Chapter 3 #2
To most people, one was definitely way more concerning than the other.
Someone she didn't know approaching her at a deserted park after dark, where there would be no one to help her if the woman had wanted anything other than to deliver her message, was a dangerous, potentially deadly situation. Talking to Dragon on the phone was just talking to a man she’d been developing feelings for, but things burned out before they even got a chance to set alight.
“You made the right decision,” she assured herself as she slipped her feet into a pair of boots.
That was true. Cassandra knew she’d done what was best for her.
There was no way she could have hung around and allowed herself to get involved in whatever plans for revenge Dragon and his team had, which from what she could gather, appeared to be targeting someone close to the doctor responsible for changing their DNA.
If she did, she would have been reinforcing the fears she already battled.
Of course, her family knew she’d been shaken up by the revelation that she was conceived via rape, there had been no way to mask her feelings when they were so raw and fresh.
But over the last couple of months, she’d done such a good job of convincing everyone she was handling everything, dealing with everything, and moving forward with a healthy self-perception.
Only that couldn’t be further from the truth.
It felt like evil ran through her veins now. She was the daughter of a rapist, a man who had killed without remorse, and who wasn't afraid to do whatever it took to protect himself. How could she not view herself differently, knowing all that?
Plus, she’d killed her own father and didn't feel any guilt over it.
There had to be something wrong with her.
Helping, or even just tacitly going along with Dragon’s plans for revenge, to hurt someone who might be completely innocent, would only go further to convince her she really was her father’s daughter.
A knock at her door had her straightening, a smile curving her lips up even as she rolled her eyes.
It had to be one of her brothers, overprotective things that they were.
Since she’d told Monique what happened last night, she’d half expected to find her half-sister and stepbrother turn up on her doorstep, even though she’d assured Monique that she was fine and safe.
Or one of her other brothers, since there were no secrets in their family, and she had zero doubts that Monique had blabbed to everyone the second they ended their call.
All twelve of her brothers and one day sisters-in-law, hated the fact that she went running alone after dark at the park. Even though she’d tried to explain why she needed that time to herself to destress, all they saw were the potential things that could go wrong.
It wasn’t like she could really blame them after her stepbrother Jake’s now-girlfriend, Alannah, had almost been burned alive at the park a few months back.
But she needed that time, so she fought for it, assuring them nothing was ever going to happen.
Now she realized how wrong she’d been, how easy it would have been for that woman to do more than just give her a warning for Dragon.
Which was going to ruin her alone time, because now every day at the park she’d remember how vulnerable she’d been.
Wondering which brother hadn't been able to hold off any longer on checking up on her, Cassandra headed down the hall and flung open the door.
Even though she complained about how overprotective her brothers were, she wouldn't change a single thing about any of them.
They loved her, and she needed their love now more than ever, even if she kept them in the dark about how badly she was struggling.
The smile on her lips died as soon as she saw who was on the other side of her door.
It wasn't Cade, Cooper, Connor, Cole, Jake, or Jax. Wasn't Gabriella, Willow, Becca, Susanna, Alannah, or Monique either.
It was Dragon.
Here.
At her house.
Standing on her doorstep.
Staring at her with those weird violet eyes of his that seemed to see right through her charade and probe deep into her soul, finding all her secrets and leaving her feeling bare and exposed.
What was he doing here?
When she’d spoken to him last night, he hadn't mentioned flying out to see her, and she couldn’t think of any reason why he would need to. If he had more questions, he could have called her on the phone like a normal person.
Seeing Dragon again hurt. She’d really liked him, and he’d been a steady presence in her life those first weeks after she learned the truth.
It wasn't like he’d talked much to her, but he’d just been there.
Bringing her food so she ate, sitting with her even if she was just staring into space, checking on her if she disappeared off on her own for too long.
He’d felt like an ally, a friend, and the hint of something more hung between them even if there had been only the one kiss. So the fact that he’d been able to dismiss her concerns so easily, brushing them aside like they—like she—meant nothing, had hurt more than she’d been willing to admit.
But now she couldn’t deny it.
Now he was standing there, and she had to confront the idea that he’d hurt her deeply.
All her life, she’d been brushed aside. She was the baby of the family with six overprotective big brothers.
She loved them to death, and knew that protectiveness was their love language, but there had been lots of times they’d shielded her, or not taken her seriously, because to them she was always going to be the baby sister.
Of all the people she thought would never shut her down like she wasn't smart enough, or strong enough, or mature enough to handle things, it was Dragon.
Neither of them spoke.
She stared at him, he stared right back at her.
It was weird, it felt like there were things Dragon wanted to say, and yet he kept his mouth shut and stood there like an immovable mountain.
Her pain quickly morphed into frustration.
Coming here was a stupid idea, and she didn't know why he’d done it.
What she did know was that she wasn't standing around waiting to see what he wanted. She’d been on her way out, and she saw no reason why she should hang around now that Dragon had deemed her worthy of his time.
“I’m on my way out,” she said dismissively, glad she’d already put on her shoes and that her purse hung by the front door.
Reaching back to grab it, she slung it over her shoulder, pulled the door closed, and attempted to brush past him. His hand darted out quicker than she thought a person could move, and closed around her wrist, holding her in place.
Staring at his large fingers curled around her slender wrist, Cassandra couldn’t help but note that while his grip was firm, it was also gentle. He was taking care not to hurt her. This time anyway.
“Let me go.” Cassandra hated that her order didn't come out strong and commanding. Instead, it sounded breathy and insubstantial. Why did this man have to affect her so deeply? Especially when she now knew he didn't feel the same way she did.
“No.”
The single word was all she got, and it ignited two fires inside her. One low in her body where she couldn’t help but respond to the man she was wildly attracted to, the other set her anger boiling over.
“You don’t get to say no. I called you, told you what she said.
I have nothing else to give you. I'm not hanging around now because you’ve decided that I hold some sort of value, that my words or opinions matter, when before you told me it didn't concern me and not to insert myself where I wasn't wanted or needed.”
It was annoying that the pain she’d felt at being dismissed like that seeped into her tone, but she was only human, and she couldn’t keep all her emotions under control all the time.
It just sucked that she slipped now, letting her vulnerabilities out with the one person she knew could exploit them if he wanted.
Instead of saying anything, arguing with her, Dragon merely bent, plowed his shoulder into her stomach, and used his hold on her wrist to lift her up.
“Hey!” she squawked as she found herself hanging upside down, Dragon’s arm banded around her thighs, keeping her in place, her face right by his toned butt, which felt wildly unfair since attraction was the one thing she couldn’t just shut down easily. “What do you think you're doing?”
Again, she got no answer. Dragon snatched her purse from her hands, found her keys, and let himself back into her home, carrying her in with him like he owned the place. If her anger had been boiling over before, now it was exploding out of her.
Who did he think he was?
Did he think he could push her out of his life and then stroll back in when it suited him?
Did he think she’d been sitting there pining for him these last couple of months?
Okay, she’d thought about him more than she wanted to, even attempting to get herself off while pretending he was the one touching her a couple of times, but he’d hurt her, and she knew she’d made the right choice by leaving.
She didn't want him back in her life, not when she was already struggling just to hold it all together.
In her living room, Dragon tossed her purse on the couch, and then slowly lowered her back so her feet touched the ground.
Before she could tell him off, he grabbed her shoulders and leaned in to crush his mouth to hers in a bruising kiss that stole her ability to think, to do anything other than feel what he was doing to her as he broke down all her walls, leaving her utterly defenseless.