Electric chills ran up and down her leg from Xander’s calloused hand rubbing her sensitive flesh. It was going to be a long night, indeed. Maybe they could have a quickie in the restroom stall.
She watched him stare at her thigh as he inched his fingers closer to her mound. Movement over his shoulder of the cross traffic caught her eye. A large, cargo-sized truck pulled into the other lane, passing cars that were slowing for the light to change.
Xander let off the brake and the car rolled forward as the truck sped into the intersection. She saw the inevitable conclusion to the situation. There was no way anyone would survive a direct T-bone hit from a vehicle that big, going as fast as it was.
Next she knew, she felt her body being moved. Whoever was helping her cussed up a storm. In fact, it sounded a lot like her ex. Josie forced her eyes open, hoping she was in a dream and would wake up.
The first thing she noted was that Xander was draped over the center console, leaning his head on her shoulder. The driver’s side door crushed him toward her. He couldn’t possibly be alive in such a narrow space.
Next thing she noted was hands under her arms, dragging her out. Josie wanted to beg the person to leave her and get to Xander. He’d need help; she was fine.
Her legs gave out when her rescuer set her on the pavement. A voice growled in her ear and she turned to look at the face belonging to her ex-husband. What the fuck? What was he doing here?
“Come on, bitch. Get your fat ass up.” He lifted her to her feet and forced her down the sidewalk. Her mouth didn’t seem to coordinate with her brain.
On this side of the intersection, no cars were waiting on the light. All the action was behind them. She couldn’t help her feet from dragging, slowing progress. A sting zipped up the same side of her face as the bruise from her attack outside the restaurant. That seemed like forever ago.
“Goddammit, bitch. Hurry up,” Michael snapped and tightened his grip around her shoulders.
She heard voices hollering far behind them. Hopefully, someone was helping the man she loved from the wreck. The thought he wasn’t alive refused to take root in her brain. He wasn’t dead. Couldn’t be.
Michael opened a car door and shoved her inside. She rolled from the seat to the floorboard. Her body arched over the hump in the middle. The car started and they were moving.
How weird was it that she’d met her ex’s new lay and now here he was? She tried to remember what happened to the big-boobed woman when Trey attacked the second time. The blonde was thrown against the wall and that’s all she knew. There wasn’t a body in her room when she packed her stuff to go to Xander’s home.
“How’s your new wife?” she asked. Josie almost laughed at herself. Here she was lying on the floorboard of a car, kidnapped by her bastard of an ex-hubby, and the first thing she asked was about his significant other.
He didn’t answer. Did he not want to answer or did he not hear her? She sucked in a deep breath and asked louder. Her body pressed against the front seats as the car came to a skidding stop. They couldn’t have been a block away from where they had been.
Michael got out of the front and threw open the back car door. He grabbed her feet and raked her along the seats, pulling her out. Before she was completely out of the car, he dropped her legs then gripped the material of her dress.
Fabric tore as he yanked her up and pushed her ass to the ground. There was no softness in his actions. No care in his glare. The opposite, actually. The hate and fury she saw was nothing new. During their marriage, it showed up a few times. Curiosity finally got the best of her.
“Michael, why in the hell do you hate me so much? What did I do to you to earn your wrath to totally fuck up my life?” she asked.
Her answer was a swift kick in the side. Air rushed from her lungs, not coming back in. She slumped to the side, leaning against the open door. The pain went away quickly. Her body and mind were in shock.
“What did you do?” he asked, bending down to get in her face. “What the fuck did you do?” Spittle landed on her lips and nose. Her chin tilted down, trying to get out of the line of fire.
A streak of pain shot through her neck and scalp. He’d snatched a fistful of her hair and yanked her head back.
“You and your family ruined my life.” Michael hit her temple with the heel of his hand. “Because of you, I had to dig through Dumpsters to feed myself as a child. I lived in cardboard boxes until I was put into child services where my life became one day of hell after another. Because of YOU!”
Never in her life had she been so clueless to what someone was saying. “Michael, I never met you until we dated. I’m sorry about your childhood, but I didn’t have anything to do with it.” She now understood why he never talked about his past. She figured it was unhappy, but she had no idea he was on the streets.
His fists gripped the front of her dress and he dragged her to the side, then slammed her back on the car. Her head bounced off the polymer material. Why the fuck was he hurting her? She gritted her teeth against the pain.
“Does the name Debra Collins sound familiar?” he asked. Yes, the name was familiar, but from where? She thought back, racking her brain for the connection to the person. Then it hit her. Oh my God.
“She’s the woman who died when my dad hit her car one Christmas,” she whispered. What did he have to do with her? His last name was Strobel.
“My mother and father were divorced. She took back her maiden name. Wanna guess what it was?” Holy fuck. It couldn’t be. Her family was responsible for his terrible life. Her heart hurt for him, for what he lost, for what he never had.
His eyes were wild, unfocused. Drool ran down his chin. Even though he’d barely moved, he panted like he’d run a mile.
So much made sense now. He hadn’t married her for love, but for revenge. He wanted to ruin her life like she ruined his so long ago. Tears flowed from her eyes. Sorrow for all the pain and hurt crushed her heart. The blond bimbo’s words came back. She wanted revenge for her husband. He must’ve told her.
“Why did you have to hurt Xander?” she asked. “He is a kind and generous man,” she asked.
Michael laughed. “So was my mother, bitch.” He backhanded her, knocking her toward the wheel well. A tangy copper taste filled her mouth. “I thought ending your loved one’s life like the way my loved one died was quite poetic, don’t you think?” He squatted in front of her. “Yes, poetic justice, indeed. You don’t deserve to be happy. Your father got away with murder because he was a powerful person while my mom was only a hardworking single parent.”
He opened the passenger-side door and pulled something from the glove box. “Now the tide has turned, cunt. I’m a high-powered man and you’re the hardworking single mother.”
Josie’s breath caught in her throat. Single mother. Nick.
“Did you cause the car accident that killed my sister?” she asked. A grin spread across his face. Fury swirled in her chest. Her heart pumped lava through her veins. She’d kill him if he was responsible. Didn’t matter how bad his past sucked. His future wouldn’t exist.
“Forgot about that,” he said with the grin.
“You son of a fucking bitch,” she roared. Energy like she’d never felt fueled her limbs, giving her strength and speed she’d not had before.
Her hands were around his neck before her brain registered she had moved. Her thumb dug into his throat. His hand swung up and smashed into the side of her head. What he held in his grip, crashed into her skull. Pain shot through her brain.
Her strange strength gone, she stumbled back and fell to her knees. Her vision blurred, not able to focus on the ground. Nausea racked her stomach as her world spun. But her hearing was fine. The sound of a gun cocking came from where Michael stood.
“Good bye, Josilyn. Say hi to my mom and tell her you’re sorry.”
Josie bent forward, putting her palms on the ground, readying for the bullet. The only regret she had was that she let Nick down. His grandmother would gain custody and Nick would become a wealthy, stuck-up snob.
Well, there was one other thing she regretted—never telling Xander that she loved him. Everything had gone so fast, her mind was in a constant whirlwind. And of course, she’d lied to Xander’s grandmother about everything.
A roar scared her half to death, and she felt like she was already halfway there. Josie sat back on her heels, making her head spin. Her eyeballs whipped side to side, unable to stop. She tilted and fell flat on her face.
The ground shook in a steady rhythm, like a huge monster stomped toward her. She had no idea what was going on.
Gunshots rang out, but they were not directed at her. Another roar, this one filled with anger. The pistol clicked several times, telling her the ammunition had run out. Michael threw it to the ground and ran.
The growly creature followed him and she heard a male’s scream cut short. What happened? Was he okay? She may have hated him, but she didn’t wish him dead. Well …
Strong arms wrapped around her and pulled her against a hot body. Her hands met smooth flesh and her nose told her who held her. She collapsed into Xander, letting him hold her, keep her safe.
“I-I thought you were—” she couldn’t bring herself to say the word dead.
“Josie. I have to tell you something. Please hear me out, okay?” Xander waited for her nod.
This sounded important. “Now?” she asked.
“Yes, now. I won’t wait any longer. I almost lost you.” He squeezed her to him. “The jig is up, sweetheart. Julia knows. She knew from the start. You don’t know something, though.”
“Love, it may have been fake in the beginning, but one look at you and I knew it was true. You’re my real mate in every sense of the word. My bear wants you forever. I want you forever. Please stay with me, you and Nick. I love you, and I will love Nick, too.”
“What?” Josie stuttered in shock. “Are you serious? We’re true mates?” She opened her eyes and looked at him, her vision had returned to normal. No doubt she had a concussion, but that could seriously wait a minute.
“Yes, love. It’s why you feel that connection to me. The minute I looked into your eyes, I felt it snap into place. I crave you, body, mind, and soul. Being away from you even for a few minutes hurts us. My bear is fighting me. You belong to us. I’ve marked you, mated with you. We’re one.”
She gulped. “I don’t understand. I’ve just met you.” She cleared her throat and lowered her voice. “That was just sex. Great sex, but just sex.”
He barked a laugh and heat flamed her face.
“Sweetheart, nothing that we do is just sex. You’re mine now. All mine. Tell me, do you love me?”
“I think so. I can’t explain it.” She stopped for a second and took a deep breath. “Yes, I do. I know I do. When I saw you standing above me in the alley, it was like something felt right inside my soul. The sun was suddenly shining a little bit brighter. When I’m near you, it’s all I can do not to touch you and hold you close.”
Xander’s eyes sparkled that gold she knew belonged to his animal. “That’s our mates’ connection. Your heart and soul know we belong together. Give me a chance to prove it to you. Be mine forever.”
“I thought you said you mated with me already?”
“I did, but if you wanted me to leave you to have your own life without me, I would find a way to give that to you. Your desires are all I want to make happen now. Your happiness”—he cupped her cheek in his hand and stared deeply into her eyes—“is my happiness. Will you take a chance and choose to be mine?”
Josie’s cheeks hurt from how wide she smiled. She couldn’t help it. This was the best moment of her life. “Yes, Xander. I’ll be yours. Forever.” Her hands slid around his neck. She whispered in his ear. “Um, you know we’re in public and you’re completely naked, right?”
Just how she wanted him every night they would spend together.