Page 83 of Meant for You

No one was touching her again. No one was going to try and force themselves on her again and walk away. First in that house of horrors we’d lived in, then Clayton, fucking Tanner, and now this motherfucker.

If I hadn’t been there all those times, if I hadn’t protected her—

Suddenly, I was a terrified fourteen-year-old boy holding on to Everly as tight as I could so no one could snatch her away, with a steak knife down the side of my mattress, ready to do anything to make sure no one scared her again or made her cry.

I roared and went for the guy in front of me, the guy crowding Everly, and he came at me as well. I easily deflected him and laughed as I grabbed the fucker by the throat and shoved him against the side of his truck.

I knew I looked as twisted as I felt. Knew it by the look on this asshole’s face. He looked ready to piss himself, actually feared for his life, even as he struggled against my hold and got a few punches in to the parts of my body he could reach.

“You touched her,” I said, my face right in his. “You touched her and she’s mine. You think you can take her from me? You think I’ll let you fucking do that?”

The guy’s mouth was working but nothing was coming out, probably because his vocal cords were being crushed.

“She doesn’t want your filthy fucking mouth on her. She doesn’t want you touching her,” I roared in his face.

He was changing color, and I couldn’t make my hand loosen. I couldn’t. The sound of my blood rushing filled my head. That’s all I could hear, nothing else until someone grabbed my jaw and forced my head to the right.

Everly.

Her brown eyes locked with mine, pleading and filled with fear, so much fear. “Let him go,” she yelled at me. “For God’s sake, let him go!”

That fear in her eyes jolted me and brought me back. Christ, it was like I had been somewhere else, another time, another place. I let the guy go, and he doubled over, coughing and spitting and wheezing.

Everly was back in front of me. She pressed both hands to my chest and shoved me back a step. I was too stunned to even attempt to hold my ground. She shoved again, pushing me toward my bike.

“What the hell is wrong with you?” she said, horror, sadness, anger, and, yeah, fear, that fucking fear of me right there front and center. “Leave now. Go back to Rocktown and stay there.”

I felt like she’d buried a knife in my chest, and I staggered back another step. Martin had straightened and moved up behind her, looking pale but like he was ready to try and protect her if he needed to. Protect her from me.

I would never hurt Everly. Never.

You just did, asshole. Again.

“I’m…I’m sorry,” I said to her, my eyes slicing to him. “I didn’t mean to…I don’t know what—”

“Leave, Dane, now,” Everly said, lower lip quivering.

The knife in my chest twisted.

But I gave her what she wanted. I had to. I got on my bike and I left.

* * *

She called late that night. I’d been calling and texting her since I left, but up until then she’d ignored me. I didn’t blame her.

I put the phone to my ear, trying and failing to say a damn thing when I heard her breathing down the line.

“Stop,” she whispered, voice broken and filled with sadness. “You need to stop calling.”

“Eves…baby…” I choked.

She was quiet several beats. “I convinced Martin not to press charges. If I think about…” She drew in a shaky breath.

“Eves—”

“No. You need to give me a minute, do you understand? What happened today…” Her voice cracked. “I need…I need some space. I’m so…I’m so angry with you, Dane. I don’t ever think I’ve been this angry. You didn’t think I actually wanted Martin? You didn’t honestly think I would cheat on you, did you?”

I felt like I was drowning, dying, fucking suffocating. “No…I just—I saw you with him and I…” I didn’t know how to finish.