Rectify (Return to Us Trilogy #2) Read Online Free Page B

of his jeans.
    "Can I help you with something, or are you here to yell at me again? Because if you are, I'm fresh out of give a damns."
    "Okay, I deserved that." He steps in and squats down in front of me. His jeans pull tight across his massive thighs. He links his fingers and focuses on my face. "A good man knows when he's wrong and when to apologize. I'm sorry. I lost my temper."
    Say what, now? Did he admit to being at fault? Call the newspapers! Extra, extra, read all about it! A man admitted to being wrong!
    His hand stretches for mine, but I yank it away and knock my elbow on the back of the toilet. I rub my elbow, but the stinging moves up my arm.
    "Are you afraid of me? You don't have to be. At first, I thought you were messing with me, but then I realized you truly didn't remember. We connected on a different level last night, and I was upset that you were making light of it."
    "I understand. But, Jacade, I have triggers. And you just pressed and held all of them at the same time out there."
    "Triggers?"
    I nod my head. "I've had a series of men in my life I thought I could trust only to find I couldn't. In foster care, they made me their cook, babysitter, drug dealer, all while putting me down and shooting venomous words like you did. If I didn't do their bidding exactly as ordered, they'd threaten to beat me."
    His nostrils flare and his face contorts into repugnance.
    "Did any of them ever..."
    "Rape me? No. They didn't want to risk their government check if they found out I was being sexually abused. It's not only foster care, Jacade. All my life, I seem to end up with men who degrade me. Anything they could find—my weight, my choices, my clothes."
    He raises his hand. "Hold on, your weight?"
    "Yes. Part of the reason I lost sixty pounds."
    "You didn't need to. You're beautiful as you are," he grins, "and I'm a plastic surgeon so you know I can usually find a flaw to fix on everyone."
    "Well, thank you, but I did it for myself too. You have to understand. I'm never going back there. I've fought hard to climb out of that hole."
    "I apologize, baby. I'll rein it in. I promise."
    "I'm sorry too. I thought you were a dream, which is a compliment if you think about it." He smiles at my words. "What I do remember was pretty mind-blowing."
    "I thought so as well." I catch a twinkle in his eye.
    I sigh and square my shoulders. Time to say what needs to be said.
    "Listen, I know what Viktor's involved with. Tell me the truth, Jacade. Are you tied to him?" He holds my stare and his jaw clenches. "You aren't going to tell me anything?" I exhale. "Is Viktor dead? Is he in jail?"
    "No and no." His tone is reluctant.
    I sigh. "Please tell me if Bryn's all right? I want to see her."
    "Bryn's fine. I gave her a sleeping pill. She won't be awake for a while."
    He took care of Bryn? He must have been up all night. I stroke his cheek with my hand.
    "Shane is guarding her place. She's safe."
    He rises and grabs me under my arms, hoisting me on my bathroom counter next to the sink. He parts my legs, forcing my body forward, and steps between them.
    He rips off some toilet paper, runs it under the water for a second, and rubs it down my left cheek. He does the same to the other side. A smudged cloud of mascara covers the length of the paper.
    ***
    Jacade
     
    Shit. I've been a total ass to her. My short fuse riles him, and I can't regulate his actions. My urges are difficult to manage in regular circumstances, but with her, restraint is a Herculean effort.
    She's my ride or die. I can't ruin this. I have no other alternatives for my life. She either falls in love with me or I perish.
    Fuck, I can't stand the thought of her weeping. I had to clean off her damp cheeks immediately. Each black path down her face gutted me from the inside. I'd do anything to erase those tears of pain.
    I crumble the paper in my fist and lay my hands on the sink next to her thighs. The countertop feels cool on my skin compared to the ardor between