Hell Is Burning Read Online Free

failed her, and that’s why she’d been hurt in the first place.
    He was the man.
    It was his duty to keep his woman safe.
    Right?
    Wrong.
    It was apparent that she didn't want him protecting her. In fact, the vibe she was giving screamed ‘hands off’ !
    Brynn obviously hated the idea that he was going to keep her protected, loved, and cherished. Curtis was pretty sure that was the job of the man, but then again…he wasn’t sure anymore.
    Brynn was fighting him long and hard, and he was wearing down. Maybe not all women wanted the kind of man he was inside. What if he just wasn’t meant for her?
    That thought scared him.
    Had they made a mistake after all?
    NO!
    He wouldn’t quit.
    He couldn’t.
    Curtis would keep pushing on until he found a way to get through to her. He could be her knight in shining Kevlar if she’d only let him.
    He wasn’t so bad, was he?
    After all, when she got home from work, he was there for her. He’d have dinner ready, and he longed to hear about her day. Instead, she didn't want any part of that.
    Immediately, she’d rush to the shower without a kiss hello, and then off to bed. Curtis would be left to ponder what he’d done wrong.
    Was it him?
    Was it her?
    He wasn’t sure.
    All he did know was they were broken. He wasn’t talking about a small crack. He was talking about a full-blown hole, destroying what little foundation he’d had time to build.
    When the crazed killer took her, Curtis broke the law and killed a man to save her. He pulled the trigger and watched him hit the ground. If that wasn’t bad enough, he’d spewed so much venom on the two people who loved him that it made him ache inside.
    He’d given up everything for his marriage, believing that once you said ‘I do’, you didn't quit. Now he was alone. Gone was his partner.
    His family.
    His heart.
    Nothing he did for her was good enough.
    Brynn wanted more, and Curtis wasn’t quite sure he had what she needed. What they should be doing was counseling. He was pretty sure that if she’d go with him, they could fix this.
    It had to be repairable.
    After all, a marriage worked if you nurtured it.
    Right?
    When he called to check on her it was because he was thinking about his wife. When he left cute texts, it was all out of love for the woman he gave his heart to those months ago. Who hated heart shaped pancakes for breakfast on the weekend?
    Apparently, Brynn.
    Now he was waiting for any sign of her feeling anything for him. If she did, they could make it work. Their hasty, drunken marriage wasn’t a mistake.
    It couldn’t be.
    Heading into the spare room he was now calling his own, Curtis stared into the mirror. His face was mired with misery, and a couple days’ worth of stubbly beard. He wanted to shave, but he didn't have the heart.
    In fact, he didn't feel like doing much of anything anymore. The last two days, he’d tried to reach her, and when she wouldn’t even give him a chance, he’d turned to his mistress.
    Booze .
    It dulled the pain.
    It numbed his ache.
    It helped him forget everything he’d given up and lost in his ill-timed rage.
    Only, it didn't help. Every day, following his bender, he was reminded how pathetic he was when he stared at his reflection. He wasn’t kidding anyone--including himself.
    As he touched his cheek, all he saw was age and the pain of a man so much older than him.
    This whole thing was killing him.
    How was it possible?
    How could the one thing he craved his whole life be destroying him? Love was supposed to fill you with peace, not rot away everything inside your soul.
    He was breaking.
    No. He was broken.
    Curtis had to turn away before he smashed his fist into his reflection in the glass. It wasn’t easy.
    God! He hated his life.
    He focused on getting dressed to abate the anger brewing in his gut. Despite the sucky life he was forced to live, he still had to go to work. They had bills, and if she wouldn’t let him be her partner in life, he’d at least be the