“No!” I found my voice at last, yelling as loud as I could and pushing my hands against his chest, but he was much stronger than me. Adrenaline flooded through me as tears welled in my eyes. I tried to remember what I’d learned in the self-defense class Mom had forced me to take. I tried to lift my knee to aim for his groin, but he held me tight, his sour, beer-soaked breath in my face, his dark eyes full of venom. His fingers pressed into my arms, and I knew I’d have bruises in the morning.
“I’m gonna make you like it. Make you beg for it.” He sneered. “Your bodyguard Toff isn’t around to save you.”
“No!” I was sobbing now, using all my strength to try to pull away. Then suddenly I was wrenched out of his grip, strong arms wrapping around my shoulders and hugging me against a tall, firm body, while another body flew through the air, tackling Jake with a grunt, and pinning him to the sand.
Shaking and sobbing I turned to see whose arms held me. Toff’s worried face loomed over me. “Holy crap. Are you all right, Viv?”
I nodded, unable to form words. We both turned back toward the sounds of swearing and fighting. Jake staggered up from the sand. He and Dallas faced each other like wild animals, circling each other warily. Somewhere along the way, Dallas had lost his tuxedo jacket and his tie. And his shoes.
“You want her?” Jake sneered. “She’s all yours, geek. She won’t put out, though. Not unless you make her.” Jake’s words hit me like a punch, making me stagger against Toff, whose arms tightened around me.
“I might need to get in on the ass-kicking,” Toff whispered in my ear. “If that’s okay with you.”
I nodded mutely, my eyes transfixed by Dallas. Rage and power rolled off him in waves I could practically feel.
“Shut the fuck up,” Dallas growled. His eyes never left Jake’s face.
“Make me,” Jake snarled.
Dallas was lightning fast. One minute they faced each other, the next, Dallas spun like a top. His leg shot into the air and his foot connected with Jake’s head. Jake collapsed onto the sand, Dallas leaning over him, Jake’s shirt twisted in his grip.
“You sure about that?” Dallas asked, his voice low and threatening. “Cuz I’d love to make you shut the hell up. Permanently.”
“Oh, yeah.” Toff laughed next to me. “I knew he was good but I didn’t know how good.”
“What?” I glanced at him, confused.
Toff shot me a weird look. “Google him, dork.”
A strange spidey sense tingled the top of my head. Google Dallas?
Toff squeezed my shoulders reassuringly, then rushed toward Dallas and Jake. Toff leaned over Jake’s prone figure and yelled in his face. “You’re a fucking snake, Fontaine, and I’m going to make sure everyone knows it. You try that shit with any other girl and I will personally rip off your dick and shove it up your ass.”
“Don’t forget his balls,” Dallas growled, tightening his grip and making Jake wince in pain.
“Them too.” Toff glanced at Dallas and they shared a victorious, testosterone-laden grin that sent shivers up my spine.
“Let me go,” Jake whined, his voice plaintive.
Dallas leaned closer to Jake, turning so that his ear was next to Jake’s mouth. “Speak up. I can’t hear you.”
Toff’s laughter ricocheted off the waves and I hugged myself tight. I felt as if I was having an out-of-body experience watching all this unfold. What would have happened if they hadn’t showed up?
My eyes connected with Dallas’s as he stood up, letting Toff take over the asshole-wrangling. We stared at each other, and I swore I could feel electrical currents bouncing in the air between us.
“You okay?” he asked, his eyes fixating on me so intensely I took a step back.
I nodded, then stumbled in the sand, overwhelmed with the desire to crumple as I was overcome by tears, realizing how close I’d come to a horrible assault.
Dallas was next to me in just a few quick strides. He glanced over his shoulder at Toff. “You got him?”
Toff had pulled Jake to his feet and held him like a cop with a perp. “Yeah.” He nodded brusquely. “You take care of Viv. I’ll throw away the trash.”
“Fuck you,” Jake said, but his heart wasn’t in it. Toff yanked him hard, dragging him away from us like a wild dog.
“Wait,” I said, so softly my voice disappeared into the wind. “Toff, wait!” He heard me this time and stopped. I took a shaky breath and walked toward them, Dallas hovering next to me.
Jake glared at me, blood running from his nose, his tuxedo shirt torn and ripped. I trembled, but I had to do this. “This is the third time you’ve tried to hurt me.” I heard Dallas inhale sharply and remembered he didn’t know about the incidents in the parking lot or the hallway. I took a breath and tried to catch Dallas’s gaze, but he was staring directly at Jake now. “If you ever touch me again, I will call the cops. I’m…I’m not scared of you, Jake. You lied about me. If anyone’s a slut, it’s you.”
“Screw you, Vivian.” He barely got the words out before Toff had him immobilized.
“That’s no way to talk to a lady,” Toff growled at him.
Jake snorted. “She’s not a lady. She’s a—”
I felt Dallas vibrating next to me, but before I could stop him, he launched himself at Jake again, wrapping his hand around Jake’s throat.
“Dallas, wait,” I pleaded. This was so unlike him; I’d never even seen Dallas kill a spider.
I was afraid he’d hurt Jake again, more than he already had. Much as I loathed Jake, I didn’t want Dallas to end up in jail, and I was afraid he might.
Dallas turned to me, the raw emotion in his eyes stunning me.
“L-let him go, Dallas. Please.” We stared at each other for a long moment until he tore his gaze from mine and exchanged a look with Toff. He unclenched his hand from Jake’s throat, but I noticed Toff tighten his grip around Jake’s chest.
Dallas took a step closer toward him, and I saw sheer terror in Jake’s eyes. “So I lied about us. So what?” He turned his face toward me. “You would’ve let me f—”
He never finished his sentence because Dallas’s fist slammed into Jake’s stomach and he crumpled, even though Toff still held him.
“Dude,” Toff said to Dallas. “I’m taking him away before you do any more damage.” Then he yanked Jake’s hair. “You’re even dumber than you look, asshole. You do realize he could probably kill you if he wanted to, right?”
Dallas ran a hand through his hair as he watched them go, breathing heavily. He was shaking, too, but I knew it wasn’t from fear. I wasn’t sure I could handle the intensity rolling off of him. He was like an amped up superhero who needed to fly to the moon and back to calm himself down.
I realized he’d lost his glasses during the fight. I turned away, scanning the beach for the black frames. I knelt in the sand, feeling around for his glasses, my eyes filling with tears. I wanted to go home, to hide under my covers and release all the emotions warring within me.
Dallas knelt next to me, the smell of sweat, adrenaline, and his soap filling my nose and making my head spin. I kept digging, pushing away broken seashells and strands of kelp.
“What are you doing?” he asked, his voice surprisingly gentle for someone who’d almost snapped a guy’s neck.
“Looking for your glasses.”
He laughed softly. “They’re in my jacket. Back by the bonfire.”
My hands stilled in the wet sand. I sat back on my heels and finally looked at him. A long, shaky breath eased out of me as I met his eyes.
“Why’d you take them off?” I whispered.
He shrugged. “Thought I might be doing some wild dancing.” His smile didn’t reach his eyes.
“Did you? Do a lot of dancing?”
He kept his eyes on mine. “No.”
My heart raced. The adrenaline pumping through me tonight was making me queasy. I dropped my gaze from his face, taking in his torn and bloody shirt. “I don’t think you’re going
to get your deposit back on your tux rental.”
“It was worth it.”
I looked up into his eyes, wishing I could lose myself in them forever. I squeezed my eyes shut, reminding myself he’d come here with Kylie, not me.
“Is it…okay if I touch you?” he asked softly as he stood up. I opened my eyes to see his hands reaching out, waiting to pull me to a standing position.
I nodded, letting him tug me upright. Electricity shot through me, and I stumbled back, the impact of what had almost happened hitting me full force.
He held onto me, his grip firm. “It’s all right, Vivian,” he whispered. “He’s gone. He’s not coming back.” He lifted one of his hands, lightly brushing the scratch on my cheek. His eyes darkened when I flinched. I hadn’t realized how rough Jake had been. He had truly wanted to hurt me.
I nodded, but I couldn’t speak. Trembling, I let myself fall into him. As his arms enfolded me, I wondered if this was what it felt like to be hugged by an avenging angel. He sighed into my hair as I melted into his warmth. His hands stroked my back as I cried softly, dampening his shirt with my tears.
“I’m s-s-orry,” I whispered, though I knew I had nothing to apologize for.
“Shh,” he said, his lips in my hair. His arms tightened around me. “God, Viv. If we hadn’t come after you…” His voice trailed away as he pulled me even closer.
“Why did you?” I asked, pulling away just enough to look up into his glorious eyes.
His eyes roamed over my face. “I saw you walk off by yourself. Then I saw Jake run after you. He came out of nowhere. I think maybe he was hiding out. Waiting.” His face tightened into an angry grimace. “I grabbed Toff and we came after you.”
“Why?”
He sighed, pain etching his face. “The graffiti on your locker. The stuff Toff told me about…What an ass he is. I knew whatever he was up to wasn’t good, and I sure as hell wasn’t going to stand around and do nothing.”
I nodded, then dropped my gaze. His hand cupped my chin and tilted my face up.
We stared into each other’s eyes, the moonlight shining down on us, the waves crashing behind us. I wanted to linger forever in the comfort of his arms. I wanted him to kiss me, but I was afraid to hope for that. And truthfully, I wasn’t ready for anyone to touch me like that. Not yet. Right now, I just needed to get home, far away from Jake and the craziness of this night.
And I needed to Google Dallas. I couldn’t wait to do that.
“I’m taking you home,” he said, reading my mind.
“Okay.” I hesitated. “What about Kylie? How will she get home?”
He shifted slightly, keeping his arm tight around my shoulders. “She didn’t come with me.”
I turned my face to look up at him. “She didn’t?”
He shook his head. “She asked me, but I said no. I came by myself.” He sighed. “I think I caused my own collateral damage. But I couldn’t keep—” He broke off, his gaze dropping to my mouth, then he turned away toward the bonfires. “You should let your friends know you’re leaving with me.”
“Yeah,” I said, fumbling for my phone. What had he meant by causing collateral damage?
He reached for my phone. “Want me to do it?”
I nodded, overwhelmed again by his sweetness. Then I panicked at what he might see if he pulled up my text histories. I imagined Dallas reading the messages Jaz sent about him, and my cheeks burned red. Thank goodness it was dark out. I clutched my phone to my chest. “I’ll do it.”
A hint of a smile tugged at his lips.
We paused while I fired off a quick message to Jaz, Amy, and Claire.
He pulled his phone out of his pocket. “I’ll tell Toff to give your friends a ride if they need one, after he deals with Jake.”
I frowned. “I thought Toff was drinking.”
Dallas glanced up at me. “Nope.” A grin flashed across his face. “Like that guy needs any extra chemicals.”
I laughed softly, flushing under Dallas’s warm smile.
He sent his text, then pulled me in close. We walked in silence across the beach, then climbed the crumbling steps. Cars lined the road as far as I could see. Far in the distance, I heard sirens. The party would be breaking up soon. I shot off another line of texts to my friends, warning them to head out sooner rather than later. The sound of sirens made me wonder what Toff would do with Jake.
“I’m down this way.” Dallas pointed and I let him lead me. I couldn’t wait to get home and crawl underneath my covers. I might even have to dig my old stuffed bear out of the closet to sleep with tonight. A sudden vision of curling up next to Dallas in my bed overwhelmed my senses and I stumbled.
“You sure you’re okay? To ride on the back of the Vespa?” Concern etched his face.
So I was finally going to live out one of my swoony fantasies. “Yeah. I’ll be fine.”
We reached his Vespa and he handed me the Union Jack helmet. “What about you?” I asked.
He shot me a crooked grin. “My skull’s thicker than yours.”
“I’m not sure anyone’s is.” Dallas seemed surprised that I was able to crack a joke at a time like this, but I felt safe with him.
“Your glasses,” I said, suddenly wondering how he’d drive without them. He pressed a button on his scooter and popped open the Vespa’s seat, revealing a storage compartment. He pulled out a leather jacket and reached into the pocket for a pair of glasses that looked exactly like his usual pair.
“Always prepared.” He grinned as he put them on. He held out the jacket. “You should wear this.”
“No.” I pointed to his torn and bloody shirt. “You need it more than me. I’ll be fine.”
I tugged the helmet on while he zipped up his jacket. He reached over to buckle the strap under my chin, adjusting the strap to fit me. His warm fingers against my throat made me shiver.
“Ready?” He cocked an eyebrow and I nodded, biting my lip.
He settled himself on the seat, and I climbed on behind him. He started the engine and we pulled away, winding slowly up the coast, just as I’d fantasized so many times.
I reveled in the feel of his muscles, wondering if he felt the same way about me pressing against him. I closed my eyes, pushing away images of Jake. Son of a... I wanted to kill him. Maybe Dallas would do it for me since he was apparently a bad-ass ninja, just like in my favorite book. I closed my eyes, leaning into his back. We swerved slightly and my grip tightened around him.
“Sorry,” he called over his shoulder, his voice swallowed by the wind. I dropped my hands to his thighs, and felt every muscle in him tense at my touch. I wished we could ride forever, just the two us, following the road wherever it took us.
Much too soon, we pulled into my driveway, slowing next to Mom’s car. So she’d come home after all. Great.
Dallas lowered his feet to the ground and killed the engine. We sat there, neither of us moving, then I decided I’d better disentangle myself before I made a fool of myself clinging to him like a desperate cello groupie.
He dismounted, and I unbuckled my helmet and handed it to him. He looked toward our house, tugging at his hair. The glow of the TV made the living room look blue. Movie night. I hoped Mom and Paul weren’t making out on the couch like a couple of teenagers.
“I’ll walk you up,” Dallas said.
The cold night air and vivid memories of Jake’s attack made me long to be connected to him again. I wanted his arms around me, but he stood motionless, waiting, and watching me.
Sadness and regret, so much regret, washed over me. I turned to walk across the gravel driveway. He matched my pace, his body just inches from mine. The backs of our hands brushed against each other as we mounted the steps, and I sucked in a breath. Did he feel the electricity crackling between us or was it just me?
We reached the top of the stairs and turned toward each other. My body tingled with anticipation. He ran a hand through his hair, then shoved both hands in his pockets.
“Are y
ou going to tell your mom? About Jake?” His voice was low and intense.
“I don’t know. Maybe.” I knew I had to, but I couldn’t even think about it right now.
He nodded. “Toff and I are witnesses. You know we’ll be there for you, right? If you want to, um, do something official, or whatever.”
The thought of calling the cops made my knees buckle. I grabbed the deck chair closest to me. Dallas’s face tightened with anger. “Son of a... I’m going to fucking kill him.” He grunted. “Sorry. I meant to say frakking kill him.”
I laughed softly. “I don’t know if I’m more shocked by your ninja skills or your f-bombs.” I forced a wan smile. “Anyway, I want to frakking kill him, too.”
A smile tugged at his lips. “You going to hit him with a stack of books?”
I loved that he knew it was the perfect moment to make a joke. I stared at my feet. “No. But I think I might hire a ninja to do it for me.” I raised my eyes. “You know any kick-ass karate guys?”
His eyes narrowed but his lips quirked slightly. “Nope.”
“I can Google it in five seconds, you know.”
His smile deepened. “You’re going to Google hit men? I bet your mom already has.” He shrugged, still smiling. “Research.”
I reached out to swat him playfully on the shoulder, then dropped my hand, afraid to touch him because what if he didn’t want me to?
His eyes tracked my hand as it dropped to my side, then he raised his eyes to mine. His jaw tightened before he spoke. “Vivian, I—”
“Vivvy! I didn’t know you were home.” Mom’s voice shattered the chemistry between us as she stepped onto the deck.
“Hi, Ms. Galdi.” Dallas looked relieved. What had he been about to tell me?
“Dallas!” Mom oozed giddiness, darting me a smug look. “What a nice surprise. Do you want to come inside?”
I was grateful Dallas wore the leather jacket. Mom would’ve freaked at the bloody shirt.
Paul appeared behind Mom in the doorway. “You kids are home early. I thought tonight would be a late one with all the celebrating.”
The Replacement Crush Page 27
