She knew he was angry even before he spoke. Even before he looked at her. The muscles in his jaw flexed and he seethed, his energy washing over her like a bucket of hot water. The silence in the room was so complete that it hummed, where normally the home was filled with joyful noise when her man walked in. She stood and crossed to him, spaying her fingers across his warm chest, feeling his angry, pounding heartbeat as she rose onto her toes to press a cautious kiss to his tense jaw.
"Welcome home, my love. How was your day?" She asked in as casual a voice as she could muster.
"I spoke to Charlie today," he said, turning away and sliding his jacket off his shoulders. In that moment, when fear and dread climbed like bile in her throat, she noticed that he had never looked so beautiful. Her heart throbbed with love and desperation as she feared that he might leave her one day.
"What did he say?" she asked, her voice small.
Charlie had been in love with her for years. Constantly, she denied him, over and over again. But he was always there, flattering her, flirting with her. He was always just around the corner.
"I think you know," he said. His voice was quiet, almost tremulous and as he turned to look at her the pain in his eyes shocked her.
"I love you," she whispered.
"You kissed him."
"He was being so insistent. I thought it might satisfy him enough to let it go for a while."
The pain in his eyes hardened into anger. "Don't lie to me. Everyone saw you. Making a damned fool of me, flirting with that man for all the world to see. You think I don't know what a tease you are? I, of all people, should know how much you love to get guys hard just to laugh it off like a joke. Testing your skills out on any man who talks to you.
She shook her head, tears welling up in her eyes. He had never been angry at her before, and the ice in his words frightened her to the bone.
"Did you enjoy kissing him?"
"No."
Suddenly she felt a stinging slap against her cheek and the sound of it rang through the silent room. The slap so shocked her that the tears came unbidden. She raised a hand to her cheek, in shock more than pain.
"How can I touch you now? Knowing he's had his hands on you. Knowing you LET him put his hands on you?"
"I'm so sorry."
"That doesn't answer my question. How can I touch you? What can I do now? You know how I hate that man. And yet you let yourself be flattered by him. HIM of all people! You were so pleased about being wanted that you let it go on. Have I failed to make you feel wanted? Have you ever doubted me?"
She covered her face with her hands. It was true. What he said was true. She couldn't bear the betrayal in his voice.
"What can I do? Knowing you enjoyed the attentions of another man?" His voice was tremulous again, broken and pleading.
She took a steadying breath and took her hands away from her face. Slowly, she met his gaze. Those eyes, those beautiful eyes, had always been his most striking and expressive feature. Now they seemed torn between pain and fury. It was her fault. Her own carelessness had led to this. She had hurt him.
"Punish me," she said. "Hit me again. Teach me a lesson. Anything. Only please don't leave me. You're the only man in the world."
Her last word was cut short by another slap across the face. She gasped at the sudden pain, but there was no time to register the pain before it was repeated on the other cheek, a backhand that sent her toppling to the ground. She braced her hands on the floor, gasping for breaths between sobs.
In a moment, he was gripping her upper arm and hauling her back onto her feet. He grabbed her chin and forced her to face him. His own eyes were shimmering with restrained tears, red-ringed and wild.
"Well?" He whispered.
"I love you," She repeated, her whole world thrumming for him.
"Still?" He was beautiful, his need and sadness playing across his soulful face.
"Always. Always."