Page 27 of Dollhouse

To be fair, neither was Emma.But I was going to give it to her regardless. She deserved it. She’d been perfect for her parents, perfect for her useless, cunt of a husband. Perfect for everyone. Look where that got her? Kidnapped. Life in total upheaval. Degraded and humiliated by some asshole.Me.

She deserves better.

She deserves better than I’ve given her.

A kick to the back of my knee jolts me out of that shitty thought, and I catch the culprit on instinct before he can scurry away.

Bo. Little fucking menace.

He smiles innocently at me, eyeing the hand I have clutching his throat. “What is wrong with you?” I ask him, releasing him and turning back to the counter, where the steaks rest for dinner.

“You’re staring at my best friend likeshe'syour meal.” he says, leaning against the counter and watching me.

I shrug. “Is that a problem?”

“Depends. She’s been upset lately, you know. Torn up overyou.”

I don’t have the energy for whatever this is, so I say nothing, dragging the knife through the steak. Emma likes when I serve it this way, so I can make her askmefor another bite. And I like the sight of me feeding it to her.

“It wouldn’t kill you to tell her how you feel,” he mutters, his fingertips drawing little spirals on the countertop.

“Yeah, and how do I feel about her?” I ask, a sarcastic smirk on my face.

“Don’t be a dick, Noah. This tension between you two is stressing me out.”

I look over at her, curled up with Molly under a blanket. “You must be smart enough to see that she’s not happy here. It’s like this all the time, do you get that? There is never going to be a future where this family isn’t in danger, no matter what bullshit Jesse feeds you.”

My words don’t land, because Bo is as stubborn as they come. He might let my cousin throw him around, but he’s no pushover.

So no, my words don’t sink into his little head. He just narrows his eyes at me, their sharp blue burning into the side of my face.

“Okay. So when you’re done dealing with Eric, your plan is just to…let her go? Wish her luck as she moves on and finds someone else to settle down with?”

The image ignites a murderous buzz into my muscles, my hands freezing momentarily as the knife hovers mid-slice.

“Because I’m not going back homeever. So she’s going to be all alone out there if you don’t plan on keeping her.”

My teeth grit. “She’s not a fucking dog.”

“No. But she is yours. Or did we get that part wrong?”

I attempt to exhale the tension, hoping to calm the riot in my brain at the thought of her belonging to another man, sleeping in his bed. His hands on her. Having his children.

I’m so on edge that I don’t even flinch at the thought.Kids?Fuck it. I’d never wanted them before, but I definitely hate the thought of her having them with anyone else.

Okay, that’s a crazy thought. It’s still true and it doesn’t change a goddamn thing.

“I mean, if that’s the case, I’ll let her know so she can start preparing herself to get her heart brok?—”

I have my hand locked under his jaw in a moment, hair flying wildly into my eyes as I tilt his face to peer up at mine.

“I wouldn’t finish that sentence if I were you, Bo.” My words are measured, andfullof threat.

He smiles sweetly up at me, the brat in him coming out to play. “You don’t tell me what to do.”

“Is that right?” I ask dangerously, but he only smiles wider, seemingly proud of the reaction he’s getting.

“Jesse!” I shout and immediately his pupils dilate. “Hmm, I can see he’s got you trained well.”