“I don’t believe you.”
“What can I do?” I begged. I wasn’t above it at this point. I needed to know what I had to do in order to make this work.
She gave me a fierce gaze, her brown eyes pooled with feeling…though I wasn’t sure which one. She rested her hand on the door handle, and said, “I dare you to prove I’m different. Show me you care. Words aren’t enough, Dane Davidson.” She left before I could reply, sauntering back into the restaurant.
I watched her, my heart heavy. It was time to conquer my fears. Korah Daniels would be mine.
Pursuing Korah
Intoxicating Passion #4
By Felicia Tatum
Chapter One-Dane
The scream echoed throughout the car, reaching into my soul and ripping it to pieces. Mere moments before, Korah issued my dare, leaving me staring opened mouthed after her.
It couldn’t be her painful cry.
I didn’t stop to think about it. I dashed from the vehicle, not bothering to close the door behind me, and followed the sound. There were two large dumpsters to the side of the restaurant, cloaked in darkness, and I knew in my gut she was back there. I ran faster, my feet pounding hard against the pavement, my lungs screaming for me to slow.
I couldn’t.
The dark figure raised an arm, fist connecting with bone, and I somehow made my legs go quicker. I saw the outline of a man as I reached my destination. I grasped the back of his clothing, flinging him to the side. Looking down, I saw Korah crumbled in a ball, her face bleeding, her already hurt neck looking worse than before. I screamed, “Call 911!” praying someone would hear, and focused on Christopher.
He wasn’t getting away this time.
His weak, cowardly body was attempting to crawl away, distance himself from me. I pulled him up by his collar, slamming his back against the dumpster.
“You must be Christopher,” I growled. I pulled him enough to lift him off the dumpster, only to force impact again. His head hit and bounced forward. He winced in pain, but I didn’t care. I repeated the action multiple times. “Do you think it makes you a big, strong man to beat up a woman? Well, I got news for you, asshole, it doesn’t. You’re a pathetic waste of a human being,” I said through gritted teeth.
The voices around me barely resonated in my mind. I was blinded by anger. The sirens filled the night, the loud screech causing Christopher’s eyes to pop open wide. I held him in place until they arrived, continually bashing his head against the hard metal. I wanted to kill him, to see him writhe and cry in pain for hurting Korah.
“Dane,” Cale said sternly, grabbing ahold of my bicep. “Chill. The cops are coming. He’s not going to hurt her anymore.” He looked afraid, worried.
Glancing around, I saw the crowd that had gathered. They all looked at me, some whispering, others pointing. I realized Cale was scared for me. I took another look at Christopher and saw why. He was slumped over, his breathing uneven, blood running down the back of his neck. I let him go, and he slid to the ground.
At least he wouldn’t be getting away this time.
I searched for Korah. She still lay on the ground, her neck black from collarbone to chin. He had gripped her over and over, creating more bruises on top of the one she already had. Her cheek was bleeding where a cut from her outer brow to her nose was open. Silent tears fell freely down her beautiful face as Leela cradled her head in her lap and wept with her.
I fell to my knees, crawling over to her. “Korah?”
She stared at me, opened her mouth, but no sound came out. She didn’t move, but held her hand out, reaching for me.
I took her hand in mine, her cool skin chilling me. I squeezed her, pressing her palm to my heart. “I’m sorry. I got here as fast as I could.”
She nodded, her deep brown eyes pooled with tears and fear. She squeezed my hand back desperately, attempting to pull me closer. I inched as close as I could, but there wasn’t much room.
The cops arrived while I sat there, simply staring into her eyes, hoping I could bring her some sort of relief or comfort. The ambulance arrived and the EMTs loaded her up. I reluctantly let her hand go. The cops questioned me along with everyone around. I was the only one who saw him hit her. While the onlookers said I was equally violent, Korah’s injuries spoke for themselves, so they let me go with the promise of further questioning if needed.
Christopher was going to jail.
Leela rode in the ambulance, telling them she was Korah’s sister. Cale ushered me to his vehicle, racing to the hospital.
“Dude, how do you know Korah?” he questioned.
“Not now. It doesn’t matter.”
“Dane,” he said, shaking his head. “I’m sorry, man. I wouldn’t have suggested we go out if I’d known.”
I glanced at him, my fists clenched in my lap. “Knew what?”
He gave me a weary glance from the side of his eye. “That you were in love with her.”
“No, it’s not that. We had a thing…I dunno. Stopping him from hurting her was the decent thing to do,” I argued. I wasn’t sure I believed myself. I wasn’t sure of anything at this moment except I wanted to be with Korah. My sanity depended on finding out if she was alright.
###
This was the second time I’d been to the hospital for Korah in less than a month. The realization sat heavy on my slowly opening heart. She was such a bright spot in my darkness, and seeing her harmed in any way, especially physically, was almost too much.
I paced the waiting room of the ER. The nurses refused to let me in until after the exam, something about patient confidentiality. I really wished Cale or I had Leela’s phone number at this point, because I was dying not knowing what was going on.
After I thoroughly wore a hole in the floor, I finally situated myself beside Cale, hanging my head between my knees and taking deep breaths, filling my lungs to calm myself. I didn’t know how long I sat like that, the image of Korah beaten and bleeding in my mind, the events of the night replaying over and over.
Cale elbowed me. “There she is,” he said, jumping from his seat.
I followed, rushing to Leela. “Is she ok? What did they say?”
She sighed, leaning into Cale’s open arm. Her face was red, blotchy, and streaked with tears. “She has vocal cord paresis.”
“What in the hell does that mean?” I questioned. I wasn’t angry at her, only the situation, but my patience was wearing thin.
Cale led her to sit, arm still locked around her. “Her vocal cords were traumatized when Christopher kept choking her. She can’t speak right now. She’s going to have trouble eating and drinking for a few weeks. The cut on her face was stitched up, it took ten, and they gave her some pain medication. The doctor wants to admit her for the night.”
Korah couldn’t speak because that jackass hurt her. The rage boiled over inside me, and I clenched my fists again.
“You need to calm down, Dane. She’s had enough violence for one night. I’m not letting you go in there until you’re collected. I don’t think you would hurt her, but she’s really shaken up and doesn’t need the stress of you being all macho, angry man,” Leela scolded. She was weary, tired. She’d known Korah much longer than I, so I couldn’t imagine how she was taking this.
This blonde chick was always right. I wondered if she got tired of it. I was allowing my anger to consume me. Korah deserved better. She needed me to be there for her, to comfort her, not upset her more. I sat beside Leela’s shaking body, laying a hand on top of hers. “Sorry. You always seem to put me in my place,” I chuckled.
She nodded. “Yeah, I’m known for that.”
“Can I go see her if I promise to chill?” I pleaded. My eyes must see her to believe she was going to be ok.
She nodded again, “Yep. They’re moving her to a room, so we have to wait until the desk lets us know where to go.”
I folded my hands behind my head, leaning back against the wall. Waiting wasn’t my strongest area. Something about Korah
made me crazy, anyway, but this was getting ridiculous. No matter what, she pulled me completely in, sucked me into this Dane I was terrified of being.
I would be him, though. For her.
She slowly thawed my frozen heart, melting every cold icicle I had surrounding it. I always ran from these things, resisting anything that made me feel something other than pleasure. The moment I saw her in the costume store, my life had changed.
Was I in love, as Cale claimed? I didn’t know. What I did know was as horrifying as the thought was, if it happened with anyone, I would want it to be Korah Daniels.
The desk called for Leela and my heart sped up. Seeing Korah was going to be hard. The thought of her beautiful body harmed was enough to make me nauseated. Something about being in a hospital made it all seem worse. The lighting or something.
Leela approached, giving a soft smile. “She’s still awake. In room 205.”
I didn’t wait for her to say any more. I dashed to the closest stairwell and hurried to find her room.
Chapter Two-Korah
Everything ached. My head, my throat, my face, my body. The only good thing to come from this was Christopher was in jail. And after I could write my statement out, I hoped he would stay there for a long time. Not being able to speak was going to suck. I had yet to look at my face, but I imagined it would suck, as well. I dreaded seeing the length of the cut, imagining the scar that would mar me.
“We’re ready to move you now,” the nurse said as she came in. Another nurse, a male, stood behind her. They gathered my belongings, piled them on the bed beside me, and wheeled me through the confusing, maze-like halls. How these people didn’t get lost on a daily basis was beyond me. Everything looked the same to me, the doors all the same colors with signs I barely had time to read.
I was really glad my major was journalism at that moment.
Once in room 205, I was greeted with a new face, a sympathetic older lady with a kind face and loving eyes. Brandy was her name. She soothed me with her soft voice. All the machines I was hooked to were scary, but she explained the use for each one, assuring me they were mainly for taking my vitals.
I nodded along, realizing my eyes were growing tired, my eyelids drooping involuntarily. She finally left, apologizing in advance for the intrusions she would make during the night.
I’d never spent the night in the hospital, well other than my birth, but who remembers that? I worried about what she meant. Would they wake me up to check on me? Would I have to have my wounds checked or cleaned or something? Would it hurt?
The door creaked open, and I was glad Brandy was back. I had questions and I needed them answered. I turned my head, wincing with the pain accompanying the fresh bruises, and to my surprise, Dane stood in the entryway.
“Korah? Can I come in? Wave once if it’s ok with you,” he said gently.
I lifted my fingers, motioning him in. He looked tired, but still as handsome as ever. His shirt was untucked on one side, the top few buttons undone. His hair was messy, giving him a bad boy edge. He trudged to my side, inching his way close, but not too close. He kept his eyes down. He looked scared, afraid.
Of course, I couldn’t speak, so I reached for him. He looked at me, his intense gaze settling on my eyes, and I quivered inside. He did things to me no one else ever had. His strong hand grasped mine, and I pulled him to the bed. Patting beside me, I scooted over enough for him to sit. Glancing around, I searched for paper. How did anyone expect me to communicate?
“Korah, are you ok?” he asked. His voice was breaking as his eyes scanned my injuries.
I must look horrible. I nodded anyway, what else could I do?
He lifted his finger to my cheek, caressing the area outside my stitches. “I’m so sorry I didn’t get there sooner. I shouldn’t have let you go,” he whispered more to himself than me.
I widened my eyes, shaking my head slightly. Movement was restricted.
He held his palm on my face and I leaned into it. His warmth soothed my soul. “You need to rest. I had to check up on you, though. Can I come by tomorrow?”
I shook my head again and his face fell. Reaching up, I lifted his chin so he looked at me. I patted the pillow beside my head, pointing to him, and back. I hoped he understood what I meant. I wanted him to stay. He was so concerned, each line on his face etched in worry.
“You want me to stay?” he asked almost breathlessly.
I moved my head up and down once, giving him a soft grin.
“Anything you want. I won’t leave this time, Korah. I promise.”
I raised a brow, signaling I’d heard that before, and grinned. It was meant to be funny, but he gave me the most intense, intrusive, longing gaze I’d ever seen before.
“I mean it. I’m here. I’m not leaving. I have to tell Cale and Leela cause they’re waiting for me outside the door. I’ll be back in a minute though and we’ll get comfortable.”
I smiled again. I really needed some damned paper. Smiling and barely moving my head wasn’t much communication. How long did the doctor say it would take to heal again?
Dane slipped out, turning to give me a smile before hanging his head out to talk to my friends. I snuggled to one side, my head lolling to the side. The medication was making me drowsy and my eyes closed before I could stop them. I barely felt Dane crawl in beside me, put his arm around my head, and press a soft kiss to my forehead. He murmured something to me, but I couldn’t make it out. The darkness settled over me, whisking my pain away for the moment, and sinking me to a deep sleep.
###
The night was restless with nurses in and out. Brandy left early in the morning, leaving me with a sour faced middle aged woman without a lick of courtesy for her patients. She kicked Dane out of the bed at seven a.m., claiming it was against hospital policy and even threatened to call security when he demanded to know why.
I didn’t care, though. He stayed by my side, pulling the seat over as close as he could get and falling back asleep holding my hand. I was in and out of consciousness, but Dane was always the first person I saw.
My throat was raw, pain shooting through my mouth every time I swallowed. The doctor finally came in around noon, ushering everyone out. I couldn’t protest, I still didn’t have any damned paper, but he finally explained to me what was going on. It could take weeks to heal and I would need vocal therapy to recover my voice. I didn’t fully understand it all, but I nodded anyways. Doctors were short and to the point, but Google was my friend. I was discharged shortly after and while Leela was around, ready to take me home, Dane insisted he must come with us. I didn’t protest. He screwed up and while I dared him to prove he cared, I didn’t doubt this was real, true emotion coming from him. He couldn’t act and pretend with the concern he had written all over his face.
“They say you have to be wheeled out by a nurse,” Dane leaned down to whisper, giving me a dramatic eye roll. “I told them I’d do it, but they won’t let me. I don’t think they like me much around here.”
I tried to laugh, but the pain was too much, so I patted his chest instead. He flinched beneath my touch, and he gave me a desirous gaze. Was it wrong to want Dane so badly? Especially since the last guy I’d dated had beaten me up hours before?
Conflicted was an understatement. We left the hospital. The fresh air felt good on my lungs. It revived my soul. The ride to the apartment was quiet. Leela sat in the back and kept patting my shoulder. She was worried and probably wanted to help, but I didn’t need it. I decided last time Christopher wouldn’t have control over me and I wasn’t going to let him win.
Leela had a stack of stationary on my nightstand with a coffee cup full of pens sitting beside it. I smiled gratefully, wrapping her in a big hug.
“I knew you’d probably be going crazy not talking. And I noticed the hospital didn’t give you anything to write with, so I stocked you up,” she grinned, grabbing the top pad and a pen.
Thank you! I wrote in big letters on the page, covering the bottom with
hearts. She always knew what I needed before I did.
She grasped me again, whispering, “He’s not left your side. Don’t push him away. He’s not Christopher.” She gave me a wink before bidding Dane goodbye and slipping out the door.
I turned, where Dane stood hugging Elle to his chest with a lopsided grin on his face. “What’s her name?”
Elle. I wrote and held it up.
He petted her trunk, nodding. “It fits.”
I rolled my eyes, and tried to speak. “Shower….” I croaked out hoarsely. The pain was undeniable. I couldn’t stop the tears from forming.
He was by my side instantly, pulling me to his body. “Don’t talk, Korah. They told you it would hurt. I’ll get Leela to help you with the shower,” he said, moving away.
I grasped his hand, shaking my head. I pointed to him, then my bathroom, and tugged him after me.
Chapter Three-Dane
My heartbeat drummed in my ears. My heart was about to fly from my chest. Korah led me to her bathroom, stopping in front of the shower and looking at me intensely with those gorgeous bedroom eyes she possessed. She undressed, peeling each layer of clothing off to reveal her bruised and beaten skin. She dropped her eyes, embarrassment seeping from her pores as she self-consciously covered herself.
She peered up, shaking her head and I stepped forward. “Korah…are you trying to kill me?” I whispered hoarsely. I ran my palms over her arms, her silky skin heating under my touch.
She shook her head again, and moved to speak.
I placed a finger on her lips, “Don’t. I’ll get paper.” Dashing from the room, I grabbed what I needed and ran back to her. I wasn’t sure what was going on, but having Korah naked in front of me was making my thoughts blurred, my breathing erratic.
Don’t touch her, Dane.
I handed it over, trying to keep my eyes from roaming her luscious, bare body.
Intoxicating Passion The Box Set Page 10