Fight 2 by M Dauphin Read Free Book Online Page B

table I make the move to leave. I need to get her back to privacy where I can spill my guts to her. Finishing up my liquid courage, I keep hold of her hand and march her to our hotel. I want to get past this. I want to get to the part where we are happy again, and tonight is going to be anything but happy.
    “Hold up!” She lags behind a bit, then stops, taking off her heels and flashes me one of her famous Red smiles. There’s my girl... she’s still there.
    “Need a lift?” I grin.
    “Har har asshole... you try speed walking through the streets of Vegas in heels like this!” She slaps my arm with her purse and keeps walking, stunning me with her pure beauty.
    By the time we make it back to the hotel she’s bitching about the dress, the bare feet, and all I can think about is getting her dress off her and getting her in bed. I know we have a lot to talk about before that can happen though, but I’m not happy about it. The door shuts behind us, but she doesn’t stop and wait for me. Instead, she marches right into the bathroom and comes out shortly after she goes in, wearing my fucking Rancid shirt and boxers.
    Smiling, she plays with the hem of the shirt and looks down at herself.
    “Guess I should go get my stuff from the other room.”
    “No. Don’t. You look perfect.” Her eyes come to meet mine and she grins at me again. “I like you in my clothes.” I walk towards her and embrace her, lifting her for the hug. She doesn’t wrap around me like I wish she would, just awkwardly hugs me back.
    “Listen, Eddie. We... there are things we need to talk about. No sex tonight. I told you I’d give you one night... so here we are.”
    No sex? I’m sure I look like I just lost a puppy. Can’t we have both? She looks determined, though. I sigh and loosen my tie, taking off the suit jacket and rolling up the sleeves. Maybe I won’t be wearing red to bed tonight after all.
    “Alright... let’s hear it.” Bracing myself for the breakup that I know is coming, I run through ways to get her back once she decides to leave. Instead I’m hit with the words I never wanted to hear a woman say to me.
    “Tell me about your childhood, Eddie. Where did the scars come from?”
    A punch to the gut would have felt better than those words. I know I have to tell her eventually, but that’s where she starts? I stare at her for a moment, trying to decide where to begin.
    “Wow. That’s an intense first question, Red,” is the only thing that I can get out.
    “I need to know. I need to understand you. I deserve someone that gets me, that understands me, that doesn’t JUDGE me. I don’t want to waste my time.” The look she gives me could have killed. Jesus, maybe Tatum is right, maybe she is ready to bolt.
    “Look... you’re not fucking wasting your time okay!” Calm the fuck down, Eddie. I pace the room and end on the couch, waiting for my heartbeat to slow before continuing.
    Calmly she sits on the couch next to me and puts her hand on my back.
    “I’m here, Eddie. Please open up.”
    I sigh heavily, and know it’s now or never. Red isn’t the type of girl to give second chances. If I fuck this up, it’ll be all on me.
    “It all started when I was five,” I start. “The first time he did it, I didn’t really know what happened. He told me it was an accident; that his cigar fell out of his hand. Hit the top of my knee and burned straight through my jeans and skin before I was able to get it off.”
    I feel her go still as I start describing the small things he would do to me when he thought my mom wasn’t looking. All the ‘cigar burns’ all the ‘whoops, the scissors slipped’ times when he was cutting my hair. None of them were accidents. I know that now.
    “He was worse with my mom. I watched him beat her more times than I could count. For years I watched it, and cowered in corners and closets... anywhere I could find to hide... just so he didn’t hit me...” I trail off. I know she’s crying but