Smoke

CHAPTER 14

I wake up and I can't breathe. The unwelcome weight of another human body, pinning me down. His heat slices through my unwilling body. My lungs are burning due to the deprivation of oxygen as the ruthless grip of his hand only tightens around my neck further.

Sharp pains shoot through my chest, blood being drawn to the surface of my skin by a set of unforgiving teeth.

Where am I? Wracking my brain for the memories missing in my mind. I was at the bar with a group of my guy friends. I thought I was brought back to a friend's house to crash? Wasn't I?

I tear my heavy eyelids open. They felt like cinderblocks...refusing to allow my consciousness to witness the deed being done.

Still, I manage. When I see his face...the face of someone I trusted. The one who was supposed to be protecting me...is hovering over me with the sheer predatory look of hunger all over his face. His dark eyes stare straight through me as if I wasn't actually real. I instantly knew my trust in him was a colossal mistake.

I was in too much shock to even try to speak...to scream. Why did this happen to me? What did I do to deserve such cruelty, that which is constantly ravaging, and demolishing my life?

The previously consumed alcohol, weighed down my limbs. Why couldn't I fight him off? I didn't really drink that much. The only thing my body could do is cry...cry until the Darkness consumes my consciousness once again.

I feel a pair of arms engross my body into a tight embrace. A hand strokes through my hair. I feel my body thrash in attempt to break free. My face is drenched by tears as I'm woken up by my own blood curdling screams.

"Austyn, wake up baby," a voice coos into my ear. I know that voice.

I pry my eyelids open and blink away the tears that blur my vision. I scan my room and see that it's still dark outside. I feel a large, warm hand settle on my cheek, causing my head to jerk around in surprise. My eyes settle on the owner of the warm touch.

"Dawson?" The raspiness of my voice brings the memories flooding back to me about my attack. I lick my dry lips and a metallic taste fills my mouth as fresh blood oozes over my tongue. I must've had a busted lip from last night that was split back open from my screams.

He shushes me as he reaches over and gently runs a thumb over my bottom lip to wipe away the remaining liquid crimson. He then uses the backs of his hands, removing the tears staining my bruised cheeks. With sad eyes he leans in to rest his forehead against mine. His hot, ragged breaths fan over my face, almost as though he knew what memories were haunting my dreams. If he did, he doesn't say.

"I'm so sorry, Austyn. I'm just so...so sorry," he whispers to me, softly pressing his lips over mine. As soon as it had happened, it is over just as quickly. My head is spinning, craving more of him.

I just shake my head, unable to give a coherent response. I don't want to talk about any of it. I delicately place both hands onto his chest and push him back on the bed so that he's lying flat. I wince at the sharp pain in my ribs as I shift my body to face him, wrapping my free arm across his chest and snake my fingers into his hair. I let out a strangled sigh and nuzzle my face in the crook of his neck, breathing in his beautiful musky scent.

His fingers mindlessly trace small circles along my arm, sending shivers throughout my body. I can feel a smile form on his face, letting me know that he could feel them on my skin.

I could stay like this forever. Being in his arms just makes me feel safe... like nothing bad would ever happen to me again. The steady thrum of his heartbeat eases my hectic thoughts, lulling me back into a deep, dreamless sleep.

***

I wake to the bed shifting a couple hours later. I can feel someone's stare burning into the side of my head, willing me to wake up. Even though the throbbing in my head is telling me to go back to sleep, I open my eyes, and peer up through my lashes to see a distraught Lily; tears pouring down her face as she lays beside me. There is so much hurt burning behind her big brown eyes.

Her mouth opens as if she wants to say something. Instead she closes it, before frantic sobs take her over. "I...I can't...I don't..." her palms come up to cover her face while her body tremors, clearly being overwhelmed with grief.

She doesn't finish her sentence. I wrap my aching arms around her, pulling her into my chest - allowing her to let it all out as I run my hands over her back, in hopes of taking away some of her pain.

As her tears run dry and my shirt becomes soaked in her tears, she finally takes a deep breath to steady herself.

"I don't know what I would've done if I lost you Benny," she breathes out shakily as I place a comforting kiss on her forehead and pull her closer.

"I'm here babe. I'm not going anywhere," giving her my best reassuring smile.

"You look like f*****g hell," she jokes, her voice still small as she tries to lighten the mood.

I chuckle, "You should see the other guy. Apparently I roughed him up pretty good, too."

She pulls back, my arms releasing her from my grip before she sits upright and tilts her head with a curious look that is now replacing her previous expression. "Who was the hot guy sneaking out of your room earlier?"

Suddenly, I remember that him being here wasn't a dream. My lips press into a straight line, realizing I completely forgot that I haven't told her about Dawson yet.

"Where is he?"

Her eyes narrow at me, "He told me he had to go handle some things but will be back later." She crossed her arms in front of her chest defiantly, "Don't ignore me Bennett. Spill."

Sighing, I tell her everything about him. From how I basically attacked him on the street, the pub, running into him at the gym - overhearing him and his friends, him showing up at my work...and that mind blowing make out session in the alleyway before his heartwarming speech.

Lily sat there speechless, her mouth hanging wide open. Slowly, a smile grows on the corners of her lips before an excited scream leaves her mouth, filling the room and making me flinch from the pain in my head.

"s**t sorry," she whispers, dramatically reaching for my head with both hands and cradling it lightly in her arms as she rocks back and forth in attempt to sooth the ache. I grunt as I move to sit up with her, sucking in a sharp breath through my teeth.

"Lil...I really need to shower. I have blood crusted in my hair and I feel like he is still all over me." I close my eyes, trying to shake the images from my head. "Can you please help me?" My voice cracks as I try to suppress the overwhelming feeling to cry. I hate feeling so helpless; where I need help doing something as basic as taking a shower or getting dressed. I'm mortified even having to ask.

"Of course love," her face falls, standing to walk around to my side of the bed. She reaches out to take both of my hands, slowly helping me to my feet and leading me to the bathroom.

She slips her fingers into the waistband of my bottoms, slipping them down before I step out of the seafoam colored pants. She then has me raise my arms as much as I can so that she can lift the scrub top over my head.

A gasp escapes Lily's lips, a hand shooting up to cover her mouth in horror. Fresh tears threaten to spill over as her wide eyes rake over my injuries.

Still unsure of the level of damage, I slowly turn to face the mirror that's positioned above the sink.

A sob slips from my lips as I take in the reality of what that man had done to me. The entire left side of my ribcage has a very prominent, basketball sized bruise that stretches across my skin. Purple fingerprints are peppered up and down my arms and neck from being grabbed too hard. There is a defined bite mark on my upper shoulder where each tooth can be successfully accounted for. My right cheek is swollen, clearly taking a punch that also blacked my now puffy eye. My eyes graze down to my busted lip, then slowly travel up to the two inch long cut that is stitched close right above my left eyebrow near my temple.

I stumble back into the door, my legs suddenly giving way under my body. I feel my surroundings start to spin as my lungs heave and I start hyperventilating.

Lily hoists me up from underneath my arms, trying to steady my body as she shifts my weight onto her shoulders. She takes a few deep, slow breaths for me to mimic along with her to help bring my breathing back down to a normal pace. She then guides me over to the shower, letting me get in first before she strips down to her underwear, stepping in behind me.

She tilts my head back, allowing the hot water to glide over me, washing away the events of last night. I hold myself up, placing one hand against the cold wall of the shower while the other grasps onto her shoulder. Her fingers gently rub the shampoo into my hair, being cautious of the wound on the back of my head. I glance at my feet, watching as the blood runs down my body before being washed down the drain.

Once she washes the rest of my body - twice for good measure, she pulls me out of the shower and wraps a towel around my shoulders. Her face never faltering from the stone cold expression she wore through the entire process.

We are both jolted from our unspoken thoughts as a series of knocks echo throughout the apartment.

"I'll be right back," Lily looks to me worriedly, sitting me down before swiftly exiting the bathroom to answer the door.

I hear multiple voices but am unable to make out what's being said. Although, I can tell that it sounds like there are more than just two people gathered in my living room right now. I hear footsteps coming closer and closer, until I see the handle of the doorknob twist, the door creaking open loudly.

Dawson slips into the bathroom, closing the door behind him, and kneels in front of me as I sit on the edge of the bathtub. He encases my face between his palms and pulls me in for another kiss. It is gentle, as if not to hurt me, but it's also full of need and hunger. The heat emanating from his body, heats me to the core. I nibble on his bottom lip, drawing out a deep groan from him. My thighs clench together to suppress my growing desire that's ferociously burning between them. f**k. Oh how I want this man!

He breaks the kiss, staring straight into my eyes as we try and catch our breaths. He rises to his feet, pulling me up with him. His eyes fall to my towel quickly before meeting my gaze once more.

"Can I see?" Pain immerses his face, and I know that he means my ribs; it's not just some pervy curiosity. "Lily told me...she said that it's bad. I just need to see. Please?"

My heart quickens. Not because I don't want him to see me naked, but because I don't want him to see me as physically broken on the outside, as I feel mentally and emotionally on the inside. Apart from the destruction forming on my body from last night, there are also years of scars that litter my body, to which I make a point of always keeping hidden. I hesitate for a few moments, trying to muster up some sort of bravery before I slowly lower my towel down to my sides, exposing more to this man than just my bruised ribs.