Chapter 5

I carried Alex back to my place. I cleaned his wounds, my face remaining impassive the entire time. Alex, carefully, almost whispered, “Thank you. I… I’ll pay you back.”

After I finished applying the ointment, I turned and went out onto the balcony for some air, ignoring Alex completely.

He looked a little awkward, wanting to leave. I saw his hesitation, my voice flat. “I doubt you can even go back to your place right now. So, you want to sleep on the street?”

Alex stopped, then finally conceded. I went to the bathroom to shower. Seeing the photos hanging on the wall only fueled the anger churning inside me.

After my shower, I found Alex sitting on the couch. I walked up to him, pushing him down onto the cushions, fighting to control the rage in my heart.

“Alex Reed, do you think you’re some kind of martyr? Letting yourself get beaten like that without fighting back, playing the saint? And then you’re canoodling with other men? Bravo, really. Just *bravo*.”

Alex avoided my gaze, still unresponsive. I stared at him, a cold laugh escaping my lips. “Fine, fine. Good for you.”

I roughly twisted Alex’s face towards me, my mouth crashing down on his. I bit hard, and he let out a muffled gasp.

I seized the opening, my tongue plunging in, tangling with his like a furious storm. He pushed back, but I slammed his hands against the couch, pinning him.

My hands, no longer innocent, roamed freely over his body. His fresh-from-the-shower scent, combined with the raw hunger inside me, ignited a desperate heat that burned through every inch of my skin.

That night, reason crumbled, utterly consumed by a raging inferno of desire.

The next morning, I woke up to find the spot beside me empty. I’d gotten up early on purpose, heading to the hospital to find Alex.