**Copyrighted** *Sequel to I Am Who* *Book 3* "I told you not to protect me! I told you not to get hurt!" I exploded, whirling to face him. "You should have listened to me. You promi-" My word cut off as he fairly launched himself out of his seat, closing the distance between us in two, large steps. His hands cupped my cheeks, and his lips captured mine. There was a roughness in the action, and I stood for a brief moment in shock at what was happening. The need in his touch, however, elicited an instinctive response within me. I kissed him back, my hands forming fists at my sides wary of his many injuries. Tears welled beneath my lids at the pain he was undergoing for me. Again. And then His hands slid down my sides, pushing my arms up to rest on his shoulders as he closed the remaining space between us. All thoughts except him fled from my mind, and I clutched at him with all the varied emotions swirling through me as a guide. For some reason neither of us could explain, we'd held ourselves back for all this time. There had always been something getting in the way, and besides that, both of us had been so emotionally broken, we'd almost been too scared to reach out and take hold of one another for fear the dream we were experiencing would dissipate if we tried. The separation had pushed us further apart, too, and I had thought...well, I had foolishly thought I was smart and that I knew so much about what he was feeling, but that wasn't the case at all, because here he was: holding me as if I was the only thing keeping him alive. Whatever came, I wanted to be with him. I was done letting go and running away.

*SEQUEL to I Am Bree* **Copyrighted** His hand snatched my wrist out of the air, tugging it. With my momentum, I slammed right into him, but I went fighting, my free fist pummeling his stomach. He grabbed the hand and pushed me backwards, keeping the space small between us. I was too angry to notice anything until my back hit the wall. "Look at me." His voice rumbled right above me, barely more than a whisper. "Don't tell me what to do!" I kicked at him, continuing to struggle as fiercely as I could. "Look at me." He said again. "Like hell." I kicked him in the shin, but he didn't even flinch and closed the space between us entirely so I could barely move. "Look me in the eyes and tell me what you think of me." He growled. I looked up at him, panting heavily from my anger. "I said: don't tell me what to do." I ground out. "You don't have the right to talk to me that way." He moved back slightly. "That's right." A strange glint appeared in his eyes. "Think hard on this right now, Bree, and remember it the next time someone else tries to talk to you like that." I had never heard him speak so seriously and with such conviction. "What is wrong with you?" I snapped. "You did that on purpose." The corner of his lip lifted gently in the hint of an arrogant smirk. *I couldn't find the original creators for the pictures I used to make my cover, but all the credit goes to them!!*