They left the restaurant, and Gerald stayed close to her side. There was a breeze in the air, and she tightened the shawl around her shoulders a bit more, but just as she did that Gerald wrapped his arm around her.

  “Cold?” he asked in a low voice.

  “I’m okay,” she said, not hating that he was touching her, but feeling weird.

  It’s because you haven’t had anyone touch you in any real capacity since the Brian attack, and your feelings for David have shaped everything you want, what you want to experience.

  “Here’s my car,” she said and turned out of his hold, pressing her back to her car. “Thank you for dinner, Gerald. It was nice to get out of the house.”

  He didn’t speak for a second, and she swallowed, feeling the air become thicker. She knew what he was going to do right now, yet she was frozen in place, and unable to stop it.

  ****

  Don’t go in there and fuck this up for her.

  David breathed out slowly.

  Don’t go in there and kill that motherfucker.

  He looked at where the asshole was touching Gillian’s hand across the table.

  You had your chance to make her yours, and you didn’t take it.

  But did he really miss out on his chance? He hadn’t brought this up because he didn’t want to crowd her, didn’t want to freak her the fuck out with what he wanted. Losing her, not having Gillian in his life in any capacity, would feel like he was slowly dying from the inside out.

  He’d gone to her house first, because he’d wanted to talk to her, to make sure she was feeling okay. He’d gotten the vibe last time that she had a lot on her mind, and all he’d been able to think about this whole time was her wanting to be with someone. He wasn’t a fucking idiot to think she’d stay single forever, especially when he hadn’t stepped up and told her how he felt. But he also hadn’t been prepared for the all-encompassing rage and possessiveness that filled him when she’d all but said she would start seeing people. Of course he’d known he’d be upset, and very territorial of her. For fuck’s sake, he followed her, made sure she was okay, and all of that was because he was madly in love with her. Gillian was his, whether she knew it or not, and watching her have dinner with some prick was pulling the string of his sanity until it was on the verge of snapping.

  He clenched his teeth and saw the smile on her face. She seemed happy, and he fucking hated the fact it was that prick that gave her that smile. They’d been in the restaurant for the last hour and a half, a long fucking time, but David had been here the entire time. Like the motherfucker David was, he’d followed her, needing to see where she was going.

  And she went on a date with that asshole.

  He watched them leave the restaurant, and when the fucker put his arm around Gillian, David let out a low sound. He was seconds away from getting out of the vehicle and beating some ass, but Gillian moved away from the man and David forced himself to stay still. Going out there right now would not only make him look like a crazed asshole, but also scare the shit out of Gillian. He didn’t want that.

  You either need to man the fuck up and tell her how you feel, or you need to back off and let her live her life.

  “Fuck,” he said in a low voice. He scrubbed his hand over his face and didn’t know what in the hell was wrong with him. He’d never been this type of person, not until the shit with Brian and his feelings for Gillian rose up. Now he was like some fucking animal trying to stake a claim on something that wasn’t his.

  No, she is mine. She’ll always be mine.

  He looked at them again, could see Gillian’s mouth moving as she spoke, and then watched the man say something in return. Scrubbing his hand over his face again, David tried to rein in the motherfucker he had housed inside of him, the one that didn’t even want Gillian speaking to another man.

  David watched the asshole slowly lean in and kiss Gillian. And then, like someone unlocking the gate in which the beast inside of him was caged, David saw red, couldn’t even think straight anymore. Before he even knew what was happening, as if his body had a mind of its own, he found himself out of his car and striding toward where Gillian was.

  Gillian had her hands on the man’s chest, pushing him away. But the bastard leaned in again, pinning her to the car. He said something low to her, something David couldn’t hear, but it wouldn’t have mattered anyway because all he saw was red, all he heard was the deep, animalistic sound coming from the violent, possessive motherfucker deep inside of him. Everything seemed to happen in slow motion as he watched Gillian push the man away gently. She then turned her head, clearly hearing David approach. The man did the same, looking at David with confusion on his face.

  David was in front of the man a second later, slamming his fist into the side of his face, and feeling predatory and pleased when the fucker fell on his ass. Sound rushed through his ears, and he heard Gillian shouting at him, pushing at him.

  “Oh my God. David, what in the hell are you doing?” He didn’t answer. “David?” Gillian shouted again, and rushed over to the man on the ground. She started saying something to him, but all David could focus on was the blood that trickled out of Gillian’s date’s nose.

  She helped him off the ground, but David kept flexing and relaxing his hands, wanting to hit the asshole harder, but refraining because of the clear shock on Gillian’s face. She turned and faced him.

  “David, what are you doing?” Her eyes were wide, her voice strained. She started looking around the parking lot. “Where in the hell did you come from, and why are you even here?” Her eyes were wide now, her voice getting higher, more frantic.

  You scared her, you motherfucker.

  He ran his hand over his mouth as he looked at her, knowing he’d fucked up, but unable to help himself. He took a step back.

  “David?” She said his name a little more softly this time.

  He shook his head while he looked at her, and when he glanced at the man now standing he narrowed his eyes. “Keep your fucking hands off of her.” He then turned and headed back to his car. Once in the driver’s seat he could see Gillian staring at him. She wiped her cheek, and he cursed at himself that he’d made her cry, had scared the hell out of her.

  You don’t deserve her.

  He didn’t, but even knowing that he knew he couldn’t stay away.

  Chapter Eight

  David slammed the front door shut, breathed in and out, and felt the last bit of sanity leaving him. He took off his jacket and tossed it aside, did the same with his shirt, his belt, and finally got rid of his pants until he was only in his boxers. He paced the room a few times, breathing heavily, needing some violence to get this angry energy out of him. He heard his cell going off again, and he knew it was Gillian calling. She’d called him three times as he drove to his place. He wanted to talk to her, to try to explain why he’d acted the way he did, but he’d scared her enough already tonight.

  Telling her that I am so in love with her I can’t stand to have her touched by another man, that I am so obsessed with her that I’d kill to make sure she is safe, probably won’t go over well.

  When the cell went off, but started ringing again, he grabbed his pants off the floor and grabbed the phone out of the pocket. He stared at the screen, saw Gillian’s phone number, and curled his fingers tightly around the phone until it creaked in his grasp. He reared his arm back and chucked the fucking thing across the room. It slammed against the wall, shattering. He stood there for several seconds, listening to his rapid breathing, feeling like he was going to morph into some kind of fucking insane beast. What he needed was a fight, or maybe go find the guy that had kissed Gillian. Yeah, that would make him feel a hell of a lot better.

  No, don’t make this worse than it is. She probably already hates you for going ballistic on the bastard.

  “You fucked up,” he said to himself right before he growled out and turned, slamming his fist into the wall behind him. Plaster crumbled under the hit, and he looked down at his hand. He uncurled his fingers, seeing blood and drywall covering his flesh, the cuts scattered around his skin.

  What he needed was a lot more pain and violence than this right now.

  ****

  Gillian pulled the cell away from her ear and looked down at the screen. After a second she disconnected the call. She’d tried getting a hold of David since he left her standing there in the parking lot shocked as hell. And although he didn’t answer she just knew he was avoiding her calls.

  She sat on her couch and stared at the black TV screen, her body confused, her thoughts running wild. Gillian had tried to take Gerald to the hospital, because she thought his nose might have been broken. There was a lot of blood, but he’d adamantly told her no. He’d been angry, so angry that his entire demeanor had changed. Gillian couldn’t blame him, though. David had come out of nowhere and hit him hard enough it had knocked Gerald back on his ass. The shock she felt had taken over her entire being, had her frozen in place, and unable to even think clearly for several moments.

  David had always had this hard demeanor about him, this aloofness that had others taking a step back because he seemed dangerous. But after the incident with Brian, David had changed. He became darker, his attitude more distant, more cautious. But he’d always been kind, gentle even with her, as if he thought she might break.

  But tonight he’d been someone else, had something violent surrounding him she’d never seen in him before.

  I’ve never seen someone so angry, with a look of rage in his eyes tangible enough I felt it.

  Leaning forward on the couch and bracing her elbows on her knees, she thought about what in the hell she was going to do. The truth was she should be terrified of what she’d seen tonight from David. Actually, she was more shocked than anything. She’d felt horrible about what happened to Gerald, and even though she’d wanted to help him he’d been furious, pushing her away hard enough she had to brace a hand on the side of the car to steady herself. He’d stormed off, blood trailing from his nose, and the curses coming from him fiercely.

  She’d tried talking to him, because heaven knows if something like that happened to her she’d be so confused and angry she probably couldn’t have seen straight. But Gerald hadn’t even wanted to look at her.

  Maybe he thinks it’s my fault? Maybe he thinks because of what David did I am to blame?

  Exhaling loudly, she listened to the clock ticking down the time. She should stay here, not worry about what David was doing, because he clearly wanted to be left alone. But she couldn’t ignore this, couldn’t ignore what she was feeling. He’d shocked her, but she found herself turned on all in the same breath.

  Picking up her phone, she tried calling Gerald once more; just to make sure he was okay. But when his voicemail picked up she disconnected the call. Staring at the now black screen, she didn’t even bother trying to call David again.

  “Screw it,” she said and grabbed her purse off the coffee table, shoved her phone inside, and pulled her keys out. She wasn’t going to just sit on how she felt, just let David ignore her. He wouldn’t let her get away with this shit, and she wasn’t going to let him either.

  It was only a twenty-minute drive to where he lived, and whether he liked it or not they were going to talk about this.

  The car ride to David’s place had Gillian feeling nervous, jittery, and not knowing what in the hell was going on, or what was to come. She should not feel anything but confusion and a bit of fear over what she witnessed tonight, but instead she felt this anxiousness to see him. She was slightly turned on, a fact that confused her even more, and had her feeling a little bit of self-disgust. The man she was deeply in love with had hurt someone tonight. There hadn’t been any provocation, but she replayed what David had said to Gerald before he’d turned and left.

  “Keep your fucking hands off of her.”

  She shook her head at the thoughts. Why was he still so hung up on the past? She was moving on with her life, or trying to, but he was still worried someone was going to hurt her. She loved him even more for that, but in this situation it had gone too far, and over nothing. Gerald shouldn’t have kissed her in the first place, and he shouldn’t have gone in for a second one when she clearly hadn’t wanted more, but that didn’t warrant David to go ballistic like he had. At least she didn’t think so.

  When she finally reached his home she cut the engine and stared up at the small apartment building he lived in. It was only three stories, older, and she knew many of the residents were elderly. Maybe that’s why David liked living here because it was quiet and he wouldn’t be bothered? She knew he didn’t do socializing all that well, not because he was awkward about it, but because he just stayed away from the public in general. He was the epitome of the strong and silent type.

  She cut the engine and breathed out, a part of her saying this wasn’t the best plan she’d ever had. David clearly wanted to be alone, to deal with whatever he was going through, and as much as she should have respected that, she couldn’t let this go. She loved him, and whatever he was dealing with she wanted to be there for him.

  Grabbing her purse and getting out of the car, she headed inside. David’s place was on the basement level, and once she stood in front of his door she could only stare at it for several seconds. Gillian finally knocked on the scarred wood and then took a step back. After several seconds she knocked again, but when there wasn’t an answer she tried the doorknob. To her surprise it turned, and she pushed the door open.

  The first thing she noticed was David’s clothes on the floor. Stepping all the way in and shutting the door behind her, Gillian looked around for him. The sound of pounding coming from the back room had her following the noise. The door was cracked to a room, and she pushed it open another inch. The sight in front of her had her heart beating a little faster, had her breath seizing in her lungs, and had everything tightening.

  David had his back to her and wore only a pair of dark boxers. She could see he had a band wrapped around his arm that held his iPod, and a pair of earbuds tucked in his ears. The sound of the music was loud, even though he was wearing the earbuds. A beat to hell punching bag hung from the ceiling, and David was going to town on it, beating the shit out of it. Sweat covered his muscular back, and the sight of his biceps flexing and releasing every time he slammed a fist into the bag was stark.

  Droplets of sweat beaded on his back, and the lines of tattoos that banded around his forearms and biceps looked like something a primitive war hero might sport. Maybe he should have made her presence known, but she was too transfixed by him. And that was when he turned to the side slightly, and she could see the blood covering the punching bag. Looking down at the parts of his hands she could see, Gillian saw the blood cover his knuckles, and even spotted the drops on the floor.

  Should I just back away and leave, give him the space he obviously wants?

  She held onto the door handle harder than she should have, but she couldn’t breathe, couldn’t even think. There was a part of her that knew David was dark, had this frightening part of him, and that’s why people didn’t make eye contact with him, why they moved out of his way. But there was also a part of her, a big part that had her growing warm and accepting of witnessing this side of him. She’d never seen him so raw, so broken. Right now he looked like he could kill someone with his bare hands. With sweat covering his hard, muscular body, the dangerous looking lines of tattoos along his back and arms, and the blood dripping from his hands, David was the epitome of what a man was supposed to look like, or at least the type of man that she grew warm for.

  No, David is the only one that makes me feel this way. David is the only one that can make me see blood and violence and get wet because of it.

  She stood there, motionless, and watched as he looked down at his knuckles. He wiped them off on his boxers, then took his earbuds out. She held her breath, knowing her eyes were wide, and felt her hands shaking. Everything in her was on alert, not because she feared this man, but because she was so … aroused.

  And then he turned, his head downcast for a moment, the sweat dripping from the tips of his short hair. Her muscles grew taut, her heart beating as fast as a hummingbird’s. When he slowly lifted his head and their gazes locked, she expected to see a bit of shock from him that she stood there, but he held an emotionless expression. David removed the strap from his arm, and tossed it onto the tattered chair pushed up against the wall. They stood there for several seconds, neither moving nor speaking, and the air becoming tense, thicker.

  “I…” she said, but the words died in her throat.

  David walked toward her, and she swore her heart stopped beating. She moved to the side when it was clear he wasn’t going to stop, and she turned her head to see him leave the room and walk down the hallway. Looking back into the room, Gillian focused on the smeared blood that covered the punching bag and the droplets that were on the floor.

  The sound of glasses clanking together drew her attention away from the gore, and she moved down the hall and into the kitchen. David had his back to her again, and she could see he was pouring liquor into a glass. He brought it to his mouth, and repeated the action three times before finally turning around. The sweat was starting to dry on his body, and the scent of him, clean, untamed, and primitive, filled her head. A bloody rag was on the counter beside him, and she looked at his knuckles again, seeing the fresh cuts on them now that the red fluid was smeared off.

  “What are you doing here?” he asked in his deep, serrated voice.

  She shook her head, not sure what to say, or maybe she just didn’t know how to form the words right now. As it was her throat was thick and her whole body was still strung so tight.

  “I wanted to talk about what happened,” she managed to say, but her words were high-pitched, and even now hard to get out.

  “There’s nothing to talk about, Gillian,” David said and grabbed his now refilled glass. He stared at her as he tossed the liquor back and swallowed it in one go. “You saw what happened.”