“I’m not your goddamn property,” I whisper, my voice shaking from how pissed off I am. “I’m your wife, not some prize you drag around to prove a point.”
The air between us thickens, sharp and volatile.
But I don’t back down.
I hold his gaze, daring him to keep playing this game.
Because no matter how hot that kiss was—no matter how much he thinks he’s doing the right thing—I refuse to let anyone control me.
Not even him. So I ask. “Do you think I’m helpless?”
“That’s not—” He rakes a hand through his hair, frustrated. “Kate, he cornered you.”
“I could’ve handled it,” I snap, even though I’m not sure I could. Wade is a large man. “But you didn’t even give me achance.”
His jaw clenches, and he shifts on his feet. “I wasn’t about to stand there and watch him insult you or hurt you.”
“And what, you think that makes you a hero?” I take a breath because I need it. I’m worked up. I should have stopped talking, but I’m wound too tight. The fact that Wade was here to intimidate me is unnerving. The truth is, I never knew he had it in him. “You don’t get to control every situation just because you’re my husband, Finn.”
His eyes darken, but he says nothing.
“You’re not my bodyguard.” I snap. Then, I simmer down and realize he really doesn’t have any rights. We’re faking this. “And I’m not yours, not really,” I whisper, and the statement makes me sad.
Silence stretches between us. It’s thick and it’s brutal. I insulted him over what? A man from my past who hurt my feelings years ago?
Finally, Finn speaks. “You’re my wife. I was protecting you.”
“No,” I say, shaking my head. “You were claiming me. And I don’t know what pisses me off more—that you thought you had the right, or that for a second… I let you.”
His face hardens, but there’s something behind his eyes that guts me—hurt, maybe— something deeper.
Neither of us speaks. Perhaps it’s better that way. I turn, fumbling with the hotel key, desperate to get inside and away from him before I say something worse.
“Kate—”
“Don’t,” I cut him off. I can’t look at him. I overreacted and I hurt him, probably on purpose. Because as much as I want to believe we’re real, we’re not, and that hurts the most.
I shut the door in his face.
And for the first time since this whole fake marriage started, it feels like I finally put a wedge between us that will push him away.
35
FINN
THE DOOR BETWEEN US
Laser/Rocket,Slang for a fast, high-velocity shot or pass. I’ve learned that doors can be as hurtful as hockey pucks when they hit their mark.
She slammed the door in my face! That sound—the sharp, final click feels like a slap in my damn face. I stand there for a second, breathing hard, trying to pull myself together. I’m the good guy. What did I do wrong? I defended her.
I must be in love because I’m standing here like an idiot, staring at the door, waiting for her to open it again. But she doesn’t, and I know how stubborn she can be, especially when she’s making a point.
And fuck, something about her shutting me out hurts worse than anything Wade could’ve said.
I shove my hands through my hair. The incident has made every muscle in my body tight. My jaw’s clenched so hard it aches. I was protecting her. She’s mine. She’s my wife. But I guess it doesn’t matter.
Doesn’t she have feelings for me? Why wouldn’t she want me to protect her? Doesn’t she care for me? Doesn’t she have feelings for me?
