Forced: A Bad Boy Billionaire Romance (The Blackthorn Brothers Book 1) (7 page)

“You need to eat, Wren.” I’d cooked us some breakfast, but after everything that had happened last night, I couldn’t even get her to look at me for more than a second or two. “Is it ’cause my cooking sucks?”

She rolled her eyes at me, since the omelet I’d made her, along with crispy bacon and the freshly brewed pot of coffee, smelled damn good and tasted even better, even if she’d only taken a bite or two. “Nothing you do sucks. Except when it comes to keeping my heart safe. You suck at that. Which is why you need to leave.”

“I know I hurt you, love…but we were young, and…things were so intense between us…so fucking crazy.” Not that it mattered. I didn’t think she’d ever forgive me.

“
And?
That’s what love’s supposed to be, you…
asshole
.” She reached over and punched my shoulder, glaring at me. “Love’s supposed to be crazy and intense…it’s supposed to be all-consuming. Except that you walked away from everything we had…and you left me alone…
you left me in a hell I had no way of escaping
.”

“And for that, I’m sorry.” I knew she’d been upset about it, but…people broke up. And yes, it was heart-wrenching, but…I didn’t quite understand her devastation. “I swear, I didn’t realize it’d be so hard on you.”

“Well, it was—and I’ll never forgive you for it.” Her eyes reddened and shimmered with tears, her lids slipping shut in a futile attempt to keep them contained.

I pulled her into my arms, ignoring her struggles, until her small form finally sagged against me as she quietly cried, and I kissed the top of her head. “I swear, I won’t ever hurt you again, Wren. I’m not expecting us to pick up where we left off, but I am asking you to give me another chance.”

She pulled away to look up at me. “How the hell am I supposed to give you another chance when I hate you for leaving? You have no fucking clue.”

“I suppose I don’t.” And I didn’t. I didn’t have a clue as to what I’d put her through. And yet none of my other exes had taken it so hard when we split up, though Wren was the only woman I’d ever been serious with. “So, why don’t you tell me?”

The last thing I’d expected to see was the panic in her eyes—just before her anger returned. “There’s nothing to tell you—and if you think I’m marrying you, you’re insane.”

Fucking hell…we were back to that again.
“That’s not up for debate, Wren. I wish we had more options, but we don’t. And I know you don’t want to hear it, but we need to get going.”

“You and my dad…the two of you are unbelievable.”

We finished the rest of our breakfast in silence—not that she really ate much.

“Ready to go?” I was expecting her to give me a hard time about going, but she didn’t, even if she was clearly not happy about it.

“I fucking hate you, Ash.” She brushed past me and grabbed the bag she’d packed, hating me once more for all my wrongs.

Without so much as another glance in my direction, she grabbed the rest of her things and followed me out to my car, tossing her stuff into the backseat of my SUV before climbing into the passenger seat.

This was going to be one hell of a long drive.
I slid in behind the wheel and looked over at her, still taken aback by just how beautiful she was. She had the most amazing grey-blue eyes, and her dark hair was thick and wavy, always looking tousled like she’d been at the beach—and her lips…plump and kissable, and always so expressive. Except that now they were pursed together as she glared at me.

I couldn’t help but smile. “Seat belt, little bird.”

“’Cause you really care about me.” Yet she buckled herself in—which spared me from having to wrestle her in her seat, though my cock hardened at the mere thought of it, clearly liking the idea far too much.

“I do care—and you fucking well know it, Wren.” It was nothing but the truth, even if I’d walked away from her.

“Yeah…you really have a way of showing it, too.” She crossed her arms in front of her chest and kept her gaze looking forward, refusing to face me.

Well, at least I hadn’t had to haul her out of her apartment with her body tossed over my shoulder as I dragged her to my car kicking and screaming. Small consolation, though, when she still fucking hated my guts.

It’s not that I’d been expecting a warm welcome. I knew she wouldn’t be happy to see me. And I’d even expected her anger and hate. But there was something about that exchange in her bedroom—
her tears as I’d made her come
… It left me a bit rattled, because I didn’t quite understand the despair I’d felt in her as she sobbed in my arms.

And then there were her words…
that I’d left her in a hell I couldn’t imagine…a hell she couldn’t escape.

The question was, had that despair always been there and I’d just been too young and stupid to notice it? And the hell I’d left her in…did something happen to her after our breakup—or worse still, was it our breakup that did this to her?

We’d been apart for eight years. In that time, anything could have happened to her—and I hated that I hadn’t been there to protect her. Maybe that was part of the reason she hated me with such a vengeance.

She hadn’t spoken a word to me since we’d gotten on the road, nor had she spared me a glance. And given that I’d opted to drive us back to Seattle rather than fly, her anger with me and the silence that accompanied it were going to make this one hell of a long drive. “We’ll drive halfway there and then grab a room. We can get back on the road first thing in the morning.”

“You mean we’re driving all the way back—not flying?” At least she finally looked at me, though it was only to glare at me.

“We could take our time heading back, if you’d like. Make a bit of a vacation out of it, so we can catch each other up on everything we’ve had going on in our lives the past few years.” Which was probably a good idea if we were going to get married.

“Maybe I didn’t make myself clear…I want to spend less time with you, Ash—not more.” Wren shook her head and just stared out her window at the passing city. “It’s not exactly a difficult concept, though I’m sure it’s a rare woman who’s turned you down.”

“The only woman who’s ever mattered is you, Wren. And I know you might hate me for what I did, but it doesn’t change how I feel about you.” It was nothing but the truth, even if I’d ended things, and I’d never stopped loving her, despite everything. Needing her touch, I couldn’t help but reach out and take her hand—not that I was surprised when she pulled it from my grasp. “Wren…we’re getting married. That means we’re going to be spending a lot more than just a car ride together—and this will be a whole lot easier if we’re on speaking terms.”

“I don’t know how many times I need to say it for you to get it through that thick skull of yours, but I’m not marrying you—and frankly, I don’t care how you feel about me. I refuse to let my father dictate how I live my life, and if he wants to cut me off financially, then let him.”

Given the wrath in her tone, I had no doubt she’d do her best to avoid this marriage, and yet, her father could be damn persuasive in getting people to do things they didn’t want to, which was exactly why I was currently in San Francisco and we were both on our way back to Seattle.

Knowing there was no point in arguing with her at the moment and making her even more miserable, I tossed on some tunes and focused on the road. We stopped for lunch a few hours in, and then finally pulled off the highway around dinner time. We grabbed a quick meal at a local pizza shop and then headed to the nearest hotel.

It wasn’t anything fancy, but it was a hotel chain with a good reputation, and given that we’d been on the road for hours and we were in a fairly remote location, it’d have to do. I could spoil Wren with something nicer in the near future—preferably when she wasn’t wanting to murder me.

“Two rooms, Ash.” Wren yanked her bag from my grip when I went to carry it for her, and tossed it over her shoulder, following me into the lobby.

“One room.” And one bed, since I’d been sporting a hard-on since we left her apartment, and it’d be a hell of a lot easier to make sure she didn’t actually succeed in escaping if she was lying down right by my side rather than across the room.

I paid for the room and was relieved that Wren didn’t make a scene or tell the concierge that she’d been kidnapped, no doubt due to her upbringing—cops were to be avoided at all costs. Because if the cops showed up, that would be a fucking disaster. And though I might be able to explain my way out of it by pretending that she was just angry with me and we’d been arguing, there was still a good chance it’d be a mess.

Using the keycard, I unlocked the door and let her pass. She dropped her bag in the corner of the room and crossed her arms, giving me a smug smile. “Hope the tub or the floor are comfortable, because I’m not sharing, and it’s your fault you got us a room with just one bed.”

“Guess again, babe. Just be thankful the bed’s a queen, and we’re not snuggling and playing footsies in a twin.” It’d been a long few days, and it was finally catching up with me. I kicked off my shoes and lay down on the bed, pulling the covers back for her and patting the spot next to me. “Come on, Wren. It’s been one hell of a day, and there’s room for two.”

“Just so we’re clear—
this blows
—and you do
not
get to touch me again.” Her grey eyes narrowed in my direction, and if looks could kill, I’d be suffering a coronary right now.

“Not unless you want me to, little bird.” And given that we usually couldn’t keep our hands off each other, even when she hated my guts, I wasn’t too worried.

Digging around in her bag, she grabbed a few things and disappeared into the bathroom, as I stripped naked and got under the covers. She returned a short while later wearing pajama shorts and a tank top. And fuck, but the girl was doing my head in. Her tank clung to her body, hugging the curves of her lush breasts, her dark areolas and pert nipples just visible enough through the thin fabric to tease me. Lying down by my side, she snuggled in under the covers, though she made sure to stay on her side of the bed.

“Tell me you’ll stay put, Wren. You’ll sleep a whole lot better if you’re not handcuffed to me.” Luckily she knew me well enough to know that I meant every word.

She turned over, looking frustrated and angry. “Why do you have to be such a bastard?”

“I’m just giving you fair warning. I know I’m an asshole for dragging you back to your father’s against your free will—but my family’s lives are on the line, and I’m sorry, but that’s not a risk I can take. Even if I incur your wrath as a result.” My dad’s murder was still too fresh on my mind, and the darkness that accompanied my loss was too hard to handle sometimes—and it fucking sucked. I just couldn’t risk making the rest of my family targets when there was still a murderer on the loose.

“Ash…I can’t even imagine what you must be going through. But do you really think that making a deal with my father will actually put an end to your family’s problems? ’Cause I can tell you right now—it won’t.” She looked torn between her sympathy for my situation and wanting to strangle me—and I couldn’t quite decide which one would win out. “This is what my father does—he manipulates people into doing what he wants them to, and to hell with the consequences.”

“Would marrying me really be such a fucking travesty, Wren? You know I’ll always do my best to do right by you.” It was the truth. We may have made each other crazy, and I was guilty of breaking things off, but while we were together, I’d been loyal and did everything I could to love her and make her happy.