Scarred: A New Adult Romance (The Anderson Brothers Series Book 1)

by Long, Marie

  I take out my phone from my pocket and scroll through my contacts. Stopping at Larry’s name, I stare at the number.

  Maybe I should just get it over with and tell him about Friday night.

  It’s after nine in the morning, and I figure the old man’s already up by now. Punching the dial button, I get up from the couch and head out the kitchen back door to talk in private.

  Chapter 21

  Three weeks have passed since the incident. Three weeks of pain, confusion, and worry. Rumors of the party floated around campus, and I made sure Denise’s name was not associated with them. It was bad enough that her friends were asking her about it, but I wasn’t about to have mere strangers talk about her like that. I had to protect her.

  We hadn’t seen or heard from William since that night. He didn’t even show up at work that Monday. According to Shane, Nick was kicked out of the fraternity after they found a load of drugs—that hard, crazy shit that can kill faster than rat poison—in his car. But that was all Shane said about it. Not long after, I’d found out William was also kicked out and got arrested on drug possession charges. That, coupled with Denise’s and my reports on her attempted rape and assault, gave him quite a long rap sheet.

  We’d gone on with our lives as best we could in those weeks. Finals week was upon us, so we tried staying focused in our classes. But memories of that night never went away. I did everything I could to help ease the pain: took her to the movies, took her out riding around Cougar Mountain, let her cry on my shoulder, lent her my ear—anything and everything to make her feel special. Because she was very special to me.

  I can’t deny that I think I love her.

  Denise set up sessions with my old counselor. To be honest, I wasn’t happy to go back there. But I did it for her. She needed it. She eventually told Lauren what was going on, and, at first, Lauren went crazy, but her knowing that I was the one who saved Denise made her a little nicer to me. Just a little. I really think she just has a problem with trusting guys. Can’t blame her. She’s probably met too many Williams in her life.

  I was hesitant about telling Frank what happened. But I knew I had to tell him at some point. To my surprise and relief, he didn’t go off on me. But that didn’t mean he wasn’t pissed. Our workload went back to being crazy again. Larry didn’t say much to me after I told him. In fact, he acted as though nothing happened. It was weird.

  It’s another Sunday afternoon, and Denise and I laze on the couch, studying for finals tomorrow. She’s been coming over more often, sometimes spending the night. It’s been cool. This time, she’s spending the entire weekend over. Curled up next to me, Denise wears another one of my pro-football jerseys that fits her like a nightshirt.

  I’m anxious for Chris and Adrienne to get back from grocery shopping. I have plans to make that chicken florentine tonight. It’s been on my mind since Chris mentioned it last month, and I’ve been waiting for the right opportunity to make it for her.

  The muffled sounds of car doors slamming makes me start. Chris and Adrienne are back. I want this dinner to be a surprise for Denise, so I have to be careful and work fast. The front door swings open, and Chris and Adrienne trudge inside carrying armfuls of grocery bags and disappear into the kitchen. Denise shifts on the couch, but I stop her before she decides to get up.

  “No, stay here. I’ll help them unpack. Why don’t we take a break and watch a movie? You pick.”

  Denise furrows her brow, and then nods. “Okay.”

  I get up from the couch and hand the movie binder to her. Her eyes go wide as she flips through the pages. “Holy … This one came out last week! I can’t believe you have it already.”

  I idly scratch my after-five-o’clock stubble. “Yeah, Chris got the hookup.”

  She slides the disc out of the sleeve and hands it to me. “Let’s watch it.”

  I take it and pop it into the player. I don’t really know which movie she chose, as my mind is mulling over dinner. I should get started. But I don’t want her to know what I’m up to. “Okay, get comfy. I’ll be right back.”

  Reaching the kitchen, I find Chris and Adrienne unloading the bags of groceries sitting on the table. Adrienne wiggles her eyebrows as she pulls out the Chardonnay bottle from one of the bags.

  “Planning a hot night, are you?” she says.

  I swipe the bottle and stuff a wad of cash in her hand. “Just dinner,” I say, sliding it in the fridge.

  “It’s never ‘just dinner’ when there’s wine involved.” She flashes a grin, sticking the money down her shirt.

  I manage to fight down a smile. Adrienne’s been more tolerable since she learned of the incident. She’s actually pretty cool once I got to know her a little more. Quite the flirt and likes to have a good time. And she’s head over heels for Chris. No wonder he likes her so much.

  “I don’t have any plans,” I say.

  As Chris is reaching up to place a box of cereal in a cabinet, Adrienne nudges him in the ribs, making him start. “Babe, your roommate is all sorts of weird. What kind of guy buys expensive wine if he doesn’t intend to make a night out of it?”

  Chris looks over to me, and then laughs. “Guys like Dom, that’s who.”

  “What a flake,” she mutters, but I can hear the amusement in her voice.

  “Yeah, he’s a flake, but he’s my best friend. Had to put up with his sorry ass since high school, after all.” He smirks at me.

  I shake my head. “I don’t know how the hell I haven’t gone insane by now, having you for a roommate all these years.”

  Adrienne stifles a giggle.

  Chris rolls his eyes. “Whatever, dude.”

  We finish unpacking the groceries, and I set aside the ingredients for dinner. Chris and Adrienne leave the kitchen, and I get started. As I boil pasta on the stove and chop up the chicken breast and place it on the electric grill, I suddenly realize I’ve left Denise in the living room for far too long. Fearful of her coming in the kitchen, I fill up a glass of water and take it to her. She looks up from the couch’s armrest as I approach.

  “Well, there you are,” she says.

  “Sorry,” I say sheepishly. “I was … uh … looking around to see if we had any more packs of popcorn, but I couldn’t find any.” I hand her the water. “Here’s some water, though.”

  “Thank you.” She sniffs. “Is something cooking?”

  Shit. The chicken. “Oh yeah, I think Chris is making something. Let me make sure he’s not about to burn the place down.” I give a small chuckle. “Be right back.”

  “Okay.”

  Returning to the kitchen, I tend to the chicken, adding the seasonings, and start on the spinach sauce. I want this dinner—this night—to be absolutely perfect, because tomorrow is Monday, finals week, and once we get to campus, Denise and I will be going our separate ways.

  Chris’s door opens, and I ignore the sound. I rush to and from the stove and the grill, finalizing the meal.

  “Just dinner, huh?”

  Cringing, I spin around and see Adrienne and Chris standing at the kitchen doorway.

  “Now that’s what I’m talking about!” Chris says.

  “What are you two doing? Get outta here before Denise sees you both!” I say in a loud whisper.

  “Dominick? Is everything okay?” Denise calls from the living room.

  My heart pounds. “Uh, y-yeah. Just fine. I’ll be right there.”

  Adrienne walks into the kitchen, scrutinizing the food. “Wow. That looks and smells good. Okay, so any guy who knows how to cook this good gets cool points in my book.”

  Her compliment flusters me—if that was, indeed, a compliment. “Thanks,” I say, and then gently shoo her toward the exit. “Please, you guys, I really want this to be a surprise.”

  Adrienne scoffs and brushes my hand away. “Yeah, yeah.” She links her elbow in Chris’s. “Why don’t you ever cook something for me, babe?”

  Chris clears his throat, and I snort. Chris would probably burn ice cream,
and he knows it.

  “What are you doing in here?” Denise appears behind them, and I freeze.

  “Oooh, busted,” Chris says.

  Fuck! I shake my fists. “Damn it, you guys.”

  Denise peeks around them. “What’s going on?”

  I sigh. “Everything’s okay, Denise.”

  “Your man cooked you dinner,” Adrienne says, nudging Denise in the arm. “Isn’t that sweet?”

  “What?” Denise blinks.

  I throw my hands up. “Damn it, Adri!”

  Adrienne chuckles and wraps her arms around Chris. “Just playin’.” Smiling at him, she gives him a tug back to his room.

  Chris licks his lips. “Damn. Round two?” He follows her and gives me a quick wink.

  His bedroom door slams, and I exhale a long sigh. Denise still stands at the kitchen doorway looking dumbfounded.

  “So what’s all this about dinner?” Denise asks, narrowing her eyes. “Did I hear that right?”

  I glance at the floor. “Yeah. I wanted to cook you dinner tonight. Do you like chicken florentine?”

  Her expression slowly morphs into absolute amusement. She strides into the kitchen and stands before me, hands on her hips. “Are you serious? Did you really cook me dinner?”

  Rubbing the back of my head, I nod. I’m not sure what to make of her actions. Is she offended that I cooked for her?

  “Seriously, Dominick. What’s up with that?”

  “Well, uh, nothing. I like you. A lot.” I close my eyes. I love you.

  She exhales, and I open my eyes. She smiles softly, her cheeks awash with hints of red. She draws closer and wraps her arms around my waist. I inhale the scent of her hair. Her skin. Relish her warmth and the softness of her beautiful body against mine. My cock stiffens as she tightens her embrace.

  “You are the most amazing guy I’ve ever met,” she says in almost a whisper. She leans up and plants a soft kiss on my cheek.

  Those lips. My God, those lips. They’re soft and feather-like, sending prickles of pleasure down my spine and to my groin. “Denise … ” My voice cracks. Words can’t describe how fucking amazing she is.

  She slowly unwraps her arms. “Is the food ready?” she asks, peering around me at the pots on the stove.

  I nod slowly. “Yeah. Let me set the table first and—” Before I can continue, she’s searching the cabinets. She finds the one containing the plates and glasses and takes two of each.

  “Nuh-uh. I can’t let you do everything,” she says. “Where are the forks?”

  I can’t help but smile at her willingness to help. I give in to her insistence and point to a drawer near the sink. “There.”

  While she sets the table, I bring the pot of pasta over and fill both plates with a modest amount. Then I pour the chicken and spinach sauce on top from the other pot.

  I notice she’s gotten out water glasses, so I snatch them up and replace them with wine glasses.

  She scrunches her face. “What? Those glasses weren’t good enough?”

  I shake my head. “Nope. Because … ” I retrieve the Chardonnay from the fridge. “We need special glasses to drink this.”

  Grinning, she watches as I pop the cork and fill the glasses halfway.

  I pull a chair out for her before seating myself.

  I lift my glass. “We should do a toast.”

  She raises her eyebrows. “To what, this time?” She picks up her glass. “Not ballet again, I hope.”

  I chuckle. “No, not ballet.” I gaze into her eyes—deep into her eyes. “To the most beautiful and amazing girl I’ve ever met.”

  She bites her bottom lip. The red in her cheeks is a little more prominent. “Dominick … ”

  Smiling, I shake my head. “Don’t say anything. Just toast.”

  We clink glasses, and I take a long sip, while hers is very brief. We take a few moments to enjoy dinner, which turns out great. Nothing is overcooked and everything is seasoned just right.

  Denise looks like she’s having an orgasm when she samples a forkful of pasta. “Holy—! This is the best thing I’ve ever tasted. Ever!”

  I grin. “I take it you like it?”

  “Are you kidding? I don’t even think my own mother can cook this good. You should totally be on one of those network cooking shows or something.”

  My grin broadens. I always followed my mother around the kitchen when I was little but never considered getting into culinary arts. “Well, I don’t think I’m that good, but thank you.” I smear some pasta into a puddle of sauce and pop it in my mouth.

  We finish our first helpings and end up having seconds. We don’t leave so much as a piece of pasta or a drop of sauce in the pots.

  I clear the table and wash the dishes. Denise helps out by drying them. It’s a little cute how we do dishes together. Like the way I’ve seen it done in the movies.

  She’s happy right now. And so am I.

  Our bellies full, we’re ready to laze around on the couch. It’s dark outside, but I have no idea what time it is, and I don’t want to know. I don’t care. I pop in another movie—an action-packed one—and we curl up on the couch. I nestle against the back and armrest, and she lies between my legs, her ass rubbing against my groin. My cock twitches from the contact. I wrap my arms around her, my hands resting on her taut belly. She smells so good. Hell, she always smells good. I inhale her warmth, her scent. The movie starts, but I’m not paying attention to it. I have a beautiful girl in my arms.

  I gently rub her belly with my hands. I can’t help it. I have to keep my hands working. Damn mechanics’ twitches.

  She closes her eyes and exhales. She’s obviously not paying attention to the movie, either. “Dominick, when are you gonna stop spoiling me?”

  I pause my gentle massage. “Never. You’re a very special girl. You deserve only the best.”

  Her smile broadens. “You’ve done so much in these past weeks to help heal my pain. I thought I could never love again. That I would be too scared to be with anyone again. Then you came along. You’ve always been there.”

  I blink. What is she saying?

  “Maybe it was the initial attraction I had for you when we first met,” she says. “Then you fixed my car, took me to dinner, did all those nice things for me in between … ”

  “ … And then William came along and ruined everything.”

  She frowns. “I was stupid to think I could love him again like I did before. You’ve been nothing but sweet to me, and I took it for granted. But when I needed you the most, you were there. Oh God, were you there.”

  I kiss the back of her head. “I will always be there. If you want me to be.”

  “Yeah, I do … because I like you, too. A lot.”

  I smile. She shifts in my lap and faces me. Light flashes across our faces from a car explosion in the movie. At this point, I think we’re too fixated on each other to pay attention to it. She cradles my face in her hands and leans in closer, slowly. She touches my lips with a feather-soft kiss. Her taste is amazing. I don’t want it to end. But much to my dismay, she slowly pulls away. She runs her fingers down my cheek, brushes them over my lips. I try to kiss every one of those slender fingers.

  I want her. Right now.

  But I know I can’t have her. She’ll save herself for someone special. And I’m glad.

  Chapter 22

  Denise slides off me, taking my hand, and stands. Curious, I get up from the couch. The movie still going, she leads me out of the living room and upstairs. My throat tightens in anticipation and slight worry.

  “Denise?” I say when we reach the doorway to my bedroom. “Wait, we should—” She places her index finger to my lips, pulls me inside, and shuts the door.

  Removing her finger, she says, “You know.”

  I blink. “I know? I know what?”

  “That I’m a virgin,” she says matter-of-factly.

  I swallow and nod. “Uh, yeah. But I’m not bothered by that. And you shouldn’t be, either. I’m
glad you’re waiting. Not many girls do that these days.” That’s why I love you.

  She wraps her arms around my neck. “Dominick, no guy has done the things you’ve done for me. Said the sweetest things. Cared so much. Thank you.”

  I grin, and she kisses me.

  My heart thumps, and I return the kiss. She’s delicate. Maybe I shouldn’t. Part of me wants to pull away, but I can’t. I can’t hold back how much I care about her.

  How much I love her.

  I wrap my arms around her waist and rest my forehead against hers. “Denise.”

  She looks up at me with those enticing ebony eyes. Our gazes fix on each other for a moment, then she meets her lips to mine, this time, deeper, more passionate than before. My mental dam breaks. I kiss those beautiful lips, tasting every drop of her sweet, addicting taste. My hands caress her waist and up her back. Kissing along her jawline and down her neck, I taste her sweet, flawless skin. She breathes short, ragged breaths, but her body is relaxed. I slide my hands down her back again and stop just shy of her tailbone. What I wouldn’t give to grope her ass right now. Would she mind?

  Then she buries her hands beneath my shirt, her slightly cool touch caressing the skin of my abs. Oh God, she has such wonderful hands. Every spot she touches is electrified. No, I have to stop or else— I take a deep breath and reluctantly pull away. She looks at me, confused and flustered.

  “Denise.” My voice is husky from the moment. “Th-think about what you want.” I swallow, savoring the remnants of her taste on my tongue. “Think about it before—”

  She places her index finger to my lips again. “It’s been you all along, Dominick. I see it now.” She removes her finger, and, before I can respond, her lips are on mine.

  Her hands are on my abs again, and my hands are on her tailbone, then slide lower to her ass. A small moan escapes me as I grope her cheeks. So soft. So round. So amazing. I pull her against me, my manhood rock-hard in my pants.