Chapter 3

3

Four years later, present day

D anika watched as Hayden winked at her in terms of his goodbye for the time being, and was all but hauled out of the living room and down the hall by some drunken girl intent on getting laid.

She smiled though, because seeing Hayden wear this goofy grin on his face because he wasn’t the one having to hit on a girl, instead being all but sexually mauled in front of a room full of stoned people, was a highlight of her night.

She brought her bottle of water to her mouth and took a long drink. She’d taken a beer when she’d first gotten here, and even if she was ready to leave.

She glanced at the hallway again, watched as Hayden disappeared behind one of the doors, and then it slammed shut. She’d just tell him she was ready to go and that she would see him later.

Danika sat on the couch, which smelled of spilled beer and cigarette smoke, and looked at her phone for the fifth time in the last half hour. She was supposed to be home in an hour and a half for a dinner with her dad and Damien.

She thought about the SEAL lion shifter, about the last time she’d seen him and the awkward way he had stared at her, as if he had wanted to tell her something monumental, but couldn’t. That had been four years ago.

Even coming home during breaks from school she’d expected to see him in passing, but he’d stayed away. But tonight she’d see him again, maybe even have the nerve to ask what had happened all of those years ago.

To this day it still consumed her when she thought about it, because there was some part of her that felt what had happened between them, that nonverbal, intense interaction, meant something powerful.

She’d come to this party because Hayden said she needed to let loose. After coming back home after two years of school, she knew that starting her life back in the town she grew up in was the right decision.

Maybe she should have stayed another two years at school, gotten her Bachelor’s, and then come back. But the job offer to help with the Internet advertising for a small law firm in town had been too good to pass up.

She wasn’t making as much as she would have if she had her Bachelor’s, but for starting out she was pleased with her salary. She already had her own apartment, albeit a small one

bedroom place, but hers nonetheless. She could focus on living her life, and decide on what she wanted out of her future. Staying with her father was wonderful, and she loved him, but he was just too overbearing and overprotective at times.

But despite the fact she hated being smothered at the age of twenty, she couldn’t fault her dad over the fact he wanted to keep her close. He’d lost his wife, even if it was nearly two decades ago, she knew having her by his side helped him on a level that made him feel secure.

“What’s a pretty girl like you doing here alone? Need some company?”

The slurred masculine voice coming from behind her had her rolling her eyes. Of course there had to be someone to deliver a lame pick-up line before the night was over with. She turned and stared at the guy sitting on the arm of the couch.

He was definitely drunk given the stench of booze that came from him, the fact his eyes were half- lidded, glossy and red, and also because he kept leaning to the side and having to right himself.

“I’m not alone, and no thank you on the company.” She’d planned on leaving anyway, and right now seemed as good a time as any. She stood, headed down the hallway to tell Hayden she was heading home before he got too invested in his sex-fest, and came to a jarring halt when someone grabbed her arm.

She looked over her shoulder, stared at the drunken asshole she’d left back at the couch, then lowered her gaze to his hand. “Let go of me. You’re drunk, and I will kick you in the balls.” Taking Tae Kwon Do for the last two years while away from home had been her father’s idea, but she hadn’t fought the suggestion. In fact, she liked being able to learn how to defend herself.

He let go of her arm and took a step back, but he looked at her still, and didn’t turn to leave. “You’re one of those uppity bitches, aren’t you.” He didn’t phrase it like a question, and narrowed his eyes as if that statement pissed him off.

“Fuck off.” She turned around and headed toward the doorway Hayden was behind. When she got there she saw the prick had turned away and was walking back into the living room. “Asshole,” Danika said under her breath.

Facing the door again she banged on the wood until she heard Hayden murmuring on the other side.

“What?” he said, then his question was followed by a female giggle and groan.

Danika refrained from gagging at the mental image that slammed into her head. “Hayden, I’m going to be going, okay?”

“What?” he yelled out.

“I’m heading home. I’ll talk to you tomorrow,” she said louder this time. There was silence on the other end. Then the sound of footsteps coming closer had her moving a step back. The door opened, and Hayden stood on the other side, his shirt off, and his jeans unbuttoned. “God, Hayden,” Danika said and looked away. Hayden was like a brother to her, and knowing what he was going to do with the slut in the bedroom, and the fact he was half naked, grossed her out.

“You’re leaving?” he asked, seeming like he was truly surprised she wouldn’t want to wait out in the living room with a bunch of drunks while he screwed a random chick.

“Yeah, I think staying is probably not the best idea, especially since that asshole over there was giving me a hard time after I turned his ass down.” She looked over at the prick in question, saw him drinking right out of a scotch bottle, and turned to stare at Hayden again.

He was watching at the guy she’d been talking about, and the irritation on his face was clear.

“I have that dinner thing with my dad and his friend in an hour anyway.

“I’m sorry I left you out there. Brandon is a good guy, and owns this place, but some of his buddies are real motherfuckers.” He faced her again. “Let me get dressed and I’ll leave with you.”

“No, I didn’t tell you I’m leaving in hopes you’d leave, too?—”

He shook his head and stopped her from continuing. “You came here because of me, and we’ll leave at the same time, Danika.”

She smiled and nodded. Hayden was one of the good guys, and she was lucky to call him her best friend.

“Let me get dressed.”

“I have to go to the bathroom.”

He nodded and looked behind him. Hayden said in a lower

voice, “She’s been with half the guys here, but I think I was hard-up for a little action. Now my dick won’t even get hard for her?—”

“Hayden, too much info, seriously.”

Hayden started chucking. “Yeah, sorry about that. Give me a few minutes.”

She nodded, and he shut the door. She looked at the asshole again, who was now watching at her with this blank expression on his

face. Danika ignored him and went into the bathroom. When the door was shut behind her she glanced at the bathroom and realized a man definitely lived her alone.

It was filthy, with a ring of mold around the bathtub, dust in the corners of the floor, and the toilet seat up and showing a collection of film she didn’t even want to try to guess what it was made of.

“Peeing can wait until I get home,” she said under her breath and turned to the left to look at her reflection. Her light auburn hair was in a low ponytail, and her light brown eyes had these gorgeous dark circles under them.

Maybe she shouldn’t have worn the top and skirt she’d decided on?

She wasn’t considered a “small girl” by society’s definition, but she loved every inch of her body. Still, right now she looked a wreck.

She lifted her hand and ran a finger along the bridge of her nose, tracing the light sprinkling of freckles on her skin. She’d hated them when growing up, even tried using lemon juice to lighten them. But she looked just like her mother, and now that she was older she liked all the things she used to hate about herself.

She may not remember her mom, but her father had told her enough about her mom, Frannie. He told her stories about how she’d always sung to Danika before bed, and how much she loved her, and Danika felt like she did remember her mom, who had died too young.

The doorknob turned, and before she could say someone was in the bathroom the door was opening and the douche that had insulted her just a few moments before walked in.

“Hey, what in the hell are you doing?”

He used his much bigger body to push her further back into the bathroom. The back of her legs bumped into the bathtub, stopping her retreat.

“Get the hell out of here, or I swear to God I’ll kick your nuts so far up you’ll choke on them.”

He hissed out a curse, and before she knew what was happening he had his hand on her throat, and had her turned so her back was now pressed to the wall. “You stupid fucking cunt,” he said in a low voice, his anger clear.

She brought her leg up, trying to kick him in the crotch, but even as drunk as he was he blocked her assault,

and wedged his knee between her thighs. Lifting his leg up and pressing his knee to her body, she struggled. She should not have worn the skirt, because it now gave him this unobstructed access to her.

Danika opened her mouth to scream, but he slapped her across the face. The instant feeling of her lip splitting, and the metallic flavor of her blood in her mouth had her spitting in the fucker’s face.

“You stupid bitch,” he hissed out again, and when he used one of his hands to wipe the blood and saliva from his cheek she felt the small gap in his hold that allowed her to use her martial arts training to get the upper hand.

Bringing her arm up, she was able to punch him in the throat hard enough that he gasped out and moved back a step. The bathroom was tiny, and the small confines would make trying to get out of this difficult.

She might have two years of Tae Kwon Do training, but in the grand scheme of things it wasn’t enough to make her an expert in the least, especially when this drunken fool outweighed her by at least fifty pounds.

She also wasn’t stupid, and so while he was trying to suck in air she turned, about to leave the bathroom and get out of this fucking house.

He grabbed her hair as soon as she had her hand on the doorknob, and yanked her backward. She cried out from the sudden pain and fell into his body.

“I’m going to enjoy this, bitch,” he said in a low voice right by her ear.

She slammed her head back against his face, twisted in his arms like she’d been taught in training, and went to push him back, but before she got to the latter the bathroom door opened and Hayden stood there.

“I heard you shout...” Hayden said, but his words trailed off as he looked at her face, and clearly saw the busted lip she sported. Danika felt the blood drip onto her chin, but just wanted out of here and didn’t bother cleaning it off with her shirtsleeve.

Hayden looked at the asshole again, cursed low, and grabbed her arm to haul her out of the bathroom. She thought they would just leave, but Hayden went into the room, slammed his fist into the other guy’s face over and over again until he fell into the bathtub, and only then did he back up.

Her best friend breathed hard, acting like he wanted to go after the guy again, but she grabbed his hand and pulled him back.

“Hayden, let’s just go.”

Hayden spit on the ground by the asshole’s feet. The guy was now half in the bathtub, drunker than hell, bleeding from his nose and mouth, and groaning.

“You fucker. I should kick your ass until you aren’t breathing anymore for thinking you could put your hands on Danika like that, or any woman for that matter.” He cursed out again, turned and faced Danika, and said in a low voice, “Let’s get the hell out of here.”

They moved out of the house, and she stared at all the people that were watching them with surprised and interested expressions. The music still pumped through the house, but she just wanted to get the hell out of here and put this experience behind her.

Once they were outside and by her car Hayden breathed out and ran a hand over his hair. “I am so fucking sorry, Danika.”

“It’s not your fault, Hayden.” She wiped the blood from her lip, winced at the soreness of it, and watched as he continued to pace in front of her for a few more seconds.

He stopped, stared at her, and the defeated look he gave her broke her heart. “I brought you to this damn party, and should have never left you alone.”

She placed a hand on his shoulder and smiled softly at him. “Hayden, guys like that motherfucker—” She chuckled, and he did the same. She tried to make this situation a little lighter even though she was feeling anything but. “Guys like him try shit like that no matter what. You are not responsible for that, I am not responsible for that, and we can’t blame ourselves.”

But that was a lie, because she did feel responsible, felt like if she hadn’t started shit with him, threatened to kick in his balls, maybe he would have backed off.

Stop thinking like that.

She pushed her thoughts away, knowing she needed to be strong, to get through this, and that dwelling on it wouldn’t help.

“God, Danika.” He pulled her in for a hug, rested his hand on the back of her head, and stroked her hair. “Your dad will kill me when he sees your lip.”

She shook her head, but closed her eyes and stayed right where she was. “No, this wasn’t your fault, and he knows you’d never put me in harm’s way on purpose.” She pulled back. “You can’t help how an asshole will act.”

He smiled, but it was forced. She pulled away, patted him on the chest, and tipped her chin toward her car. “I have to go anyway. I’m meeting up with my dad and his friend for dinner.”

“You sure you’re okay to drive home?”

She nodded. “Of course.”

“Because I’d feel better driving you there. We can pick up

your car tomorrow, Danika.”

She shook her head before he even finished. “No, it’s okay,

really. I’m okay.” She pushed him gently toward his car parked a few feet away. “You’re okay to drive?”

He nodded. “I’m good. Just text me when you get home so I know you got there okay.”

“I will, and you do the same if you get there before me.”

He smiled, and this time it was genuine. She watched him get in his car. And then she went over to the driver’s side and climbed in. After starting the engine she watched in her rearview mirror as Hayden pulled out of the driveway.

But he didn’t drive away, and she knew he was waiting for her to leave as well.

Once she was on the road, driving away from the party and the situation, she felt herself crumble, felt herself break inside. The tears flowed down her cheeks despite her trying to stop them.

When Hayden went in another direction and was no longer behind her, she pulled off to the side of the road, let her tears consume her, and didn’t know how in the hell she was going to keep it together when she got to her father’s house.