by H. P. Landry
I slipped in my ear buds and cranked up Muse’s “Uprising” as my feet pounded on the asphalt. With each step, I gradually lost myself in the rhythm of music and the beat of my heart. The two were synchronized in a beautiful dance, and I was the star. I ran along the river behind our home within the forest. It was dense, and the new fall air had turned the leaves brilliant shades of gold, amber, and red. There was a mist that coated the ground, and as my heart pumped with each step, I felt one with the forest.
Every day Nikolas and I would run the trails, and we’d get lost in a place where our past was not a factor in our present. I’d imagine a place where we were content with our lives, but our reality was never like that. Whereas I waited for Mr. Right, Nikolas was happy being Mr. Not Right Enough. He was a sorority girl’s plaything, and he loved every minute of it. I was tired of seeing my brother with those tramps, and he knew it. He made sure to make himself scarce most days and stayed at his frat house whenever he could. Last night he came home around three in the morning, which undoubtedly meant there was yet another girl he had left behind in a tangle of sheets.
I was lost in my own world and not paying attention to anything but the rhythm of the music, when I saw a helpless animal struggling to free itself from the confines of a snare. I detested the people who left those things out to capture poor defenseless animals. Upon closer inspection, I realized it was a beautiful ebony rabbit that was twitching in fear.
“Hey little guy,” I cooed while walking as quietly as I could through the brush.
I reached down and carefully tried to untangle the little creature. I didn’t have a knife, so I couldn’t cut him free. I scanned the area for a jagged rock. The scene brought back memories of the time my troop leader yelled at me because, instead of earning my snare badge, I had shooed away the animals. Needless to say, I had been kicked out of the troop. Then in my freshman year, at Pointe Hope Prep, I protested in my biology class when it came to dissecting animals. I had convinced the entire cheerleading squad, who then swayed half of the student body, that dissecting frogs was gross and would give them warts. It wasn’t my proudest moment, but I knew then I wanted to be an advocate for the underdog. So, I set my goals on becoming a lawyer.
“Hey! What do you think you’re doing?” a gruff voice yelled from behind me and sent fear shooting through me.
I fought to get the snare off and anxiously watched a scraggly older man rush towards me. I was terrified of what he might do, but the snare finally ripped out of the ground, and the rabbit scampered away with it still attached to its leg. Before I could look back to see where the older man had gone off to, my head was wrenched backwards, my breath catching as excruciating pain radiated from my sensitive scalp. The man had wrapped a handful of my long light brown hair around one of his hands. He pulled my face toward his, his fetid breath and foul body odor making my stomach heave. It was in that moment that I feared what appeared to be my impending death, but my choice was clear—I had to fight! “You made me lose my dinner, little girl,” he snarled.
“HELP!” I screamed as loud as I could, praying someone would hear me.
He quickly covered my mouth with one of his filthy hands. Once he was sure I wouldn’t make any further noises, he ran his tongue down my cheek. I could handle the grime on his hands, but once I felt the bulge of his erection pressed into my side, revulsion filled me, and I wanted nothing more than to shrink away. My stomach was tied in knots from fear. Pure. Unadulterated. Terror. I thought was going to die.
No! This couldn’t be happening.
I decided that I wasn’t going to make it easy for the son of a bitch.
“Get the fuck off me!” I growled while trying to fight him off of me.
“Not so fast little girl. Since I can’t have dinner, I’ll skip to dessert,” he whispered in my ear.
All I could think was, no dear God, death would be better than this man touching me.
I brought my knee forward and attempted to kick him in the groin, but it was a feeble attempt. I tried to punch him in the throat and fight with all I had, but he quickly deflected and grabbed my fist. He outweighed by nearly a hundred pounds. He finally took hold of my tracksuit and ripped it opened, exposing me. No matter how hard I tried, I couldn’t get him off me! He was tugging my pants down with one hand, while using the other to pin my hands down over my head.
I wiggled one wrist and was able to free my hand from his grasp. I struck out at him; my nails collided with his face leaving three jagged, bloody lines running from the corner of his eye to the bridge of his crooked nose. His black eyes glared furiously, and I cringed inwardly, realizing that my actions had only served to increase his fury.
Dear Lord, help me.
I heard a loud crack and braced myself for the inevitable, but instead, I gasped as his dead weight dropped on top of me. My eyes were wide with fear, and I tried to wrestle myself free by rolling him off.
What happened?
All at once, the weight was lifted, and I watched as the grimy piece of shit’s body thumped hard against the ground. I quickly surveyed my surroundings and saw my rescuer. A man stood before me. Our eyes connected for a moment, but then he remembered himself and tightly shut his eyes. He cleared his throat nervously but refused to open his eyes as he held out a parka in front of him.
Although I was frightened, it wasn’t enough for me to ignore the man before me. I immediately noticed the coarse hair of his five o’clock shadow. He had a well-defined jaw with full, perfectly proportioned lips. The narrow bridge of his nose tapered to a rounded tip. A profusion of long, curly lashes were paired with a set of perfectly shaped brows. Yet it was beneath his closed eyes that captured all of my attention. His skin was bronze, contrasted beneath a white t-shirt. He had broad shoulders and defined arms that communicated strength without being too muscular. He was breathtaking.
“Are you going to cover up?” His voice was slightly roughened but with a smooth timbre.
I felt the heat rush to my face. Embarrassed, I snatched the parka from his outstretched hand and put it on, clumsily fighting with the extra-long sleeves. Glancing up, I realized that he was much taller than I, topping out at more than six feet.
“Thank you,” I whispered.
A sob escaped my throat at the same time a solitary tear streaked down my cheek. I curled into myself and wrapped my arms around my body. I closed my eyes and prayed to the Lord, thanking Him for allowing this gorgeous Adonis of a man to come to my rescue.
“Didn’t your daddy ever teach you the buddy system?” he snidely asked through gritted teeth. He was tying up my assaulter, who was obviously a vagabond. He wore multiple layers of clothing and a pair of shoes that had been taped up with duct tape. His body odor carried on the breeze, and it literally made bile rise to the back of my throat. Good Lord, that man could have raped me! I need to jump into a hot bath and scrub the filth off my skin! First, I needed to deal with Mr. Attitude.
“You have no right!” I felt the lump in my throat growing but fought through it. “My parents died when I was eight years old for your information, so no he didn’t. I hope that answers your question, jackass!” I got up, and once I was sure I was steady on my feet, I took off toward home. I heard footfalls behind as his hand wrapped around my upper arm like a vice
“You can’t leave! Not until the police get here and file your statement so this asshole can go to jail!” The nerve of the man. He didn’t even acknowledge what I had said; he just kept barking orders at me!
“As far as I can tell, there is only one asshole here, and he isn’t the one who’s going to jail.” I glared at him and stalked off towards the river. How could someone be so callus and not care about someone’s feelings? I cried silently because right now, more than anything in the world, I did wish my dad had taught me the buddy system. Maybe I wouldn’t have been attacked, and maybe I wouldn’t have crossed paths with the jerk—the man who finally ignited that dormant spark inside of me.
Damien
&
nbsp; I am such a dick!
I couldn’t help but be angry. Here was this incredibly gorgeous woman with lips like juicy plump cherries being mauled by some pervert. Damn right it made me angry, not to mention the fact that I wanted to devour those lips myself.
I had felt nothing but pure rage when I saw him forcing himself on her. To even hurt a single strand of her caramel hair was enough to throw me into a fit of anger. In a blind fury, I picked up the rock and hit him on the back of his head, just hard enough to knock him out. When I noticed she was struggling under his dead weight, I removed the son of bitch. I accidentally caught a glimpse of her nearly perfect breast. I had to close my eyes to avoid looking at her much longer for fear of becoming aroused.
This blue- eyed beauty had me entirely enraptured from the moment I heard her desperate scream. Her fear ripped into me, penetrating my heart, nearly causing it to stop from sheer terror. I watched as she hugged herself, staring blindly towards the river and noticed the soft movement of her shoulders. Was she crying?
Why did I have to be such an asshole?
At that point, it didn’t matter whom I had met in the past. There had never been a connection like this with anyone else. With her, as I soon as I saw her beautiful face, I felt it. The way she looked at me, it was as if it were just the two of us, and nothing else mattered. But it did matter, and she needed justice.
I turned around, checking to see that the revolting oaf of a man was still unconscious. I heard the faint sounds of sirens coming down Peach Street and realized that Pointe Hope Police Department would be arriving shortly.
I also knew that this woman could never love someone like me…
Wait, did I say love? Where did that come from?
I couldn’t love. I was incapable of loving someone truly because in the end they’d always get hurt.
The sirens grew louder, and I went back to check on her, but she was gone. I looked around frantically trying to find her, but she had disappeared. The thought of her leaving me with an unconscious man and the police arriving shortly caused my temper to flare.
The nerve of that woman!
“Problem?” she asked, seemingly out of nowhere.
Her voice woke up every nerve in my body, and I couldn’t help but sigh in relief. The question was, why was I relieved? Was it because she hadn’t left me to explain why there was an unconscious man crumpled at my feet, or was it because she was still here? My thoughts and emotions were beginning to irritate me, and I struggled not to care, because why did it matter? She wasn’t mine and never would be.
I turned around and unintentionally gave her my nastiest glare. She caught the expression and flinched in reaction.
Damn! I didn’t mean to do that.
God, she was so beautiful. From her perfectly arched eyebrows, full edible lips, smooth olive skin, and the perfect nose for that beautiful face, she was absolutely stunning. That all aside, it was her eyes that really captured my attention. They were dark sapphires, the type of eyes I thought I could get lost in. Eyes that were an abyss where I knew my heart would fall and never come out. There was no way I’d ever let that happen again. I had seen what love did to people, and I was determined never to be like them.
“You think it’s funny? Disappearing like that and leaving me to explain to the cops why I knocked out a guy, especially when the person I was protecting is gone? I could’ve gotten arrested for assault and battery! Are you always this selfish? Do you only think about yourself?” I barked at her angrily.
Where did that come from?
Shit! I knew I had taken it too far when I saw tears threaten to brim over her lashes. She gasped in sheer disbelief. A single drop fell upon her flawless cheek, and I felt like I had been stabbed in the heart. God, I didn’t want to hurt her like this, but I couldn’t help feeling angry.
I knew how love could mess with people’s lives, twisting them and turning them into shells of their former selves once it was over, and for what? No thanks, I would rather just fuck, and this woman was clearly not a simple fuck. She deserved more; she deserved the fairy tale, and I am no prince charming. Hell, I was the polar opposite. She had no reason to get mixed up with someone like me.
“ You’re right. I’m sorry, I wasn’t thinking clearly and didn’t realize what people would think,” she sniffed and turned around to look at the parasite. “Just so you know, I always run with my brother, but he came home late last night and I didn’t want to wake him up. I woke up early because… Well anyway, no my dad didn’t teach me the buddy system, but my brother and I taught ourselves. Thank you for helping me,” she said softly.
She slowly walked away to the entrance where the cops would be waiting for her. As she walked away, I realized it was all too late for me. I wanted her and that was why I need to stay the hell away.
Chapter Two
Mylie
“How could you leave for a run without me, Mylie?” Nik growled at me, pacing and angry as hell.
He was furious that the bum had tried to rape me, but he was livid that the person who saved me had made me cry, twice. I don’t cry, yet that infuriating man had me sobbing like a baby. Nik had every reason to be mad, but he didn’t understand how the dream had affected me.
I felt like my mom was trying to tell me that I was right to wait for Mr. Right, but at the moment, all I could think about was Mr. Asshole. How staring into his gorgeous, clear blue eyes ignited a fire that I had never previously experienced. How his forearms twitched when he clenched his fists, causing his bronzed knuckles to turn white. I began to fantasize about them caressing my skin, and his full lips kissing the crook of my neck.
What was I doing? Ugh.
“Mylie? Are you even listening?” Nik snapped at me.
I looked up and saw that Nik had a bewildered expression on his face.
His eyes widened as he exclaimed, “You like him!”
My cheeks burned with embarrassment because it was true. And the fact that it wasn’t a question but a statement really irritated me. My brother knew me so well, and I hated him for it sometimes, especially now.
“Come on, get serious. As if I could like an asshole like him,” I retorted as I tried to shrug and play it off, but I knew it wasn’t convincing enough.
“He’s bad for you Mylie. Don’t get involved with him, and if you see him, go the other way. You got it?” was his reply.
Whoa, when did this happen?
My brother never gave me advice, and for the first time, he reminded me of our father. He was even more handsome than Daddy had been, and it was all due to my mother’s beauty being added into his DNA.
“Nikolas, I know you are looking out for me, but I’m an adult, and rest assured, I have no interest in Mr. Asshole,” I replied finally, trying to put him at ease.
His eyes narrowed a bit, and with a brief nod he walked away, and I was left alone with my thoughts. Not good. A knock on the door startled me, and I let out a yelp.
Get a grip, Mylie.
I walked to the door, looked through the glass panel, and sighed in relief. It was Mrs. J.J. Pierson. I opened the door, eager for any kind of distraction.
“Hi, Mrs. Pierson. What can I do you for?” I greeted her politely.
I smiled as brightly as possible even though everything inside me was screaming in frustration. She was exactly the distraction I needed. She wore her sun hat and gardening gloves along with a paisley shirt with denim capris. It was clearly gardening day.
“Mylie, my dear, I just heard. You poor child! What on God’s earth possessed you to go out alone? You are so beautiful child, and the world is full of disgusting people. I was so worried,” she exclaimed as she pulled me into a tight embrace.
I couldn’t help but be startled. Not because she was hugging me, but because this was exactly what I had been missing in my life: a mother’s hug. She was providing me with the affection that only a mother could give, and I suddenly craved her guidance. I didn’t realize I had started to cry until she softly encour
aged me to let it all out.
My God, I needed this more than I realized.
Nikolas came out and watched, and I wondered if he needed a hug as much as I did, Mrs. Pierson told him to come join the embrace. And, like the gentleman he was raised to be, he did. She pulled him into her arms, and he sobbed too.
“I can’t lose you too, Mylie,” he admitted finally.
His confession made me realize that my actions were incredibly selfish. My brother and I had lost too much already, and I had never once thought that something happening to me would affect him. Mrs. Pierson looked at both of us and smiled.
“You two have lost so much, but you cannot lose each other. The bond of siblings is far more difficult to replace,” she murmured.
She had a small smile on her face, and it made me wonder if she had lost a sibling at some point.
She patted our faces and looked at me. “Now, I do have a reason why I am here, my dears.”
I knew that look. I smiled and raised a hand before she continued to speak.
“What time is tea?” I asked, as I grinned, knowing she wanted to play matchmaker.
“At noon tomorrow,” she replied easily.
She had a twinkle in her blue eyes, and it made me happy to see her so giddy. Romance truly did bring out the best in people. We spoke briefly, and I took my scolding in good spirits because I knew she only had our best interests at heart. By noon she had left, and I escaped by going to bed to avoid thinking about him.
Damien
Her hands cupped my face as she caught my bottom lip between hers. She slid her tongue across my lip from left to right, sending a tingle through me straight to the tip of my erection. I loved how she kissed me. Her lips were my kryptonite. I needed her in the worst way possible, but I knew I shouldn’t be doing this. Now that I had started, I just couldn’t stop.