Page 78 of Adoring Fletcher
“No!” He grabbed my wrist. I jerked back, trying to wrench free. “DON’T TOUCH ME!” I shrieked. Panic climbed up my throat as he so easily yanked me into his chest, like I weighed nothing at all.
“I need you, pretty boy.” Tank’s voice was low and rough with an unspoken growl—and then he smashed his mouth to mine in a kiss I didn’t give him permission to take.
I gasped and tried to twist away, but the hand at the back of my head held fast. Forcing me down. Kissing me open, his tongue thrusting between my parted lips as I opened them to scream.
Bucking beneath him, I did the only thing I could think to do—I bit down on his tongue until the warm, wet copper of his blood filled my mouth. He snarled in pain and jerked away, and I took off running with a scream.
“HELP!”
“YOU LITTLEBITCH!”Tank howled after me. Moments later, I heard the bike engine rev again, and I knew he was going to run me down with that monster.
Panting, my lips still wet with blood, I sprinted across someone’s lawn and began beating on their front door. “Please be home, please be home!”
An older man pulled the door open a crack, blinking down at me in confusion. “Can I help you, young man?”
“Please, can I come inside? I promise, I won’t stay long, but that guy out there? He’s my ex and he’s trying to hurt me! I needsomeplace safe to stay until my boyfriend can come pick me up. Please!”
At that moment, Tank rolled up in the old man’s drive, shouting slurs and curses at me. My heart beat thunderously in my chest, but the man opened the door fully, ushering me inside.
“Do you need me to call the cops?”
God, that would make things so much worse… “No!” I yelped. “I-I just need to call my boyfriend. Thank you, though.”
I sank shakily down in an old floral armchair and dialed Adam. He picked up on the first ring, concern in his voice. “Fletcher? Where are you?”
“Um. It’s a long story. Can you come pick me up? I had a run-in with Tank and I don’t feel safe walking home.”
“Why were you out walking alone in the first place?” he demanded.
“I just wanted to get some air,” I mumbled. “And I was gonna pick up something sweet for dessert tonight…”
Adam’s sigh hissed across the line. “Oh, baby… Where are you?”
“Um. I don’t know. One sec.” I asked the man what his address was, then relayed it back to Adam. “It’s like, really close to Mammy’s Place, that bakery we love so much? I wanted to get us a pie, but…yeah.”
Suddenly, I had no appetite. In fact, all I could taste was blood. I wiped my mouth with the back of my hand, using my phone’s selfie-camera as a mirror to make sure I got it all. I didn’t need Adam to freak out more than he was going to.
Adam showed up far quicker than expected, which told me he definitely didn’t follow the speed limits. When he pulled into the drive, I peeked outside to make sure Tank wasn’t nearby. I thanked the man who’d given me a safe haven, then went out and got in the car.
Adam’s golden eyes were sharp as knives. “Did he hurt you?”
“No, I?—”
“I can smell him on you, Fletcher.”
His accusatory tone made me flinch. I hung my head. “He… He tried to kiss me, told me that he needed me, that his beast craved me and that I was making a mistake. I bit him and ran. Thankfully, this neighbor let me inside. Otherwise…”
Would Tank have kidnapped me? God, I didn’t even want to think about that possibility.
Adam growled. “This is such bullshit.” He slammed his palms against the steering wheel. My head snapped up, my gaze zeroing in on him. “We’re going to the cops.”
“What? Why?”
“He’s obviously unhinged. We need to get a restraining order. Is there anything else he’s done? Has he called and harassed you? Texted?”
I sighed and fished out my phone from my pocket. “Yeah. Some texts, late at night. I never replied. I blocked one number, but another started texting me. I’m sorry, Adam. I should’ve told you, but I was worried you’d get upset. This is all my fault.” My shoulders slumped, my chest aching.
His expression suddenly softened. “Fletcher. No. It’s not,” he said. “I’m sorry. I’m not angry with you, I’m pissed off at the situation, and at Tank. He’s insane. You can’t control that. We both made a bad decision by sleeping with him, but the cops will sort him out. He won’t bother us anymore.”
