Daring Dane (Intoxicating Passion #3)
Read Daring Dane (Intoxicating Passion #3) Online
Authors: Felicia Tatum
Daring Dane
Intoxicating Passion #3
By Felicia Tatum
Publisher: Felicia Tatum
Editor: Jeanie Creech
Cover Image: Rene Folsom
This work is not to be reproduced, shared, or
copied without my permission.
This is a work of fiction. All characters, names,
and events are made up in my head.
Copyright 2014 Felicia Tatum
All rights reserved.
Dedication
This is for anyone who has been a victim of
abuse. It’s not your fault. I hope you can learn to trust again, someday.
Contents
More titles from Felicia
Tatum
..
32
Chapter One-Korah Daniels
Dane
Davidson was the most infuriating man alive. Things were difficult. We had
somehow avoided each other in biology, but I knew that wouldn’t last long. No
word from him since the morning when he disappeared. No text, no calls, he
hadn’t even showed up to class so that told me something. Was he avoiding me?
Of course he was. Was I avoiding him? Of course I was.
So I did what any decent red-blooded female
would do in this situation. I got myself a date for Valentine’s Day. He was a
frat boy, not overly good-looking , but decent, and he was there, convenient,
and he would drive Dane crazy. I didn’t like him in a romantic way. I didn’t
even really want to go on the date, but I knew I had to do this. Needed to make
some sort of move to tell Dane, and myself, that it didn’t really matter that
he left after we had sex. His betrayal didn’t really hurt, didn’t run through
me like a boiling river scorching my blood. I hadn’t cried over it every night,
hugging Elle while I whimpered into my pillows. Dane Davidson hadn’t broken me
further than before, ripping my soul into pieces.
I refused to allow anyone that much power
over me.
The day was young, and I was determined to
have some fun for once. Leela and Windi were out, so was just me, but I could
still have fun alone, right? I didn’t need to have somebody else to complete me
in any way, whether it be a friendship or a relationship. I turned in the
bathroom, looking in the mirror and adjusting my dress I was wearing. The plans
weren’t set in stone, but I was determined have a good time, even if it killed
me.
###
The alleyway was darker than the rest of the
street, the cold seeping into my bones, leaving an unsettling discomfort. The
misty air swirled around me, dooming me to something I didn’t quite understand.
It was the middle of the day. I shouldn’t feel this depressed and uncertain
about going to the mall. I continued on, ignoring the sounds behind me, certain
I was imagining things. No one would follow me. No one had a reason to follow
me. The sound had to be rats or something in the trash. When had I decided to
come this way? Yeah, it was a shortcut, but this was really a bad idea. My
heart was pounding against my chest so fast that I was certain it would just
fly out and hit somebody down the street.
“Korah,” a voice said behind me. It was
familiar and sent a chill from the top of my spine all the way down to my toes.
My breathing quickened. Anxiety took over. My
hands shook like an earthquake, the palms sweaty. I turned, knowing he would be
there. I was terrified of seeing him again. “Christopher.”
“You been running from me,” he stated. His
eyes devoured me. His gaze stopped at my lips, my breasts, and my legs, finally
moving back up and capturing my eyes. He made me uneasy. I knew the look below
the surface of his ogling. They held the same look all the other times before
he lost it, his anger completely taking over.
I had
to get out of here, to get away, needed to get help. “You know I haven’t,” I
stuttered. I took a few steps back, hoping he wouldn’t notice.
“Oh, yes, you have,” he snarled, following my
move and stepping closer.
Two more steps back. “We’re through
Christopher,” I said sternly.
Cracking his knuckles, he gave me the
signature Christopher grin and was beside me in an instant. “We’re only through
when I say were through,” he whispered. His hands grabbed my upper arms before
I could get away.
His
fingers dug into my skin so hard that I knew it would bruise, but I refused to
whimper, refused to cry. I wouldn’t let him get the best of me again.
“Christopher, let me go!” I yelled. I prayed someone could hear me, would save
me, would call the cops, get help, anything to get me away from him.
He shook me hard, rattling my head. He pushed
me against the brick wall, scratching my back. “Listen here, you bitch. I know
you ran around telling everyone I hit you, that I was oh-so-abusive to you,” he
mocked, putting his lips right up to my ear. His breath was hot on my skin, yet
it sent a chill through my body, piercing my heart. “You’re going to be
punished for what you’ve done, Korah.” His green eyes held a deathly cold
gleam, causing my heart rate to spike.
He pinned me to the wall with his leg,
snaking his greedy hands up to my throat. I knew it was coming; the reason I
broken up with him before, the reason I ran from him. Strong fingers clasped
around my neck, squeezing it slowly, cutting off my air supply. Trying not to
panic, I breathed through my nose, but it was too late. He was closing my
esophagus. Closing my eyes, I knew I must think, I needed a plan to get out of
this, he would kill me if I didn’t. He kept his grip tight, not squeezing any
harder, but he didn’t let up, either. His lips found my cheek, then my ear,
where he whispered words of love and desire, but they were all lies. He didn’t
love anyone, not even himself. Biding my time, I waited until he shifted his
body. I brought my knee straight up into his groin, bone connecting with his
tender flesh. He groaned, and in the instant, he let go. He dropped to his knees,
clutching himself. I took a chance, kicking him once and then ran as fast as I
could out of the alley. I stumbled and made it to the street, gasping for
breath.
I fell to the sidewalk, running into a woman
holding the hand of a small child as I descended. “You okay?” she asked, her
eyes landing on the bruises I was sure had already formed as she helped me up.
The tears in my eyes threatened to spill as I
shook my head no. She glanced behind me, placing her free hand on the small of
my back, and guided me away. She took me to her car, instructing me to sit
while she called the police. She stared at me for a few moments, then decided
she needed an ambulance instead. I didn’t speak, didn’t really know what to
say. The embarrassment of knowing she saw me this way was too much. Listening
to the small child chatter away, I sat and waited. The kind woman didn’t ask
any questions, though, and the pity in her eyes was almost too much. She opened
and closed her mouth several times, looking more like a fish than a person, but
never asked what she was dying to know. Finally, the ambulance showed up,
whisking me away. I got a quiet thank you out before they closed the door. The
small child’s hand waving at me was last thing I saw before we left.
###
Memories of past flooded my mind, every
single one was fresh, replaying over and over. The abuse hadn’t started until
we’d been together for a while. It was slow at first, emotional and mental,
before it finally turned physical. The night he choked me, holding me dangling
against the wall by my neck with my legs fighting against him was the night I
left. I was too chicken to call the cops, but I wished I had now. Maybe he
wouldn’t be following me.
The emergency room cleared me, saying the
bruises would hurt but there was no permanent damage. The cops came for a
statement, and I got a restraining order. It wouldn’t stop Christopher from
coming for me, nothing would. I tried calling Leela and Windi, but they didn’t
answer. I didn’t know who else to call. Dane’s name and number stared back at
me from my phone. Scared and alone, I did the only thing I could think of and
pushed call.
“Korah!” He exclaimed, not even saying hello.
“Dane? Are you busy?” I timidly asked him.
“No, of course I’m not. What do you need? Do
you want talk?” he quizzed. He sounded excited.
“Not exactly. I need a ride,” I responded.
“Of course, I’ll come get you. Where you at?”
I paused, unsure about his reaction once he
heard where I was. “I’m at the hospital.”
###
He stormed through the doors, which I didn’t
even know was possible, considering they were sliding doors, but he somehow did
it. The distraught look on his face was unexpected. He seemed more than
curious, he seemed…concerned. I rose from my chair, giving him a small wave as
he rushed toward me. He stopped when he saw the bruises, his eyes staring at
the dark handprint around my neck. I knew it was worse than it was earlier. It
would get even worse than it was now, according to the staff. He stumbled
forward, his eyes wide.
“Korah are you
okay?” he asked.
I nodded, but it was a lie.
“Wait… What happened?” he questioned,
blinking several times as if that would make the bruises he saw disappear.
“Can it wait until we get to the car?” I
asked, looking around, seeing all the people watching our interaction
“Yeah,” he nodded. “Can we go now?”
I nodded. He reached down, taking my hand in
his; he could probably feel the shaking on his palm. He seemed to care as he
traced a small circle on top of my fingers. The small move actually calmed me a
bit, and my heartbeat finally returned to normal after all these hours. Had it
been hours? It felt like hours. I wasn’t even sure how long I’d been there.
Dane led me outside and opened the car door
for me, before getting in the driver seat. He gripped the steering wheel, his
knuckles white, and finally gazed at me. “Korah, who did that to you?” he
demanded, his voice was full of anger, hatred.
Twisting my hands in my lap, I lowered my
head. When my voice finally came to me, I whispered, “My ex-boyfriend, Christopher.”
Korah,
my beautiful, lovely Korah, sat beside me, her neck black and blue, getting
darker by the second. Her shaky hands gripped the dashboard.
My Korah?
I couldn’t think about that
now. She was here beside me, bruised and shaken to her core. I needed to find
out what happened, had to find out why. “Korah? Can you tell me what happened
today, baby?”
Her dark locks fell around her face,
shielding her eyes. She shook her head, hair flying everywhere. “Dane…I…I don’t
know if I can. I’m sorry had to call you. No one else was available.”
“I’m glad you called me. It’s what I’ve been
wanting for two weeks now. I realized my mistake after I freaked out and left.
I’m so sorry, Korah. I hope you can forgive me, but we’ll talk about that
another time. Right now we need to get you home and safe.” I reached over,
placing my hand on top of hers, giving a gentle squeeze. She didn’t flinch,
which I supposed was a good sign, so I leaned over, pulling the seat belt
around her and buckling her in. I suspected her arms were also bruised, because
the slightest touch brought a pained wince to her face. Her head lolled to the
side, resting against the window, and she closed her eyes.
I didn’t bother her as I drove, being careful
to pay attention to the road instead of her. I didn’t know what exactly
happened, but when I found the guy who did this to her, well, he would regret
it.
###
“Korah? We’re at your apartment,” I said
softly, rubbing my knuckle over her cheek.
She whimpered, then opened her eyes, which
were wide and scared. “Dane?” Her voice was shaky, terrified, and it killed me.
I nodded, “Yeah, it’s me. I just picked you
up at the hospital, remember?”
“The doctors gave me some sort of medicine to
relax me or something. Sorry,” she said. Quivering hands moved and rubbed her
face. She pulled on the mirror, taking a closer look at her neck, and tears
began to fall. Her body was racked with sobs. I needed to get her inside.