7. Braxton

CHAPTER 7

Braxton

D ani is way more badass than I thought. How could I have not noticed that she was fucking stabbed? Finding her next to the river passed out and bleeding, I internally beat myself up over the fact that I let her run the way she did. I swear to God this woman is by far the sexiest thing I have ever encountered. I should be freaking out, but here I am, completely turned on by her mental toughness. She's been put in a terrible situation because of me more than once and both times, she's handled it by killing both men. A normal guy would leave her behind, but I'm not normal and I'm not going anywhere. When I found her on the sand, I picked her up and carried her back to my truck and brought her to my house. I instantly called the doctor that I had hired for situations like this. He was in and out in no time, removing the knife and getting her stitched up and bandaged. For a while, I just laid in bed next to her and watched her sleep peacefully. I knew she would be out for a while due to the medications the doctor gave her but I still wanted to be around in case.

She's been asleep in my bed recovering for almost a full thirty-six hours and I don't know what to do with myself. I've just sat in the room and watched her to make sure that everything was okay. I start to doze off until I hear a little whimper come out of her mouth and I shoot upright in the chair that I'm sitting in. Unsure if I am just hearing things or if it really happened, I stand up and walk to the bedside. Looking down at her, her eyes start to flutter open, and I smile.

"Welcome back, Little Rage." She looks confused and in a daze.

"What the actual fuck happened?" I can't help but laugh because this girl has the mouth of a sailor.

"You were stabbed in the cornfield and you've been sleeping it off for a while. I had a doctor come remove the knife and stitch you up. I already had Leighton call into work for you so you have the day off." She gave me a sleepy smile and nodded her head slightly.

"Do you need anything? Can I grab you food or something? Maybe water?" She shook her head and slowly rolled over more to face me.

Before I can protest, she grabs my hand and pulls me into the bed next to her and wraps her arms around my neck. I see her wince at the pain from the movement but she doesn't say anything.

"Thank you, B. I'm happy you're here. I appreciate you taking care of me." I tell myself to be cautious since she needs the time to heal and gently wrap my arms around her, kissing her head and holding her close.

"I would do it a million times over." She quietly hums in contentment and it puts a smile on my face. She feels safe and comfortable around me and that's all I could ask for.

After a few minutes, I can hear her quiet snores and a sense of calm washes over me. I listen to her slow breathing and feel the beat of her heart against mine. I don't want to imagine a life without my Little Rage. I close my eyes with no intention of falling asleep, but laying here, with her, just feels all too natural and I let my exhaustion take over.

I'm shocked awake by Dani whimpering in her sleep, and I gently shake her trying to wake her up. She's sweating and tears are streaming down her face, so I shake a little harder until finally her eyes open up and she looks at me.

"I'm so sorry. I have these nightmares sometimes about my past and my body has the same reaction to it every time." We haven't talked about our pasts at all since meeting, so her admission surprises me.

"You don't have to apologize for anything and if it's something that you need to talk about, I'm all ears." I gently push some of the hair away from her face and wipe the tears from under her eyes. She looks broken and it crushes my heart.

"I just had a hard childhood growing up. My dad was an alcoholic and he used to hit my mom and they would get into fights almost daily that would leave her bruised and battered. I was always too embarrassed of it, so I never kept anybody close to me. One day when I came home from school, things were so bad that I went and hid in the cabinet underneath the bathroom sink, like I normally did when things got rough. This time was different though because it didn't take long for the fighting to subside. When I walked out of the bathroom, I saw my father, walking out of the door with a knife in his hand. I went through the house to search for my mother, and when I found her, she was dead on the floor in their bedroom with her organs laying next to her and her throat slit. After that, I kind of dissociated through the rest of my childhood, and continued to have these nightmares through the years and as I got older. I always thought that I should go to therapy or something, but I can't get the image of my mother out of my head."

For fuck's sake, this poor girl. No wonder she's full of so much fire.

"I'm so sorry you went through that, Dani. I'll do whatever I can to help you." I kiss her forehead and hold her close to me.

"Can you order pizza and watch movies with me to help?" I chuckle and nod my head, getting up to grab my phone and place an order for delivery. I walk downstairs to the living room and bring up a bunch of movies on the TV. I remember I have those break and bake cookies in my fridge because Carter likes to hoard them and make them when he's over. Going into the kitchen and grabbing the package, I grab a baking sheet and place it on the counter. When I start placing the cookies on the sheet, I feel Dani's little arms circle around me and she places her head on my back, sighing quietly. When I'm done placing the cookies on the sheet, I turn and wrap my arms around her, returning her hug. I never thought I could be so easily comforted by someone else. We just stand there for a few minutes before the doorbell goes off. I set the oven to preheat then head to the door to grab the pizza and pay the driver. When I returned to the kitchen, Dani had already placed the cookies in the oven and she smiled at me.

"I love those cookies. Especially during the holidays." I smile back and walk to the island to place the pizza box down, grabbing a plate for each of us. Dani puts two slices on her plate and I put three on mine.

Once we were situated and the cookies were out of the oven cooling, we go to the living room and get comfortable on the couch. Dani had decided on The Nightmare on Elm Street and I can't say I'm surprised. Horror suits her well. Looking over, I admire her long black hair and the tattoos on her skin as she bites into a slice like she hasn't eaten in years. The pizza grease on her lips exaggerates the perfect shape and the plumpness of her bottom lip. If you had asked me when I was younger what kind of girl I could see myself with, Dani would be the epitome of her. She's perfect for me in every way imaginable. I'm so consumed by her perfection that I don't even realize she's looking back at me. Shit.

"Take a picture, it'll last longer, weirdo." She laughs and it makes my heart melt.

Before thinking about it, I grab her face and bring it to mine without touching. "You are the definition of perfection. I would freeze hell over to see you smile. I would skin myself alive to hear your laugh just once. You don't see your worth, but I sure do. Obsessed is an understatement, Angel." A tear falls from the corner of her eye and I'm afraid I said something wrong but then she responds.

"My entire life, nobody except Leighton has made me feel like I matter. Then you come along and make me feel like I'm the only one to exist in your world and I'm afraid that I'll ruin you the way that I'm ruined." Her words shock me. I knew she was broken but not that broken. Gripping her chin and turning her head to face me, I stare directly into her hypnotic eyes.

"You are not ruined. You are my heaven and my hell. You are a religion that I willingly will lose myself in. Dani, you're the most beautiful woman that I have ever laid my eyes on, inside and out. I see you and I understand you. I still want you and I always will."

Hearing Dani speak of herself so negatively angers me beyond what I thought possible. I will burn the world to ashes to make sure that every single person who wronged my Little Rage never breathes the same air as her again.

Her tears flow freely now. Her sadness is killing me and I just want to do whatever I can to make her smile. She looks away, opening and closing her mouth like she has something to say. I speak again, hoping to reassure her.

"You don't have to talk about anything you don't want to, Dani. Everything can go at your pace." Turning back to me, she gives me a soft smile.

"I've just never had anyone tell me something like that. Or even cared I guess. People have always told me that I'm fine and I don't want to be fine. I want to feel comfortable in my skin and not feel like a toy. I want to feel good about myself and I don't...unless I'm with you, B. My past has continuously broken me down and made me feel like I'm less than everyone else, but not you. You make me feel good. You make me feel heard. I need a change that will really make me happy with myself. And that's what I'm going to do. Is there a salon around here?"

Her change in tone shocks me. "I want you to feel as beautiful and worthy as you are. If you want to make a change then do it. I can take you to the salon now if you'd like?" Her smile is big now, genuine.

"No no, I want to surprise you. I have something I've really been wanting to do. Can I borrow your truck?" What the hell just happened? Whatever it is, I'll give it to her.

"Sure, whatever you need!" She slowly gets up off the couch, trying not to agitate her wound. Leaning down and placing a hand on my cheek, she kisses me on the lips slowly, then tousles my hair before heading upstairs. Pulling out my phone, I dial Ryn's number and let her know that Dani is coming in. I tell her to charge my card with whatever the total comes to.

Moments later, Dani comes down the stairs in her jean shorts and one of my old t-shirts. I could get used to her in my clothes. Handing her the keys to my truck, I follow her outside to see her off. Before getting in, she kisses me again and my cock tingles. Fuck. She drives off and I head back inside to finish my pizza that I never ate.