Page 97 of Wild Hearts

CHAPTER THIRTY-FOUR

Brady

IHOLD MY BREATH WAITINGfor Wren to say something. I know what happened to her was horrific, but like I told her: if I’m going to help her, I need to know her triggers. I need to know what happened that night.

Wren looks down at our interlaced fingers. “I don’t remember a lot,” she whispers. “I think something was put in my drink. Most of it was a blur... although I’ve been having–I don’t know–” She rolls her bottom lip into between her teeth. “Like, flashbacks or something.”

My stomach drops. This wasn’t just a hook-up that went further than she wanted it to. It was a premeditated, calculated attack. I grit my teeth and fight the urge to punch something. If Wren’s going to trust me, I can’t lose my cool. This is hard enough for her as it is. I squeeze her hand gently to encourage her to continue.

“Drew had been asking me out all year. I turned him down, of course. First, because we were together, and then when we broke up, I had no interest in pursuing anything with anyone. I was completely heartbroken.”

Her words slice through me like a knife. I start to apologise again, but she shakes her head to silence me.

“Airlie was amazing. She’s the only person I told about you, and she was so supportive. But then one of Drew’s mates, Matt, invited her to the formal. She suggested we make it a group date. No pressure, no expectations.” She swallows. “It took a couple of weeks of them trying to persuade me it would be fun. Eventually, I gave in.”

The sharp pain in my gut mirrors my reaction I’d had when Ivy showed me the photo Wren sent her that night – the picture of that douchebag with his arms wrapped around her waist like he owned her.

“The formal itself was fine. We danced in a group, I had fun with Airlie. Drew was the perfect gentleman. He didn’t even try to kiss me.” It’s subtle but I see the way her face blanches at the thought and she blows out a deep breath. “Almost our entire year level went back to this guy Preston’s house. He was on the rugby team with Drew. His parents are like, next-level rich. They have a massive house with a swimming pool and tennis court. It was really impressive.”

Wren tries for a smile, but it’s shaky. I know this is really hard for her, but I also know we can’t move forward together until she shares what happened. I reach up and tuck a strand of hair behind her ear, cupping her cheek as I gaze into her shining crystal blue eyes.

“You can trust me, Rookie. Everything you tell me right now will stay between us.”

She leans forward and rests her forehead against my chest, pressing her warm lips against my skin. I shift around to lean back against the headboard and pull her to sit beside me, tucking her under my arm.

Wren traces her finger lightly over my stomach, causing goosebumps to break out over my skin. I put my hand on hers to maintain some of my self-control. My libido is definitely shot with the sobering reality of what she’s been through, but that doesn’t mean my cock understands that. I don’t need him stirring at the memory of her touch right now.

“I only had a couple of drinks,” she murmurs. “But all of a sudden, I started to feel dizzy and nauseous. I tried to find Airlie, but there were so many people there. Drew told me he knew where she was. I tried to follow him, but my legs felt like jelly. I remember him laughing with a few of his mates and saying I must have had too much to drink. He half carried me upstairs, telling me that Airlie had gone up there with Matt. It didn’t feel right to me, because I knew Airlie was still... I just know Airlie, but he assured me he’d seen them slip up there.” She reaches up to wipe away a tear and my jaw clenches.

“Turns out she was outside playing beer pong the entire time. She kept saying to Matt she wanted to find me and Drew so we could play with them, but he kept distracting her. We think he knew what was happening and was trying to keep us apart.”

I want to drive to Newcastle, hunt these assholes down and beat the shit out of them. She must feel the tension in my body because she lifts her hand up and runs it over my jaw until I look down at her. Her tongue darts out, wetting her bottom lip, and I let out a sigh, leaning down and capturing her mouth with mine.

When she pulls away a little too soon, she stares into my eyes and asks, “Are you sure you want to hear the rest of this?”

I nod, not trusting my voice to behave.

She presses her lips together and continues. “By the time we got upstairs, the nausea and dizziness had passed, but I could barely keep my eyes open. Drew told me he’d take care of me. He took me into a bedroom and laid me on the bed. I heard the door close and I thought he’d gone back to the party.”

She closes her eyes. “I was in and out of it by that point, but I remember feeling his hands brushing my hair away from my face and he muttered something about the stuck-up princess not playing hard to get anymore. I was willing my body to move, but everything just felt heavy and I couldn’t do anything. The rest of it is all just flashes and feelings as I drifted in and out of consciousness. I remember the smell of whiskey on his breath, the heaviness of his body pressing me against the bed. When Airlie found me later, my underwear was gone and I was... sore.” Her cheeks redden, and she turns her head so her hair blocks me from view.

“She wanted to go and confront him, but she also knew she had to get me home. She cleaned me up and managed to get me into an Uber. Everyone saw me and assumed I’d had too much to drink. She stayed with me that night and we cried. I kept it to myself for a week, feigning illness to avoid school, but eventually she convinced me to tell my mum.”

She lets out a shuddering breath and I hold her tight as her shoulders shake, resting my lips against the top of her head. She cries silently as we let her words settle around us. I’m filled with pain and regret that I let my selfishness ruin what we had together and essentially caused this to happen.

“I told you I was damaged,” she says with a humourless laugh.

I tilt her chin up so she’s looking at me and brush my lips over hers in a chaste kiss.

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