Conflicted (Everlasting Love)(13)

Spying a shovel near the door, Desiree extended her body, reached for it, pausing only a second as she waited to feel her hand close around the wooden handle. But that moment of hesitation was all it took for him to be on her, one hand shoving her face into the ground as his other lifted her dress and ripped frantically at her pink lace underwear.

“No! Please, no!” The words were torn from her against her will, shrill cries that sounded nothing like her voice. She tried to move, her fingers clawing at the ground as she twisted against him. But he was on top of her and he outweighed her by at least sixty pounds.

Tears streamed down her face as strangled sobs tore through her chest. She wanted to scream, to beg, to plead, but he was too heavy and she couldn’t breathe. She heard the rasp of his zipper, felt her dress tear again as the lack of air caught up to her and the world slowly turned gray around the edges.

“Steven, please.” The words were hardly more than a whisper, the fight all but gone from her as she began to float silently away. Her lungs shuddered, desperate for air as tears leaked slowly down her chin to mingle with the dirt beneath her cheek.

She felt so heavy, as if she weighed a thousand pounds. Much too heavy to move or struggle. Desiree’s eyes drifted slowly shut despite her determination to fight. She felt him push against her, heard a bellow of rage that didn’t register.

She heard a scream from far away, followed by a crash and then, suddenly, she was free. Her lungs were on fire as she sucked in gulp after gulp of oxygen.

She could hear Steve whimpering behind her, could hear the slap of flesh hitting flesh. She struggled to her hands and knees and tried to get to her feet, but her legs felt like jelly.

“Stay there, Desiree. Don’t move.” Jesse’s voice bit off the words, and relief pumped through her. They were only five words, but they were the five sweetest words she’d ever heard. Jesse was here. Everything would be okay. She would be okay.

Another crash, another groan. She turned in time to see a bruised and bloody Steven hit the wall face-first. “Are you okay?” It was Jesse’s voice again, harsher than she’d ever heard it. She stared at him, watched his eyes burn with a rage so black it nearly frightened her.

“I’m fine, Jesse.” Her voice was hoarse, raw. Jesse snarled at the sound, his eyes taking in her torn dress and mud-streaked face, her bruised flesh and shaking body.

With a growl of fury, he buried his fist in Steven’s stomach. The power of the blow drove Steven to his knees and he knelt on the ground, retching. His clothes were now as torn and dirty as hers, his nose bled profusely and his arms were wrapped defensively around his stomach when Jesse reached down and grabbed him by the back of his shirt.

All but carrying him from the barn, Jesse stopped at the door and pinned Desiree with a look that demanded obedience. “Don’t move until I get back. I need to check you for injuries.”

Desiree watched Jesse propel Steven forward without breaking a sweat. She was still on her hands and knees and suddenly incredibly conscious of what she must look like. She pushed herself up, struggling to her feet. She tried to get to the door and see what Jesse would do to Steven, but her shaky legs refused to support her.

“I told you not to move,” Jesse said as he entered the barn and crossed the space between them quickly. “I meant it.”

“I’m fine,” she said from between her chattering teeth.

“Shut up.” His voice was low and tender as he crouched next to her, his hands running over her neck, down her arms and across her torso as he searched for injuries. “Did he—”

“No,” she answered loudly, interrupting him before he could say the ugly word. “No,” she repeated more softly as she looked into Jesse’s concerned face.

“Are you sure?” He was looking at the torn skirt and the ripped bodice of her fancy dress.

Color stained her cheeks and she crossed her arms defensively over her bare breasts. “I’m fine, Jesse. You got here before—” Her voice broke. “You got here in time.”

“I’m glad, darlin’.” His voice was thick as he slipped off his blue T-shirt and helped her pull it over her head. “So damn glad.”

“Me, too.” She looked away, unable to bear the pity and kindness reflected in his eyes.

“Are you hurt? I didn’t feel anything broken, but that doesn’t mean—”

She shook her head as tears clogged her throat. She wanted to be anywhere but here, to be with anyone but him. Though Jesse’s arms felt amazing and she could smell his scent from the T-shirt, she wished him far, far away. She was vulnerable, humiliated. She had wanted him for two years, had woven dreams around him. And the first time he’d seen her naked had been like this.

He grasped her chin with gentle fingers and turned her head until she was facing him. Desiree blinked rapidly, but there was no doubt he saw the tears, saw the embarrassment and the agony. “Let’s get you home to your mother,” he said, scooping her into his arms.

Despite the fear coursing through her and the aches in muscles she hadn’t known existed, Desiree turned her head into his chest. After all the hours and days and years of dreaming, it felt almost unreal to be held in his arms. She reveled in it, pushing Steven and what he’d almost done to the back of her mind. Then Jesse’s words registered and she began to squirm.

“No, Jesse! You can’t!” She pulled back, stared into his concerned, confused face.