by Carol Lynne
Gypsy glowered at Rain but spoke to Santana. “Did you even ask her how she got the cut on her lip?”
“Yeah,” Santana answered. “She said she smacked it on the corner of the bathroom sink when she bent over to pick up her hairbrush.”
“She told me she did it in the kitchen,” Gypsy accused.
“Stop,” Rain said, holding up her hand. “This is none of your business.”
“The hell it isn’t,” Gypsy argued. “That sonofabitch put his hands on you, didn’t he?”
“Stake, would you please walk me to my car?” Rain asked.
Stake released his hold on Santana and raked his fingers through his hair. He narrowed his eyes and darted a glance between Rain and Gypsy. “Sure.” He pointed at Gypsy. “You stay here with Santana.”
When Santana noticed Gypsy’s hand curl into a fist, she quickly wrapped it in her hands, getting his attention. “Not today,” she warned. “We’ll figure it out, but this isn’t the place.”
Gypsy’s jaws twitched several times before he nodded.
Santana leaned over to give Rain a kiss on the cheek. “I’ll call you.”
Rain nodded. She gave Gypsy one last pleading look before walking away with Stake right behind her.
Santana pulled Gypsy off the dance floor and to a quieter spot where they could talk without yelling. It wasn’t the first time she’d noticed signs of abuse, but every time she tried to talk to Rain about it, her friend completely shut down.
“How can you just let her go back to that?” Gypsy asked.
“Manny’s not even in town, so pushing her isn’t the way to go.” She knew from her own experience how humiliating it was to have other people witness the signs of a beating. “She’s embarrassed, and we have to tread lightly, or she’ll push us away.”
Although his breathing was still ragged, Gypsy reached out and touched her cheek with his fingertips. The bruises had faded and the cut had barely left a mark, but he obviously remembered. “I don’t understand a man who can hurt a woman.”
“Neither do I,” she agreed. “Rain told me you dated in high school.” The information had floored her at the time, but it was plain to see how much Gypsy still cared for Rain.
“Yeah. Before I moved away for a year when we were seventeen. When I came back, she was with Manny,” Gypsy explained. “I told her then that he was no good, but she wouldn’t listen.”
Santana wondered if Rain was the reason Gypsy never got emotionally involved with women. She wouldn’t ask, of course, because it wasn’t her business, but she couldn’t stand to see two of the people she cared about most in pain. “Let me talk to her again and see if she’ll open up. You barging in and scaring her isn’t the way. Trust me on this, okay?”
“I want to kill him,” Gypsy confessed. “Even knowing I’d probably get fingered for the job, I want to do it.”
“And that’s exactly the reason why you’re going to let me handle this,” she warned. She moved in to hug him. “For the first time in my life, I’m surrounded by people who care about me, and I’m not about to give that up without a fight.”
He returned her embrace and kissed the top of her head. “Just promise that you’ll do it quick before that asshole touches her again.”
“I’ll try.” She wasn’t sure how to make Rain understand that she didn’t deserve to live a life afraid of someone who was supposed to love and protect her, but she’d find a way.
“Seriously, brother, I’ve already put a ring on it,” Stake growled, pulling her away from Gypsy.
She sank back against her husband’s chest as his hands settled on her still-flat stomach. His jealousy still didn’t make sense to her, but she reveled in it each time he beat his chest and proclaimed to the world that she was his. Some might see the world she lived in as imperfect and often times dangerous, but she couldn’t imagine any other life. She had everything she’d ever wished for. Her hands drifted down to cover his. And some things she’d never known she’d needed.
About the Author
An avid reader for years, one day Carol Lynne decided to write her own brand of erotic romance. While writing her first novel, Branded by Gold, Carol fell in love with the M/M genre. Carol juggles between being a full-time mother and a full-time writer. With over one hundred releases, one thing is certain, Carol loves to keep busy. Although series books are her passion, Carol enjoys the occasional stand-alone title.
As an organizer of the annual GayRomLit Retreat, Carol has little free time, but enjoys trips to the lake with her family when she has the rare weekend off.
Carol loves to hear from her readers. You can email her at [email protected]. She also has two websites Carol Lynne and Cattle Valley
Email: [email protected]
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