Total pages in book: 44
Estimated words: 41097 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 205(@200wpm)___ 164(@250wpm)___ 137(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 41097 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 205(@200wpm)___ 164(@250wpm)___ 137(@300wpm)
“Thank you, Ice. That was the most wonderful experience of my life.”
“So far.” I gave her a wink. “Now. Much as I’d love to explore that sexy little body of yours, you’ve distracted me long enough.” I gave her what I hoped was a stern look but wasn’t sure I quite pulled it off. “Tell me about your time with this David guy.”
Chapter Six
Dawn
This was going to happen. I didn’t want to talk about it, but Ice was going to get this out of me. I knew that. The only question was did I try to fight it or surrender and let him know the power he had over me? I wasn’t sure why we’d just shared what we had -- Ice hadn’t come or even tried to do anything more with me -- but I knew I’d already given him more than I should have. Yet, I was giving him more. I knew I was.
“I don’t really know where to start.”
“How about from the beginning, honey. Always a great place to start.” He grinned at me as he pushed himself off me. If I thought he was going to give me a reprieve, I was wrong. Ice sat back against the headboard again, pulling me onto his lap once again. This time, however, he had me facing him, his hands on my hips.
With a heavy sigh, I began. “I have no idea why I chose the University of Kentucky to go to school. I wasn’t going into medicine and I wasn’t good at sports of any kind. But I loved Lexington and UK is only an hour and a half from Somerset. I was close to a club my dad trusted but still away from home so I could… I don’t know. Not be El Diablo’s daughter? No one in Kentucky other than Bones knew who Black Reign and El Diablo were.”
“So you wanted to be more than your father’s daughter.”
“Exactly! I love my dad, but I needed to get out from under his umbrella.”
He smiled at me. “I hear you. Go on.”
“Well, I wanted to teach math in high school. So, my adviser loaded my schedule with a pretty full first, then second, semester. That was when I met David. He was in one of the calculus classes I was taking. We went out a couple of times before things started to get a little intense.”
“What do you mean by intense?”
I shrugged. “He started pushing me to have sex and I didn’t want to.”
“That when he hit you?”
“No. That came later. I said he hit me when I wouldn’t have sex with him, but I honestly think it was more than that. I had a better grade than him at the midterm. But it wasn’t just that. More than one of my projects got the highest score in a class of over fifty students. David was consistently in the bottom third.”
“So, he couldn’t handle you outperforming him.”
“That’s what I think. After our grades came in at the midterm, he followed me to my dorm. He’d walked me up several times before so it wasn’t anything unusual. But when we got there and my roommate wasn’t there, he forced his way inside and told me he was tired of waiting. I refused, fighting him as hard as I could. He backhanded me.” I wanted to stop there, hoping I’d given him enough of my story he’d think that was it.
Ice was silent for a moment, looking at me steadily. It was like he was trying to see inside my head to my memories of that day while I tried desperately to keep him out.
“What else happened, Dawn? Tell me the rest of it.”
“That’s it.” I bit my lip, looking away. Yeah. I was a horrible liar.
“What did I tell you about lying to me?”
“I don’t want to tell you.”
“Tough.”
“Kiss my ass?”
His lips twitched. “Yeah. Happily. But you’re still gonna tell me what that son of a bitch did.”
I sighed, defeated. I knew I wasn’t going to win this one. “I really don’t want to talk about it, Ice. But…” I closed my eyes and turned my head. I could feel tears burning and my throat closing. “It was the worst night of my life. He knew what he was doing because not one single blow landed where anyone could readily see, so I’m pretty sure he’s done it before.” I took a deep breath. Though I’d changed out of my wet clothes with him right behind me, Ice had been very careful to keep his back to me and I’d been careful to make sure he was being careful. It wasn’t because I was modest.
Slowly, so Ice could stop me if he wanted to -- giving me the excuse I needed not tell him -- I pulled my shirt over my head before laying it down beside me. I could feel his gaze moving over me like a burning flame. I knew what my torso looked like. It was mottled with bruises. My hips and upper thighs were as well, though he couldn’t see them. Yet.