Page 542 of Hell Hath No Fury
“If I fuck you right now, that’s all it will be to me. You’ll just be a notch on my bedpost.”Fuck. The hurt in her eyes over my lies crush me. “If I fuck you right now, you’ll hate me later. Your dad and Kelly will kill me. Christ, you’re barely an adult.” Brushing a finger across her cheek as a tear drops, I wipe it away.
“You’re a forever girl, Clem, and you should be. But right now, I’m not your forever guy. I’m your last rebellion before college, and I won’t be that to you. I won’t take advantage of you for anything.” She means too damn much to me to hurt her like that.
“What then?” She barely breathes, her hands moving to slide up my chest and wrap around my neck.
“A year. Go to college, date, have fun. Explore the fucking world for all I care. And in that time, if this is still what you want, you call me, and I’ll claim you faster than I let you go.” Kelly and Aaron will be pissed.
Her head cocks to the side, and I see the curiosity and apprehension in her gaze. “What if I don’t need a year?”
Combing my fingers through her hair, I bring our faces closer together. Our lips barely touch. “You do. I do. Be safe; have fun. Text me once in a while. But I’ll see you in a year.”
Laying a light kiss on her lips is the hardest thing I’ve ever done. I want to own this girl, possess this girl, but I want her to have a chance to grow up first. To experience life before I knock her up for the next ten years.
Walking away from her is the second hardest thing. This next year will be pure torture.
CHAPTER ONE
Clementine
Eight months later.
“Please, Clem, please don’t do anything stupid,” my best friend Lavender begs as I angrily force my legs into a pair of ripped jean shorts. “Please,” she cries brokenly from the bed. Her face is bruised, bloody, and she has had hair pulled from the roots.
“I won’t.” I smile through a clenched jaw. “I’m just going to cut his dick off.”And maybe his head.
Lavender and I were matched as roommates at the beginning of the semester and hit it off immediately. We share most of the same classes at Briarwood College of the Arts. I want to be a photographer, and this is the best college in Jacksonville for it. I could have gone anywhere, honestly, but their two-year program meant I wouldn’t be in school as long, and I didn’t have to be as far away from my heart’s desire.
Leaving Dorian Wagner wasn’t an option. That day eight months ago is ingrained in my mind. He’s all I think about all the time. So much so that he’s often my subject of choice for my classes. Most of the time, he isn’t even aware I’m watching him. The possibility of us being together has made me irrational. I’ve turned into somewhat of a stalker.
“Clem, please, stay with me.” I love Lav, she’s my soul sister, and I’ll do almost anything she asks of me, but this monster needs an ass-kicking, and I’m going to be the one to deliver it to him.
Just not tonight, apparently, because I can’t let her cry here all alone. “Okay. Let’s, uhm, let’s get you to a doctor. This needs to be reported.” Her head is shaking before I even finish speaking. “You have to report this. He can’t get away with hurting you.”
“I can’t. It was my fault. It was all my fault.” Blinking at her response as I sit next to her, I don’t know what to say. How to convince her that not only is it not her fault but also that the bastard needs to face justice.
Lying down next to her, I drag the blanket over both of our heads, creating a cocoon of safety. “I wish I knew the right thing to say to you. The right thing to do, and I think that’s getting you checked out. Making sure your body is okay.” Brushing the hair back off her face, her chin wobbles, and fear emanates from her eyes.
“I understand you’re scared.” My voice is a whisper. “I’ll be with you every step of the way.” Closing her eyes, she bites her lip before finally nodding.
I spend the next hour helping Lav get dressed, bagging everything she had on and with her, and finally getting her into my car before driving to the next town over. She’s terrified of anyone we know finding out what happened to her. As far as I’m concerned, everyone should know. They should all learn what kind of a bastard Travis St. Clare truly is.
After explaining to the nurse what happened, we’re taken to a private room where another nurse and her assistant help Lavender out of her new clothes, collect the soiled ones, and begin filling out some paperwork.
When I see two officers outside of the enclosed area where Lavender is with the nurse, I step outside before they can knock and enter. “She’s filling out paperwork.” I cross my arms defensively. I don’t know why, but I get a bad feeling about theseguys. They don’t look like they should be handling a case so sensitive.
“Is this Lavender Murphy’s room?” I nod, and the younger guy rolls his eyes at me. “We’ve been called to take her statement,” the older one says.
“No.”
“Excuse me?” I can see they’re exasperated now. I just don’t care.
“I don’t know who you are or whom you think this girl is, but you’re not going in there. Call whomever you need to to get someone from special victims, and they better have sensitivity training, or I’ll kick them to the curb as well.” I won’t let her be violated again.
Lav believes tonight is her fault, but it’s not. It’s mine. The blame lies squarely on my shoulders, and I won’t have these insensitive assholes making the entire ordeal even worse because they’ve never handled a rape victim before.
“That’s not how this works, little lady.” I raise my eyebrow at the older guy’s description of me.
Little lady.
