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"He backed me up against the car and said he bet I was a wild fuck. He—" Holly's voice broke, and instinctively, he reached out and took her hand. She glanced down at their intertwined fingers but didn't pull away.
"He boxed me in against the car with his arms so I couldn't move. And when I told him to let me go—that I meant it—he told me he meant it, too. Then he grabbed my arm really hard."
A tear rolled down her cheek, and she brushed it away with the back of her hand. Fuck, he hated seeing this proud, independent, strong woman driven to tears like this.
It gutted him.
"It hurt," Holly whispered. "There wasn't anyone around, and his friends were just standing there, watching and laughing. Stupid fucking assholes. I couldn't even scream. I tried but n-nothing happened."
Her tears flowed freely then. "I was just frozen. I couldn't do anything." She shook her head. "My mind finally jolted into action because I pressed the panic alarm on the key fob. It scared them off."
The blind rage and anger he felt over what had happened to her shot his adrenaline into overdrive. He stood, dragging his hands through his hair, and began to pace. "Holly, you should go to the police."
"No. Look, they scattered. It's over and done with."
"But look at what he did to your arm! He shouldn't be able to get away with this."
"Eli, this is my decision. It's not easy for women to come forward about stuff like this, okay? And frankly, I don't want to put myself through all of that. Besides, I don't even know who they were. They're dust in the wind."
He sat back down and sucked in another breath. "Fuck. No, I get it. But Holly, why didn't you tell me?"
"I just couldn't." She drew her knees to her chest and bowed her head.
"But why?"
"Because I didn't want to break down like this in front of you."
"You were physically assaulted. You're allowed to be upset, pissed, angry, whatever."
"I know, but..." Holly shrugged. "I couldn't."
"After last night, I thought we were starting to trust each other. I've never told anyone about my mom until you. No one even knows she's living out here. And when I fucking melted down last night..." He sighed. "Let's face it, a panic attack and puking in the park isn't my finest moment, but you were there for that, and you helped me. I thought maybe you'd let me be there for you, too."
"I didn't even tell Penn." Holly sniffed, and he handed her a tissue. "I have a problem being open with people. With being vulnerable. I don't like letting people get too close."
"Me, too. See? We're more alike than you think."
"Oh, God." She let out a choked laugh. "I thought you were supposed to be trying to cheer me up?"
Despite his worry over how small and fragile she looked right now, and that damned bruised arm, he couldn't help but laugh, too. "Face it, we both don't like people seeing us with our soft underbellies exposed. But you need to know I'm not judging you, Holly. This whole thing? It doesn't make me think of you as weak. You're the toughest chick I know."
"Chick?" She raised an eyebrow. "Really?"
"Toughestwoman. But everyone needs a soft place to fall sometimes."
"And you're mine?"
"I could be." He squeezed her hand. "If you let me."
"Eli..."
"I know," he muttered. "I know. It's not professional."
Holly sank back against the cushions and grabbed a throw pillow, hugging it to her chest. "Well, it's not."
"I'm gonna be honest with you, Wilkes. If that guy was in front of me, he'd be getting a good old-fashioned epic beat down. I'd have zero problems handing him his ass. He wants to lay hands, he can fucking lay them on me. Not that he'd get very far."
A small smile crossed her face. "I don't know, Donnelley. I've seen you fight during a game, and, well..."
