Empty.
I padded out to the living room, the morning sun seeping in through the curtains and reminding me of my sweater thrown on the couch. Leela and Windi probably saw that. I would definitely be hearing about that later. Thorough searching of the apartment told me what my heart already knew.
Dane lied.
He was gone.
Daring Dane
Intoxicating Passion #3
By Felicia Tatum
Dedication
This is for anyone who has been a victim of abuse. It’s not your fault. I hope you can learn to trust again, someday.
Chapter One-Korah
Dane Davidson was the most infuriating man alive. Things were difficult. We had somehow avoided each other in biology, but I knew that wouldn’t last long. No word from him since the morning when he disappeared. No text, no calls, he hadn’t even showed up to class so that told me something. Was he avoiding me? Of course he was. Was I avoiding him? Of course I was.
So I did what any decent red-blooded female would do in this situation. I got myself a date for Valentine’s Day. He was a frat boy, not overly good-looking , but decent, and he was there, convenient, and he would drive Dane crazy. I didn’t like him in a romantic way. I didn’t even really want to go on the date, but I knew I had to do this. Needed to make some sort of move to tell Dane, and myself, that it didn’t really matter that he left after we had sex. His betrayal didn’t really hurt, didn’t run through me like a boiling river scorching my blood. I hadn’t cried over it every night, hugging Elle while I whimpered into my pillows. Dane Davidson hadn’t broken me further than before, ripping my soul into pieces. I refused to allow anyone that much power over me.
The day was young, and I was determined to have some fun for once. Leela and Windi were out, so was just me, but I could still have fun alone, right? I didn’t need to have somebody else to complete me in any way, whether it be a friendship or a relationship. I turned in the bathroom, looking in the mirror and adjusting my dress I was wearing. The plans weren’t set in stone, but I was determined have a good time, even if it killed me.
###
The alleyway was darker than the rest of the street, the cold seeping into my bones, leaving an unsettling discomfort. The misty air swirled around me, dooming me to something I didn’t quite understand. It was the middle of the day. I shouldn’t feel this depressed and uncertain about going to the mall. I continued on, ignoring the sounds behind me, certain I was imagining things. No one would follow me. No one had a reason to follow me. The sound had to be rats or something in the trash. When had I decided to come this way? Yeah, it was a shortcut, but this was really a bad idea. My heart was pounding against my chest so fast that I was certain it would just fly out and hit somebody down the street.
“Korah,” a voice said behind me. It was familiar and sent a chill from the top of my spine all the way down to my toes.
My breathing quickened. Anxiety took over. My hands shook like an earthquake, the palms sweaty. I turned, knowing he would be there. I was terrified of seeing him again. “Christopher.”
“You been running from me,” he stated. His eyes devoured me. His gaze stopped at my lips, my breasts, and my legs, finally moving back up and capturing my eyes. He made me uneasy. I knew the look below the surface of his ogling. They held the same look all the other times before he lost it, his anger completely taking over.
I had to get out of here, to get away, needed to get help. “You know I haven’t,” I stuttered. I took a few steps back, hoping he wouldn’t notice.
“Oh, yes, you have,” he snarled, following my move and stepping closer.
Two more steps back. “We’re through Christopher,” I said sternly.
Cracking his knuckles, he gave me the signature Christopher grin and was beside me in an instant. “We’re only through when I say were through,” he whispered. His hands grabbed my upper arms before I could get away.
His fingers dug into my skin so hard that I knew it would bruise, but I refused to whimper, refused to cry. I wouldn’t let him get the best of me again. “Christopher, let me go!” I yelled. I prayed someone could hear me, would save me, would call the cops, get help, anything to get me away from him.
He shook me hard, rattling my head. He pushed me against the brick wall, scratching my back. “Listen here, you bitch. I know you ran around telling everyone I hit you, that I was oh-so-abusive to you,” he mocked, putting his lips right up to my ear. His breath was hot on my skin, yet it sent a chill through my body, piercing my heart. “You’re going to be punished for what you’ve done, Korah.” His green eyes held a deathly cold gleam, causing my heart rate to spike.
He pinned me to the wall with his leg, snaking his greedy hands up to my throat. I knew it was coming; the reason I broken up with him before, the reason I ran from him. Strong fingers clasped around my neck, squeezing it slowly, cutting off my air supply. Trying not to panic, I breathed through my nose, but it was too late. He was closing my esophagus. Closing my eyes, I knew I must think, I needed a plan to get out of this, he would kill me if I didn’t. He kept his grip tight, not squeezing any harder, but he didn’t let up, either. His lips found my cheek, then my ear, where he whispered words of love and desire, but they were all lies. He didn’t love anyone, not even himself. Biding my time, I waited until he shifted his body. I brought my knee straight up into his groin, bone connecting with his tender flesh. He groaned, and in the instant, he let go. He dropped to his knees, clutching himself. I took a chance, kicking him once and then ran as fast as I could out of the alley. I stumbled and made it to the street, gasping for breath.
I fell to the sidewalk, running into a woman holding the hand of a small child as I descended. “You okay?” she asked, her eyes landing on the bruises I was sure had already formed as she helped me up.
The tears in my eyes threatened to spill as I shook my head no. She glanced behind me, placing her free hand on the small of my back, and guided me away. She took me to her car, instructing me to sit while she called the police. She stared at me for a few moments, then decided she needed an ambulance instead. I didn’t speak, didn’t really know what to say. The embarrassment of knowing she saw me this way was too much. Listening to the small child chatter away, I sat and waited. The kind woman didn’t ask any questions, though, and the pity in her eyes was almost too much. She opened and closed her mouth several times, looking more like a fish than a person, but never asked what she was dying to know. Finally, the ambulance showed up, whisking me away. I got a quiet thank you out before they closed the door. The small child’s hand waving at me was last thing I saw before we left.
###
Memories of past flooded my mind, every single one was fresh, replaying over and over. The abuse hadn’t started until we’d been together for a while. It was slow at first, emotional and mental, before it finally turned physical. The night he choked me, holding me dangling against the wall by my neck with my legs fighting against him was the night I left. I was too chicken to call the cops, but I wished I had now. Maybe he wouldn’t be following me.
The emergency room cleared me, saying the bruises would hurt but there was no permanent damage. The cops came for a statement, and I got a restraining order. It wouldn’t stop Christopher from coming for me, nothing would. I tried calling Leela and Windi, but they didn’t answer. I didn’t know who else to call. Dane’s name and number stared back at me from my phone. Scared and alone, I did the only thing I could think of and pushed call.
“Korah!” He exclaimed, not even saying hello.
“Dane? Are you busy?” I timidly asked him.
“No, of course I’m not. What do you need? Do you want talk?” he quizzed. He sounded excited.
“Not exactly. I need a ride,” I responded.
“Of course, I’ll come get you. Where you at?”
I paused, unsure about his reaction once he heard where I was. “I’m at the hospital.”
###
He stormed through
the doors, which I didn’t even know was possible, considering they were sliding doors, but he somehow did it. The distraught look on his face was unexpected. He seemed more than curious, he seemed…concerned. I rose from my chair, giving him a small wave as he rushed toward me. He stopped when he saw the bruises, his eyes staring at the dark handprint around my neck. I knew it was worse than it was earlier. It would get even worse than it was now, according to the staff. He stumbled forward, his eyes wide. “Korah are you okay?” he asked.
I nodded, but it was a lie.
“Wait… What happened?” he questioned, blinking several times as if that would make the bruises he saw disappear.
“Can it wait until we get to the car?” I asked, looking around, seeing all the people watching our interaction
“Yeah,” he nodded. “Can we go now?”
I nodded. He reached down, taking my hand in his; he could probably feel the shaking on his palm. He seemed to care as he traced a small circle on top of my fingers. The small move actually calmed me a bit, and my heartbeat finally returned to normal after all these hours. Had it been hours? It felt like hours. I wasn’t even sure how long I’d been there.
Dane led me outside and opened the car door for me, before getting in the driver seat. He gripped the steering wheel, his knuckles white, and finally gazed at me. “Korah, who did that to you?” he demanded, his voice was full of anger, hatred.
Twisting my hands in my lap, I lowered my head. When my voice finally came to me, I whispered, “My ex-boyfriend, Christopher.”
Chapter Two-Dane
Korah, my beautiful, lovely Korah, sat beside me, her neck black and blue, getting darker by the second. Her shaky hands gripped the dashboard. My Korah? I couldn’t think about that now. She was here beside me, bruised and shaken to her core. I needed to find out what happened, had to find out why. “Korah? Can you tell me what happened today, baby?”
Her dark locks fell around her face, shielding her eyes. She shook her head, hair flying everywhere. “Dane…I…I don’t know if I can. I’m sorry had to call you. No one else was available.”
“I’m glad you called me. It’s what I’ve been wanting for two weeks now. I realized my mistake after I freaked out and left. I’m so sorry, Korah. I hope you can forgive me, but we’ll talk about that another time. Right now we need to get you home and safe.” I reached over, placing my hand on top of hers, giving a gentle squeeze. She didn’t flinch, which I supposed was a good sign, so I leaned over, pulling the seat belt around her and buckling her in. I suspected her arms were also bruised, because the slightest touch brought a pained wince to her face. Her head lolled to the side, resting against the window, and she closed her eyes.
I didn’t bother her as I drove, being careful to pay attention to the road instead of her. I didn’t know what exactly happened, but when I found the guy who did this to her, well, he would regret it.
###
“Korah? We’re at your apartment,” I said softly, rubbing my knuckle over her cheek.
She whimpered, then opened her eyes, which were wide and scared. “Dane?” Her voice was shaky, terrified, and it killed me.
I nodded, “Yeah, it’s me. I just picked you up at the hospital, remember?”
“The doctors gave me some sort of medicine to relax me or something. Sorry,” she said. Quivering hands moved and rubbed her face. She pulled on the mirror, taking a closer look at her neck, and tears began to fall. Her body was racked with sobs. I needed to get her inside.
I jumped out, going around and unbuckling her, then swooped her up into my arms. “Korah, I’m going to carry you up. Do you have your keys?”
She nodded, pulling them out of the pocket I didn’t even realize was on her dress. I took the one she handed me before carefully making my way up the stairs. She clung to me, nails deep in my skin, her arms tight around my body. Once I got her inside, I locked the door and went to the bedroom to lay her down. She was traumatized, shocked, and I suspected she was exhausted.
“Baby, just go to sleep. I’ll be here when you wake up.”
I freaked out and left the one girl that stirred feelings inside of me, but I wouldn’t screw this up. I would fix it. She was hurt badly and I knew in this instant that she meant something to me. I didn’t know exactly what they were but I did know they were here. I wasn’t ready to go this time, so I settled in in the chair at the desk waited until she woke up.
###
Soft snotty sniffles jerked me awake. I peeled my eyes open to see Korah curled up clutching a stuffed elephant to her chest and sobbing. Dashing over, I fell to my knees in front of her. Korah was sweating, caught in a nightmare, she must have been reliving the trauma from today.Gently shaking her, I said, “Korah, please wake up for me.”
She squeezed the animal harder, tears rolling down her face and my heart broke in two. I caressed her cheeks, her forehead, holding one hand for comfort--scared to get too close. I kept calling her name, hoping it would pull her out of the dream. She finally relaxed, but didn’t wake up. I had to wonder what exactly the hospital had given her.
I trudged back over and slumped in the seat. Korah had started out as just another conquest, the girl that didn’t want me, a challenge. And now? Well, things were definitely different. She’d somehow worked her way into my heart, taking a piece of my soul, leaving her essence all around me. I ran after we connected. Our bodies fit together too perfectly. I had wanted to turn around. She didn’t want me to leave and that simple fact made me do it.
My mother was behind it all. She cheated on my father when I was barely 6 years old. She’d been nothing but a whore. She hadn’t wanted me. She hadn’t wanted him. After walking in on her and another man, well, it did something to a kid. I tried not to be this way, to hate all women because of her, but after falling in love at age 17 and having my heart stomped all over, I finally decided I didn’t need to do it. I didn’t need love. I didn’t need a relationship. I didn’t need any of it. Only the physical aspect, so that’s what I did. I charmed my way into as many pants as I could. I’d loved, but not really, and left many women in the past few years. I confronted my mother about six months after I caught her with the other man, but she just laughed. I woke up one day, got ready for school, and when I returned, she wasn’t there. My father had been broken by it, and I vowed to never let that happen to me.
And now, well, it appeared Korah had taken up residence in my heart. I didn’t want it. I fought it kicking and screaming. Then seeing her tear stained face and the dark handprint around her neck. I knew I cared about her, whether I wanted to or not.
A voice pulled me from my thoughts. “You must be Dane,” a perky blonde said, hands on hips as she stared me down.
I nodded. “I am. And you are?”
“I’m Leela,” her blazing eyes ran over me, finally settling on my face. “What are you doing here?”
Jerking my head to the side, I indicated we needed to go out in the hall to talk. She raised a brow, but followed my lead and actually tapped her toe, waiting for my answer.
“Listen… I don’t know what exactly happened, but Korah called me, needing a ride from the hospital,” I started.
The tapping stopped, and her hands raised to cover her mouth in shock.
“She…she’s got bruises on her,” I paused. Telling this was harder than I anticipated. “On her neck…and I think on her arms. She says it was from an old boyfriend.” I ran a shaky hand through my hair.
“Christopher,” she whispered, tears welling up in her blue eyes. “She never told me. She just said it ended badly,” she muttered, shaking her head. “I pressured her to date and to go out and I’m a horrible friend.”
I knew the tears were about to fall, and this girl was going to get hysterical at any moment. I wasn’t good with this. I didn’t know how to deal with women, especially ones that were crying. I patted her arm gently, though awkwardly, and told her Korah had been asleep from the medicine they had given her. She seemed the mothering type,
not that I would know. She instantly regained her composure and asked if I wanted anything to drink or eat.
I politely declined going back and sitting over Korah. She looked so peaceful; her dark lashes against her fair skin, the waves of dark tresses all around her pillows. She really was a beautiful girl, sexy and mysterious, a deadly combination. I just wanted to hold her and never let her go. This Christopher guy would be sorry if he ever came near her again.
I sat there for hours, minutes, maybe it was only seconds, but it felt like eternity. She finally stirred, stretching her long limbs. When her eyes fluttered open, I softly spoke her name so she wouldn’t be scared.
“Dane? You’re still here,” she stated, confusion etching her gorgeous face.
I nodded, going over and sitting on the edge of the bed near her feet. No wonder she didn’t trust men. “I couldn’t leave you. We still have a lot to talk about, and to be honest, I’m really worried about you.”
She bit her lip, a surprisingly sexy move, and swallowed hard, her face pained after she did so. Her small hand reached up feeling around the bruise. “How bad is it?”
“You’re still beautiful ,Korah. A bruise won’t change that.”
“Are my roommates home?”
“One of them is, a bossy blonde that I thought was going to kick my ass,” I chuckled. “I haven’t been out there in at least an hour.”
“You don’t have to stay. And don’t worry, Leela is like that with everyone.” She was still shaky, but at least she wasn’t crying or wincing in pain. She threw her legs over the side of the bed, intending to stand up, but lost balance when her wobbly legs wouldn’t hold her.
“Easy, there,” I said, catching her body in my arms. She was so soft, delicate. She felt right.
She blushed, and asked, “Can you help me to the bathroom? I want to see how bad this is.” Her eyes were sad, distraught, terrified.
Intoxicating Passion The Box Set Page 7
