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.As I get a better look at Jocelyn, I can see that her eyes are red and swollen.Carefully, she climbs out of bed, trying not to disturb Salem.“I fucking hate him,” she whispers with utter and complete loathing in her voice.I can feel my body temperature rise as I grit my teeth.“He… didn’t…?!”Jocelyn’s chin quivers, “He tried.Our girl fought back though! She kneed him in the nuts, then ran her ass off.” Jocelyn does nothing to hide the pleasure she gets from saying that last sentence.My eyes fall back on Salem, who’s peacefully resting.“Don’t worry, I’ll take care of him,” I snarl, clenching my fists tight enough that I can feel my fingernails digging into the palms of my hands.“He was arrested and I’m making sure she presses charges,” she says confidently.“There’s no way he’s getting away with this.” Jocelyn makes her way around the bed and leans over, kissing Salem’s head.“Her mom gave her a couple of sleeping pills, so she’ll probably be out for a while.”“Thanks, Joce, you’re a great friend.”She turns back at the door, “You better take good care of her.”“I will.You don’t have to worry.”“I know,” she gives me a reassuring nod and shuts the door quietly behind her.My arms immediately envelop Salem, and I pull her into my chest as she sleeps.As I rest my head gently on hers, I let out a shuddering breath, and all of the sadness I’ve suffered through these last few hours is gone.Looking up at the ceiling, I try my damnedest to fight off the tears, but I can’t stop them; they cascade down my face like a waterfall.Carefully, I ease back to get a glimpse of her.Her hair is still pulled back from the party.I study her face and notice a faint red mark surrounding her mouth.As I look closer, I realize it’s in the shape of a handprint.That son of a bitch.I fight the urge to leave and go find him.“I shouldn’t have left.I should’ve stayed and fought for you.” My fingers tremble as I gently run my index finger across her jawline.I choke on a sob, “I’m so sorry, Say.”I hear a light tap on the door and then it slowly opens.Dr.Nelson stands in the doorway.I glance up at her before my attention falls back on Salem.“May I have a word with you?”“I’m not leaving her,” I respond without even looking up.She moves to stand at the foot of the bed.“I wasn’t going to ask you to leave.”My eyes leave Salem momentarily to acknowledge her mother, “Well that’s good, because you would’ve had to call the cops to have me taken out in handcuffs.”“I don’t think that will be necessary, Mr.Vega.We’ve had enough excitement for one evening.”I again turn my attention back to Salem as my fingers continue to lovingly caress her face.“Do you love my daughter, Mr.Vega?”I close my eyes and exhale a shaky breath.“I do.”“Then it must’ve been very hard to watch what happened this evening.”“It was.”“But yet, you let it happen.Why is that? In your line of work, I would’ve taken you for a fighter.”“Because, I can’t compete with all the money you people have.All I have is my…”“Is your what, Mr.Vega?” Dr.Nelson takes a few steps closer.I gulp down the knot that’s lodged in my throat and look up at her, “Is my heart.”“I see,” she nods her head.“I’ll be staying the night.If you need anything, please don’t hesitate to ask.”“Okay, thank you,” the confusion is apparent in my voice.I watch as she walks out of the room, a small smile upon her face.I stare blankly at the door, trying to figure out what the fuck just happened.In my arms, Salem stirs and she lets out a soft whimper.I rub her back murmuring, “Shhh, I’m right here, Say,” and she settles back into sleep.At some point, I doze off, until Salem’s scream wakes me.She’s sobbing and gasping for air.I pop up out of bed, “It’s okay.I’m here.”She blinks her eyes a few times.“Gabriel?”“Yeah, it’s me.”“You’re here?” She does a double take.“I’m here,” I confirm.I reach out to touch her and she flinches.My heart becomes heavy at the realization that she’s frightened of me.I shy away, giving her the space she needs.Quickly, she reaches out for my hand and places it on her cheek, whispering, “I’m sorry.” I see the tears starting to build in her eyes.“Please, don’t cry,” I brush a tear away with my thumb.“I wasn’t thinking.”“No, it’s me who should be apologizing.”“Apologizing for what?”She repositions herself, sitting up on her knees.“For everything, Gabriel.For how I’ve treated you these last few months, for all the sneaking around I made you do.For…” her voice hitches, “tonight.”“There’s nothing to apologize for.”“If I had known what he was planning tonight, I would’ve ended it sooner.I’m so sorry you had to see that.”My mind can’t help but go back to five or six hours ago when Blaine got down on one knee in front of a roomful of people.I blink back those thoughts.“I didn’t see all of it.I couldn’t…”“Gabriel, I said ‘no,’” her voice rises.“You have to believe me,” her face looks panicked and she clenches my hands tightly; every inch of her is tense.“I looked up and you weren’t there.I ran out to find you, but you were already gone.I didn’t know what to do, so I ran out into the gardens.I needed to get away to think,” she takes a deep breath, “and Blaine followed me.He was so angry that I humiliated him.I told him that I’m sorry.That I…” she catches herself.“You what?” I coax her into telling me more.I watch her body language; her shoulders loosen and she looks deeply into my eyes.“That I’m in love with someone else.”My hearts skips several beats, but I don’t say a word in response.I let her continue.Her eyes turn vacant.“He went crazy, becoming a monster.He pushed me down and…” she fights to hold off the tears, “he forced his fingers inside of me and told me he was going to make me come like you do.He said I was his.” The corners of her mouth turn down and her chin quivers.“He then started to undo his belt, and I knew right then and there that if I didn’t do something, he was going to rape me.”I swipe at the tears that are running freely down my face.I knew he did something terrible to her, but to hear her say it is killing me inside.Every ounce of my soul wants to hug and kiss her and never let her go, to tell her nothing bad will ever happen to her again.“I kneed him in the nuts and ran.”I make sure she’s told me the entire story before I say a word.I raise my hands to touch her and then reconsider.I don’t want to scare her.“Gabriel,” she lets out a soft laugh, “it’s okay.You can touch me.”I slowly move closer to her and cradle her face in my hands.“Do you really love me, Say?”“I do.”My eyes search her face, trying to find the right way to phrase what I want to say next.“Will you tell me?”“I love you, Gabriel.”A chill runs through my body as her words resonate in my ears.“God, I love you, too,” I reply shakily.Closing her eyes, she whispers my name and I melt.“I need to kiss you, Salem.”She nods her head and I gently press my lips up against hers, waiting for her to make the next move.I’m not going to force her into doing anything she doesn’t want to do.Hell, I’ll wait the next ten years if she needs it.She slowly opens her mouth and the tip of her tongue teases mine.I break our kiss, letting out another staggered breath.“What’s the matter?”“Nothing’s the matter [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]