaving me alone with Kaiya. Finally. Softly stroking her hair, I whispered words of comfort and rocked her gently. I didn’t know how long we sat there like that, but I didn’t care. She needed me, and I was going to do everything I could to be there for her.

Once she finally pulled away, her face was splotchy and her eyes were red. Moisture streaked her cheeks as she gazed up at me, still loosely holding her throat.

“Wanna talk about it, baby?”

She scanned over my face again as she bit her bottom lip, deciding whether or not to tell me. I expected her to say no, but she shocked me by nodding and letting out a heavy breath.

“We were seventeen. Kaleb had been more aggressive than normal for a few weeks, so I’d been avoiding him as much as possible, staying late at school, hanging out at Nori’s, partying, going anywhere but home. That really pissed him off, and…” She paused as a sob broke through. I rubbed her back while she took some deep breaths to calm herself. Her voice was still shaky when she spoke again. “He… he took it out on me one afternoon when no one else was home. He took off my clothes, and started touching me, which I was used to already, but then… then he started taking off his clothes, too,” she softly cried, choking back another sob.

My body was a volcano ready to erupt with rage. How could her brother, her twin no less, do that to her?

“He’d never done that before, and I put two and two together, knowing what he planned to do. Usually he just took my clothes off, but he’d caught me having sex with a guy from our school, found out that I’d given something away that was supposedly his, so he wanted to take it back. I mean, it wasn’t the first time that I’d had sex, but it was the first time Kaleb had found out about it.”

One hand squeezed mine as the other fingered the scar on her throat. “I fought against him, but then he pulled a knife to my throat. He touched me more before stopping to take off his shirt. I tried to get away then, but he caught me before I got to the door. He pinned me and pressed the knife into my neck.” She took a deep breath, and her lip quivered as a few more tears trickled down her face. She composed herself some before continuing, barely above a whisper, “Kamden came home early and busted through my door. He pulled Kaleb off me, but I ended up getting cut in the process. Kamden beat Kaleb unconscious, and then called 911.”

Wow. “What happened after that?”

“I had to tell the police everything, which was so much. Things had been going on for as long as I could remember, even when we were really young. I didn’t know it at the time, but he was overly affectionate and touched me inappropriately. It progressed over time, and he started becoming aggressive and possessive, touching me regularly when we started middle school. Everyone questioned me, asking me why I didn’t say anything sooner, but it was all I ever knew. I thought it was normal until high school, but even then, I was too scared of him. He always said he’d kill me if I told anyone, and I believed him. I didn’t think anyone would believe me anyway. I mean, Kaleb was my twin. Who would think that my own—” she sobbed, unable to speak anymore.

“I’m so sorry, Warrior,” I murmured as I placed a soft kiss on her forehead.


Tilting her head, she looked up at me as I cradled her in my arms, her hand covering her throat. Gazing down at the beautiful, broken woman in my arms, all I could think about was how I could save her from her darkness, the darkness created by someone who should have never been the cause of it.

Reaching my hand up, I lay it on top of hers. I wanted her to feel less self-conscious about her scar, to let go of the fear and negativity associated with it. Slowly pulling her hand away, I kept our eyes locked. She slightly stiffened but didn’t pull away or object to my actions.

I ran my fingers through her hair as I gently tipped her head back. Bringing her closer to me, I leaned down to her neck and pressed light kisses along the scar on her throat. Her body trembled as she cried beneath my lips before she grasped my face in her hands.

Moving my head away from her neck, she brought my mouth up to meet hers. Connecting our lips, she wrapped her arms around my neck and molded against me. I felt her tears on my face before she pulled away and brought our foreheads together. “Thank you,” she whispered.

I wiped the tears from her cheeks before laying us back down. Positioning our bodies together, I enveloped her in my arms as my body fit to hers. Kissing the back of her neck, I murmured, “Go back to sleep, baby. I got you.”

Moving closer to me, she relaxed in my embrace. A short while later, her breathing deepened as sleep found her again, and I hoped that I could keep her nightmares away.





The blaring of Kaiya’s alarm clock woke us. She withdrew from my arms and slid to the edge of the bed to turn the stupid thing off.

“Come back to bed. It’s still dark out,” I grumbled as I reached for her.

“I have to go to work,” she replied as she rubbed her face, her voice heavy with sleep.

“Call in sick or something. We can play doctor,” I said as I raised my eyebrows suggestively with my eyes barely open. She laughed, but still rose up off the bed.

“I’d like that, but Mondays are busy for me at the office. There’s no way I could miss.”

Throwing the sheets off me, I sat up before stretching and yawning. “I’ll drive you.”

“It’s okay, you can sleep. I’ll take the T,” she called from her closet.

I scoffed. Like I’d really let her take the transit. “You’re not taking the T. I’ll drop you off.”

We went back and forth a few times before she finally conceded. I got dressed before Kaiya made Kamden and me breakfast. Then, she went back to her room to finish getting ready, leaving us alone.

“So, about that talk,” Kamden started as he stirred his coffee.

It’s too early for this shit.

“Yeah?” My voice was gruff and irritated. I was so not in the mood to talk to him.

He turned in his seat to face me, crossing his arms over his chest. “What are your intentions with my sister?”

I laughed dryly, “None of your business.”

“Kaiya is my business!” he roared as he slammed a fist on the counter. He craned his neck to look down the hall toward Kaiya’s room before directing his attention back to me. He lowered his voice, but the anger in it was still obvious, “If you hurt her, I swear to God, I will-”

“Look, I lo-” I paused for a split second, catching myself, “care about Kaiya. I’m not going to hurt her.”

We glared daggers at each other until Kaiya walked back into the room. Tension radiated from both of us as she looked from Kamden to me. “Everything okay?” she asked.

“Everything’s fine, sorella,” Kamden answered with a forced smile, his voice still strained with lingering anger.

Kaiya met my eyes, seeking my agreement with her brother’s statement. “Yeah, everything’s great, baby.”

I could tell by the wary look on her face that she didn’t completely believe us, but she didn’t press the issue further. “Ready to go?” she asked as she came up to me.

Nodding, I followed her to the front door. She said goodbye to Kamden before we walked out. As we went down the stairs, she questioned, “What was that all about?”

“Just Kamden being protective, that’s all. Don’t worry about it.” I shrugged nonchalantly.

Rolling her eyes, she responded in irritation, “He acts like I’m a child.”

Chuckling, I replied, “He’s just worried about you—he loves you.”

“I know,” she sighed as a small smile took over her face. “He can be a little much sometimes, but he really is a great big brother.”

“Great for you; me, not so much,” I joked.

“Yeah, I’d hate to be in your shoes. He doesn’t like you very much,” she admitted with a light laugh.

“His opinion doesn’t matter to me—only yours does.”

We reached my truck, and I walked Kaiya to the passenger side. She turned to face me, placing her back against the door. “I guess you’re lucky that I like you,” she teased with a playful grin.

Tugging on one of her curls, I twisted it around my finger and leaned in to kiss her. As I pulled away, I looked into her eyes, letting go of her hair as I ran my knuckles down her cheek. “Yeah, I’m pretty lucky.”

Kaiya’s cheeks flushed as I opened the door. I helped her step into the raised cab before getting in on my side and starting the engine.

Kaiya rested her hand on my knee the whole drive to her work. She leaned over to kiss me when we reached her office and groaned when we broke apart. “I really don’t want to go to work.”

Pulling her back to me, I gave her another kiss. “I told you to call in sick, but you insisted that you had to come.”

She glanced up at the tall building before looking back at me. “Fine,” she moaned. Gripping the handle of the door, she cracked the door open. “See you later?”

“Yeah, baby. Have a good day.”

She smiled as she hopped out of my truck and shut the door. Blowing me a kiss goodbye, she waved and walked toward the building.

After I dropped her off, I went back to my house to sleep before I had to go to work. I had a busy schedule filled with training sessions and classes to look forward to, so I needed to have as much energy as possible to get me through the day. I couldn’t imagine having to get up early every morning like Kaiya did to go to work.

I woke up a little before lunch time, and I didn’t have to go in until a couple hours later. I decided to see if Kaiya had gone on her lunch break yet.



Me: Have you had lunch yet



Warrior: No



Me: Can I pick you up



Warrior: Sure :) my break is in twenty



Me: See you soon

Kaiya met me outside her office building twenty minutes later, and we decided to go to a deli around the corner to save time. After we were seated, I asked, “How’s your day been?”

She groaned unhappily, “Grueling. Mondays are the worst. We have so many meetings. How about you?”

“Good. I went home and slept for a couple of hours.”

“Must be nice,” she replied sarcastically.

“Eh, it was okay.” I shrugged. “I’d much rather have stayed in bed with you.” I wiggled my eyebrows suggestively.

“Me too, but I don’t have the luxury of working after lunch time like some people.” She gave me a playful glare.

The waitress, a cute blonde with a heavy Boston accent, came to take our drink order. Once she left, we talked about one of Kaiya’s meetings until the server brought us our waters and wrote down our meals.


When she walked away, Kaiya asked, “Do you have a busy day today?”

“I have a few classes and personal training sessions. They should keep me busy.”

Kaiya swallowed nervously before saying, “Speaking of classes, I don’t know if I should go to self-defense anymore.”

“What? Why?” My face scrunched in confusion.

Sighing, she looked away at the wall. “I totally embarrassed myself last night. How am I going to be able to look those people in the eye after they saw me freak out like that?”

“Hey, look at me.” I grabbed her hand across the table and rubbed it until she met my eyes. “No one will judge you. Hell, some of them have been in abusive relationships, and probably can relate to feeling out of control. Don’t worry about what everyone else will think.”

She exhaled a breath. “Can’t you just give me private lessons?”

“Although I would love to,” I paused, smirking as I thought about all the things we could do if I gave her private lessons. I put the thoughts to the side, saving them to act out later. “I’m not going to. I know you can do this, Ky.”

Pouting, she reluctantly gave in. “Fine. I’ll keep going.”

“That’s my girl,” I stated proudly as I squeezed her hand. She was used to running when things made her scared or uncomfortable, but she had become much stronger than she was when we first met, even if she didn’t believe it. I knew she could do anything she set her mind to as long as she fought her fear.

After we finished our lunch, I took Kaiya back to her office, then went back to my apartment to get ready for work.

As I drove to the gym, I thought about the conversation Kaiya and I had at lunch, about how much Kaiya and I had changed since that first day we met. I was glad I had decided to go after her, even though she fought me and made me work to finally have her. She was so worth it, and I couldn’t imagine my life without her now. Things would be so different.

I headed straight for my office when I entered the gym, needing to look over my schedule one more time to make sure I was prepared for all my sessions and classes.

The day went by pretty quickly, and it seemed like only a couple of hours had passed when Kaiya and Kamden arrived at their usual time. Both of their faces were lit up in smiles when they walked in. I wonder what’s going on.

I had to wait until I finished with a client before I was able to talk to Kaiya. Dragging me into my office, she shut the door, threw herself into my arms, and kissed me.

“Well, hello to you, too,” I mumbled against her lips.

“I have great news. Kaleb’s release was denied!” she exclaimed excitedly after pulling back from me.

“That’s amazing, baby!” I hugged her and gave her another kiss.

“I feel like a huge weight has been lifted off me. I still can’t believe it.” Her eyes were bright with happiness and a huge smile spread from ear to ear.

I loved seeing her so happy. Maybe she would be able to get rid of all the negativity dragging her down since Kaleb wasn’t getting out now.

“We need to celebrate. Anything you want to do this weekend, consider it done.”

Squealing giddily, she bounced up and down. “I can’t wait. Thank you for being so wonderful throughout this whole mess. Most guys would have turned and run once they got a glimpse at my issues.”

I wouldn’t have been able to stay away from her—I had tried and failed miserably. Kaiya had captivated me from the very beginning, and although we had some rough times, she brought so much good into my life, changing me for the better.

“I’m not most guys. You know I like the challenges you give me,” I said with a playful wink. Pausing, I debated saying more, wary of going deeper into how I felt about her. I wasn’t ready to tell her everything, but I wanted her to know that she meant something to me. “My life wouldn’t have been the same without you, Ky.”

Giving me a sweet smile, she laughed lightly. “I know that I wouldn’t be the same if I didn’t have you, but I doubt it goes both ways.”

“Oh, it does, Warrior. I definitely wouldn’t be this… alive if you didn’t come fighting into my life,” I replied sincerely as I cupped her cheek, grazing over it with my thumb.

Standing on her tiptoes, Kaiya pressed her lips to mine and slipped her tongue in my mouth.

Suppressing a groan, I snaked my hand around to the back of her head, cradling it as I deepened the kiss, my fingers tangling in her soft hair. Her hands traveled up my chest to around my neck as she pulled herself against me, moaning softly in my mouth. F*ck, I don’t think anyone will ever taste as good as she does.

Pushing her back against my desk, I propped her up on it as her legs wrapped around my waist. Our hands roamed over each other’s bodies, eagerly exploring as they sought more.

A knock on the door jarred us apart, leaving us both panting for air. Kaiya slid off the desk, keeping her distance from me as she stared at the door.

I cleared my throat from the lust clogging it. “Come in.”

One of the other trainers walked in, holding a stack of papers in his hands. “Oh, I’m sorry, I didn’t know you were with a client. Can you come to my office when you’re finished?”

“Sure thing,” I replied, irritated at the interruption. We shouldn’t have been doing anything in the first place, but that wasn’t the point. I wanted as much of Kaiya as I could get. It didn’t matter where we were, even my work.

Once he left, my eyes ran over her, appraising her hungrily. “Now, where were we?”





There was no word to describe the elation I felt when I heard that Kaleb wasn’t going to be released. Joy, relief, and excitement all combined within me to form some amazing emotion I hoped I felt more of in the future. Everything was finally falling into place for me, and I was ready to move on with my life without Kaleb looming over me.

I was really nervous about going back to class on Tuesday following my meltdown, even after my talk with Ryker. Although I was afraid of facing everyone, I didn’t want to be ruled by my fear anymore. There was nothing I feared more than Kaleb, and now that he was out of the picture, I wanted to try and face any challenge presented to me.

Sitting in my car outside the gym, I took some deep breaths before getting out. The entire walk to the kickboxing room, I silently chanted, you can do this, you can do this. The whole situation might not have been a big deal to anyone else, but it made me so self-conscious that other people had a glimpse at my personal demons. I worked so hard to keep them private, and now everyone in class knew there was something wrong with me.

Stopping outside the door, I reached for the handle, but stilled before grabbing it. I noticed that my hand was shaking. I balled it into a fist to stop the trembling. What if they make fun of me? I laughed at myself. What am I in high school? Who cares if they make fun of me? It’s not like their opinions matter. Suck it up and quit being afraid. I took another deep breath, repeated my mantra again, and opened the door.

Avoiding eye contact, I searched for Ryker, needing his support if I was going to make it through class. If he wasn’t the instructor, I doubted I would have come back at all.

Our eyes met from across the room. His sexy smile sent warm tingles through my body, and my stomach flip-flopped, making me forget my apprehension about class.

He wore that grin as he approached me, wrapping his arms around me once he reached where I stood. Placing a kiss below my ear, he murmured in that deep, husky voice that I loved, “I missed you.”


Ryker hadn’t been hiding his affections for me for the past few weeks at class, so most of the students, if not all, knew that we had something going on. That was another reason I worried about returning—I didn’t want them to judge Ryker because of my actions. I was sure they already questioned why he was with me in the first place; hell, I asked myself that question daily. After witnessing my breakdown, they probably thought he was just as crazy to be with me.

“I missed you, too,” I softly replied, feeling my cheeks heat. Ryker still affected me the same way after almost six months, and I prayed that it never changed.

When he pulled away, I could feel the stares on us. I’d always hated that feeling, the one that made the hair stand up on the back of my neck. But with the way Ryker was looking at me, I didn’t care about what anyone was thinking as they watched us. All that mattered was that look in his eyes, the one I first saw in the picture we took at the aquarium, the one I’d glimpsed on several occasions since; the one I was sure was evident on my face every single day.

I’d never been in love before, but I was never more certain of anything in my life than I was at that moment. I loved Ryker. But was I going to tell him? No. I was scared. My number one fear had gone from Kaleb being released to losing Ryker.

Telling him I loved him might chase him away. I knew that many guys ran when a girl said those three words, and that was the last thing I wanted to do. Not willing to chance it, I decided to wait until he said it first. If he ever did. I hope he does.

Another student had started talking to Ryker, so I headed for my bag to get ready for class to start. I avoided making eye contact with anyone as I stretched out and slipped on my gloves.

As soon as my fists and legs hit the bag when we started the first combo, I was happy that Ryker convinced me to come back. I didn’t know why I thought I could give it up—kickboxing had become a part of me, just like Ryker had. Both made me feel stronger, more empowered… capable of anything. Even though I started taking the class to protect myself for when Kaleb was released, I couldn’t see myself giving it up now that he wasn’t.

Ryker came over as I was working on the second combo that he demonstrated. Those full lips of his tipped up playfully as he teased, “And you didn’t want to come back.”

Stopping, I rolled my eyes. “You were right. Thank you for making me come back.”

“I couldn’t let you give it up. Plus, I’d miss watching you work that amazing body of yours.” His voice had deepened, taking on the tone that meant he was getting turned on.

I let out a laugh before I pushed him away. “Stop distracting me.”

Backing up, he gave me a sexy pout, then headed to another student. I fought the butterflies he caused in my lower abdomen as I focused back on the bag.

Once the first part of class was over, we gathered as a group like always. When Ryker asked if anyone had requests for the next portion of class, I surprised everyone, including myself, when I raised my hand. Ryker gave me an inquisitive look, his eyebrows raising in surprise as he called on me. “Kaiya?”

I lowered my hand. “Can we learn how to defend against knife attacks?”

He smiled proudly at me, causing more butterflies to somersault in my stomach. “We can. Knives are easier for criminals to get their hands on than a gun, so many attacks involve a knife. Get with your partners.”

As Ryker walked toward me, he had a look of admiration on his face.

“What?” I asked with a shy smile as our eyes met.

“Just proud of you,” he grinned widely. “Are you sure you want to do this?”

“I’m sure. I want to know what to do if it happens again. I might not be so lucky the next time around.”

Ryker’s eyes hardened, and his jaw tensed as his lips set in a frown. “There won’t be a next time, that’s for damn sure,” he practically growled.

I waited for his expression to soften, but it didn’t. He was actually upset at the thought.

“Hey, it’s just a precaution, right? No reason to get upset,” I said calmly as I placed my hand on his bicep.

His stiff body relaxed some as he gave me a small smile. “Yeah, you’re right. I just don’t like the thought of you getting hurt.”

His words warmed my insides like coffee on a cold day. He really cares about me, doesn’t he?

He walked over to one of his supply tubs and brought out a prop knife. Stiffening slightly from the reminder of my attack, my hand instinctively went for my throat. Ryker noticed my apprehension as he came back to me. “We don’t have to do this if you’re not ready, Ky. Kaleb isn’t getting released anymore.”

Our eyes met again, and I remembered how his loving touch the other night had made me realize that I couldn’t let my attack have the kind of power it had over me; I couldn’t let Kaleb have that kind of power over me anymore. I was done being afraid.

“No, I’m ready.” I said after taking a deep breath.

Ryker paused, searching my face briefly. “Okay. First, I’m going to show you what to do if someone is coming at you with a knife. Then, we can work on defense from behind.”

Ryker took up his fighting stance, holding the knife in his right hand. “Typically, an attacker is going to try to stab you in the stomach, thrusting directly forward like this,” he demonstrated, slowly moving the knife towards the center of my abdomen. “And, most will repeatedly stab you, so you need to disable them, not just block their initial attack because they’ll come at you again.”

Handing me the knife, he instructed, “Pretend that you’re going to stab me.” When I did as he said, he shifted his hips back, moving his torso out of the way as he threw his arms out to trap mine. The back of his right arm was on top of mine while the back of his left sat under, sandwiching it in place. “When they thrust at you, you need to block their arm, prevent it from getting near you while moving your body back. Your dominant hand needs to be on top, right above their elbow, and your opposite arm needs to be under their forearm. So, for you, your right arm will be on top. I basically made my arms into an X, trapping yours in between and securing it from going further.”

Nodding, I asked, “Then what?”

“Then, you’re going to turn your top hand over, gripping the bottom of the tricep. Once you have a secure grip, move your other hand to their elbow and pull their arm into your chest, trapping it there. Act like you’re sawing their tricep with your right hand until your wrist is digging into it and then clasp your hands together. Now, you have them in a simple arm bar.”

He had executed the moves as he spoke, so I was bent over with my arm pulled back and trapped between his two, huge, muscular ones. For me, I wasn’t in any pain, just uncomfortable, because I was pretty flexible, but Ryker could easily snap my arm from the position I was in.

“Now, you’re going to want to take a step back to protect yourself from getting hit. Most people will reflexively put their other hand down on the ground to stabilize themselves. If they do, you can stomp on their fingers, which will almost guarantee breakage. Or you could just do some knees to the face, which will knock them out after a few solid hits.”

Ryker loosened his hold on me, then helped me stand upright. He rubbed my arm. “You okay?”

“I’m fine. You know I’m flexible.” I gave him a playful smile.


“That I do.” He winked, and his dark, seductive eyes gleamed with mischief. “Let’s go through it again.”

We repeated the maneuver twice more before we switched roles. Ryker had to talk me through the moves as I completed them at a snail’s pace the first two times, but they were becoming more fluid after my third try. By the fifth time, I had a pretty good grasp on the concept, but I knew I would need to practice again to really get it. Something to do at our next Saturday session.

“Now, I want to practice if someone comes up behind you and puts a knife to your throat. You think you can handle that?”

My stomach contorted uncomfortably at the thought. It’s not a real knife and it’s only Ryker. You can do this. You wanted this. Swallowing the knot of fear in my throat, I nodded. “I can do it.”

Ryker didn’t look convinced as his eyes perused my face. “If it gets too much for you at any point, just tell me and we’ll stop, okay?”

“Okay,” I meekly replied, my voice sounded frail and gauzy as I tried to hide my nerves and push down the fear trying to take over.

“Baby, I don’t like seeing you like this. Maybe this isn’t a good idea.” His eyes filled with concern, and his voice was heavy with doubt.

I was about to take the easy way out and agree, to tell him that I couldn’t do it, but I wanted to be stronger, wanted to make him proud. “I’m okay. I can do this,” I replied, hoping I sounded stronger than I felt.

Ryker didn’t say anything for a few seconds before he conceded, sighing. “Fine. I’ll talk you through the whole thing.”

As usual, Ryker had me act as the attacker first, walking me through the steps of how to defend. That was the easy part. After demonstrating several times, he asked, “Ready to try?”

I nodded, afraid to speak and betray the fact that I was borderline terrified of having that thing pressed against my throat, scared that it would cause another panic attack in the middle of class.

Ryker’s familiar body pressed up against my back. Leaning into him, I reveled in the feel of his large body and strong frame, needing it to get me through the maneuver. You can do this. Conquer your fears. Overcome your weakness.

Closing my eyes, I waited for the pressure of the knife against my scar. Instead, Ryker’s hands grazed my bare arms, trailing down until he linked our fingers together. I felt the warmth of his breath on the side of my neck before his lips met my skin. His mouth lingered there several seconds, causing a shiver to run up my spine as he whispered, “You can do this, Warrior. You’re one of the strongest people I’ve ever met. I believe in you.”‘

My heart stuttered in my chest, my breath catching at the tenderness of his words. What would I do without him?

His hands left mine, but he continued to talk to me. “I’m going to put the prop to your throat now. Remember, it’s not real, and I would never hurt you.”

One of his hands came up to grip my shoulder as he brought the fake knife to my neck. Stiffening as I felt it push against my scar, my heart started to beat erratically. It’s not real. Don’t freak out over nothing.

“It’s just me, baby. Relax. You can do this.”

I eased against him, focusing on his words.

“Good, now grab my arm with both hands, one hand on the outside, one on the inside, pulling it away as you throw your head back.”

Doing as he instructed, I fit my hands around his bulky, inked forearm, near his wrist, and threw my head back. Ryker angled to the side so that he wouldn’t get hit, expecting my move.

“Good, now after you connect, step to the side opposite of the knife, lean forward, and push that sweet ass into me.”

A laugh burst from deep in my belly because of his words. Feeling the tension leaving me over the whole situation, I followed his directions, rubbing my ass against his growing erection as I leaned over. A low, strangled groan came from him as he buried his head in the middle of my back.

“You okay back there?” I asked in a teasing tone, loving the reaction I had caused.

“Great,” he replied before clearing his throat. “Now, use your left hand to throw a hammer-fist to my groin. If I were using my other hand to hold the knife, you would use your right hand instead. After you connect, use that same arm to elbow me in the stomach and or face.”

I performed all the moves lightly, so that I wouldn’t hurt him. Ryker continued his instructions, moving on to the next step, “Keep your hands securely around my wrist as you rotate your body outward, away from me, twisting my arm around. You should end up facing me with my arm upside down in front of you, between us. From here, kick the groin and then keep twisting my arm in the opposite way from its natural bend until I fall.”

Believe it or not, I made Ryker fall flat on his ass when I did that, but he probably fell for my benefit.

“Now, you can either kick me in the ribs a few times, pry the knife from me and run, or both; your choice. I would do both just to be safe because you don’t want them to chase after you, especially if they still have the weapon.”

Opting to do both like he suggested, I completed the maneuver. Ryker stood and came over to me, wrapping me in his arms and praising in my ear, “You did it, baby. You did it.”

Squeezing him back, I held back the tears that were trying to escape. They were happy tears, but I still didn’t want to cry in the middle of class again. I did it, I really did it.

Ryker pulled back, smiling proudly at me. “You wanna practice it again?”

“Yeah. Let’s do it again.” I smiled back.

“That’s my girl. I knew you had it in you, Warrior.”

As we continued to practice the routine, I couldn’t keep the smile off my face.





The following Saturday morning, loud banging on my front door woke Ryker and me. The sun was barely creeping in my window, so I could tell that it was still early.

“Who the f*ck is that?” Ryker muttered groggily.

I started to get out of bed, but Ryker pulled me back into him, wrapping his arms around me and burying his face in my messy hair. “Let Kamden get it.”

Kamden’s footsteps sounded a few seconds later, so I snuggled into Ryker and closed my eyes to go back to sleep. The sound of yelling caused them to snap back open again moments later. I know that voice.

Outraged and shocked, I threw the covers off me and flung open my door. I could hear Ryker calling after to me, but I stormed down the hallway towards Kamden and the person he was arguing with. My mother.

When she saw me, her face reddened in anger as every feature tightened. Pointing her finger at me, she screamed, “You! This is all your fault.”‘

My fault? Is she f*cking serious? “None of this is my fault. Kaleb did this to himself!” I shouted.

“Mom, you need to leave,” Kamden replied stiffly.

Our mother ignored him, and instead of doing as he requested, she lunged for me. Ryker stepped in front of me as Kamden grabbed our mom around the waist and pulled her out the front door.

“No! This is all her fault. My baby is stuck in there because of her! He’s devastated!” she wailed before Kamden slammed the door.

I could still hear them arguing outside the apartment as my face burned with a combination of rage and sadness. How can my own mother blame me for what Kaleb did to me? How is it my fault?

Hot tears ran down my cheeks as a small sob burst through my throat. Ryker turned around, abandoning his defensive stance to cradle me to his chest. “Don’t cry, baby. She doesn’t know what the f*ck she’s talking about.”


The feel of his smooth, bare skin against me was soothing, helping calm my ragged emotions. My mom and I were never that close. Kaleb had always been her favorite, but her words still stung regardless.

“She hates me,” I cried into his chest.

“She doesn’t hate you. And if she does, then it’s her loss.” He rubbed my back softly. “For her to choose that monster over you is ridiculous. You’re a beautiful, amazing woman.”

Hearing the door open and shut, I peeked under Ryker’s arm to see Kamden walking towards us. I pulled back and wiped my face when he reached us.

“You okay?” he asked with concern.

I sniffled as I nodded. “Yeah, hurt and confused, but I’ll be fine.”

Ryker continued to rub my back as Kamden said, “I’m not condoning her actions or anything, but she’s just having a hard time dealing with all this. I don’t know how I’d cope if my son had molested his twin sister for most of their lives, especially when I hadn’t known.”

“But it’s not Kaiya’s fault. There’s no reason for your mom to blame her, especially after everything Ky’s been through,” Ryker defended with a scowl.

Kamden gave him a death glare before focusing his attention back to me. “I’m not trying to justify her actions, I’m just trying to help you understand why she’s acting the way she is.”

“I know,” I sighed. I couldn’t help but feel a little pang of pain in my chest because it did seem like he was defending her. I knew it must have been difficult for her to deal with the issues within our family. My dad had left after Kaleb was committed, making it worse, but there was no reason for her to start pointing fingers, especially when they were being directed at the wrong person. It was too early for me to try to make sense of what had just happened, so I opted for escape. “I’m going back to sleep.”

Ryker followed me back to my room, where we cocooned back in the warmth of my bed. Facing him, I placed a kiss on his collarbone as his arms came around me. His lips pressed against my forehead as he draped my leg over his thigh, fitting the lower half of our bodies together. He pulled the blanket over us, and as we lay there, entangled in my bed, I never felt safer.





After Kaiya’s confrontation with her bitch of a mom, she stayed in bed, pretending to sleep, long after I knew she was awake. I lay there with her, faking sleep, too, until I figured out a plan I thought would cheer her up. Then, I got out of bed and headed for the kitchen.

Kamden was sitting at the breakfast bar drinking coffee when I walked in. Remaining silent, I walked to the refrigerator and opened it, pulling out a few items and setting them on the counter.

“How is she?” Kamden asked. I could feel his eyes on my back as I began making Kaiya breakfast.

I didn’t turn around. “Not good. She’s laying in bed, pretending to sleep.”

“I’m going to go talk to her,” he stated. The sound of his chair pushing against the tile followed his words, and then I heard his footsteps leaving the room.

Kaiya loved French toast. Luckily, it was one of my favorites too, especially since it was a cheat day only meal, so I knew how to make it.

After I fixed a plate for Kaiya, I poured her a small glass of milk, grabbed the syrup, and put it all on a tray before carrying it down the hall toward her room. Kamden exited, leaving the door slightly cracked. He didn’t say anything as he walked past me, but I caught the smile that crept over his face when he saw the tray in my hands.

I gently kicked the door open and walked in. Kaiya was still in bed, facing the window. When I rounded the bed, her puffy, red eyes locked on mine, and I wanted to punch something because of the pain in them. I never wanted her to feel pain again now that her bastard of a brother wasn’t getting released.

Her gaze traveled down to the tray in my hands. Those pretty lips curved slightly as I sat down beside her, placing the tray over her lap. “I made you breakfast,” I said, hoping the gesture would brighten her mood.

As she focused on the plate, her smile widened and her eyes lightened as she looked back at me. “Baby, you didn’t have to do this.”

Leaning toward her, I kissed her temple. “I wanted to cheer you up. I know how much you love French toast.”

“I do. Thank you,” she replied genuinely, her voice losing most of the sadness present earlier. Picking up the fork and knife, she started cutting the bread into small squares before pouring syrup on top.

As she ate, I stole bites from her plate, getting my fingers sticky with syrup. After I took my fifth piece, Kaiya smacked my hand and playfully scolded, “Stop taking my food. Get your own.”

Chuckling, I slowly sucked the syrup from my fingers, making sure she was watching me. Those beautiful blue eyes heated with desire as she focused on my mouth, her lips parting slightly as she swallowed deeply. F*ck me.

As I moved toward her, I heard her breath stutter right before our lips met. Her mouth was slightly sticky and sweet from the syrup as my tongue parted her lips, meeting hers and tangling languidly.

I nibbled on her bottom lip before pulling away. Her cheeks were flushed as she peeked up at me from beneath her dark lashes. I loved when she looked at me that way, so innocent and seductive at the same time.

“French toast is definitely my favorite,” I joked as I licked my lips.

Kaiya burst into a laugh from my words. “Mine too.”

After Kaiya finished eating, she seemed to be in a much better mood. Her face was no longer weighed down with sorrow as a smile replaced the frown from earlier. Her eyes returned to their normal, vibrant hue instead of being tainted with redness and tears, but I could still see a trace of unhappiness in them, no doubt from her mother’s harsh words. I hoped she’d be able to get over it soon—there was no reason for her to be upset over her mom or Kaleb ever again.

We took the dirty dishes back to the kitchen, where Kaiya insisted she make me my own plate of French toast.

I sat at the breakfast bar as she cooked, inhaling the smell of cinnamon and vanilla as it wafted through the kitchen. “You excited about tonight?” I asked as I watched her.

She nodded as she flipped a piece of bread in the pan. “I can’t wait! I’ve never been to the opening of a club before.”

A new club was opening in downtown Boston, and I planned to take Kaiya out to a late dinner at an upscale restaurant before heading there. I hadn’t told her where we were going, and the anticipation was eating her up.

“Why don’t you just tell me where you’re taking me for dinner?”

“Nope. That would ruin the surprise.”

Letting out a frustrated groan, she flipped the bread again. A few minutes later, she brought my plate, and pressed a kiss to my cheek. I couldn’t help but smile, thinking about how I could get used to being this way with her. Sleeping in before making breakfast together on the weekends. Waking up to that gorgeous face every morning. Going to bed with her wrapped in my arms each night.

“What?” Kaiya asked as she sat next to me.

I wanted to tell her how I felt, but the words were stuck, caught in my throat. Clearing it, I replied, “Nothing, babe. Thank you.” p-ssy.

She smiled sweetly back at me, kicking my heart rate up. Just her smiles made me crazy. “You’re welcome.”

After I ate, I helped Kaiya clean up the kitchen. Then, I got dressed, and went back to my apartment to get ready for work. I planned to pick Kaiya up after my shift ended, and the day passed by sluggishly since I was excited about our date, thoughts playing in my head of what I wanted to do to her once we were alone afterward.


When she opened the door to greet me, I knew I wasn’t going to be able to wait until after the date. The dress she was wearing—f*ck, it was so hot on her, but the only thing I wanted to do was rip it off, revealing that creamy, soft skin underneath. I needed her right there and then.

Her expression told me that she felt the same. Nibbling that full, bottom lip, it basically looked like she was f*cking me with her eyes as they traveled down my body.

“You want to come in?” she asked seductively. “Kamden’s not home. He should be gone for a while.”

F*ck yes. “Yeah,” I answered, my voice already thick with lust as my eyes greedily devoured her body, taking all of her in.

When she turned around, leading me into her apartment, my eyes focused on that sweet ass swaying back and forth as she walked. I wanted to bend her over the bed, lift that dress up and sink into her from behind. And that’s exactly what I planned to do.

“Like what you see?” Kaiya asked, interrupting my thoughts, a sinful gleam in her eyes as she glanced over her shoulder at me.

Reaching her bedroom, I smirked. Hell yeah I do. “Yeah, baby, just wait till I show you how much.”

Then, I was on her. Our hands were everywhere as our mouths crashed together, nipping and sucking as we consumed each other.

Backing her up toward the bed, I turned her around when I felt her legs hit the mattress. Bending her over, I roughly pressed my dick against her ass, causing her to moan.

Kaiya pushed against me, rubbing that perfect ass on my cock, which was straining through my jeans.

“Yeah, baby, lift that sweet ass for me.”

My hands slowly inched the bottom of her dress up over her hips, revealing her lacy thong. Unbuttoning my jeans, I pulled my dick out before rubbing it over the soft skin of her ass.

Reaching between her thighs, I moved her panties to the side as my fingers found her p-ssy, which was soaked. “F*ck, baby, you’re so wet for me. So f*cking wet.”

I continued to play with her * as my cock neared her entrance. Teasing her, I rubbed it back and forth along her p-ssy, causing strangled cries of pleasure to sound from her.

“You like that, baby? You want my dick inside you?”

“God, yes,” she groaned.

In one, hard thrust, I sank myself into her until she was completely full of me. Her p-ssy clenched me tighter from our position as I gripped her hips, pumping in and out of her.

Our skin slapped together as I pounded into her. She fisted the sheets in her hands, moaning loudly as I f*cked her. My pace increased as I felt her pulsing around me, knowing that she was close to coming. One of my hands reached around, my fingers finding her drenched * before rapidly stroking it, causing her to tremble beneath me.

Seconds later, Kaiya came, her p-ssy throbbing around my cock as she gutturally cried out my name. I loved how it sounded coming from her lips, loved that I made her as out of control as she made me.

Gripping her hips tighter, I thrust roughly into her, shooting my cum inside her. F*ck, I loved coming inside her, claiming her p-ssy as mine. And she was mine—my drug, my addiction, my high. Kaiya was my everything.

Rolling to the side, I pulled her with me, keeping my dick inside her. I nuzzled her neck before kissing her, murmuring against her skin, “You like that, baby?”

“Mmm, hmm,” she mumbled in pleasure as she lazily traced her fingertips along my arm.

Pulling out, I got off the bed to grab a towel. Once we were all cleaned up, Kaiya straightened her dress before fixing her hair and make-up.

“Ready to go?” she asked when she came out of the bathroom.

I couldn’t help but notice the rosy flush on her cheeks from our sex. Smirking, I nodded and grazed my knuckles over one of her cheekbones before taking her hand in mine and walking down the hall.

I had made reservations at a fondue restaurant. Neither of us had ever been to one, but I had heard that the experience and the food were one of a kind.

When we entered, the room was dimly lit, each table had a trio of candles, and soft, romantic music played in the background. Kaiya smiled widely as she took in the environment, squeezing my hand in excitement.

Once we were seated, a waiter came to take our drink order. We decided to get a bottle of wine for the special occasion, and after our server left, Kaiya was beaming with happiness. I loved seeing her like that, especially when I was the cause.

“You excited, baby?” I asked as I rubbed her thigh softly.

“Yes! I’ve heard amazing things about this place. I can’t wait!” Her voice came out as a squeal as she smiled giddily.

When the waiter came back with our wine, he poured both of us a glass before asking, “Have you ever dined with us before?”

“No, this is our first time,” I answered.

“Okay, well thank you for choosing us to spend your evening with. Let me explain your options. If you want the full experience, I suggest all four courses, which is cheese, salad, entree, and dessert.” His tone was formal and polite as he continued to discuss our choices. Once he finished, he questioned, “Which option would you like go with?

I glanced at Kaiya, who still had a huge smile on her face. “I think we’ll go for the four courses so we can get the full experience.”

“Excellent choice, sir.”

After we made our selections for cheese and salad, the server left to put our order in. When he returned, he had the ingredients to make our first course and prepared it tableside. Kaiya watch with enthusiasm, her eyes wide and the same huge smile still overtaking her whole face, as the waiter crafted our cheese fondue. Just the sight of her so happy made everything right in the world.

Once dessert came, we were both already getting full, even though the portions in each course were small. We had chosen a white chocolate Crème Brulee, and it came with sliced strawberries, bananas, cheesecake squares, marshmallows and other small cake and dessert bites. The spread looked too good to pass up.

When Kaiya dipped a strawberry in the melted chocolate, I suddenly wished we were at home. Grabbing the elongated fondue fork from her, I guided it to her mouth before feeding her.

Our eyes met as it slipped into her mouth. Some of the chocolate dribbled on her lip, and I used my thumb to wipe it before bringing it to my mouth. She licked her lips when I pulled the utensil away, keeping our gazes locked.

“I wish we had this at home. I know so many places I would love to lick chocolate off of, all of them on your body,” I said huskily.

Kaiya flushed, pinker than the Moscato in her glass. “Then, we’ll have to buy one. Like tomorrow.”

She giggled as she mimicked my action, feeding me a piece of banana dipped in chocolate.

The rest of the course continued that way, with us taking turns feeding each other, giving seductive glances, and basically f*cking with our eyes.

After the waiter cleared the table of everything but the wine that we had left, I reached in my pocket and grabbed the small box I had brought with me. “I have something for you.”

Kaiya’s lips curved and her face lit up. “Baby, you didn’t have to do that. This amazing dinner was enough.”

Taking out the box, I handed it to her. “I wanted to. Go ahead, open it,” I urged. Sweat began to line my forehead as I waited for her to open it. I hope she likes it.

Her gaze left mine to look at the box. Slowly, she took off the top before taking out the small, velvet pouch inside. She carefully removed the bracelet from the bag before examining the piece of jewelry with both hands.


“I hope you like it. It took me so long to decide what charms to get for it.”

Her eyes watered as she darted them back and forth between me and the bracelet. “It’s perfect,” she whispered. Even though her voice was soft, it was still full of emotion. “I love it.”

She looked at it a few seconds longer before asking me to put it on her. After I clasped it around her slender wrist, I admired how it looked on her. The charms I had chosen all signified something, showcasing our relationship since it began.

The one closest to the clasp was a martini glass. I ran my finger over it as explained, “I got this one to symbolize our first kiss and first date since alcohol was involved in both.”

She chuckled and shook her head. “Almost all of our dates involve alcohol.” She pointed to the charm a few links away, a seal. “And this one?”

“This one is for our trip to the aquarium. My favorite of all our dates.”

She sniffled and smiled up at me. “Mine too.”

The third was an open book. “I know you love to read, that it helps you escape sometimes.” She had told me that when thoughts of Kaleb overwhelmed her, sometimes she read to help get her mind off him.

Her voice was choked by emotion as tears began to rim her eyes. “This one.”

She was pointing to the charm on the opposite end, a pair of boxing gloves. “Ah, this one… this one is my favorite. I picked it because we got closer once you started taking self-defense.” I tucked a loose curl behind her ear as I looked into her eyes. “I don’t know where I’d be if you hadn’t walked into my class.”

“I’m glad I did,” she whispered.

My fingers moved to the script letter K for her name. “This one explains itself.”

The last charm was in the center, a heart that I had engraved with the word “Warrior.” I gripped it as I spoke, “This one signifies that you’ll always have my heart. I’ll never be the same without you, Warrior.”

My eyes traveled up to hers, and I wiped the tears off her cheeks. “I’m not going to buy you presents if you’re going to cry. I hate to see you cry.”

Kaiya laughed softly as she leaned into me. “They’re happy tears. I really do love it. Thank you.”

Pressing her lips to mine, she softly kissed me. My hand glided around to cup the back of her head as my tongue parted her lips. Chocolate and wine still lingered in her mouth as I massaged her tongue with mine.

“The check whenever you’re ready, sir,” our server interrupted.

Neither one of us pulled away, too wrapped up in one another to care. I almost waved him off, but I was too focused on Kaiya, enjoying the feel and taste of her. When we finally parted, her lips were swollen and her cheeks were even more flushed.

“Ready to go?” I asked, pulling out my wallet.

Kaiya nodded as she scooted out of our booth. I left cash on the table, not wanting to wait to get my card back. I was already ready to take Kaiya home, and we hadn’t even gone to the club yet.

After we left, we drove to a parking garage near the club. As we got out of the truck, Kaiya commented, “Dinner was amazing. Everything was perfect—the music, the wine, the food, your gift.” She looked down at her bracelet before looking back up at me. “Thank you so much.”

“You don’t have to thank me, baby. I enjoy spoiling you.” I threaded our fingers together and guided Kaiya to the elevator. The club was about four blocks up from the garage, and by the time we got there, the line was around the side of the building.

Kaiya sighed in disappointment. “We’re never going to get in if we have to wait in that line.”

Smiling reassuringly, I stroked the back of her hand with my thumb. Passing the line, I gave the bulky bouncer my name, and after looking at his list, he ushered us in. I heard several people cursing and shouting angrily as we walked through the doors.

Hip hop music greeted us as we entered the main room of the club. Leading Kaiya to the bar, pushing through masses of people, I ordered our usual drinks.

As we waited, Kaiya began moving her hips to the beat of the music. The only good part about taking her to a club was that I got to have that fine body rubbing against me.

“Hey, sexy. Wanna finish what we started the last time we were together?” The annoying voice was sort of familiar, but I didn’t place who it was until I turned to look at her. Shit.

The chick that I’d hooked up with when Kaiya had stopped talking to me sidled up next to me, ignoring the fact that my arm was draped around Kaiya on my other side.

Trailing her fingers down my chest, she spoke again, “I know I do. I still remember how good your dick tasted in my mouth.”

“Ryker, who the f*ck is this,” Kaiya asked accusingly, her eyes narrowed and lips curved in a snarl. I could feel the anger wafting off her in waves.

Before I could diffuse the situation, the stupid blonde retorted, “Who the f*ck are you?”

F*ck, this is about to get bad. “Baby, let’s—”

Kaiya moved in between us, getting in Blondie’s face as she interrupted me, seething. “I’m his girlfriend, bitch. F*ck off.”

My warrior was so f*cking hot when she was pissed and jealous, but I couldn’t focus on that, not when shit was about to hit the fan.

The other woman smugly replied, “Oh, you must be new. I don’t remember him having a girlfriend when we hooked up.”

Kaiya was fuming as she pushed the blonde bimbo, snapping, “Well, he does now, so go find someone else to open your legs for.”

Blondie’s eyes narrowed as she lunged at Kaiya. Big mistake. With her training, Kaiya could seriously hurt the unsuspecting girl. And by the look in her eyes, she planned to beat the crap out of her.

Stepping in between them, I moved Kaiya backward before leading her outside. She snatched her arm out of my grasp and stormed away from me, drawing the attention of people still waiting to get inside the club.

“Babe, stop. Let me explain,” I said as I followed after her. In the past, I would’ve never chased after a woman who walked away from me; I would’ve just moved on to the next one.

“Who the f*ck was that?” she spat as she whirled around to face me.

“Nobody. Some chick that I almost hooked up with.”

“What do you mean almost? She seems to think that you two hooked up. And when did this happen? Before or after we started having sex?”

I really didn’t want to discuss all that, but I wasn’t going to lie to her. She meant more to me than that. She deserved honesty.

“When you stopped talking to me, I went out with Drew and got drunk. That chick was there, and I was trying to forget about you, so we went back to her place. But we didn’t have sex. I couldn’t go through with it.”

Tears blurred her eyes, making them shine in the light of the streetlamp overhead. “What did you do?” she gritted through clenched teeth.

Sighing, I ran my hand roughly through my hair. Here goes nothing. “She started sucking my dick, but I made her stop. Then, I left.”

The look of betrayal on her face tore up my insides. “But, she still sucked it. You still hooked up with her.”

“We weren’t even together, Ky. It doesn’t matter,” I defended. I knew that I’d said the wrong thing as soon as the words left my mouth. F*ck.

Her eyebrows rose incredulously. “It doesn’t matter?”

“You wouldn’t even talk to me. I thought we were through,” I replied, trying to justify my actions.


“So, I don’t talk to you for a week or two after we get involved, and you try to find the next pair of legs to get between?” She crossed her arms over her chest and glared at me.

“Ky, you’re overreacting. I—”

“Overreacting? I’m overreacting? Do you know how hard it is to trust someone after everything I’ve been through?” She thrust her arms toward me. “How can I trust you not to do something like that again?” she screamed as tears ran down her face.

“Baby, I’m sorry. Don’t cry,” I pleaded, opening my arms to embrace her.

Moving away from me, she threw out her hand to stop me. The gesture felt like a punch to my gut.

“Don’t. I can’t do this right now. I need time to think.” Her words were pained, her expression torn between anger and sadness.

“What are you saying, Ky?” Shit. No, no, no.

Ignoring me, she walked to the edge of the street, sticking her hand out as she waved at an oncoming taxi.

“Warrior, talk to me. Don’t do this.” My heart beat frantically as my pulse pounded. I can’t lose her.

The taxi slowed as it pulled over to the curb and came to a stop. Kaiya looked at me as she opened the door, that sadness that I was so close to erasing back in full force all over her beautiful face. “I just need some space right now. I need to figure out what this means for us.”

“It means nothing. She meant nothing. Don’t do this, baby. I lo—”

She shut the door before I could finish. Tears burned my eyes as I thought about losing her, of not being with her ever again. Inhaling deeply, I pushed them back as I watched her drive away. What the f*ck just happened? The night was perfect until a few minutes ago.

Stalking angrily back to my truck, my mind was all over the place. Do I go after her? Give her space? I didn’t even do anything wrong. What the f*ck do I do?

Once I sat inside my Chevy, I furiously pounded the steering wheel with my fists and roared my frustration. She’s so f*cking stubborn. Well, two can play that game.

Making my decision, I started the engine and peeled out of the parking garage.