AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“Want me to carry you?” Beck asks. I shake my head and cringe when pain erupts in the side of my face. “Let’s get you inside,” he says as he wraps an arm around my waist leading me toward the house. I peer over my shoulder to see Corvin and Darius standing by the car staring at me. At the look of fury and pain on their faces I turn away. Cody and Katie stand there with tears trailing down their cheeks at the sight of me. Nathan rushes up to me, forcing us to a stop.
His eyes search mine for a second then he rushes past me toward the others. “I’m coming with you,” he says. I don’t have the energy to digest what they are up to. I smile at the girls, both of them stand there holding each other with heartache clear as day on their faces.
“You should see the other guy,” I rasp out, trying to lighten the mood. It doesn’t work, they both sob. Beck ushers me forward and up the porch steps, helps me inside and pauses in the living room.
“What do you need, babe?” he asks gently.
“A shower,” I answer instantly. I need to scrub his touch from my skin. A shiver of disgust rolls through me.
“Okay, come on,” he says quietly as he leads me to the stairs, helping me the whole way to the bathroom I shared with Darius. He releases his hold on me as he reaches into the stall and turns the shower on. I try to pull the shirt off but the pain in my side flares to life every time I move to lift my left arm. Beck steps in front of me and the distraught look on his face kills me. I don’t even have the guts to look at the mirror. If I hurt this much I can only imagine what I must look like to them.
“Can you help me?” I ask, a whoosh of air escapes him as he nods. He grips the hem of his shirt and slowly pulls it over my head, when a growl escapes him I peer down at my body and flinch. My left side is bruised already, my thong is torn, hanging to one side exposing the top of my pussy. My shirt is hanging on by one thin piece, the strap on my bra is torn and scratch marks cover my body. Beck reaches out and tears my shirt. I shrug the material off and stand here before him in my ruined underwear.
“I’m so sorry, babe.” The pain in his voice has me feeling the need to comfort him, I don’t get the chance.
“I got it from here,” Darius says as he comes to stand beside Beck. He runs his gaze over me, making me feel like I need to shield myself. I try to cover myself with my arms, but he isn’t having that. He darts forward, and I flinch involuntarily when he reaches out to me. A horrified look crosses his face. “Goldie…” he breathes out my name brokenly.
“I’m sorry,” I choke out, shaking my head. He slowly lifts his hands again to gently cup my face, careful not to apply too much pressure and cause me any more pain. He leans down resting his forehead against mine, I breathe him in trying to draw on what little strength I have inside me.
“Do you want me to help you get her in the shower?” Darius takes a shuddering breath as he slowly draws back but keeps his eyes on me.
“It’s up to her.” Darius answers quietly.
CHAPTER20
Darius
When she doesn’t answer I try asking again. “Do you want Beck in here to help?” I can hear the strain in my own voice. I hated having to ask that but right now, I would give her anything she wanted. The fear in her eyes when I reached for her will haunt me for the rest of my life. She darts her tongue out to moisten her lips before flicking her eyes over my shoulder to Beckett. My heart drops, she would rather he help her than me.
“Becky, can you get me some water and painkillers, please?” I try to keep the surprise from my face.
“You got it, babe. I’ll leave them on the side table in D’s room,” he says before he rushes off to do as she asks.
“Can you close the doors, please?” she asks quietly. I nod and do as she asked, closing and locking both doors before stepping in front of her again. I’m unsure of what the hell to do next. I fear with how angry I am, that if I touch her, I may cause her more harm. As if she can read my thoughts she speaks again. “Can you unhook my bra?” I nod and reach around her. She rests her forehead against my chest as I slowly push the straps down her arms, then kneel in front of her and slowly pull her ruined thong down her legs. I run my gaze along the inside of her thighs trying to spot any sign of bruising or… blood. “He never got the chance. I fought him, Darius,” she cries. I stand in front of her, hating the broken look in her eyes. “I fucking fought him… I didn’t… I wouldn’t let…” Sobs wrack her tiny frame and I curse before throwing caution to wind.
I strip off and gently wrap my arm around her trembling form and usher her into the shower. I gently angle her under the spray and have to take several calming breaths when blood begins to cover the tiled floor. Her cheek is split, her eyebrow is cut. Her nose has crusted blood but it’s not broken. Her bottom lip is covered in blood but no sign of a split. I gently run my hand through her hair, trying to get rid of the chunks in it. She reaches out and holds my waist letting me just comb my fingers through her hair.
“You’re the strongest person I know, Goldie.” She rests her head against my naked chest.
“I don’t feel very strong.” I gently lift her chin until her eyes are on mine, making sure she can see the seriousness in my eyes.
“You are, Leah. You have been through some fucked up shit and still you stand before me, unbroken and smiling. What Gary did to you…” I take a deep breath knowing this is overdue and needs to be said. “I should never have walked out on you that night. I allowed my trust issues from my past to bleed into what we shared. You needed me and I wasn’t there. The things I did and said to you when you got here was fucked up.” Fresh tears roll down her cheeks. “That night when that cunt played that tape, I should have been the one you came to, it should have been me that held you and helped you, not Beck. I’ll never forgive myself for that, Goldie. I’ve fucked up a lot but I’m standing here before you asking you to give me one more chance, allow me to prove to you that I am worth it. Let me love you like I should have years ago.”
“I want to believe you, I really do,” she breathes out.
“Today, when shit went down you didn’t call Beck or your brother, you called me. Why?” Her mouth opens but no words come so I push on. “You were screaming forme. You called my name, not Corvin’s or Beckett’s. Want to know why?” I don’t give her a chance to answer. “Because deep down you know that no matter what I said or did to you, when you need me, I’ll always be there. I’ll always come when you call.” It breaks me to say this but I know I have to. “If I’ve blown this and lost my chance, just tell me. I know Beck and you are close, it will flay me open to see you with him but—”
“I love, Becky,” she cuts in, and my heart shatters inside my chest. I drop my gaze to the floor, unable to move or speak through the pain. “But not like you think.” I snap my gaze back to hers. “Beck is like a… I don’t know how to explain it but he’s my Becky.”
“And what am I?” I push.
“My everything,” she whispers. My eyes search hers trying to see if she is lying but I see no sign of deceit.
“What does that mean, Goldie?” Her shoulders deflate.
“It means that I hate what you did to me and how you treated me but no matter how hard I tried, I couldn’t hate you. I wanted so badly to just to stop the hurt I was feeling but I couldn’t. I can never hate you because I love you too fucking much.”
“You love me?”
