Alex

Chapter Thirteen

Alex

I could feel her fists on my back as I carried her back to my office, but I paid them no mind. I closed the door with my foot and walked her back to my desk.

I set her down on the table and her hand was quick to come up and slap me across the face. She was breathing heavily, her chest rising and falling, and my eyes fell to watch them for a moment.

"I told you not to touch me."

"You don't get to tell me that, sweetheart. Now, be a good fucking girl, and let me see your ankle because I'm too fucking close to losing my goddamn mind." I yelled and saw her lips part as she tried to say something, but she opted for silence.

She stayed quiet and I pulled out the first-aid kit from my desk and sat on the chair in front of her. I reached for her first foot and cleaned the cuts she had on the back of her foot, then placed two bandaids there before repeating the action with the other one.

I looked back to see her staring at the wall, her teeth gnawing on her bottom lip, and I could see her fingernails digging into her wrists.

"Rosie,"

She sniffled, her eyes closing as a tear fell down her cheek. "I want to go home."

"Okay,"

"I want you to stay away from me." She said.

I shook my head, my hand gripping her ankle tighter. "I can't."

Her head whipped back to me, and anger clouded those usually tender eyes and I mentally cursed myself.

"You made it clear how you felt about me."

She pulled her legs off and away from my grasp and then she was getting off my desk.

"I was lashing out."

"No!" She shouted. "No, you weren't." Her voice softened. "You meant it. You said even after knowing that part of me.... you said you still would've done it. I told you about that part of me." Her fingers went to her ribcage absentmindedly. "You met my dad." She choked out.

"What do you want me to do? Apologize for who I am?"

She gave me a hard look.

"No. I don't care about who you are and I'm tired of you reminding me that you're a bad guy. I don't care that you're a bad guy. I don't care that you're not a knight that won't whisk me away. I care about who you are with me when it's just me."

She had that right, despite us not being together officially. She had that fucking right over me. I could be an asshole to anyone I wanted, but I should have known not to cross that line with her.

Especially since I was the one that wouldn't fucking leave her alone. I was the one that kept storming into her life and demanding she gives me attention. Like a child.

I felt like a child in this scenario as she stood there with bandaids over her cuts, her hands crossed over her chest, her hair falling over her shoulders, and smudged red lipstick across her chin and cheeks from when I manhandled her.

"I care about you." It was hard to say, and I found myself letting out a choppy breath of air. "I don't do relationships, Rosie. I've never had a woman get so fucking under my skin before. I want to throttle you and kiss you at the same time. I want to be that good guy for you. I really, really do. I just don't remember who I was before I became this guy."

My hand came up to where the tattoo of Prez was on my arm, and I knew she understood.

"That kid...that stupid kid was a kid, and I can't go back. I can't let myself get weak. People prey on the weak and vulnerable. I grew up.... I had a shitty childhood. Understand that, please. To let you in, it fucks with my head, and it's like warning bells going off like sirens in my head. It's terrifying."