Page 35 of Wild Hearts

‘YOU KNOW YOU WANT THISjust as much as I do.’ His voice is smooth as his fingers slide under my dress, resting on my hips before hooking into the waistband of my panties.

‘Mmmgeroffmm...’ I mumble through the haze, fighting to gain control of my heavy limbs. A tear slides down my cheek, but I’m unable to do anything about it.

He leans down, nuzzling against my throat, and a wave of nausea washes over me. He inhales deeply. ‘Mmm, you smell so good.’

Another tear rolls down my cheek as I try again to force my arms to cooperate, to lift of their own volition. But no matter how much I try, they don’t move. The noise from the party downstairs grows louder, and his gaze snaps from me in the direction of the door, before I hear a soft click, and the sounds are muted again.

His wet, warm tongue slides a path down from my ear to my collarbone, where he nips at the skin. ‘You had to know what this dress would do to me.’ His manhood rubs against my leg as he pulls my panties down my thighs.

‘Nnnnn...’ My tongue is like a lead weight in my mouth. ‘I dnnnwnnn...’ Why can’t I just say it? Why can’t I get my mouth to form the words properly? ‘Stttppleeeezzz...’

‘Shh, baby.’ His beer-coated breath almost chokes me as his tongue plunges into my mouth. ‘Just lay back and enjoy it.’

I can’t even make more than a muted sob as he pushes into me and I let the blackness consume me...

“Wren?”

I gasp, bolting upright as Ivy’s voice cuts through the nightmare. The gentle shake of my shoulders is enough to rip me back to reality. It takes a couple of seconds for me to remember her coming over and falling asleep on the couch. My chest heaves as I try and catch my breath. I push my hair back off my face. I’ve clearly been crying, tears soak my cheeks. I let out a choked sob, trying to calm my racing heart.

“Are you okay?” She sounds like she’s underwater. “Wren? Talk to me. What’s going on?”

I take a slow, deep breath, blinking back more tears. A glass of water is pressed into my hands and I greedily gulp it down. Ivy is standing in front of me, her lips pressed into a thin line.

“What was that?” she asks softly.

I shake my head, unable to talk. I pinch my eyes closed and focus on my breathing.Shit.I’m not ready to share what happened. I’m not ready to see the pity in my friend’s eyes. I love Ivy, but I know once this secret’s out, it’s out. There’s no going back. I’m not ready for Brady to find out.

Ivy doesn’t move, planting her feet in front of me. Her eyes never leave my face, as she waits for me to say something, anything.

I finally manage to whisper, “It was just a nightmare. I’m okay.”

She narrows her eyes in the way she does when she’s trying to figure out how much to push. “Some nightmare... What was it about?”

I shake my head. “I don’t remember,” I mumble, avoiding her eyes. “I was watching a horror movie before you came over. It must’ve been from that.” The lie leaves a bad taste in my mouth.

“Wren–”

“Ivy.” I sigh. “Please.”

Thankfully her phone starts ringing, and I’m grateful for the momentary reprieve.

“It’s Mum,” she says.

While she takes the call, I retreat into my ensuite running the hot water. As I wait for it to heat up, I rest my sweaty forehead against the cool glass of the shower trying to work out the trigger. First there was the panic attack last night, and now the nightmare. They haven’t come on so aggressively in over a month. I thought I had it all under control.

Is there a chance for us, Rookie?Fresh tears roll down my cheeks. I want nothing more than a second chance with Brady. I’ve had feelings for him since I met him, but there’s too much damage. I’m too broken. Hatred and shame boil through my veins and I climb into the shower to try and wash it off me.

I’m half expecting Ivy to be gone, but when I leave my bedroom she’s standing in my kitchen, still in her rumpled clothes from last night. She’s leaning up against the counter, nibbling on a piece of toast. She slides a plate toward me, studying my face carefully. There’s a hint of curiosity in her green eyes that remind me so much of her brother.

I brace myself for the onslaught of questions, but instead she just says, “Brady didn’t say anything to Mum. She has no idea what happened at Dad’s last night. From the sounds of it, he was too spaced out on painkillers.”

Not knowing what to say, I nod as I take a bite of toast. After an awkward silence, I try to keep my voice neutral as I ask, “Is he okay? How’s his knee?”

“It’s still pretty swollen. They need to wait until some of the swelling goes down before they can fully assess the damage. He’ll have to have some more scans. They couldn’t see much on the ones from last night.”

“Poor Brady.” I swallow against the tightness in my throat, trying to keep my emotions off my face. “How’s your mum? She must be exhausted after spending all night at the hospital.”

Ivy nods. “She’s dropping him off at home, but then she has to go into the office for a bit. Her boss has a deal she’s trying to close and she needs all hands on deck. I told her I’d go home in case Brady needs anything before she gets back. I need to talk to him anyway, find out how we’re going to tell Mum. Do you want to come?”

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