Page 103 of Tank’s Weakness

“Shh. I know you’re mad at me. I didn’t want to hurt you. I iced your face for a little while.” He brushes the hair from my face. “Does it feel better?”

“No. It fucking hurts. Did you break my nose?” I ask.

“I don’t think so, but I’m not a doctor. We will get it checked out after we talk.” His fingers trail down my arm, causing my skin to crawl.

“Where are my clothes?” I ask.

“The tub,” he says almost absentmindedly. “They had blood on them. I had to wash them. I cleaned you up too. I can’t have you looking like a mess, Delaney. You know that.”

I swallow hard as he brushes his fingers over my chest. I try to take stock of my body. Did he touch me down there? It doesn’t feel any different, but with how much I have been having sex with Tank, would I even know?

Think, Delaney. Think.

“Thank you for taking care of me, Blaine,” I start, my voice shaky. “You cleaned me up well. Is that all you did?”

“Of course. I’d never harm you. You can trust me, baby. I told you that I made a mistake. I didn’t want to sleep with Deborah, but she threatened my job. I needed to make partner so I could take care of us and the family we will build. You understand, don’t you? Can you forgive me?”

I force a smile as I reach out, grabbing the hand that keeps touching me. I thread it between my own fingers so we are holding hands. I hate the way his fingers feel between mine, but it’s better than him touching me.

“Of course I forgive you. How can I not when you went through so much to show me the truth? You’ve always loved me, haven’t you?”

He nods. “I have.”

“I know that. I’m cold though, so do you think I can get under the blankets? Maybe you can find me something for my head?” I ask.

“I’ll check your clothes too.” He nods as he stands, letting go of my hand.

As he heads into the connected bathroom, I get under the blankets, hissing at the pain in my body. I look around the room for anything that I can use as a weapon, but all I find is a pen in the nightstand. I hide it under the blanket as he walks back into the room.

“The clothes are still wet. I was able to get you a glass of water. I don’t have anything for your pain. I’ll get you something, though,” he promises.

I take the glass of water, sipping it before setting it down.

“What’s the plan?” I ask him.

“We are going to leave the state and start fresh somewhere else. I can pass the bar in a new state and get hired on at a new law firm, one without female partners. I don’t want you to question if I’m sleeping with my boss.”

“That’s very…considerate,” I manage.

“We can get married. Have kids. We will be a perfect little family.”

That sounds like hell. Blaine is delusional. He thinks he wants this, but he doesn’t. Not really. He only likes that he can’t have me.

“If that’s what you want,” I mutter.

“It is. It’s what you want too. Everything will be great. You’ll see. I have it all planned out.”

He looks so serious. It’s quite scary. He looks like he is losing his grip on reality.

I hear the sound of a motorcycle, and my heartbeat picks up.

Is he here?

Blaine pulls away, going to look out the window. He must suspect it might be Tank too.

“What are you looking for?” I ask, trying to distract him from the window.

“That man you slummed it with. He wasn’t good for you. You know that, right? He’s a dirty biker. How could you think he would be good for you?”