Page 6 of Owned

“You should hate me for what I did.” Still, I avoid his gaze even when I feel his eyes on me. I know he is leaning against my kitchen counter, his ankles crossed, while he sips his hot coffee.

“I told you, you get one pass, and last night…” he winces, and his eyes narrow. “That was your pass. I meant it when I said if I see another man touching you. Limb. By. Limb, Claire.”

God, the way he says my name. It causes butterflies in my stomach.

“So, what do you want to do today?”

“Going back to bed sounds nice.”

“Want to talk about the nightmares?”

I shake my head.

“Then you can’t go back to bed. I don’t care if we sit in silence, but we can go for a walk, watch a movie, anything but going back to bed.”

I roll my eyes. “You know I hate you, right?”

“And? At least you are eating.” He notices my empty container. If I know anything, I know Becca makes the best muffins I have ever had. She knows I love them, so that is why Hayden showed up with two of them. Sighing, I take a drink of the fresh orange juice he also brought.

“What can I do to help you open up? Please talk to me.”

“Why? You can’t go killing them because they are already dead! Do you want me to tell you how they ripped my shirt down the center with a knife, almost cutting my skin and exposing my breasts? Or maybe the time they groped my bare ass? How about when they ran their grimy hands up and down my thighs? What about when one of their whores cut my shorts into shreds, almost exposing my pussy and ass. Maybe I should tell you all the things they said, like how they wondered if my pussy was as smooth as my legs.”

Hayden’s fists ball at his sides, and his nostrils flare.

“Or the time they took turns telling each other what they wanted to do to me, like see how tight my pussy was.” Hayden’s eyes close tight and open back up. “Want me to tell you about the time one came over, pinching my nipples causing them to get hard? Is that what you want to fucking hear?” I slam my hand down on the table. “Is it?”

Anger courses through me as I try to walk past Hayden, he reaches for me, but I’m too quick, and make it to my bedroom, slamming the door in my wake.

Anger and sadness begin to consume me as tears flow.

I jump when I hear what sounds like a fist going through my wall. Holding my pillow to my face, I let out a raging scream.

A few minutes pass when a light rasps on my door. “Claire,” Hayden’s voice is barely above a whisper.

“Go away, Hayden. I want to be alone, okay.”

There is only silence on the other side of the door.

I couldn’t spill out everything that happened to me. But I was literally word vomiting, and once I started, I couldn’t stop. The anger that emanated from Hayden is palpable.

CHAPTER FOUR

HAYDEN

The urge to kill something or someone is overwhelming. Leaving Claire, it’s the last thing I want to do, especially after spilling everything out. But I fight tonight so I can take out all the aggressions I have. Spotting Rowan outside tinkering with his bike, I walk over to him.

He looks up, “Hey. What’s up?”

“Nothing much, ready for the fight this evening. Have you talked to your sister lately?”

“I called her earlier, why?”

I shove my hands in my pants pockets. “You need to go see her.”

With a look of concern, Rowans stands. “What’s going on? Come out with it, Hayden.”

Nerves swirl in my stomach that I even have to mention it. “She told me what happened. And it’s pretty gnarly shit.”

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