by Liza James
When I didn’t respond, out of pure exhaustion, pain and disgust, he tightened his hold on my throat and cut off my air supply.
As I gasped for air, he didn’t stop. Instead, he began hiking my dress up farther up my legs in order to expose myself to him completely.
“Tyler ...” I forced his name out of my mouth in a plea, using the very last bit of air I had to convince him to stop.
Just when I saw the hazy black filter frame my eyesight, threatening unconsciousness to take me, shit hit the fan.
The door to Tyler’s room broke open as Cade’s massive figure ran through. Relief washed over me moments before concern replaced it as he grabbed Tyler’s shoulders and threw him to the floor. Cade was on him in a second, his fist rising and falling, rising and falling, rising and falling.
He wasn’t stopping, and Tyler’s head was lulling back and forth with each punch. I tried to catch my breath, sucking in air that had muted my speech. I looked around the room, my eyes moving slowly as the rest of my body responded in a lazy, painful way. There was blood everywhere. On me, on the bed, on the floor where both mine and Tyler’s had mixed together. It had splattered on Cade’s tux, his fists clearly split open as they continued to ram into Tyler’s face, which was completely disfigured now.
“Cade. Cade, stop. You can’t kill him,” I choked out as I used every last bit of strength I had to slide down on the ground next to him. With a shaky hand I reached out and barely touched his shoulder, but the instant we made contact, he stopped and turned his head sharply toward me.
Our eyes met in the most tragic way, tears spilling out of mine as I saw the pain Cade was experiencing. His chest and shoulders were shifting up and down in great movements as he caught his breath.
In that quick moment of silence, I collapsed backward and felt all of the blood drain from my head, encompassing me in a tunnel of darkness.
Cade jumped forward and caught me before I landed hard, easing me down as he leaned over and ran his eyes over my body, trying to assess what damage had been done. He was trembling, his giant hands shaking as they rested around my neck in a gentle way.
“Emma, stay with me, okay? An ambulance is already on the way. You just have to stay with me.” His voice was rough, pain lacing every word while he tried to get me as comfortable as possible.
I reached up and held his hand against me, focusing on the feeling of his skin against mine. The warmth radiated and broke through the excruciating pain I was in. The feeling of him against me was the only thing keeping me grounded. Closing my eyes, I rested for the first time in what felt like a year. Relaxing in his hold and listening to his voice.
“No no, don’t close your eyes. You have to stay awake. I’m so sorry, Em. Fuck, I’m so sorry. I shouldn’t have said any of the shit I’ve said to you the last couple of weeks. Please, God. Please know I didn’t mean any of that.” He was rushing, fear filling his voice and slurring his words as he pulled my head into his lap.
I wanted to respond, I really did. But consciousness was leaving my body and the strength I had was completely gone.
“I take it back, okay? I would take it all back. Stay with me. I love you, Emma. God, I love you so much.”
My mind relinquished the hold I had on reality and held on to those last three words as I drifted off, the sound of the ambulance quietly wailing in the background.
Thank you!
Thank you so much for reading I Take It Back!
I couldn’t be more thankful to each and every one of you who have taken the time to get lost in this little universe we’ve created. Emma and Cade’s story has been an amazing labor of love and something I’ve been itching to get out for quite a while now.
The second book in their story will be releasing shortly, so if you’d like to stay up to date on sneak peeks, releases, or other information, don’t forget to sign up for my newsletter HERE.
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Thank you again and stay connected for the next chapter of Emma and Cade’s story.
About the Author
Liza James is an Author based out of Mountain Home, Idaho.
She has spent countless hours over the years diving into new books, whether she's the reader or the writer, but has begun releasing her own work in 2019.
Want to learn more? Visit us at www.lizajames.org
The First Night
Have you wondered what Cade thought the night he met Emma? Read how it all went down from his, steamy perspective by joining my mailing list. You'll receive his short story, The First Night, for FREE by clicking HERE.
