“Oh, yes I do. All these years you’ve been sweet little Livy, too good for me. Your friends weren’t, but you were always out of my reach. I’ve been patient and stuck in the friend zone for way too fucking long, but no more.”
I twisted out of his hold and ran to get my phone, hoping that if I could call 911 the cops might get there before Jake really hurt me. He grabbed me just as I reached it, yanking me back by my hair so I fell back against him. His hands clawed at my breasts, squeezing them painfully. I screamed, but he stifled my call for help by covering my mouth with his palm.
The phone was too far from me, and there was no way anyone had heard my screams. Fear tore through me that Jake was going to rape me right there in my apartment and nobody would be there to stop him. He jammed his hand down the front of my panties, bruising my skin, and I knew I had to do something. Opening wide, I bit down on the fingers covering my mouth until I tasted the metallic tinge of blood on my tongue. Jake howled in anger and sent me flying with a backhand to my cheek. I fell hard to the floor but instantly scrambled for my phone as he stood looking at his bloody hand, stunned at what I’d done.
My hands trembled so badly I could barely hold the phone. “Get the fuck out of here before I call 911 and have your fucking ass arrested. Get out!”
He sneered and snapped, “Fuck you, Liv! You’re not worth it. I didn’t want Cassian March’s sloppy seconds anyway.”
Jake flung the door open, slamming it into the wall, and stormed out. My hands still trembling, I dialed the only number I could think of, praying to God I didn’t get a voicemail.
“Olivia, I’m glad you called.”
I tried to stop the tears, but the reality of what just happened washed over me and I couldn’t hold back. Sobbing, I said, “Cash, I need you to come get me at my apartment. I can’t stay here.”
“What’s wrong? What happened?” he asked over and over as my sobs nearly drowned out the sound of his voice.
“Please just come. I can’t stay here. Please.”
“I’ll be right there. Don’t cry. Whatever it is, it’ll be okay.”
The phone went silent, and I let it drop to the floor. Hugging my knees to my chest, I sat there in that spot where Jake had thrown me, in shock at what he’d done. I had no idea how much time passed between me calling Cash and him getting to my apartment. All I knew was that I couldn’t stay there but I couldn’t move on my own either. All I wanted to do was bury my head and cry.
“Olivia?”
I looked up and saw Cash standing in my doorway with a stunned look on his face. How could I tell him what happened? I didn’t know what to say.
“What happened? Who did this?”
“Jake,” I answered quietly, still not believing it myself.
Cash crouched down beside me and pushed my tangled hair away from my face to examine my cheek. Looking down, I saw it already had begun to swell. His blue eyes filled with rage, and when he spoke, his voice came out in a low growl. “He did this to you? I’m going to kill him.”
“I don’t know what happened. He was so angry. I’d never seen him like that. I don’t know why.”
As he helped me to my feet, he pulled the two pieces of my torn T-shirt together at my neck and leaned down to kiss me. “Let’s get you out of here. Tell me what you need to take and we’ll go to my place.”
I held my shirt together and looked down at what I was wearing. “I don’t have pants on, Cash. I need pants.”
“Okay, we’ll find you pants and some shoes. Bring whatever you need for as long as you need to. You can stay at my place where I’ll make sure you’re safe.”
Clutching my collar, I staggered into my room and threw a shirt over my head. I slipped on my yoga pants and flip flops and headed back out to where Cash stood talking on the phone.
“Stefan, if I ever see him anywhere near my fucking club, I’ll hold you responsible. You don’t need to know why I don’t want him there. Just make fucking sure his membership is voided and I don’t see him there again.”
Quietly, I let him know I was behind him. “Cash?”
He turned around and stuffed his phone into his pocket. Wrapping his arm around me, he pulled me close. “Let’s go. I’ll get you something to eat and we’ll spend the day at my condo.”
My body melted into his protective hold, and I looked up at him to see his expression so serious. “I don’t want you to feel like you have to do anything to him. This isn’t your fight, Cash.”
“Olivia, he hurt you.”
“I just want to lay down and relax. Everything hurts.”
Cash pressed his lips to my forehead and whispered, “Okay. Let’s get you back to my place and you can relax there.”
“Thank you. I didn’t know who else to call. I hope I didn’t interrupt you doing…anything.”
He shook his head and smiled. “You didn’t interrupt anything more important than you. I’m glad you thought of me first.”
Chapter Seventeen
Olivia
The hot water eased the pain that seemed to be everywhere in my body. I closed my eyes and soaked in Cash’s tub for nearly an hour as I listened to him exact his revenge on Jake in the March way. Anywhere he tried to go, he’d find he was suddenly unwanted, from Club X to virtually every one of the best restaurants in town. Cash left nothing of his social life to enjoy, and I knew this would devastate Jake most. Other men might have been hurt by another man beating the hell out of them, but not Jake. More than anything else, he lived to be that player he’d always been and Cash took that away from him with an hour’s worth of carefully placed phone calls. From this point on, Jake Richfield would be persona non grata everywhere he turned.
Opening my eyes, I looked down my body at the evidence of Jake’s rage. Purple bruises dotted my breasts where he’d grabbed me, and all down my stomach scratches marked me. Marked. Bruised. How could Jake had done this to me?
I struggled to fight back the tears, hating the idea that I was so weak that he could get to me again. No. I wouldn’t let that happen. I wasn’t some helpless girl. I’d trusted him, and that was a mistake, but he wouldn’t get any more than that from me. At least I could control that.
After an hour, I knew I couldn’t hide out in Cash’s bathroom anymore. I had to face him. I’d called him because I needed someone to save me, but now I felt embarrassed and unsure I’d made the right choice. We weren’t at that point in our relationship. What if he felt obligated to help me? I didn’t want a man who felt obligated to be with me because I was some broken bird.