Zeke by Kris Michaels

Author:Kris Michaels [Michaels, Kris]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781954421899
Publisher: KMRW LLC

11

Zeke rose to his knees and placed a sizeable slice of an old cottonwood tree onto the top of the flames. The storm howled outside, amplified by the absence of the HVAC system noises. He watched the flames feed on the fresh fuel with greedy licks.

“Are you flirting with me?” The soft question came from the corner of the couch Stephanie had tucked herself into.

He looked over his shoulder. Time to admit what he’d been dancing around. “God, I hope so. If not, I’m tragically inept. Maybe I should take lessons from Carson.”

“God, no, please don’t.” She laughed a bit before moving her gaze from her fingers to the flames, completely avoiding eye contact with him. “I was in a bad relationship.”

“They happen. Did it last long?” He didn’t want to open closing wounds, but getting her to trust him with the truth would be a step in the right direction for them.

She snorted. “Far longer than it should have.”

“I’ve worked in emergency rooms where some bad relationships end up. There’s nothing to be embarrassed about. Corporate lawyers, doctors, and CEOs have all fallen victim to bad relationships. It isn’t about love usually. It’s about control.”

Stephanie turned her gaze to him. “Control,” she whispered the word, then nodded her head.

Zeke stood up and moved to sit at the opposite end of the couch. “But you’re out now?”

“I am.” She nodded again, her golden curls bouncing. “Completely. I hope.” She sighed. “Declan has pictures of him. Reports from a private detective. I told him how bad it had gotten, and I think he wants to make my ex pay. What he doesn’t understand is how dangerous Presley is.”

Zeke almost choked, holding back his snort. “Presley?”

“Stop.” Stephanie tried to rebuke him, but she smiled, too. Yeah, Presley is a girl's name, isn’t it? Zeke stared at her until she looked at him. Her pain wasn’t a joke, and he needed her to know he cared.

“Why would Declan have a file like that?”

“I think he’s going to do something stupid like confront him. That would be a mistake. Presley is a dangerous man.” She shivered and rubbed her arms.

“How bad was it?”

Stephanie held his gaze, and he could almost swear her eyes misted over, but it was hard to tell in the firelight. Finally, she spoke. “He was abusive, controlling, and I didn’t see it at the time, but he isolated me from all my friends. He was so charming initially, everything that people here weren’t. He wore suits and big flashy watches. Had personal trainers and was always surrounded by a security team. He convinced me I was his one and only. He made me believe my friends were jealous of us when they questioned him for preferring I not go out to do things with the girls. I let it go because I thought he was the one, you know? Only, when I finally understood what was happening, I had nowhere to go. He started to hit me. Then he would apologize and swear it would never happen again.

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