high-pitched scream shook the walls around him, calling out for help. He
knew it would never come. “Bari, go get help! HELP!”
Loud crashes
sounded out, and the small boy pushed himself closer to the wall as his
mother’s screams tore through the air repeatedly. His little legs curled up
close to his chest as he continued to press his hands harder to his ears,
anything to escape the sounds. He was too weak, too small, too damn scared to
go get any help despite how many times she called out for it. Tears tracked
down his face relentlessly as he lost hope for their lives, for the promises
made, of things to change, things to get better.
The wall
behind him shook, something large being tossed against it, his mother’s
whimpers on the other side. He buried his face against his knees and mourned
for the little boy that could have been. He was too frail, too scared to do
anything but listen to her pain.
The door snapped Bari out of the memory.
His head lifted as she stepped in. All the air in the tiny room suddenly sucked
out. His heartbeat thundered in his chest like an atomic impact, and every
muscle in his body tensed up. Mackenzie met his gaze and shifted her feet,
hands working at the purse slung over her shoulder. She looked nervous,
tentative, like a tiny critter about to bolt at the first sign of a threat.
More so, she looked so fucking beautiful
that a phantom physical pain started in his chest. He resisted the urge to rub
at it.
At five foot five, Mackenzie was a petite
thing when compared to him. Her hair was almost the color of midnight, so deep
and dark it was nearly blue. Her green gaze landed on him, and the light
spilling in from the windows made the auburn highlights of her hair stand out.
“I heard you were home.”
He sighed at the sound of her voice. Damn
if he hadn't been trying for a few moments of peace from his mind, from his
thoughts, from her … but here she was, in his room as if she had answered his
unspoken call. He licked his parched lips, his mouth growing dry from her
presence, and tried not to breathe. The things her scent did to his body, even
after all these years…
"What's up, Angel? If you've come
here to cut on me some more, I'm sorry. I'm fresh out of patience and tired as
shit." She grew rigid for a moment, and he cursed silently at his slip of
her old nickname. There was no way this could happen. No way could she stay
here for one more moment. There just wasn’t a way to take what he had wanted
for so damn long, not anymore. He wasn’t a man who could give her what she
needed: love, a relationship, someone pure. He wasn’t any of that. She’d been
on his mind ever since he’d arrived home, crowding his thoughts so he was
unable to sleep … unable to focus.
Instead of turning and leaving, which he
both hoped like hell she would while praying she’d stay longer, she stepped
closer, her chin kicking up a notch. He needed her to get the hint though. His
eyes cut over to the door, and she followed his gaze. “Come on, Angel. Get the
hint. Just go.” The words whispered out beneath his breath, the urge swaying
almost like an image through the air.
Mackenzie ignored it and took another
step closer. His brows drew down in a frown, his gaze following her movement,
from the fidgeting of her purse strap, to the twirling of a long curl around
her finger. Her gaze bounced, jumping from him, down across his body, to the
room and surroundings.
“It’s been too many years, Bari. I wanted
to come see how you were doing. As far as who has been cutting on you, well,”
she shrugged, “I think Beth was holding back. So count yourself lucky.”
His entire body reacted as soon as she
stepped closer and spoke. Bari drew in a deep breath and then let out an
internal curse as her scent hit him. In nine damn years, she refused to leave
his mind. She stepped up next to the bed and turned her body toward his. He
lifted his gaze, finding her beautiful green eyes. He closed his
knew it would never come. “Bari, go get help! HELP!”
Loud crashes
sounded out, and the small boy pushed himself closer to the wall as his
mother’s screams tore through the air repeatedly. His little legs curled up
close to his chest as he continued to press his hands harder to his ears,
anything to escape the sounds. He was too weak, too small, too damn scared to
go get any help despite how many times she called out for it. Tears tracked
down his face relentlessly as he lost hope for their lives, for the promises
made, of things to change, things to get better.
The wall
behind him shook, something large being tossed against it, his mother’s
whimpers on the other side. He buried his face against his knees and mourned
for the little boy that could have been. He was too frail, too scared to do
anything but listen to her pain.
The door snapped Bari out of the memory.
His head lifted as she stepped in. All the air in the tiny room suddenly sucked
out. His heartbeat thundered in his chest like an atomic impact, and every
muscle in his body tensed up. Mackenzie met his gaze and shifted her feet,
hands working at the purse slung over her shoulder. She looked nervous,
tentative, like a tiny critter about to bolt at the first sign of a threat.
More so, she looked so fucking beautiful
that a phantom physical pain started in his chest. He resisted the urge to rub
at it.
At five foot five, Mackenzie was a petite
thing when compared to him. Her hair was almost the color of midnight, so deep
and dark it was nearly blue. Her green gaze landed on him, and the light
spilling in from the windows made the auburn highlights of her hair stand out.
“I heard you were home.”
He sighed at the sound of her voice. Damn
if he hadn't been trying for a few moments of peace from his mind, from his
thoughts, from her … but here she was, in his room as if she had answered his
unspoken call. He licked his parched lips, his mouth growing dry from her
presence, and tried not to breathe. The things her scent did to his body, even
after all these years…
"What's up, Angel? If you've come
here to cut on me some more, I'm sorry. I'm fresh out of patience and tired as
shit." She grew rigid for a moment, and he cursed silently at his slip of
her old nickname. There was no way this could happen. No way could she stay
here for one more moment. There just wasn’t a way to take what he had wanted
for so damn long, not anymore. He wasn’t a man who could give her what she
needed: love, a relationship, someone pure. He wasn’t any of that. She’d been
on his mind ever since he’d arrived home, crowding his thoughts so he was
unable to sleep … unable to focus.
Instead of turning and leaving, which he
both hoped like hell she would while praying she’d stay longer, she stepped
closer, her chin kicking up a notch. He needed her to get the hint though. His
eyes cut over to the door, and she followed his gaze. “Come on, Angel. Get the
hint. Just go.” The words whispered out beneath his breath, the urge swaying
almost like an image through the air.
Mackenzie ignored it and took another
step closer. His brows drew down in a frown, his gaze following her movement,
from the fidgeting of her purse strap, to the twirling of a long curl around
her finger. Her gaze bounced, jumping from him, down across his body, to the
room and surroundings.
“It’s been too many years, Bari. I wanted
to come see how you were doing. As far as who has been cutting on you, well,”
she shrugged, “I think Beth was holding back. So count yourself lucky.”
His entire body reacted as soon as she
stepped closer and spoke. Bari drew in a deep breath and then let out an
internal curse as her scent hit him. In nine damn years, she refused to leave
his mind. She stepped up next to the bed and turned her body toward his. He
lifted his gaze, finding her beautiful green eyes. He closed his
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