Page 59 of Coerced

“Sorry, that’s not going to happen.”

I pushed again. Harder, this time.

He didn’t budge.

I pushed once more. “Get off me. Leave.”

The words might have indicated I was being strong. Firm, even. But the tone of my voice gave me away. I was terrified, begging this man to leave me alone.

Just as I was about to start screaming, he pressed all his weight into me and warned, “Maybe you should have?—”

That was all he got out, because the next thing I knew, he was gone.

Not completely, of course. But he was no longer pinning my body between his and my car. In Ronnie’s place stood Paxton, and he looked like I’d never seen him before.

He looked like he was ready to murder somebody.

SIXTEEN

Paxton

White-hot rage coursed through me.

My blood was rushing in my veins.

It was only by some miracle that I was even standing here now. My dog, Tiny, had been barking, indicating he needed to be let outside to relieve himself.

But it was unusual for him, given the late hour. I initially thought my dog might have been sick.

Now, I wondered if some divine intervention had played a role in the events that had all just transpired. Because no sooner had Tiny come back inside, I moved to climb my stairs to go to bed.

And that’s when it happened.

I saw a flash of light along the wall in my dark house, glanced out the window, and saw headlights pulling into Aria’s driveway. She must have just been getting home from work at the pub.

Although I knew I’d mentioned The Steel Pub to heras being a place that she could likely find a job, I hadn’t taken the time then to consider what that might mean for the hours she worked.

But that reality was smacking me in the face as I saw her pulling into her driveway at the late hour. Though I liked knowing that she’d made it home safely, I hated that it was necessary for her to be out so late.

From what I could tell when I had spoken to her about it, Aria genuinely seemed to enjoy both of her jobs. She didn’t appear to be the least bit bothered by the hours she worked, but I was suddenly feeling protective of her.

Unfortunately, it wasn’t my place to start questioning her. I couldn’t even give my two cents, or at the very least, offer to see her home from the pub on late nights like tonight.

With one hand on the railing leading up the stairs, I continued to stand there and watch out the window. I hadn’t seen her today, and I thought catching one little glimpse of her would be the perfect thing for me right before I climbed back into bed.

It was on that thought I felt a wave of gratitude for my pets wash over me. If it hadn’t been for Tiny, I wouldn’t have gotten this opportunity to see Aria.

Sadly, the good vibes I felt the moment I realized she was home were short-lived. Because it wasn’t more than five seconds after Aria pulled in and turned off her car when my eyes shifted to the mouth of her driveway and realized a car had pulled to a stop.

Despite the distance, I could easily see it was a man who’d gotten out of the car and was making his way up the driveway toward Aria. She’d just barely stepped out of her car when she looked back at him.

My eyes went back to him, following his slow steps toward her. My gut clenched painfully, believing the worst of the situation. She’d been working at the bar. This guy had probably come in tonight, noticed just how beautiful she was, and chatted her up.

Apparently, he’d done it successfully, because she’d asked him to follow her home, and now he was making his way toward her.

Aria and I weren’t together. I had no claim to her. And yet, I couldn’t deny just how much I disliked thinking about what was going to happen in her house tonight. This guy was going to have the privilege of touching her, kissing her. He’d be able to taste those lips, caress her naked skin, and make her moan.

The green-eyed monster reared its ugly head. Jealous didn’t even come close to describing the way I felt. My throat grew painfully tight as question after question popped into my head.