The Vow I Never Took

He Is A Monster

Lena Pov

Nathan Hale glanced at me, one hand resting lazily against his thigh, and the other draped over the armrest. He looked completely at ease, which only pissed me off more.

If only I could smack that proud look from his face. Nonetheless, I was the one in dire need of a solution. I desperately want a way out of this mess.

At the end of a lengthy one minute, he simply spat out the words. “You know the law, Lena.”

“Ugh,” I groaned, throwing my head back against the seat. “There has to be a way out.”

He sluggishly replied, “There isn’t.”

"Is that why you weren't at the gala thing you invited me to tonight? Bought me a fancy dress and everything, just to not show up?" I asked sharply.

Instead of an explanation, he totally ignored my question.

"You are a feisty woman, Lena Carter." Nathan Hale muttered under his breath, but I caught every word.

“We settled for a marriage of three years, but the law says we can dissolve the marriage after three months. Three months,” he added casually. “Then you’re free to divorce me if you want.”

"If I want?" I repeated incredulously. "You say it like I might change my mind after three months."

He sighed. "Three months is the law, Lena."

“Well, then. f**k the law!”

Nathan let out a laugh. An actual laugh, deep and rich, like I had just told the funniest joke in the world.

I hated him for it.

But oddly enough, I felt a little lighter. Maybe it was the absurdity of the situation, or maybe it was because he wasn’t pushing me or demanding anything from me. Either way, the weight in my chest eased just a little.

A thought struck me. “How did you find me?”

Nathan didn’t answer right away. His fingers drummed against his thigh before he finally said, “I have my ways.”

“That’s not ominous at all.” I muttered.

He didn’t respond. Just kept staring out the window like he hadn’t just proven how ridiculously creepy he was.

I scoffed. “It’s a tracking device, isn’t it? You’re tracking me.”

Nathan glanced at me. “Now, that would be illegal, wouldn't it?”

“Oh, so now you care about legality?”

He shrugged. “I care about you.”

I rolled my eyes so hard I almost saw my brain. “That is the most stalkerish thing you’ve ever said.”

“You’d be surprised,” he murmured.

I turned to face him fully. “So? Are you admitting it?”

“Admitting what?”

“That you put a tracking device on me.”

“Why would I do that?”

I threw my hands in the air. “I don’t know! You tell me!”

He was quiet for a moment, then, “Would it make you feel better if I said yes?”

I gaped at him. “You absolute psycho.”

“Relax, Lena. I didn’t put a tracker on you.”

I stared at him, trying to figure out if he was lying. “Then how did you find me?”

Nathan leaned back. “I have resources.”

“That is not an answer.”

“But it is the only one you’re getting. Let's leave it at that.”

The car slowed down, and I glanced out the window. We were at my apartment building.

I blinked, surprised. I had expected him to drag me off to his house, given the whole ridiculous marriage situation. But he was… bringing me home?

Nathan Hale, respecting my boundaries? That was new.

The driver parked, and I unbuckled my seatbelt. “Thanks for the ride.”

Nathan didn’t respond right away. Instead, he studied me closely. Finally he asked, “What happened with your fiancé?”

Oddly enough, this was the easiest conversation we have ever had. Maybe because, for once, we weren’t at each other’s throats. And the fact that he had asked about David was equally surprising.

“David didn’t take the news well,” I admitted. “He drank himself into a stupor.”

Nathan’s jaw ticked, but he said nothing.

“And then he tried to...” I stopped myself. The words had turned as thick as honey in my throat. I forced myself to meet Nathan Hale's eyes. “He tried to r**e me.”

Silence.

Then Nathan Hale's entire body went rigid. His green eyes turned dark and I could see the anger in his face. For the first time, his control slipped.

Even if he was just a stranger to me right now, I felt warm that someone actually cared about me.

I expected words or a reaction or just something. But instead he reached forward and cupped my face in his hands.

His touch was unexpectedly gentle as his thumbs caressed my cheeks. His hands were warm and it was disorienting.

“I know you don’t want this,” he said to me. “But I will take care of you, Lena.”

I didn’t know what to say. My mouth opened, but no words came out. Nathan Hale seemed to take that as an invitation, because he reached forward and kissed me.

It wasn’t a demanding kiss. It wasn’t rough or forceful. It was short, but enough to turn my world on its head.

Then he pulled back and let his hands fall away. He pulled off his jacket and draped it over my shoulders. "Here, that should cover your torn dress," he murmured.

“Go home, Lena Carter.”

*

Just thinking about David sent me into cold chills. I knew without a shadow of a doubt, that what had happened today was the end of us. Whatever love, trust or future I thought we had was dead and buried.

A man who could do what he did to me, I would never forgive that. I would never look at him the same way again.

And then there was Nathan Hale.

I didn't know what to make of him. He had every reason to be insufferable. I knew his type of man: Men like him were arrogant, controlling and even manipulative. And yet he hadn’t been any of those things tonight. He had been soft and even considerate of my feelings.

As I walked into my apartment building, I clutched at the lapels of his jacket still wrapped around me and gave it an experimental sniff. Instantly, I was hit with the scent of expensive male cologne. My lips curled up before I could stop them.

What the hell was wrong with me?

Shaking my head, I stepped out of the elevator and walked down the hallway to my apartment. I reached into my bag for my keys but as I neared my door, I noticed something was off.

The door was open just slightly. Barely an inch.

I gasped in surprise. Has my lock been picked? Has someone broken in? But that didn’t make sense because I had an alarm system. If a burglar had forced their way inside, the entire building would have been alerted.

If it wasn't a burglar, it had to be David. What was I going to do without Nathan around?

My heart twisted in fright. He still had a key to my apartment, so he could easily have let himself in. And after what he had done to me earlier, I wanted nothing to do with him. I wasn’t ready to face him again.

I reached into my bag and pulled out my electric zapper, gripping it tightly. I wasn’t about to take any chances. If it was a burglar, I’d be prepared. If it was David… Well, I didn’t know what I’d do. But I wasn’t about to walk in unarmed.

Taking a deep breath, I pushed the door open wider and stepped inside. The apartment was silent. There were no immediate signs of struggle. The lights were on as well. I moved cautiously past the hall, my zapper raised, and stepped toward my bedroom...

And I stopped dead in my tracks when I saw the person walking out of my bedroom. I let out a strangled gasp, my heart nearly leaping out of my chest.