Page 126 of Perfect Liar

“I know, baby. I know. Never again. I swear, I’ll never hurt you.”

He stepped back but held our eye contact as he pulled down my skirt and fastened his trousers. With my back still to the wall, he rested his arm there next to my head. He kissed me, putting soft, sweet kisses on my lips, soothing me, pulling me into his protective embrace.

When he rested his hand on my back, a sudden sting caused me to involuntarily arch.

Will stepped back again.

“What’s wrong…what is it…are you hurt?”

I stalled.

“It’s been a really long day, and neither of us has slept much. Come to bed with me, Will.”

“You’ll tell me, goddamn it. Did I hurt you?”

“It’s nothing, Will. It’s…I think it’s just from the wall.”

Will spun me and lifted the back of my blouse, and we both realized at once the friction from the old stone wall had gone through the fabric and made several deep abrasions on my back.

“I did fucking hurt you.”

I tugged down my blouse and looked around for my panties.

“I’m sure it’s nothing, just a scratch.”

He stared at me with wide, angry eyes…like I’d committed some terrible offence against him.

“Don’t you fucking dismiss what I did to you.”

“It’s from the wall, Will, not by your own hand. Honestly, you should see what I did to your back.”

My words made him angrier.

“I’m the last man who should ever leave a mark on you.”

He raked through his hair and started pacing and cursing at himself, cursing at the God he wasn’t convinced existed.

“Will, please. We have more important things to deal with,” I said.

His fury escalated more.

“There is nothing more important to me than you. I’ve been clear about that, Elle, and still, you test me over and over.”

Shaking my head, I reached out for his arm.

He pulled away.

“You deserve much better than this, better than me.”

He backed away until bumping into a door. He turned and punched it. The old door broke from its hinges and crashed to the floor. He kicked it, sent it flying several feet beyond the doorway. But that wasn’t enough to satisfy his anger. He jerked up the wrecked door over his head and threw it, smashing it against the wall inside the room. It splintered into pieces.

I ran to him, but again, he pulled away from me.

“Will, don’t do this. Please!”

He blew out slow, heavy breaths, making it hard to tell whether he was winding up more or trying to calm himself.

A voice echoed behind me. Thomas.