“Is that really necessary, Cecilia?” Miranda placed a handon my shoulder. “Please forgive her. She’s been in love with Kain forever.”
Rolling her eyes, Cecilia rose from her seat. “Excuse me, ladies. I need some air.”
When she turned to walk away, I noticed a flower tattoo down her back. Had Kain done it?
“Just ignore her,” said Diane, a friendly obstetrician at UMass Memorial Hospital.
“May I ask if they dated?” I looked at the ladies.
“No.” Katie, a science professor at Worcester State University, placed her champagne flute down. “I don’t know the details, but she asked him out several times, and he declined.”
Intrigue sparked, but I didn’t ask more questions about Cecilia. I didn’t want the evening to be about her. After learning more about my new friends, I excused myself to use the restroom, taking my purse with me.
After washing my hands, I exited the bathroom, and my stomach clenched.
“Eva!” Dennis approached in a dark suit and slicked-back blond hair. Leering at me, a wicked smile spread across his face.
“You must be waiting for me, huh?” He looked proud and annoying.
“I’m not.” I walked past him, but he gripped my arm. “Leave me alone.” I tried to wriggle free from his tight grasp but failed. He was too strong. I could probably use the few self-defense skills I learned, but fear paralyzed me. This was what Kain had mentioned during class. To help my body remember what it had to do, I had to keep practicing.
Dennis gripped both my shoulders, pushed me against the wall, and kissed me.
I shoved at him, scratched his neck, and even lifted my knee trying to injure his groin. But none of that stopped his assault.
“Stop!” I shouted as fear and adrenaline shook me. “Help me!”
“Get away from her.”
It took me a second to register whose voice it was. Dennis was thrown to the ground, sliding on the marble floor and slamming against the wall. Shock had him blinking at me, then at Kain.
Dennis jumped to his feet, looking pissed. “Who the fuck are you?”
“Your fucking nightmare.” Kain stepped in front of me. “You go near her again, and I’ll kill you.”
“I’m her boyfriend.”
“You are not!” I exclaimed, then looked at Kain. “We broke up over a year ago.”
“You hear that?” Kain asked, his face transforming into something dangerous.
I placed a comforting hand on his arm.
The gesture angered Dennis even more. He stepped up to Kain, who was a lot bulkier, and spat. “Do you know who I am?”
“I don’t give a shit who you are.” Kain eyed him, a muscle twitching in his jaw. “Touch my woman, and I’ll break all your bones.” He leaned in closer, but I heard him. “You wouldn’t be the first. So don’t tempt me.”
Dennis threw a fist at Kain, and my heart almost leaped out of my chest. The fist didn’t land. Pissed that he missed, Dennis pulled his arm back again, preparing for another attack. But before he could move, Kain connected his powerful fist with Dennis’s face, and a tooth clanked to the floor with blood smearing his lips and chin.
“You asshole!” Dennis swiped at his lips with the back of his hand.
I didn’t know what to do. Dennis’s temper was unpredictable, and I didn’t want Kain to get hurt.
“You want to lose more teeth?” Kain clenched his fists, looking like an angry titan.
“You’re making a mistake.” Dennis glared at Kain. “I’ll sue your ass off.”
“Be my guest.” Kain took one step toward him, but Dennis retreated one step back. “Let me be clear—if you bother Eva again, Iwilldestroy you. That’s a promise.”
