Page 54 of Not Your Little Girl Anymore

There’s a knock on my door.

I close my eyes, frustration seeping down my neck. “Have you talked to the guys?”

“No, I called you first.”

Nodding, I take a couple of minutes to think. Considering I called my master plan to win Summer over off, it wouldn’t make much of a difference if I agreed to play this weekend instead.

“When would we need to leave?” I ask as another round of knocks sounds. I get up and head to the door.

“Tomorrow evening,” Chase says as I swing open the door.

My brows furrow. There is a sting in my chest as I stare into Summer’s puffy red eyes. Her hair is messy like she just rolled out of bed. Her arms wrap around her stomach tightly. She doesn’t say anything.

“Chase, I’ll call you back.” I hang up the phone. My arm drops to my side. My eyes follow the tear streaming down her cheek. My muscles tighten, my hand clamping tight around the phone in my hand as my eyes trace a visible red handprint on her face.

“I-I-I…” she stutters between sobs.

Jesus.

“Pretty girl.” I slip my phone into my pocket at the same time. I reach for her arm and pull her into my chest. “Come here.”

Her cries become muffled by my shirt as she smothers her face into me. I press one hand against her head, running soothing circles on her back with my other.

We stand like this for a long while, and I’m unsure of what to say. I just comfort her because that’s all she needs right now.

My blood heats underneath my skin. The thought of someone laying a hand on her makes me damn right pissed off. Whoever did this… whoever hurt her is going to pay.

I squeeze my eyes shut, resting my head on the top of hers. “You’re safe here.” I cup her face in my hand, forcing her to look at me. “You’re safe here, OK?” I repeat.

She looks up at me through thick, wet lashes, but she doesn’t say anything. She only nods. I stare into her eyes, my heart pinching tight. Running my thumb across her cheek, I wipe away some of her tears.

“Who did this?” She shakes her head, her gasps coming in heavy. I nod, understanding that she isn’t ready to talk about it. “Do you need anything?”

She blinks a few times, taking in air in an attempt to regain her breath. “I-I um… I think I need to sit down.”

I nod and guide her into the living room. I sit with my legs across the cushions and then maneuver her to sit between my legs. Her back rests against my chest. I wrap one arm around her and hold on tight. Using my other hand, I comb through her hair with my fingers to soothe her.

I want nothing more than to ask her who did this again, but I don’t. Instead, I continue to feather my fingers across her soft skin.

There is no way I can go to Denverson now.

Chapter Twenty-one

Summer

“Are you going to answer that?”

Alec’s phone has been buzzing nonstop, but he is ignoring each call. I appreciate the gesture of him wanting to make sure I’m OK, but I am. I can’t stress it enough.

I was able to control my breathing eventually, even if I am still relatively in shock. It’s insane how thirty minutes can feel like two hours when you’re on the edge of a full-blown panic attack.

However, my mind is still racing, and I’m still unable to process what happened. I was there. I know what happened. But it doesn’t feel real.

“I’ll call them back. You’re more important to me right now.” His hold on me tightens, and I can’t help but nuzzle my face into him, counting each beat of his heart.

Is it possible to love the way someone’s heart sounds? Because I do.

“Plus, it’s only my director. He can wait.”

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