Moth to a Flame (22 page)

“What kind of costume is this?” I asked him, still dazed.

“Shh, honey. Don’t talk. You’re in shock right now. Did he hurt you?” he mumbled as a tear fell down his cheek.

Why is he crying? I am so confused.

And then, like a ton of bricks crashing down on me, I remembered. Sam had just attempted to rape me and gotten really close. Had Cale not come in at that exact moment, it would have been done. Comprehending the gravity of it all, I started to bawl my eyes out.

Cale just stroked my hair, saying, “It’s okay now,” over and over as he repeatedly kissed my face.

We hadn’t been sitting there for long when I heard a voice say, “Ma’am, we’d like to take your statement now.” It was an officer.

“Where is he?” I questioned with my eyes still buried in Cale’s chest. I was terrified of seeing Sam again.

“We have him in custody at the moment. An EMT is checking over his injuries right now. No worries though, ma’am. They’re outside,” he assured me.

I sat up to look at the young officer. Being that it was Halloween and he was clearly new to the job, it almost appeared as if he’d dressed up as a cop. Cale wrapped his arms around me protectively. Anj sidled up next to me and put her hand on my leg to comfort me.

After tearfully explaining to the officer the entire ordeal from the date last week to tonight’s attempted rape, I began to nod off sleepily. Cale pulled me closer and finished answering questions before the officer finally left.

“Cale, hon, you and Lia should stay here tonight. She looks in no shape to travel anywhere,” Anj told him.

Before he could answer her, I spoke up. “No, please. Cale, please take me back to your house. I can’t stay here!” I shrieked, feeling a panic attack forming at the thought of sleeping in the same bedroom I was almost raped in.

Cale stood up and brought me to my feet in front of him. “I’ll take her home.”

Anj and Deion exchanged sad glances but finally both nodded in agreement. As we left the room and passed through the house, I realized that everyone had gone home. I’d effectively ruined their party with my drama.

I felt numb as Cale helped me into the truck. Staring out the window, I kept thinking over and over about what had almost happened. I began to sob again because I was utterly horrified of the fact that Sam had almost fully taken advantage of me. Thank God he was finally in custody. He could rot in hell for all I cared.

WHILE I DROVE back to my place, I occasionally looked over at Lia. She was staring out the truck window, tears rolling down her face. I squeezed her hand and pulled it into my lap. She looked like a goddess that just came from battle. Her black makeup had run down her face. The red lipstick she was wearing was smeared over onto her cheek, where the motherfucker had tried to keep her mouth shut.

Just thinking of the events from tonight had my blood boiling. I had just made a drink tonight when someone started asking me what I had dressed as. We’d been having a friendly conversation before I excused myself, eager to get to my goddess. When I got to the bedroom and heard her tearful whimpers through the door, I just knew he’d finally found her. The moment I realized it was him on the other side of the door with my Lia, I lost it and broke the damn door down trying to get to her.

When I burst in and saw him holding her down with his pants at his ankles, I went crazy. I ripped him off her and pounded my fists into his face over and over again. He was going to fucking die by my hands. I would have smashed his face into a bloody fucking pulp, but Deion and another guy yanked me off of him. They dragged the asshole out of the room while I went to Lia. The shock had caused her to pass out, and I’d been sick with worry.

Now that we were driving home, I was still worried. The asshole would be going to jail, but it didn’t change the fact that Lia had been assaulted and was borderline catatonic. I hoped that, when I got her home and showered, she would begin to pull out of this state she was in.

After we parked in my driveway, I ran over to her side to help her out, leading her straight to the shower. Not sure if she wanted to shower alone or not, I started the water and turned to leave the bathroom.

“Don’t leave me!” she shrieked, her hands trembling.

“Okay, baby. I’m not going to leave you. Let’s get you clean,” I spoke softly to her.

I caught a glimpse of my reflection in the mirror and stilled. Blood was splattered all over my face and chest from when I’d beat the shit out of Sam. We definitely needed to shower because we both look like we’d been to hell and back.

“Do you need help undressing?” I asked her tentatively.

She shook her head and slipped off her dress. She was bare underneath, which caused me to feel rage at the thought of the ripped panties that had been taken for evidence by the police.

Lia stepped into the shower, and after I dropped my toga, I followed. She stood under the hot water, not moving as it cascaded over her head and down her face. She just stared down, stone-faced. Carefully, I soaped up the loofa and began slowly washing her body for her. Next, I took the washcloth and wiped the makeup off her face. After pouring some shampoo into my hand, I started washing her hair, and for the first time since I’d seen her tonight, she briefly smiled at me.

“Cale, you saved me,” she whispered. “Thank you.”

“Babe, no need to thank me. I promised you I would take care of you, and it fucking kills me that I was almost too late…” I trailed off.

Closing her eyes, she let the water run over her again. Quickly, I scrubbed the blood off my chest and face. She suddenly took the cloth from me and began rubbing it between her legs. With unexpected speed, she started scrubbing the hell out of that area. She was washing it so furiously that I thought she might hurt herself.

“Lia, that’s enough. You’re clean now.” My voice was firm.

When she ignored me and kept at it, I grabbed her hand and took the rag from her.

“No!” she cried out, trying to snatch it back from me.

I pulled her tight into my embrace to keep her still. She damn near collapsed as her body wildly convulsed while she wailed.

“Shhh, babe. I have you now. You’re safe. Let’s get you to bed,” I told her as I shut off the water.

When we got out, I reached for her towel, wrapped her up, and picked one up for myself. Slowly, I guided her into the bedroom and yanked the sheets back from my bed to where quickly she scrambled in. Climbing in after her, both of us still wrapped in our towels, I found the top of the covers and buried us underneath them.

I placed my arm across her midsection and hauled her closer to me. Her sniffling was dying down as she gave in to her exhaustion. Snuggling as close to her as I could get, I kissed the back of her head and fell asleep as well.

The morning light was shining in through the window as I watched Lia’s bare back rise and fall in a simple rhythm. I prayed that she would be better today. She had been through a terrifying trauma, and I wanted nothing more than for her to get past it.

I reached over and stroked her back with my thumb. The pattern of her breathing changed indicating she’d woken up. She rolled over to face me so that our chests were pressed against each other. When she looked up at me, I couldn’t help going in for a long, deep kiss. One of her hands snaked up my body and she threaded her fingers through my hair with the other. I sucked her sweet lip into my mouth and nibbled. A needful moan escaped her.

When my dick hardened between our bodies from the sexy sound, I felt her tense, instantly making me feel like an asshole. I started to withdraw from her, but she clutched onto me, wrenching me closer.

“I love you.” Her words made my heart soar. She gazed into my eyes as her hand slipped down around my dick.

“I love you too. You have no fucking idea how much I love you.” I hoped she could sense the honesty in my voice. As she began stroking my cock, I grew impossibly hard.

“Baby, I need to forget last night. I have to erase his touch and fill it with yours. Please make love to me,” she begged with tears in her eyes.

I could never deny her of anything she asked me.

CALE STARED INTO my eyes for a moment before nodding and placing a kiss on my forehead. He was treating me like porcelain, and it was getting old quick. I pushed him onto his back, needing to feel in control. Straddling him, I began placing kisses all over his sculpted chest. Sucking his nipple into my mouth, I bit down and he groaned.

Not wanting to waste any more time, I eased myself down onto his hardness, gasping at the pleasure of this position. Slowly, I rode him with deliberate movements, focusing on the way he felt. His hands had made their way to my ass and he gripped both sides, trying to hasten my pace.

When I sped up, he moved his hands to my breasts and started rubbing them hurriedly. This position was causing my orgasm to rapidly sneak up on me.

“Cale, I’m almost there!” I shouted down at him, pulling at my hair in anticipation.

“Me too, baby,” he panted out.

His body tensed underneath me, and his hot contents spilled into me, causing my body to splinter into an earth-shattering orgasm. After screaming out his name, I collapsed onto his chest, enjoying the quivers that were shaking my body. His powerful arms wrapped around my back as he held me as tight as he could.