I sized Bristol up, noting how she seemed unsure of herself, chewing on her lower lip, her eyes darting around the room, looking at anything but me. This was not the confident woman I’d grown to care for, even if thosefeelings were one-sided. I wanted to beat the shit out of Levi Nixon all over again for doing this to her.
There was a magnetic pull between us, and I decided to stop fighting it. Closing the gap between us, I reached a tentative hand to hover an inch away from her cheek. When she didn’t flinch or move away, I cupped the soft skin of her face, stroking my thumb over the curves slowly.
A stuttered breath flew past Bristol’s lips before she relaxed against my touch. She had to feel this connection between us, right? I couldn’t be imagining it.
“First, tell me if you’re okay,” I commanded softly.
Those beautiful blue eyes searched mine before dropping under my intense gaze, her lashes tickling my thumb. On an exhale, she asked, “Physically or emotionally?”
Dread squeezed my heart in a vise grip, and my voice came out rough, choking on the words. “He hurt you?”
Bristol’s eyes fluttered open, and there was a beat of hesitation before she said, “He didn’t.”
“I don’t understand.” My forehead wrinkled as I tried to make sense of what she was saying.
“You did.”
Those words slammed into me with the force of a sledgehammer, and I stumbled back, my legs nearly collapsing at her admission.
“Me?” I forced out.
Ducking her head, she whispered, “Seems you have a habit of leaving my ass bruised.”
I gaped at her. “What—How—I—“ My brain was misfiring, racing to put the pieces together but coming up empty.
“You don’t remember?” Bristol tilted her head, eyes sharp as she witnessed my confusion.
Mute, I shook my head.
When she took a step forward, I held out my hands to stop her. If I didn’t remember hurting her, it wasn’t safe for her to be closer.
Bristol took a deep breath. “When you were on top of Nix.” My jaw ticked at the sound of his name. “You were out of your mind with rage. I knew if I didn’t stop you, you might kill him. And as much as I hate him, I didn’t want to see him drag you down too. So, I pulled on your arm, and when you shrugged me off, I fell hard on my ass. I know you didn’t do it on purpose, but I didn’t realize you didn’t remember it.”
It finally clicked, and I explained, “Rage blackout. My vision didn’t clear until they got me outside.”
“Oh. That happen a lot?”
“No.” I needed her to know I wasn’t a violent man. I would never willingly put her in harm’s way or intend to injure her myself—consensual bedroom activities aside.
I dropped onto her couch, placing my elbows on my knees and cradling my head in my hands.
Her small hand stroked my back. “I’m not upset with you.”
“You should be,” I scoffed, not looking up. “I just—“ I stopped, unable to continue, the weight of hurting her crushing my soul.
“Just what?” she asked, no hint of accusation in her tone.
“Fuck.” When I finally dared to peek at her, her blue eyes were wide but not scared. “I just saw his hands on you after you told him no, and something inside of me snapped. Then, when I realized he was your ex? I lost my damn mind. Knowing he’s the reason—“
Bristol sighed, breaking my gaze. “You know he’s not the only reason we can’t be together.”
“You’re telling me that if you didn’t have a history with a player who abused his status, you would have still shut me down flat? You’ve mentionedmore than once that you’ve been down this road before. What if you hadn’t? What if this was the first time? Would you have been open to exploring this pull between us?”
“I don’t know.” She kept her eyes down, tucking her feet beneath her knees.
Gripping her chin, I turned her face, not allowing her to hide from the conversation—one we should’ve had long ago.
“I’ve never felt like this before, Bristol. I need you to know that. I can’t stop thinking about you. I see you every time I close my eyes. I nearly tore my best friend apart when he wouldn’t let me go to you after your ex had his hands on you. I was that desperate to see you safe.”
