Free Devil's Despair Box Set: Books 1-3 by A.C. Bextor Page A

voice is strained, his face is hard, and his jaw is ticking mercilessly .
    “You’ve been counting?”
    His voice is still strained but quickly gathering force. “Answer me. You’ve been at the wax museum for six fuckin’ hours?”
    “Well, no, not exactly. Travis and I went to lunch, shopping, and...” Wait. I’m explaining things I shouldn’t have to. He agreed I needed the break, knew who I was with, and agreed to me going. “Do you really need a play-by-play of our day together?”
    Hands to hips, his voice is full of contempt. “Did he kiss you?”
    Hands braced to my sides, my voice is full of shock. “What? No, he didn’t kiss me! What are you…”
    He cuts me off, not letting me question his question, but accusation is evident in his tone. “Cherry?”
    Running my hands through my wind-blown hair and sighing, I make an effort to calm him. “Ace, I’m not your prisoner, and you’re not my warden. You would’ve had to figure out that sooner or later I’d need to make new friends.”
    “Yeah, but not Travis kind of friends.”
    “What does that mean? He’s your friend . Did you think we were stashed up in a sleazy motel room all day havin’ at each other like rabbits?”
    Whoa. Wrong thing to say.
    Putting his hand between us, his phone resting in his large palm - he uses it as prop - but avoids answering my question. His voice gets louder as he inches toward my face. “You should have answered your fuckin’ phone, goddamn it. I was worried sick.”
    “You thought I was fucking him.” I make it a statement, unsure if I’m talking to myself or him.
    “No, I didn’t say that.” He may deny it, but the thought crossed his mind; apparently, several times throughout the day. I see it in his eyes - they give me truth he can’t hide.
    Putting my head down, I look to my hands that are left twisting in front of me. “Ace, I’m not a club slut; that’s not who or what I’ve always been. I miss my friends and you’re so mad all the time. Sarah is fourteen and Bean is your grandmother. I need someone my own age to hang out with. Trav’s nice and I like him.”
    Visibly relaxing, he runs his fingers through his hair, resting the palms of his hands on top of his head and lacing his fingers together as he holds the pose. “I didn’t mean it like that. I just…I worried, that’s all. You didn’t answer your phone.”
    He’s not hearing me. I was with Travis, safe and secure. Raising my voice in frustration, I answer his concern. “I didn’t answer my phone because you would have just kept calling! You agreed to this. You told Travis and me both it was okay, so why call me every thirty minutes and send text messages between those calls?”
    His face saddens, realizing I didn’t just incidentally forget to answer. I knowingly ignored his every attempt to reach me. I can’t let myself feel bad about this.
    “Ace, what are you gonna do when I start dating?”
    His eyebrows lift in question. “Dating?”
    “Yeah, two people… dinner… movies… it happens, ya know.” Just not for me.
    “I’ll take you to the fuckin’ movies, Cherry. If that’s what’s you want. Dinner, too, if you’re so goddamn insistent that you need all that shit.”
    He’s appeasing me and it almost hurts. “Ace, I need a life.” You won’t share yours with me .
    Turning around, giving me his back, he takes his boots off with one thud, then another, throwing them on the linoleum floor at the doors entrance. “I’m just trying to…”
    No longer having his eyes bore into me or having to fear the face that’s so angry all the time, I momentarily lose my temper. It’s rare that I do, but at times when I feel safe enough, I let it go. I finish his thought for him. “To protect me! You’re trying to protect me! All the time, as if that’s the only purpose you have. I get it, I do, but I’m not yours to protect. Give yourself a rest, Ace. Let someone else take the load off for a while.”
    Whipping his