He Gave Me Hearing, Then Taught Me What Silence Really Means novel Chapter 55

Juniper froze, every nerve ending in her body screaming in panic.

She turned her head slowly, her face ghostly pale as she stared at him.

Nelson mistook her shock for consideration. With his arms still banded around her, her turning only brought their mouths inches apart.

A predatory darkness flooded his eyes. Captivated, he crushed his mouth against hers.

He spun her around, his large hand wrapping around her lower back to violently pull her flush against his hard chest.

The brutal kiss completely stole her breath. Juniper thrashed wildly, shoving at his chest, but he easily intercepted both of her wrists, pinning them with one hand.

She wrenched her head away, gasping for air. "Nelson!"

Her captured wrists trembled involuntarily. She didn't know what was breaking inside her, but the sheer terror crashing over her felt like a suffocating net.

She refused to lose her grip on reality and turn into a hysterical mess again.

Once was enough to last a lifetime.

Nelson stopped, staring down at her stubborn profile.

Her lips were clamped tight, silent tears tracking down her cheeks.

It was a heartbreaking echo of a million past arguments.

"Nelson, I don't want to scream at you like a lunatic. I really don't," she choked out. "You just storm in and out of my life whenever you please. You completely nuke my world, and you leave me wondering if I'm just that easy to break."

She raised her hands as if to grip her own hair, then let them drop in pure defeat. "I don't even know what you want from me anymore! I am so sick of being treated like your dirty little secret! What exactly do you want me to do? You're a titan in this city. You have a wife. You have a child. Just leave me the hell alone! Please!"

She had spent years trapped in their shared past. Every time she looked into his eyes, her defenses crumbled.

This was the same Nelson who had dragged her out of the gutter, the man she used to pour her heart out to—not this terrifying, cruel stranger whose words slashed her to ribbons.

Nelson stood perfectly still. His twisted mind latched onto the only detail that mattered to him. "So, a guy with his face is all it takes to make you soft?"

A deadened calm washed over Juniper. Arguing with him was utterly pointless.

"Sure. If you want."

He let out a harsh, bitter laugh. "Great. I wish you the best of luck."

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