23. Skylar

Chapter 23

Skylar

I somehow let him manhandle me onto the bed. I don't make it easy for him. I kick and scream the whole way. I even manage a few scratches. I should have been able to get out of his hold, though. My dad taught me how to do that. Heck, Mattie did, too. Somehow, though, once Torin slapped the handcuffs on me, panic took over and training flew out the window. He pushes me down on the bed and flattens his body over mine, effectively stopping my attack. My heart is running away with me, and I'm filled with adrenaline—which is good. If not, I'd be enjoying the way it feels to have his body pressed against mine like this.

"Let me go," I yell, concentrating as much as I can on my anger.

Instead of listening to me, he lifts my hands up and secures it to the headboard. How the hell did he do that? I twist my neck back to see if I can see exactly what he did. My arms are basically unmovable at this point.

"Peaches—"

"What did you do?" I snarl out.

I'm not looking at him. I'm too busy twisting my neck, trying to see what he has me hooked on. It's not like he brought the chain over a post. The beds in the clubhouse here are just bedframes with a nice mattress on them. Back home, most of the beds are king-sized and I've spent my life trying to ignore why a lone biker would want a huge bed. I'm not stupid. I've just perfected the art of being clueless—at least on the surface. In hindsight, maybe that is the same thing as being stupid.

"I made sure I could talk to you without you running away," Torin answers—still lying overtop of me.

My breath freezes mid-exhale as I realize there's a fucking hook screwed into the wall. It's not big enough to butt against the mattresses. It is, however, covered in some kind of thick, furry material. I suppose that's a safeguard to keep it from puncturing the mattress, if things got too rambunctious in bed. I mean, it doesn't take a rocket scientist to know the damn hook is so you can tie up your bed partner. Suddenly, I go from being sick to my stomach to feeling waves of disgust and anger rolling through me. I'm pretty sure I'm going to hurl.

"Let me up," I whisper. I hate how weak I sound. I. Hate. It.

"You're not going anywhere. We're going to have this out, Skylar."

Tears sting my eyes as another wave of disgust moves through me. Visions of Torin in here with Debbie and others assault me. "Let me up," I beg again.

"Not till we get this settled between us. I told you before and I don't think you grasp it, but I'm not letting you go. I've wanted you for too damn long."

"It's all about you, isn't it?" I scream at him. " You decide I'm too young, so you treat me like shit after showing me a glimpse of something beautiful. You decide you can't be the man I should have, so you cut me up into little pieces and leave me to bleed. You decide you want me, and you go about getting what you want, no matter how much I say no. It has nothing to do with me. It's all about the fucking almighty Torin!"

Tears are falling fast. I can't stop them. My vision is blurry, while my insides feel raw. It's like every second that I'm lying on this bed is one step closer to death. I'm lying tied to Torin's bed—not because I'm me, but because I'm just another woman that he wants to stick his dick into.

"You are important. That's what I'm trying to tell you, Skylar. You're the only thing in this fucked up world that does matter."

"Liar!"

"I'm not!" he finally growls back, losing control. For some reason that brings me comfort. I want him to be as upset as I am.

"Then prove it!"

"I'm trying, Peaches. Fuck, just tell me what I need to do here."

"Let me up!" I barked again. "I don't want to be in this bed tied to a fucking hook like so many of your whores before me!" He stares at me in shock—not responding at all. Mostly, he looks like he can't believe what I just said. "Let me up, now!" I order at the top of my lungs, pulling against my restraints.

"Fuck, baby, stop. You're going to hurt yourself," he says worriedly. He reaches up, pulling the cuffs from the hook. I try to stop crying. It mostly works now that I'm not lying on this damn bed. He reaches into his pocket and then, with a flick of his wrist, the handcuffs are off. I immediately stand up, rubbing one of my wrists. It doesn't really hurt, but I am close to falling into panic. This gives me something to do with my hands. "Are you okay?" he asks. He takes my hands into his, turns them and begins rubbing my wrists himself. I try to hang on to my anger and pull my hands away. Torin doesn't let me. Instead, he brings them to his mouth and kisses each wrist.

"Let me go, Torin. I'm not staying here tonight. I'm not one of your many girls. I won't allow you to think I am."

"I don't think that, Skylar. Hell, I couldn't think that even if I wanted to. Haven't you been listening to me at all? You're all I want. You're all I've wanted for three years."

"How do you expect me to react to that?" I snort, shaking my head at him.

"Like you believe me would be a good start."

"I'm not sure I do. You've done a pretty thorough job of proving to me you didn't want me at all over the years, Torin."

"I know I don't have a right to ask, but if you let go of the past, I promise you, Peaches, that I'll never let you regret it."

"I don't know if I can trust that …"

"Tonight, let me show you exactly how I feel about you, Skylar."

"You have a fucking hook on the wall for your women, Torin. And the term women is used loosely here, because I know that whore was the main one. The whore you chose over me. I'm not staying in this bed. My door is fixed. I'm going back to my room."

"While you're condemning me, at least try to keep in mind how young you were and what a fucking shock it was for me to learn not only who you were, but your age—all while dealing with having a taste of you and knowing I couldn't have it again."

"If that's how you felt, then why fight for more now?"

"Because I was wrong. I don't give a fuck that I'm too old, or that you could do a fuck of a lot better. I'm your man. I'm going to keep fighting until you finally give in and let me show you what we could be together."

"Torin …" I let out a sigh because I'm not sure what I'm feeling right now.

"I can't do this all by myself, Peaches. You need to take a chance."

"I'm not sure I'm brave enough," I admit, feeling weak. Yet more than that, I just feel tired. I feel like I've been fighting for Torin's attention for most of my life and the end result has always been pain. I'd be stupid to ignore that.

His hand snakes under my hair as it curls against the side of my neck. "That's bullshit. You're the strongest woman I've ever known in my life. Let me prove that you're safe with me."

"I'm really not putting my ass back in that bed, Torin."

I look up at him, stumbling as I half-heartedly resist when he pulls me against him. "Then we'll go to your room tonight."

I moisten my lips with the tip of my tongue because I know what I'm about to do and where it will probably lead. I'm not sure I'm ready, but I can't worry about it right now. The simple truth is, I want Torin close to me, even if I'm not a hundred percent positive about his motives—or his actions, for that matter.

"Fine," I mutter. "You better not make me regret this, asshole," I mutter. Torin's laughter rings out immediately and I do my best to hide my smile. I really do love hearing him laugh.

Damn it, I'm in so much trouble. I have been since the first night we met and it's becoming clear to me I'm never going to make my heart stop wanting this man. Maybe I'm wrong for giving in, but I don't want to fight it. I'm tired of fighting. I want Torin and I'm going to reach out and take him. If it doesn't last and my heart gets crushed? I've survived that kind of pain before. I can do it again.

God, I really hope I can, because this time I have a feeling that losing Torin could completely destroy me.