I’m not worthy of being an Owner, let alone a lover to someone as amazing as the man currently holding me together.
“You need to go see Lio,” I tell him, my voice trembling as badly as my body.
“He’s the reason I’m here, Tesoro,” Ten replies.
I flinch.
“What happened?”
I shake my head and Tennant grabs my chin, forcing my gaze to meet his in a bruising grip. “What. Happened, Hol?”
“You’re going to hate me.”
“Never. I love you too much for that.”
I stare at him with wide eyes, and Tennant rolls his own. “I’m blaming fucking Benjamin for that. He’s got mefeelingthings.”
I laugh, even though there's nothing funny about the situation we’re in. “I…I love you too, Ten. So fucking much. You’re my soul. It’s…it’s why I know you’ll hate me. As you should. Because I fucked up. I fucked up so badly.”
“What. Happened?” His tone drops, and the danger that enters his voice is one that would spark fear in most people.
I close my eyes, soaking in the fire in those icy eyes of his, and the promise of violence in his voice. Some small part of me wants this to be my end. I wouldn’t mind it. Then I can't cause more damage to the people I love.
“I hurt Emilio,” I whisper. “Not physically, but that probably would have gone over better. I… He wanted to talk. He asked me to speak to Sandro. To…give him reassurance about his place. He fuckingbeggedme, Ten.” I open my eyes, meeting his hard gaze. “He begged me and I pushed him away. I…I said things I shouldn’t have, and I exerted my control in a way I would have condemned Allesandro for. I’m a fucking hypocrite, and Emilio’s finally had enough.”
“He left you.”
I shrug and shake my head at the same time. “He might as well have. He…he walked out the door because he knows he deserves better. I don’t blame him one bit.”
“You’ve always had heavy-handed control, Hol.”
I shake my head. “Not like this. I…I don’t feel right in my own skin anymore, Ten.”
Concern bleeds into the hardness in his gaze, and I hate that I’m making him worry enough to shows in his expression.
“So, what are you going to do about it, Hollis? You’re not one to let something like this go. You love Emilio, I know you do. You wouldn’t have touched him if you didn’t want him. You wouldn’t have dragged us all through this if you didn’t believe it was worth it.”
I bang my fists on his chest and he doesn’t even flinch. “Don’t you see? You’re following someone who can’t be trusted.”
Another sob works its way out of my throat and I double over, clutching Ten’s shirt in my hands. “You can’t trust me. Not with you, or Roman, or Jude, and certainly not with Lio and Sandro.”
He lifts my face to his again. “If you really believe that, I’ll go. I’ll leave you here on this floor. Fuck, I’ll even give you a knife and let you do whatever you want.”
The arm around my waist loosens and then falls away, and he pushes my hands off him as he stands.
Hot. Cold. Hot. Cold. Hot, hot, hot…
Everything inside me seems to freeze in fear, as even thethoughtof Tennant walking away from me sends me into a panic that's so bad I can’t fuckingbreathe.
No. No. No.Nononononono!
I can’t lose him. I can’t. I can’t, I can’t, I can’t!
“I’m going to walk out that door and away from you.”
“Breathe, Hol.”
The pain of being hit around the face has me gasping, and I blink. Tennant adjusts my crooked glasses, and we stare at each other.