from Pain to Pleasure (Gainesville Book 1) (18 page)

She continued, sure Alex had to know the whole story. “My dad beat me until I admitted I cheated. Then he—he di—didn’t stop.” She took in a shaky breath. No one knew the story outside of those involved.

Alex sniffled himself. He felt her pain and couldn’t hold back tears anymore. “I’m so sorry.” He hugged her tightly. “I won’t let him do it again.”

“He never did,” Danielle softly told him then continued, “Brian heard me scream and ran to my room. By then, I was bleeding all over and going into shock. Brian grabbed the belt and smacked my dad with it a few times, shouting, ‘How do you like it, huh? How about I beat your ass to a bloody pulp?’ Then he wrapped me in my blanket and rushed me to the hospital.” She closed her eyes and felt the sting of the wounds again.

Alex pulled her as close as he could. “Thank God he showed up.” He kissed the top of her head. He never thought he would side with Brian on anything, but Brian did the right thing that day.

She had nestled on his bicep before she continued. “When the hospital filed a police report, he wouldn’t let me go home. I moved in with him. He had his own place…”

Why Brian had to get that place came to her. He had finally turned on his father when he was 17. When his dad pulled at his pajama bottoms, he turned over and kicked him in the head. Then Brian flipped out and beat his father into unconsciousness. His mother threw him out when she busted into the room and saw what happened. She had never believed that his father molested him.

Alex lifted her chin. “What aren’t you telling me?” She stared at him blankly. “You stopped talking. That usually means you’re reliving something. Tell me. Please.”

“It’s about Brian. Not me.”

His thumb moved over her lip. “It’s bothering you. That means it’s important to me.”

“No one else knows, though.” She looked into his eyes. “Just me, Brian and his father… Well, his mother thinks it’s a lie.”

Alex’s eyebrows went up. “I won’t tell anyone.”

“His dad… touched him.” She wasn’t sure how else to say it. “Every night. He can’t even hold me naked without flashbacks.”

Shock registered on Alex’s face. It was the last thing he expected to hear, but it was the final piece of the puzzle. “He got his own place to get away from his dad?” She nodded. He took a minute, unsure if he should ask. “When did he start hitting you?”

Danielle stared at him.
How did he know?
“The night I moved in.” He also told her she owed him. She agreed with him. He had saved her life.

“That’s how he controlled your behavior?” Alex knew he dug deep, and that she did not want to go there, but he needed the whole story. Someone with Brian’s past and his mental issues had to do far worse than what she had admitted to.

She bit her lip. “Sometimes.” It was weak and unsure.

“And the other times?” He watched her struggle. “You told me he punishes you. How?”

She dug her nails into his back. “I can’t.”

“Don’t do this again.” Alex was frustrated she hid so much from him. “It’s been bothering me a long time.”

Her bottom lip trembled as she spoke. “He holds me down and—and he…” She shuddered and sniffled. It was hard not to bawl again. “He…”

“He rapes you? Doesn’t he?”

She nodded, and then started to sob.

Alex cradled her body against his. “It’s OK.”

He had known that had to be it for a while. It was the fear of sex that told him. That meant she probably had scars inside and out, mind and body. It also meant Brian was more than just a psychopath. He was a smart one. Brian knew how to scare her from afar. He made her fear other men. Then he remembered she said his friends touched her. He wondered how far they were allowed to go before she was punished for “letting" them do it.

When Danielle had calmed down, she looked up at Alex. “If he finds out what we did, he’ll kill me.” It was something she always feared but never voiced. “He’ll wait until I’m alone.”

He put a hand on the back of her head. “Don’t tell him about us. Just break up with him. When he comes home, I’ll stay in my room. Just scream if he does anything.”

She lifted her head and looked at Alex. “He’s coming home for Christmas. How can I do that to him then?”

“How can you not?” He gazed deeply into her eyes. “He’s out of his mind. You need to get away.”

She laid her head on him again. “I’ll tell him, but we can’t be a couple until then. Can you wait for me that long?”

“I’ll wait as long as you need me to.” His heart broke to say it, but he would rather have her someday than never.

They returned to Gainesville late that evening. Danielle stepped out of Alex’s car. She sniffled and tried to hold back a new round of tears. Brian called while they were on the road. He swore he heard Alex in the car. Brian actually had, because Alex didn’t know why Danielle waved at him. Brian went crazy and threatened her with a beating again. As if she weren’t already frightened, he told her to expect a visit from someone but didn’t say who. The rest of the trip, she shook. She regretted all her thoughts that she could lead a normal life.

Alex looked up at their semi-dark building. The entire trip home he thought about the time he spent with Danielle up in Tennessee. He had been happy that she finally decided she would leave Brian for him although it would take a few months. Then that dickhead had to call her and shake everything up. He could hear Brian shouting. She was hysterical afterward. She wouldn’t tell him what Brian said. They had spent the last three hours in silence.

A metallic blue 1969 Chevy Nova was parked in front of their building, and it distracted Danielle. She stared at it. It wasn’t a common car. She swore she had seen it before but couldn’t place it. No one was inside. She tried to rack her brain to remember who owned one that she knew.
It’s almost 11:00 at night. Who could it be?

Marie noticed the tension between Alex and Danielle. She wished there was something she could do. She felt Danielle needed him to heal.
At least they fucked
. She grinned and imagined Alex naked. Logan was a good lay, but he was no Alex. She had heard Alex could make a woman come so hard she couldn’t move afterward.

Logan grabbed Marie’s bag from the trunk. He saw her glance at Alex. He was glad Alex had promised he wouldn’t touch her. At that point, he knew Alex only had eyes for Danielle though.

“Danielle, you OK?” Logan looked down at her pale face.

She looked back at the Nova again. She remembered who had a car like that. Jeff. However, those tacky fuzzy dice hung from his rearview mirror. The car in front of them didn’t have those. It couldn’t be his. She nodded at Logan, not sure she was. For some reason, she felt eyes on her.

Alex caressed Danielle’s cheek with a finger. “What’s wrong?” He could see fear in her eyes. “What scared you?”

“Nothing.” She pulled away and headed to the building’s entrance.

Everyone soon followed Danielle. As they walked, Alex scanned their surroundings to find what spooked her. He didn’t see anyone or anything. He stayed back, in case someone
was
watching. The last thing Danielle needed was someone to tell Brian he was with her.

When they got to their end of the hallway, no one else was around. Alex picked up Danielle’s hand. “You’re safe, Danielle.”

She looked up at him. “You sure?”

“Yes.” He glanced around quickly, and then kissed her lips softly.

Marie opened their door. “No one will hurt you with all of us around.” She walked into the room and put her purse down on her desk. “How about we all sleep in here? Will you feel safe then?”

Alex set Danielle’s bag by the closet and watched Danielle slowly sit on her bed. She was obviously nervous. He hoped she agreed to Marie’s idea. When she hadn’t responded after several minutes, he sat next to her and picked up her hand.

“Trust me to keep you safe. Please.” He lifted her chin and looked into her eyes. “I won’t let you get hurt. I’ll protect you.”

She shook her head. “We’re not together. This isn’t right.”

“You need me.” He needed her as well, but she didn’t need to worry about that.

Danielle looked around. “This doesn’t mean we’re a couple. OK?”

“Fine.” Alex glanced at Logan. “No one will hurt you tonight.” He rubbed her nose with his. “I won’t leave you.”

Logan sat on Marie’s bed. “I’ll be here, too.” He saw her shaky hands and the fear in her eyes.

Danielle nodded. She finally believed that nothing bad could happen with the three of them there. “I’m going to get changed.”

“Wait. I’ll go with you,” Marie announced. She also worried someone had watched them outside.

When everyone was in bed and the lights were out, Alex pulled Danielle close and whispered, “I love you, beautiful.” He kissed her lips twice, and then groaned softly as his dick started to harden. He slowly ran a hand down her back. Her pajamas were such soft cotton. “You make me so crazy.”

She felt his partial erection. “No, Alex.” She pushed him back.

“Relax. I’m not gonna try to have sex with you.” He exhaled slowly. “Please trust me.”

“Sorry.” She closed her eyes and tried to sleep.

Alex turned back to glance at the bed across the room. The quiet moans and movement he could see told him they were fucking. He didn’t think it was fair but knew Danielle was not remotely in the mood. If she were, he doubted she would let him do anything. He could care less if Marie and Logan watched him make love to her, but she was shy.

Danielle relaxed when Alex kissed her head. She couldn’t shake Brian’s words, though.
Who is he going to send? What are they going to do? What if they see Alex in my bed?
She took in a shaky breath. So many images came to her. It quickly overwhelmed her.

“I’m right here,” Alex assured her. “Please don’t be scared. No matter who he gets to spy for him, I won’t let them hurt you.” Her hands on his bare back trembled. He felt so bad he couldn’t soothe her. Slowly, he ran his fingers through her hair. “Close your eyes and imagine what it’ll be like when he’s out of your life.” He hoped she still planned to leave him.

Her hands balled up. Then she did as Alex said. Without Brian, she would be free to date Alex. She smiled and held him tightly. The last few stressful hours faded while she pretended time had flown by, and Brian was already history.

* * *

“No, Brian!” Danielle woke up with a scream. She had never had a nightmare so real.

Alex immediately wrapped his arms around her. “It was just a dream.” He rubbed her back. “It’s OK, babe.”

Danielle stuttered, “He—he—he killed… you… Please, Alex. He can’t know. Please.”

“She OK?” Logan asked. He still held Marie, who was asleep.

Alex looked over at his roommate. “Nightmare. She’s OK. Go back to sleep.” Suddenly there was a loud rap on the door. Logan and Alex glanced at each other with wide eyes. “Oh shit,” Alex whispered. He didn’t want his voice to be heard.

“Danielle, open up!”

Alex did not recognize the voice.

Danielle did. “No. Don’t let him. Please. Please,” she begged Alex, terrified.

“It’ll be OK. I got an idea. Go to the door.” Alex quietly got out of bed and crossed the room. “Duck under the covers,” he told Logan, who complied. Alex climbed into Marie’s bed.

Marie woke up and felt the two male bodies that surrounded her. She grinned, sleepily, and then met Alex’s eyes. “Funny meeting you here.”

Alex put a finger over her lips. “Shh. One of Brian’s friends is at the door.” He tried not to touch any part of Marie’s naked body.

She looked past him to Danielle, who slowly made her way to the door. “You better kiss me, so it looks good.”

“Open the door, Danielle. Now!”

She turned around and saw Alex on top of Marie. A pang of jealousy stabbed her heart, but he had to do something to explain his presence. She shakily turned the knob and looked up at Jeff. “What do you want, Jeff?” She said his name, so Alex knew who he was.

Jeff grabbed her and pushed her into the far wall. “Brian told me to come and check on you.” He winked at her and grinned. “If you have a guy in here, we’re going for a little trip to somewhere more private.”

Danielle cringed as his hand traveled down her body. Her mind went blank. Everything from the self-defense classes was gone. Jeff rubbed her through her pajama bottoms. She looked to Alex, whose head was turned away.

Jeff leaned down and whispered, “You were so good last time.”

Alex was as quiet as possible so he could hear. He knew exactly what Brian’s brother meant. “Moan,” he told Marie.

“Rub your dick on me,” she softly pleaded, already horny as could be.

With an apologetic look toward Logan, he ground his hips against her pussy.

Jeff looked up at the long moan. He saw two topless bodies in the far bed. He watched as the girl beneath arched her back. It looked like they were fucking.

Marie reached down and pushed Alex’s boxers lower, which exposed his cock. Then she wrapped her fingers around it. She smirked at how thick it was. It was bigger than Logan’s.

“Cut it out,” Alex softly demanded. “This is just for show.”

Marie met his eyes. “You should really fuck me. So it looks good.” Logan bit her nipple and punched Alex’s side. “Sorry.” Marie had forgotten Logan was there. She had wanted Alex so long, she lost her head. “Oh God!” she cried out, to fake an orgasm.

“Damn.” Jeff was disappointed. The guy was with her roommate. He left Danielle and walked over to the bed. “Was anyone else in here?”

Alex lifted his head. “What the hell, man? I’m trying to fuck.”

Jeff smiled as Alex shifted, and Marie’s breasts came into view. “Sorry, but I’m looking for someone. You seen a guy named Alex?”

“That’s me. What d’ you want?”

With a look of surprise, Jeff asked, “You’re Alex? But I thought—”

“Dude, go away.” Alex’s dick was rock-hard because of Marie. He didn’t know how much longer he could stand being on top of her.

Marie looked up, and then gasped as Alex pushed his erection against her again. “Alex is
my
boyfriend, and we’re fucking. So leave or shut up.”