Chapter 10 #2
Her body doesn’t move, but her lips tremble.
Tears begin to drip down her face again.
I wish I could let her know I’m lying. That there is no way I’m letting her go anywhere with this guy ever.
That I just want her far away from this situation.
I need her out of harm’s way. But I can’t really say that.
I just hope she knows me better than that.
“Prue!” he shouts, slamming his fist into the wall beside her head.
I can’t stop myself. I jump forward. Grabbing his shoulder, I push him backwards, before slipping into the space I create between Prue and him.
His body mass is a little intimidating, I’m not going to lie.
All that bulk is hard muscle. It makes my body ache prematurely.
The rage is vibrating off him right now and I’m reminded that he hurt her.
Just by touching him, I know he is a serious threat to my wellbeing.
He must have done quite a number on her. That thought makes my anger double.
“You don’t want to defend her. She isn’t worth it.”
“Listen, fuck face. I’d defend any woman from the likes of you. It’s just a matter of if I kill you or just castrate.”
“I’d like to see you try.” He shoves me.
The force sends me back against Prue. I can feel her jerk as she hits the wall behind her. A small gasp escapes her lips and my hands ball into fists on pure instinct.
When my fist connects with the prick’s face, just below the cheek bone, he is stunned. Stepping back, creating some much-needed distance between him and Prue. I don’t think he expected that much force from someone my size.
I reach behind me, gently moving Prue to the side, urging her toward the nearest door. She sticks to the wall, not moving. Her eyes are no longer on me. Instead, she looks at him with a level of fear I really don’t like.
He rubs his cheek, glaring at me. I keep my composure calm, but my heart is pounding in my chest. I’m not happy about this situation. Part of me wants to hit him again. Then not stop until he is a fraction of the man he thinks he is.
Taking a step toward me, he flexes his own fists, as if he is trying to intimidate me.
Outwardly I act unimpressed, but I’m aware that any hit he lands is going to hurt.
But being hurt has never stopped me before.
Getting my ass kicked was once a daily occurrence.
My body has learned how to take a beating, and I’d be damned to die at the hands of a guy like him.
I raise my fists, letting him know I’m not about to back down.
His lips curve up, as the glare turns into amusement.
“You’re going to regret that.” His eyes drift toward Prue, but I move, staying in his line of sight. He doesn’t get to look at her.
“Not likely,” I reply.
“Fine,” he shouts, causing Prue to flinch behind me.
“But you should know this isn’t going to end well for either of you.
All you had to do, Prue, was join me for an evening of fun.
Instead, you want to run around with this piece of shit.
” His hand waves to me, as if his insult could even bother me. “You will both live to regret this.”
“Touch her again and I will fucking end you.”
He laughs, shoving his hands in his pockets. Strolling toward the door, he holds his head up high, like he somehow won the fight when I was the only one who landed a punch. When the door slams shut behind him, the walls rattle from the force. I turn to look at Prue.
Her eyes are zeroed in on the door, as if she is waiting for him to return. The look on her face reminds me, once again, that I’m dealing with a broken girl. She can pretend all she wants, but whatever he did, hurt her far worse than she cares to let on.
“Prue,” I say, reaching forward to touch her. She doesn’t react to my touch. That’s either a sign she trusts me or a sign she is too deep in her head to notice. I let my hand stroke the back of her head, checking for any signs of damage from when she hit the wall. “Are you okay?”
Her eyes blink, softening a bit as if she is slowly slipping back to the real world. Her eyes zone in on me. She stares at me for a second before pressing her lips against mine.
I’m dazed for just a moment as her lips move against mine. I just let it happen, even letting my lips move back, before I snap to my senses.
“Prue,” I mumble, pulling my lips back just slightly. They are still touching. She follows the movement of my words, letting her tongue slip into my mouth. Her tongue grazes my teeth as she explores my mouth.
This is not good. I know she isn’t in the right frame of mind to be kissing me like this, but her lips feel so soft against mine.
Her mouth is so warm and inviting. There is a part of me that just wants to get lost in the moment.
Maybe this would be good for her. Break whatever spell he has over her.
But if I let this continue, I’m no better than him. She needs time to process what just happened.
I try to pull away. Maybe not with as much force as I should, but I’m trying not to hurt her fragile mental state.
She nips at my bottom lip as I try to slip away. Following my step backwards, she lets her teeth clamp down on my bottom lip.
“Fuck,” I groan, finally breaking free from her. My tongue runs over the area she bit, checking for blood. “Prue. What the fuck?”
“I’m sorry,” she mumbles, pressing her hands into her face as a sob escapes her lips.
That probably wasn’t the best reaction on my part, but it took me by surprise. I sigh, walking up to her. My hands take ahold of her shoulders. This time she tries to jerk away. I don’t let her slip from my hold.
“Prue. It’s okay. I’m sorry. It just took me by surprise.” I keep my voice as soothing as I can. “Can you look at me, baby?” She shakes her head. “Please?” I press, letting one hand touch her chin, tilting her head up.
Her eyes open. Sky blue hues peek up at me, as a few tears trickle down her face.
“I’m sorry I yelled.”
“I’m sorry I bit you.” Her voice is so low it nearly breaks my heart.
“That’s okay.” I offer her a smile. “It was kind of hot, to be honest.”
Her eyes roll, even though they are still filled with tears.
“I’m sorry,” she says again. “That you had to deal with him.”
“No. I’m sorry you had to deal with him,” I correct her, letting my thumb stroke her cheek. Her skin is so soft compared to my calloused fingers. Years of strumming the guitar made my fingers rough. Never bothered me before, but now I wish they were soft enough to offer her comfort.
“Thank you.” She nods.
“Are you okay?”
“No.” She laughs. “Not at all.”
“I mean are you physically hurt?”
“I’m fine.” She shrugs. “You should go. I feel bad for ruining your night.”
“There is not a chance in hell I’m leaving you here alone,” I say as she steps away from me.
“He has some event to go to. He isn’t coming back. I’ll be fine.”
“That is not a risk I’m willing to take.”
“I’m not your responsibility, Ben.”
“I know that,” I say, though at this moment she kind of feels like my responsibility. And I don’t mind it as much as I thought I would. I’m sure somewhere Wes is getting the sense of my impending doom. “But I owe you for last night.”
“I really just want to be alone.”
“Yeah, see… I don’t think that’s a good idea.” I smile. “And frankly I’m just a big enough asshole to not care about what you want. Why don’t we still go out? We’ll grab some food, hit up a few bars, and I’ll crash on the couch after.”
She sighs, folding her arms over her chest. Her hip sticks out as she studies me. She is probably trying to decide what mean thing to say next. What name will she hurl at me? What insult can she throw at me? And how bad will it hurt?
I try to hide how excited I am to hear whatever she is thinking about saying. I don’t want her to know I secretly enjoy the verbal abuse. That would just make her want to be nice to me. She is evil like that. A little vixen that has been put in my life to help me self-destruct.
“You still want to hang out with me?” she asks. It takes me a moment to accept she isn’t going to add a kick to the balls at the end of that question.
“Yeah?” I shrug. “Why wouldn’t I?”
“You call me a bitch, among other things. You keep saying how difficult I am. Then there is the little matter of my freak out this morning, and you literally just had to assault my ex to keep him from hurting me. Why the hell would you still want to be around me?”
“You’re the best cock sucker in town.” I smirk. Her eyes roll, even as her lips curve up into a small smile. “Please, Prue. Just come out with me, okay? I promise to be less of an asshole.”
“Is that even possible?”
“I think I can manage being a decent person for one night.”
“I’m not holding my breath.” She laughs, shaking her head.
“So?”
“Okay. Just give me a few minutes to fix my makeup.”
“I’ll wait right here.” I grin at her.
When she disappears into the room, I pull out my phone.
I glance through the notifications. Seeing two missed calls from Wes should be a reminder that getting involved with Prue is a bad idea.
All I have to do is call him. I know he would talk some sense into me.
Remind me of what is on the line if I let myself get caught up in a girl’s chaos again.
But it’s far too late for him to save me. I’m fully sucked into the storm that surrounds Prue now. There is no turning back if I wanted to, but I don’t want to.
That should be the ultimate sign that things are going to end poorly, but I have a habit of ignoring red flashing signs. All the No Smoking, Emergency Exit, and No Crowd Surfing signs never stopped me. They mean nothing to me. I embrace the chaos, just like I am with Prue, now.