Rhapsody (The Bellator Saga Book 5) Read Free Page A

first place. Caroline knew the answer but felt compelled to ask the question anyway. “How long have you been here?”
    Jack let go of her hand and tucked some of her hair behind her ear. “Three days.”
    She stared at the ceiling. “You shouldn’t have done that.”
    “Why not?”
    Had he forgotten the way she’d been acting toward him? One or two kisses couldn’t make up for months of mistreatment. “Because I don’t deserve it.”
    He squeezed her hand. “Yes, you do.  The fact that you exist means you deserve it.”
    His kindness was unnecessary. He didn’t need her shit. Not now, not ever. She could feel her emotions slipping away and had to do her best not to drag him into the void. “Whatever.”
    “You really want to have an argument right now, after getting one hell of a concussion?”
    If it meant she could save him, absolutely. And the best way to start would be by pushing him away for his own good. “The revolution must be suffering without its leader.”
    Jack gave her a hard look, weighing his words. “You’re more important,” he finally said.
    But should she be? “Right.”
    He placed her hand between both of his and looked her straight in the eyes. “You are. You know you are. Caroline-”
    Her lower lip trembled and she turned away from him. Maybe he wouldn’t notice. “Jack, I can’t do this now.”
    He stroked her cheek. “When will it ever be a good time for you?”
    It didn’t hurt to be honest. Maybe some blunt reality would make him realize she wasn’t worth the effort. “I don’t know.” She sniffled. “Probably never.”
    “You’re going to have to face it sometime. Going to have to deal with us.”
    Caroline knew he was right but damn him for saying it out loud. She weakly yanked her hand out of his. “There is no us ,” she said. “Not anymore.”
    She could almost hear him scowling at her. “You’re not the only one allowed to have an opinion on that,” he said. “You’re not the only one in this marriage.”
    “Like that matters.”
    “So what was that kiss about? The night before you left?”
    What had it been? One last fleeting moment of happiness? A cheap gesture to make herself feel better about ditching him and flying into danger? Now it made her feel guilty for making him think she could somehow find a way to be good enough for him.
    “That was a fluke,” Caroline said. “I was caught up in the moment.”
    “Bullshit. That was real. You were all over me. And you did it again, right before you got on the fucking transport.”
    Oh, like he hadn’t done his fair share of fierce kissing. Her awkwardness dissolved into anger. “You’re the one who shoved your tongue down my throat.”
    Jack took a deep breath, trying to rein in his temper. “After you made it clear you wanted it,” he retorted. “You were humping my leg that night in your apartment. If I hadn’t stopped you, you would have ripped off my clothes. I could have taken you right there if I wanted to, but I knew you weren’t ready.”
    It was easier to be angry. Easier to push him away. It was for his own good. Whatever progress they made didn’t matter. Not when she was in no position to enter into a normal relationship. She rolled her eyes. “ Taken me? You’re such a conceited asshole, forever thinking with your dick. It was a freak reaction. That was all. I was nervous about leaving.”
    “You’ve got an answer for everything, don’t you?”
    “And you can’t stand that our relationship is over,” Caroline snapped.
    Jack opened his mouth to speak, then stopped.
    “Look,” she said. “Maybe you should leave me alone. My head really hurts.”
    “You know what? Natalie was right,” he said. “You are all over the place. You hate me but you want to kiss me. You get close to me then you pull away again. You can’t make up your mind, can you? The only thing you know for sure is how much you enjoy stringing me along.”
    That one stung. She had no good