by Franca Storm
I ripped my arm from his grasp and hissed, “I don’t need any man to take me places, Ollie! I can do that fine on my own!”
“That’s not what I meant. I know you can, but—”
“It’s exactly what you meant!” I argued. “You still see me as a clueless little girl! You can’t see that I’ve grown up. I’m a grown woman, for goodness sake. Twenty-three, not a teenager!”
He was fast losing his patience and he snapped, “You need to forget about Brad! He’s not good for you.”
“He’s supposed to be your best friend.”
“Was. Before he fucked my little sister!”
“It’s more than that. Why do you hate him so much?”
“He’s not good enough for you! You’re better than him, Soph! I know you came back here for him and it pisses me the fuck off, cuz you’re throwing your life away for a loser! A dangerous man who fucks and chucks all the women he comes into contact with. You’re just another notch on the bedpost to him. You think you’re different than the rest? Come on! The only reason he’s kept you around longer than some of them is to piss me off; to try to get one over on me, because of the shit that went down between us.”
“What shit?”
That unsettled him for a moment. “I…I wasn’t there…after the thing with his dad.”
That was news to me. “What? Why?”
“He should have handled it differently.”
I didn’t care anymore about any of his excuses or his so-called explanations. I was done with all his bullshit. How dare he say these things? “I love him!”
He stepped back in shock. He didn’t say anything for several moments. I watched him draw in a couple of calming breaths and run his hand over his shaved head.
And then he fixed me with that uncompromising father-like stare of his. It was his I-know-best look. “It’s just lust. He was your first. That’s all.”
Before I could fire back, he gestured to the kitchen. “Just hear the guy out. He came all the way up here with a frigging engagement ring in his pocket.”
“Ollie, no. You don’t understand. He—”
His gaze softened and he said, “Think about your future, sis. Please. Mom and Dad would want you to.”
His comment about our parents caught me off guard.
My Achilles’ heel.
We rarely ever spoke about them, because it hurt too much. So, hearing him bring them up out of the blue like that, had me floundering.
It knocked the fight right out of me.
He leaned in and kissed my forehead. “I’m gonna pick up dinner for the three of us. The pizza place won’t deliver in this weather. It’ll give you guys some time to sort this out.”
I was in such a state, that I failed to stop him from hurrying out of the house.
The slam of the front door snapped me back to reality.
Oh my God.
I was in the house alone with Jake.
Ollie had no idea what he’d just done. Jake was such a master manipulator that he’d even managed to fool my brother into leaving us alone together.
“Sophie.”
I spun around to see Jake leaning against the living room doorway. His fake sweetness had left and he glared at me like a predator intent on ravaging its prey.
My pulse kicked up several notches as adrenaline shot through me. “What the hell are you doing here?” I demanded.
“I told you; I don’t give up, Sophie.”
“It’s over, Jake. There’s nothing here for you. I’m with someone else.”
He scoffed. “The bartender? Yeah, your brother told me.”
“He’s my boyfriend,” I said, fiercely, trying to ram it home to him. What the hell does it take?
He ignored me completely and said, “Now, you’ve had the chance to get it out of your system, it’s time to get back to us.”
“There is no us!” I screamed, unable to keep my cool any longer. He was beyond infuriating. The entire situation was.
I hated people trying to control me and, between him and my brother, I was feeling like a piece of fucking meat.
It wasn’t happening. That’s it! I’m done!
His eyes flashed and he lunged at me, grabbing my wrist roughly; hard enough to leave a bitch of a bruise.
And in that moment, the fear I normally felt when he got physically aggressive, was nowhere to be found.
I wasn’t that helpless little girl anymore. No…thanks to Brad’s training, I knew exactly how to handle it.
I glared at him and growled, “Big mistake.”
Chapter 26
~Brad~
As I drove through town, carefully navigating around the snow drifts plaguing the roads since I’d pulled off the highway and crossed the city border, my stomach was in knots. I couldn’t tell if it was excitement or my fucking nerves. I’d been so focused on the excitement part until I’d crossed that damn border, that it’d only just hit me that Soph might not be on board with my surprise.
Shit.
Was she gonna give me crap for not discussing it with her first? I was well aware that she hated being kept out of the loop. It was one of her pet peeves. It hadn’t been my intention to do that to her. Things had just happened so fucking fast and I’d had to jump on it. But it was a hell of a big decision that I’d made and she’d recently reamed me out for my controlling tendencies. I’d got the message that she hadn’t been on board with that the morning I’d overreacted about her walking into town alone.
But the decision I’d just made—a major fucking one—and keeping her out of it hadn’t come from a place like that at all. It had nothing to do with control, or protecting her or anything. It’d just happened fast. And I had been thinking about what was best for both of us.
But still, I was a little worried she wouldn’t see it that way. More than a little worried. Let’s call a spade a spade: I’m shit-scared about her reaction. Jesus Christ.
Nobody had the power to make me freak out about something, like she did.
Until her, nothing and nobody could ever faze me. That woman had some major power over me. It was a good thing I was so fucking into her then.
She was the love of my life. No question.
Something up ahead drew my attention and brought my nervous thinking to a grinding halt.
Dammit! Seriously? Why?
Ollie fucking Clinton was cursing and throwing his hands wildly about at his Chevy.
I watched him kick the truck a couple of times, before hauling open the driver’s door for a second and popping the hood. He walked around to the front again and lifted it.
I thought about making a U-turn and taking the long way back home. But I couldn’t do it. As much as he deserved it, I couldn’t leave him stranded in the middle of town in one hell of a storm.
Jesus fucking Christ!
I pulled in behind him and climbed out of my truck.
Zipping up my leather jacket, I held my hand in front of me to deflect the powerful blizzard blasting me in the face as I approached him.
“Let me see.”
He tensed and turned around, eyeing me with disdain. “I’ve got this.”
“Newsflash: you don’t know shit about cars.”
“Fine,” he said, pulling out his cell phone. “I’ll call Lou. He’ll be here in no time. Ten minutes. Keep your panties on.”
I bristled at his words, but chose to take the high road. “Lou’s probably got his hands full tonight with the storm, so it’s gonna be a hell of a lot longer than that.”
Lou ran a small garage in town and he was the only mechanic around for miles. Fortunately, I’d spent a couple of years working there after school, so I knew more than most when it came to cars. I stepped forward. “Give me your keys.”
He huffed and shoved them into my hands.
He followed me to the driver’s door. I climbed inside and thrust the key into the ignition.
Instantly, the problem was clear to me.
He eyed me in question as I climbed o
ut and made my way over to my truck. “Battery’s flat,” I told him.
“I was at the coffee shop a little longer than I anticipated. Left the heating on.”
Well, that’s fucking stupid. I forced myself to hold my tongue. It would just make shit between us even worse.
“What are you doing?” he asked, as I reached into the cab and pulled out a couple of cables a moment later. I handed them to him. “We’re gonna jumpstart it.”
I climbed into my truck and gunned the engine. I pulled up beside him until our vehicles were nose-to-nose. I popped my own hood and then hopped out, snatching the jumper cables from him.
He stood back, having the good sense to keep his mouth shut and let me get on with it. Thankfully, without his interference, I had his truck running again within a matter of minutes.
“There you go,” I said, carrying the cables back to my truck and throwing them inside.
“This doesn’t change anything between us, but thanks.”
I rolled my eyes and was about to climb back into my truck and get the fuck out of there, when he strode over to me.
I met him halfway and folded my arms across my chest, waiting for whatever shit he was about spew my way.
“She’s not for you. This little affair is over. She’ll be heading back to her life in the city. Probably tonight.”
My eyes narrowed at his audacity. “What the fuck are you talking about, Clinton?”
“I gave him my permission.”
I shifted my weight impatiently. “Permission?” I demanded, having no clue what the hell he was getting at.
A triumphant smile played on his face. “He’s proposing to her.”
My blood ran cold as my brain made the connection. “Jake?”
“Yeah,” he said, smugly. “Jake, her boyfriend.”
I lost control and lunged at him, gripping his arms and slamming him into the hood of his truck. “He’s here?” I growled. When he didn’t respond immediately, I shook him roughly. “Tell me, you fuck! Is he here?”
“Yes,” he grunted, trying to fight me off him.
He had no hope. I had several pounds of muscle on him and a ton of adrenaline coursing through my fucking veins.
“Where, Ollie? Where is he?”
“Let go!”
I released him suddenly and he stumbled back, trying to get his balance.
“I knew you wouldn’t like it, but this is overkill, Brad. What the hell?”
“Tell me where he is!”
“He’s with her. They’re talking things out. I left them to it. Gave them some privacy.”
“Who told you that? That they were gonna talk things out? Him or Soph?”
“What does it matter?”
“Who?” I roared at the top of my lungs.
“Him!” he yelled back at me.
“Your house?”
“Where else?”
I ran to my truck. “You idiot!” I called over my shoulder.
“What?”
I gripped the doorframe and glared at him. “He’s abusive. Knocked her around, you fuck tart!”
That wiped the triumphant smirk off his face. Before he could say another word, I hurriedly started my truck and sped away, roaring down the road as fast as I could in the snowstorm without skidding all over the damn slippery roads.
My heart was hammering in my chest furiously. Fucking hell. Soph was in danger.
I hadn’t even stopped to ask Ollie how long ago he’d left that asshole in the house alone with her.
I fought my own imagination to prevent images of all the worst case scenarios from running through my mind. My hands were shaking as I gripped the steering wheel.
I was right on the edge.
All this time, I’d fought tooth and nail to hold back and to avoid any physical altercations as much as possible. But I knew that all that was about to go to hell, because if he’d so much as laid a finger on her, I would fucking kill him.
There would be no holding back.
***
I slammed the door of my truck shut and sprinted towards Ollie’s house. I heard his truck screeching to a jarring stop behind mine, but I barely paid it any mind.
All I could think about was getting to Soph.
No matter how fast I’d driven or how fast I ran for their house, it just wasn’t fucking fast enough.
I vaulted over the prissy white gate. I didn’t have time to finagle the damn latch. Every second counted.
I bolted up the steps and lunged for the door, slamming my arm into it. My entire body jarred against it when it didn’t budge and it hurt like a son of a bitch. The damned thing was locked for once. I pounded on it, but who knew if she’d be in a position to come to the door.
I spun around to Ollie who was bounding up the porch steps.
“Keys! Fucking hurry!” I yelled, frantically.
Christ. My hands were shaking like crazy. I could barely contain the adrenaline ripping through me like a fucking whirlwind of insanity.
I stepped aside and Ollie fumbled with the lock, obviously freaking out as well.
“Fuck! Faster!”
“Shit! I am. I can’t fucking see in this light, okay?”
He finally managed to get the door open and I barged on through, frantically searching for any sign of Soph and that asshole, Jake.
“Soph!” I bellowed, my voice reverberating through the house. “Soph! It’s me! Say something!”
Ollie caught my eye and I saw the naked fear all over his face. He gulped and met my stride, the two of us rushing through the house like maniacs.
“I’m okay,” a soft voice called out.
A second later, Soph came to the top of the stairs, drying her hands on a towel. I didn’t need to think twice about it.
I bolted up the steps towards her and held her arms gently, looking her over for any sign of injury.
“Are you hurt? Soph, are you hurt?” I blurted out in a panicked rush.
I heard Ollie thumping up the stairs towards us.
She smiled and shook her head. “Nothing serious. Just a little sore,” she told me, tossing the towel on the floor and holding up her fisted hands.
Her knuckles were red raw and bloodied. The bruise on her left wrist didn’t escape my notice either.
Without thinking, I grabbed the hem of her shirt and lifted it up. She cried out in surprise and tried to shove it back down, but I wouldn’t let her. I needed to make sure she wasn’t hurt anywhere else. I knew her. She played things down too much. And, fuck, if she was hurt I needed to know.
“Brad!” she shrieked.
“Yeah. Some warning would’ve been nice,” Ollie grumbled, shielding his eyes with his hand to avoid the sight of his sister’s exposed upper body.
There was no sign of any injury there.
But I wasn’t done.
I reached for the belt of her jeans.
She slapped my hand away. “No way.”
She pushed past me and hurried down the stairs. I followed after her. Ollie did the same.
I reached for her, but she stepped back, holding up her hand. “That’s enough.”
“Soph—”
She cut me off, basically growling at me with frustration, “Hear my words. I am fine. Fine. I promise.”
“You say that too often. Even when it’s not true,” I countered.
She eyed Ollie for his support.
He shook his head. “It’s true, Soph. Remember that time when you sprained your wrist and didn’t tell us for a couple of days, saying it was just an ache?”
She blew out a breath. “Fine. Stay here,” she told him. “Brad. Come with me,” she said, reaching out her hand to me. I took it and she led me into the kitchen, slamming the door shut behind her.
She released me and stepped back, telling me, “Stay.”
Before I could argue, she shocked me by stripping right there in the kitchen.
In a matter of seconds, she stood before me in nothing but her bra and panties.
&nb
sp; I was too worked up to even really register how damn sexy she was standing there like that, eyeing me.
“Look all you want. Do your inspection,” she told me, holding her hands out to the side.
And I did.
I looked her over everywhere, checking every inch of her skin for any sign of injury. There was nothing other than the bruise and the damage to her knuckles that she’d already shown me.
“Okay?” she asked when I finally stepped back and released a huge breath of relief.
I nodded and she hurriedly put her clothes back on.
“Ollie, I’m decent!” she called out through the door.
A second later, he burst into the room, eyeing me accusingly. I rolled my eyes and turned my attention to Soph. “Where is that fucker?”
“Gone,” she said simply, taking a seat at the kitchen table.
“What?” Ollie asked. “But, your hands? You…you fought him or something? And you’re not…hurt?”
“Brad taught me how to fight,” she said, smiling sweetly at me.
“You took him down?” I asked. Yeah, I’d taught her how to fight, but she was a tiny thing. The most I ever expected her to do was to fend off an attack and then run like hell, not to actually cause so much damage. Her knuckles were proof that she’d definitely gone the damage route. Shit.
She shrugged like it was no big deal. “He’s gone.”
“How long ago?” I demanded.
“Too long ago for you to do something insane like going after him.”
“Soph, I want a location.”
“And I want to forget this awful night ever happened,” she said, her eyes pleading with me to let it go. “Please, baby.”
I heard Ollie grunt at her endearment. And I couldn’t stop myself from snapping, “Oh, fuck you. This is your fault, you prick!”
He took a threatening step towards me. “Say that again.”
“You heard me, asshole,” I threw back, getting right in his face. “You invited that psycho in here and then left her here alone with him!”
“Brad, he didn’t know,” Soph said, her hand grasping my bicep.
Just the slightest touch from her had the ability to pretty much rewire my brain.
I found myself calming rapidly. The next thing I knew, I was stepping back from Ollie and actually backing down.
