Page 70 of Claiming Xan
“Tell me why you keep turning me down, Xan,” he uttered, his voice low. “I’ve done everything I could to make you like me. Everything I could think of. You’re all I think about, and you won’t even give me a chance!”
I swallowed hard, my chest tightening. Oh shit… “TJ, we’ve been over this—ow, stop!” I tried to pull back, but TJ yanked me closer. His fingers snared in my hair as he forced my head back, forced me to look at him, eye-to-eye.
“I’m tired of being denied what I want by an Omega bitch,” he hissed, his face so close to mine that I could nearly taste the sour tang of his breath. “I saw you first.”
He kissed me hard, rough, without care for my feelings. I bucked beneath him, but the hand in my hair sent pain shock-waving through me. I squealed and did the only thing I could think of—I bit down on his lip until the flesh popped and salty, coppery blood filled my mouth.
TJ reeled back with a roar of outrage, but he didn’t let me go. He slammed me bodily against the cold cement, then pinned me there with his body. It was dark and there was no one around to see me struggle—but damn, did I struggle.
TJ groped at me, his fingers yanking down the zipper of my jeans. I shrieked and tried to knee him in the ground, only to get my thighs yanked apart.
“STOP IT! STOP! HELP! HE?—”
“SHUT UP!” TJ snarled, knocking my head back against the ground. Stars swam through my visions. “Boys like youlikethis kind of attention, remember? You always flaunt around like you want it, but I’m not allowed to touch.” He sneered down at me. “I’m tired of your games, Xan. Not anymore. I’m taking what I deserve.”
Tears burned my eyes. “TJ, please, don’t do this,” I pleaded. “I have a mate! I’m pregnant! I?—”
TJ covered my mouth, muffling anything else I might say, and I filled my lungs to scream again—and thenwham!
TJ was thrown off of me and slammed to the ground by an unstoppable force, a dark form beginning to wail on the human Alpha.
I scrambled to my feet, panting and gasping for breath. TJ yelled and grunted, but the man didn’t stop. His fists just kept flying, but the unending growls told meexactlywho had saved me.
“River!” I cried, but he didn’t stop—and he wasn’t going to, either. He’d kill TJ at this rate, and then he’d go to jail and I’d be alone. “RIVER!” I grabbed his arm before it could land another punch and tried to pull him away. “Stop! Please!”
“Xan!” Breathing heavily, he turned to me, looking me up and down. His eyes nearly glowed with rage. “Are you okay?”
“Please, let him go. He’s not worth the jail time. I need you,” I begged him, tugging on his arm again.
He seemed to consider it, then snarled down at TJ. “Touch him again and I’ll tear your fucking spine out,” he spat, then rose to his feet. I about sobbed with relief.
TJ, bloodied and bruised, stumbled to his feet, spitting out teeth as he went. “Fucking psycho!” he shouted before limping off.
River snarled, low and vicious, and for a heart-stopping moment, I feared he’d take chase. Instead, he scooped me up like I was a damsel in distress, and he carried me back to the car.
I collapsed in the passenger seat, shaking. “You could’ve killed him,” I whispered.
“I wanted to!” he snarled back, before punching the steering wheel. The horn blared, making me jump, and then the tears burst free.
I reached for River’s hand, squeezing it in mine. River was here. I was safe now. “You saved me…” I whispered. “Thank you.”
“You’re mine,” River growled. “If he ever touches you again, I’ll do more than break his face! I’ll break off his dick and leave him for the crows.”
He huffed out an angry breath, then sucked in a deep inhalation, like he was trying to calm himself. For several long moments, we just sat in the car, me with tears streaming down my cheeks, and River silently steaming.
He reached over and wiped the tears away with the backs of his knuckles. “Xan… Baby, don’t cry.”
“I was scared,” I admitted.
“I know. When I heard your scream, I got scared too.” He frowned. “That was the sleazy coworker you always talk about, wasn’t it? You need to bring this up with your boss. He can’t be allowed to do shit like this.”
I sighed, but I knew River was right. “Okay,” I agreed. I knew Roger wouldn’t listen, but maybe if I brought River along, he would. “I’ll talk to him. Let’s just go home? Please? I wanna go home.” I sniffed and wiped my face with my coat sleeve, no longer in the mood for our theatre date.
“On our way,” River promised me.
40
RIVER
