Fully Loaded

by Hissong, Theresa

  “He’s mine,” Donovan growled. He moved the icepack from my arm to my wrist. “You need ice here more than on your arm.”

  “Okay,” I replied.

  “Where does he live?” Donovan asked.

  “No!” I gasped. “You are not going over there.”

  “The hell I’m not,” he cursed. “He has anger issues, Heather. He fucking hurt you!”

  “Yes, he did,” I said, swallowing a lump in my throat. Don’t cry, Heather! “But you can’t fight anger with anger, Donovan. Kiera took care of him anyway. I don’t think he will be coming back. Please, please don’t go after him.”

  “I…,” he paused, hearing footsteps coming up the stairs.

  Rio was fuming when he walked in the door and walked up to Donovan, holding his hand out, “Hey, man. I’m going to take care of this.”

  “Someone needs to stop him,” Donovan said, the two men sharing a knowing look. Something about this made me very uncomfortable.

  Yawning, I looked at the clock and groaned. “I need to get ready for bed.”

  “Are you sure you don’t need to see a doctor?” Donovan asked, brushing his thumb over my wrist again. I closed my eyes at his soothing touch.

  “No, I’ll be fine. The ice helps. I’ll take a pain reliever,” I smiled, standing up from the couch. “I’ll call you all tomorrow. I promise.”

  “I’m staying,” Donovan announced.

  “Why?” I asked. Hell, I wasn’t going to die from this. I was just going to be sore from him manhandling me.

  “He may come back, Heather,” Rio stated. “I think someone should stay here.”

  “Go, get ready for bed,” Donovan urged, pushing me toward the bedroom.

  Kiera stopped me for a hug, whispering, “Get some rest.”

  “Thank you…for everything,” I replied, kissing her cheek.

  “I wouldn’t have been anywhere else,” she smiled, picking up her bag, and I laughed when she told Rio to take her home. He just winked at me and followed her out the door.

  Donovan was still sitting on the couch, his head hung over his folded hands. When he looked up at me, his features had relaxed. “Let’s get you into the bed, babe.”

  I didn’t argue as he followed me into my room and climbed into the bed. Holding out his arms, I fell into them and I was proud of myself, because I didn’t cry. I fell asleep in his arms, still unsure of what the hell was going on between us.

  Chapter 9

  I pulled into the employee parking lot at the school and turned off the car. My briefcase was on the seat next to me and my insulated lunchbox was on the floor, because it’d slid off the seat when I turned a corner too fast in my haste to get to school. I’d been running behind because I’d stayed up late talking to Donovan on the phone and overslept.

  As I walked into the school, other teachers said hello and went about their morning. I stopped by the teacher’s lounge and filled up my coffee cup and dumped sugar and creamer in it as I headed for the door.

  I flipped the lights on in my classroom and dropped everything on my desk. The janitors had come through the evening before and picked up the chairs, flipping them upside down and setting them on the desktops, so that they could mop the floors.

  As I walked, I felt the beginnings of a headache and I cursed quietly to myself. I really didn’t need to be starting off my day with a migraine. What I really needed to do was to go to the damn doctor, but who had time? I sure as hell didn’t.

  I found my bottle of Tylenol and shook out three pills, taking them with my hot coffee. My eyes squinted at the light and I was glad that today we’d be watching a video for most of each class. I kept the lights off in the room while I busied myself with small tasks that didn’t require me bending over. It took about twenty minutes before the headache started to ease, but didn’t completely vanish.

  “Hey Ms. R,” Nathan said. He was always the first one to enter my class and took his seat in the front row.

  “Hey, Nathan,” I said, flinching at the sharp pain behind my left eye.

  “You okay?” he asked. The kid was a star student and I wished that all of my students could be as awesome as this one. He was on the football team and a genius in every subject.

  “Just a headache,” I smiled. “It’ll go away soon.”

  He nodded and went to pulling out his notebook for class, not bothering with his textbook, since he noticed the television paused to the beginning of the video I had ready to play once class started.

  “Good Morning, Ms. Rose.” Sara, another one of my students, greeted me as she entered the class and took her seat behind Nathan. Other students lazily made their way to their seats, and within five minutes the class was full and ready to start the day.

  I asked Sara to hand out a study guide for the weekly lesson and she smiled sweetly as she took the stack of papers to be handed out. She bounced down the aisles and the other kids greeted her as she passed. She was a perky cheerleader who was also a star student and was always willing to help.

  “Alright, I’m going to make today easy on you,” I began. “But you need your notebooks to take notes on the video. Some of the information you see today and on the study guide will be on your test next week.”

  “Ugh,” they moaned. I just smiled and walked over to the television.

  “No sleeping,” I laughed and started the video. Once the narrator began, they quieted down and began taking notes.

  My phone buzzed in my pocket and I smiled, knowing it was Donovan.

  Good Morning, my little rose.

  He’d begun calling me his rose the night we met and it made me smile. He was definitely being sweet and romantic.

  Good Morning, Donovan.

  I added a smiley face and sent the message. I had to set my phone down to walk around the room and nudge a few kids who were drifting off to sleep. I heard my phone vibrate on the desk, but didn’t hurry over to see what he’d said in his reply. I didn’t want the kids to ask questions and I sure as hell didn’t want them knowing who I was dating. He was a rockstar and I’m sure some of my students knew the name Donovan Milano or the band, Ares Revenge.

  As I walked back up the aisle, my vision blurred and my foot caught the corner of Sara’s chair. I gasped and tried to grab onto something, but couldn’t find anything solid. A scrape of several chairs across the floor sounded, and the next thing I knew, I was on my ass in the aisle. Several students rushed to my side and I pushed them away with a stern look.

  “I’m okay,” I growled. “I didn’t see the chair and tripped.”

  “Are you sure you’re okay, Ms. R?” Nathan asked, kneeling in front of me.

  “Yes, I just hurt my pride,” I sighed. “Help me up?”

  The kid was on the football team for a reason. He helped me up as if I weighed nothing and followed me over to my desk. I thanked him and sent him back to his seat. “Nothing to see here, kids. Back to the video.” Could that be any more embarrassing?

  These damn headaches and dizzy spells were getting worse and I needed to make an appointment to see my doctor. Thankfully, Donovan hadn’t seen me blackout again. The first time freaked him out and I didn’t want to embarrass myself in front of him again.

  My phone buzzed and I looked at the screen.

  Date tonight?

  That was the first one.

  Is silence the way you say no?

  I laughed to myself and replied to his message.

  Sorry, I was busy with class. Yes to the date. Where are we going?

  His reply was immediate.

  It’s a surprise. I’ll pick you up at six.

  The day passed slowly and I found myself as anxious as the students to get out of school for the day. When the final bell rang, I gathered my belongings and made a quick escape from the building before someone stopped me to talk. I had a few friends at the school, but none of them had come out of their classrooms to chat. So, I was able to make my quick escape.

  I tossed my purse and briefcase in the p
assenger seat of my little Honda Civic and started the engine. The drive from school to my place took about twenty minutes and it was right at three thirty when I walked in the door.

  I assumed we’d be going to dinner and out for something. Maybe a movie? With Donovan Milano, one could only guess at his idea for a date. The man was simple, yet eccentric. His house was full of leathery things and he was quite the alpha male. Donovan as a person was sweet, caring, and sexy as hell.

  If I let my mind wander, I could actually see myself falling in love with him. In fact, the thought of him not being around made my heart feel as if it would shatter. Did I love him? I really couldn’t answer that at the moment. I was still having my doubts that dating a rockstar was healthy.

  I showered and dried my hair. It took half an hour to get my long hair up in hot rollers and I went to pour myself a glass of tea while I waited for my hair to set. My makeup went on fairly quickly and once I pulled the rollers out, I finger combed them into waves down my back before setting them lightly with hairspray.

  The temperatures were on the rise, so I settled for a black tank top and white shorts. I grabbed a white pullover to take with me in case wherever we were going had the air conditioner on full blast. As with before, I waited on my choice of shoes because I didn’t know if we were walking or not.

  At six, there was a knock on my door and I hurried to answer it, not looking through the door to see who was on the other side.

  “Trenton,” I gasped. “What the hell are you doing here?”

  “You look amazing, Heather,” he smiled. “I was on my way to work and stopped by to see if you’d like to grab a drink after I get off.”

  “Seriously?” I cursed. “You are coming here, asking me to go out after what happened the other night? Have you lost your mind?”

  “I’m sorry, Heather. I don’t know what I was thinking. I never meant to hurt you,” he frowned.

  “Leave now,” I said, shooting him a death stare that worked when Kiera did it. Obviously, mine held no weight, because he didn’t leave.

  There was something dark in his eyes and it scared me. This was not the Trenton I’d known for the past few months since Rio introduced us to the new pianist at the bar he worked. The sweet, soft lines of his face used to carry a boy-like charm, but now the corners of his eyes were more sinister…more angry.

  “Please, Heather. Let me make it up to you,” he said, raising his hand to rest on the door frame. I gaped at his audacity. Why was he acting as if nothing happened the other night?

  “Really?” I growled. “Donovan is on his way here, Trenton. You are on his hit list right now and Rio has been looking for you.” I knew this because Rio had been giving Kiera updates for the past few days, saying he couldn’t find Trenton anywhere. Now, he was going to go into work as if nothing happened? This guy was delusional. There was something seriously wrong with him and I needed to get him off of my doorstep, immediately.

  “I know,” he frowned. “I’m sorry. Just…Can I come in?”

  “No, Trenton,” I said, shaking my head. “Just leave!” I tried to push the door closed, but he placed his foot in the jam, blocking it from shutting tight.

  “Please, Heather,” he said, taking a step forward. The gleam in his eye scared me, but he didn’t have a chance to get inside before I heard the gate creak open and the sound of heavy boots making quick work of the stairs.

  “What the fuck are you doing here?” Donovan growled, placing himself between me and Trenton, shoving him out of my doorway. Trenton’s body slammed into the brick wall, almost hitting the door to the empty apartment across the hallway.

  “Don’t put your hands on me, asshole!” Trenton snarled and pushed himself away from the wall, his face turning red with his anger.

  “And it’s okay to put your hands on a woman? Causing bruises?” Donovan snarled, his fists clenched tight at his side.

  “Fuck you,” Trenton spit on the ground at Donovan’s feet. “You just have to take them all. Don’t you, asshole?”

  I spun around when my front door suddenly closed and Donovan was not inside. By the time I reached the door, throwing it open, I saw them in a tangled mess at the bottom of the stairs. I screamed and started down the stairs, but froze when Donovan ended up on top of Trenton, wailing on his face with his fist.

  Donovan punched him several times before standing Trenton up and grabbing him by the back of the shirt, pulling the door open to the street. “Don’t you fucking touch her again! Do not let me see you anywhere around her!” Trenton was tossed out onto the sidewalk where he landed on his knees, blood dripping from his nose and the corner of his mouth.

  When Donovan faced me, his beautiful blue eyes had turned dark, almost black. “Did he touch you?” I stood frozen at the top of the stairs, trying to calm my nerves at seeing Donovan beat the hell out of Trenton.

  “Did he touch you?” he snarled, taking the steps two at a time until I was in his arms. His hands cupped my face so that he could look into my eyes. I was too shocked to cry, but my hands were shaking violently.

  “No, Donovan,” I whispered. “You got here in time.”

  “Thank God,” he sighed, heavily. “Come inside, babe.” He shut the door behind us and locked the deadbolt.

  “I’m okay,” I said, picking up his hand. His knuckles were swollen and red. There was blood on them and I didn’t know if it was his own or Trenton’s. “Let me wash your hands. Are you okay?”

  “I’m fine,” he said, letting me pull him into the kitchen. “What happened?”

  I replayed exactly what happened from the time I heard the buzzer until Donovan arrived, while I used antibacterial soap on his hands, thankful that the blood was not his. I grabbed a clean cloth from the drawer by the sink and carefully dried off the water. “Do you need ice?”

  “No,” he said, shaking his right hand to relieve the pain he was probably feeling in his knuckles. “Are you okay, babe?”

  Breathing a sigh of relief, I leaned into his chest, picking up his right hand and kissing his swollen knuckles again. I closed my eyes when he wrapped his arms around my waist and pressed his lips to the top of my head. “I’m fine, Donovan. I don’t think he understood that I didn’t want to go out with him.”

  “You’re mine,” he said, taking a calming breath, but it did nothing for the tense set to his broad shoulders. “He wants you and almost had you, Heather. That man wasn’t going to take no for an answer. You have to stay away from him. If he comes here again, don’t answer the door. Call me and I can be here quicker than Rio or Kiera.”

  “Okay,” I nodded.

  “I don’t think he will come back, but guys like that have problems, Heather,” he whispered, relaxing slightly when I stood on the tips of my toes so that I could kiss the corner of his mouth.

  “I’m not going around him again,” I shivered. “Trust me.”

  “I do trust you,” he sighed and straightened his shoulders. “You look beautiful, by the way. Are you waiting for me to decide what shoes you are going to wear?” I was grateful for his change of subject and I blushed when he noticed my lack of footwear. Inside me, I felt a glimmer of hope that things were going to be okay between us. Maybe I was overthinking things when I said that this relationship wouldn’t work.

  “Yes,” I smiled. “Since you wouldn’t tell me what we were doing, I decided to wait.”

  “Actually,” he paused, a mischievous grin spread across his face. “Wear whatever you want. We may be sitting for a few hours, but we will also be out for a while.”

  “Okay,” I said, curiously.

  “Come,” he ordered, pulling me toward the door. I grabbed my shoes and bag before locking up the apartment. He looked so happy at whatever he’d planned for the night. I didn’t want to ruin his mood by asking him for clues. Even after the beating he gave Trenton, Donovan was focused on our date and I was thankful he didn’t bring it up again as we left the apartment.

  He rushed me to the Mustang and opened the doo
r, looking around to see if Trenton was waiting for us to leave my apartment. I noticed a travel bag in the back, but didn’t make a comment as to what was inside. This was his date, and I would play along and enjoy myself.

  “The airport?” I asked. I really hadn’t been paying much attention to where we were headed. That was until he turned into the departure lane and then into long term parking. I was starting to get a little nervous. “What are we doing, Donovan?”

  “It’s a date,” he smiled, pulling into a parking spot. “And you trust me, right?”

  “I do trust you,” I frowned. “Maybe.”

  He laughed and came around to open the car door for me, grabbing his small duffle bag out of the back seat. I frowned at my high heels and hoped I’d made the right choice for our date. I let him lead us inside, thinking maybe we were picking up someone. When he stopped in front of the ticket counter, I looked at him like he was crazy.

  “Okay, we are taking a trip. Wherever the next flight out of New Orleans is going, we board that plane and stay there until Sunday morning,” he winked.

  “What?” I gasped. “Donovan, we can’t do that!”

  “Why not?” he frowned. “You said you’d go on a date with me, but you didn’t say there was a limitation as to where I took you on that date.”

  “But to another city?” I scowled. “You have lost your mind. You’re crazy.”

  “I’m only crazy for you, babe,” he smiled, leaning down to kiss me directly on the lips. “Alright, let’s see where we are going.”

  Still in shock, I let him pull us to the counter. The woman smiled warmly and I saw her eyes flare in recognition. She blushed and tucked a strand of her long, chestnut hair behind her ear. “Can I help you?”

  “When and where is your next flight?” Donovan asked, plain and simple.

  “Let’s see,” she paused, typing something on her computer. She kept glancing up at me and then over to Donovan. She made one last click and said, “I have a flight to Las Vegas leaving in thirty minutes. Will you be checking any bags?”