Free How to Fall in Love by Bella Jewel Page A

the fuck out of my bar,” he barks at Max.
    “Who the fuck are you? The latest piece of ass?”
    My tears come harder. He knows me. He knows I don’t sleep around, so his words hurt like hell.
    “I own this bar and she’s my friend. Now watch your fuckin’ mouth.”
    “Or what?” Max challenges.
    Rainer puts me behind him and steps forward. By now there’s a good space around the two men, because people have moved back. Rainer gets in Max’s face, and barks, “Leave!”
    Before I know what’s happening, Max throws a punch. Max has always been able to fight; he was born tough, and he will die tough. Not to mention he runs a fighting ring now.
    Rainer stumbles backwards with the blow and I expect Max to throw another one and take Rainer down, like most of the men he has fought in his life. That doesn’t happen. Rainer bounces forward and drives a fist into Max’s jaw, and then the two of them are tumbling, fists flying, pained grunts echoing through the bar as the music is turned down.  
    “Stop!” I scream, rushing forward.
    They don’t hear me. They just keep hitting, and beating, and drawing blood on each other. The two fight as if they’re in a ring, neither one of them backing down. Unable to take anymore, and realizing I can’t stop it, I turn and shove through the crowd. I run down the hall until I reach the backdoor and I shove through, panting and crying. I press my back against the cold brick and sob, leaning over and wrapping my hands around my stomach.
    “Why?”
    I hear this spat at me about five minutes later, and I jerk up to see Max standing in front of me, blood coming from his lip, eye swelling closed, fists bunched. Obviously it took a bit before they were separated. Poor Rainer, he’ll probably never let me in his bar again. I hope he’s not hurt.
    “Why what?” I rasp.
    “Why did you keep her from me?”
    I flinch. “Why did you walk away when you saw her?”
    Something dark comes across his face. “I asked you a question. Answer it.”
    I stand up straight. “No, Max, because I don’t owe you an answer. You made your choices back then, and I made mine. I did what I had to do. You were an alcoholic, a gambler, and you were dangerous. There was no way I was subjecting her to that.”
    His eyes flash with anger and he steps forward, pressing my back against the wall. “You do owe me a fucking answer, because that’s my fucking child!” he bellows into my face.
    “Don’t you dare get in my face,” I spit, reaching over and shoving him back. He doesn’t move. He’s like a giant stone. “Back off!”
    He doesn’t.
    He leans down closer, panting in my face. “Are you fucking him?”
    I blink. “I beg your pardon?”
    “Are you fucking him?” he barks.
    “What the hell would it matter if I am? You’ve been sticking your dick in random women since I left, so don’t you dare act like you’re higher than me right now.”
    He grinds his teeth, and I can see the muscles in his jaw jumping as he does. He raises a hand and sticks it on the wall above my head, leaning down even closer. “You’re right. I have fucked other women. It’s been nothing more than emotionless screwing.”
    That hurts.
    Tears burn under my eyelids and I look away. He reaches out, grabbing my jaw and tilting my head back. “Why the fuck are you coming back into my life after this long, Blue Belle?” he rasps, studying my face. “Why the hell should it matter who I fuck?”
    “It matters because I didn’t just get over what we had the way you did. It matters because I’ve been fighting for five fucking years to fall out of love with you. It matters because you are the only fucking man I’ve ever loved, and I wanted . . . I wanted you to be him again. I wanted to come back, to leave the nightmare of a past where it should be. I prayed you would be different, but you’re not, are you?”
    He studies my face. “You don’t understand what happened back then, and if you did, you wouldn’t