“I’ve got your bed turned down,” Braden said.
Kane started up the steps with her, and the other two followed. She rested her head on his shoulder and with her arm bent around his neck, she felt so safe and secure, she didn’t know why she had to finally cry. She’d resisted the urge until right then. Right when she needed to feel the most secure, she started bawling like a baby.
Picking up his pace, Kane carried her to his room. He knelt down on his bed. “Peyton, honey, what is it?” He brushed her hair away from her face as she looked from one brother to the next.
“I’m…just…I’m just…”
“You’re tired, baby.” Evan scooted closer to her and wrapped her in his arms. “You’re safe now, Peyton. We’ve got you.”
“Some of the cops said if you hadn’t thought as quickly on your feet as you did then…” Braden shuddered.
“I was scared,” she said.
“You were brave, Peyton,” Evan said. “Very brave.”
Kane stood up and walked over to his window. He glared down at the lawn like he was watching for someone. His rigid body drew her naked eye, and she was afraid to look away. He had something to ask, and she fully expected it. In fact, she was surprised it took this long.
“Did he touch you inappropriately?”
She closed her eyes as she remembered Stephen’s hands on her knees a few times, trailing up her thigh once and smacking her so many times, she lost count. “No, he didn’t.”
Braden gathered her in his arms and kissed her cheeks and forehead. “You’re sure, Peyton?”
“I’m sure.” But she knew they didn’t believe her by the looks exchanged. She didn’t sound too convincing either.
“I need to talk to her,” Kane said.
“Kane, I think we all need to be with Peyton right now.”
Braden touched her face. “Can I get you anything, baby?”
She shook her head.
“I need five minutes alone with her and then you can stay all night. Give us five minutes,” he demanded. When he turned around, they were gone.
Kane propped his ass on the windowsill and acted like he waited on some sort of full confession. His eyes were misty, moist with more than the natural gleam from his pupils.
“I love you, Peyton. I will never love anyone the way I love you.”
“Kane…”
“No, let me finish.” He turned back to the window and took a deep breath, held it and finally let it go with a huff. “I would love you if-”
“Kane, he didn’t touch me. Not really.”
Kane marched over to the bed and gripped her shoulders. He shook her but it didn’t hurt. “No games, Peyton. Did he touch you or didn’t he?”
She swallowed tightly. “I’m assuming by the way you’re acting right now, he’s a very lucky man because if he had, if he had raped me, I see now you would’ve killed him.”
“And I still might. I want you to tell me where he touched you and how.”
“Kane he only touched my knee.”
His lips pursed and his lips curled into that dangerous sneer she hated. “And…”
“He slapped me a few times but you already…”
“And…”
“He…uh, that’s it.”
“Peyton?”
“And my inner thigh but I swear it, Kane that was it. He never touched me anywhere else.” She hit the high points and the low ones, what else did he want?
He squeezed her shoulders and started to release her but instead clutched her tighter and held her against his chest. “I thought I was going to lose you.” He caressed her back and held her head tightly against him. “If I’d lost you, Peyton, I don’t know what I would’ve done.”
“I’m right here, Kane. I’m always going to be right here for as long as you want me.”
She shivered as she moved away from him. “I think I’ll go back to my room so you can get some rest tonight.” She touched his cheek and saw the disappointment in his eyes. “Unless you want me to stay in here tonight.”
“I want you to stay,” he said. “With just me tonight.”
Evan poked his head in the room. “Pete called. We’re going to have to run down to the station and answer some questions too. Seems the fellow is going to file a civil suit since we beat him up pretty good. Pete said if Braden and I come on down and answer questions tonight, it might help us if he actually makes it to court with such charges.”
“All right. Be quiet coming back in. We’re going to bed now, and Peyton has to get up early for exams tomorrow.”
“How’d you know?” she asked.
“I know everything,” he said.
“Vicky told him,” Evan said with a grin. “Oh that reminds me. She was here earlier but her mom drove out to pick her up. Seems her dad didn’t want her out here all by herself while this was going on, and I don’t blame him. She called a few times though, and I guess you know she came right out here right after that creep grabbed you.”
“Yeah, that’s Vicky for you.”
“She’s a good friend to you, Peyton.” Evan smiled. “She’s a good friend to all of us because she helped us bring you back home.”
“Yeah, I owe her.”
Kane reached over and turned the lamp on. “Hit the light over there, Evan. It’s too bright in here.”
“I’ll bet. You two behave. I’ll see you in the morning.”
A few minutes after he left, Peyton stood up and started to wiggle out of her clothes. She fell down to the mattress as soon as she stood up. “I don’t know what’s wrong with me. I’m just tired, I guess,” She tried to explain when Kane rushed around to her side of the bed.
Kane stroked her cheek with the back of his hand. “You were struck hard a few too many times. Let me help you. Sit down.”
“Kane, I’m fine. You don’t have to worry about me. I promise. Everything is back to perfect again.”
“I’ll be right back.” He disappeared down the hall and she heard him in her room. She knew he went to get her favorite pajamas but right now, she didn’t want her PJs, she wanted to feel him against her skin as she drifted off to sleep. She wanted to know she was alive and he was alive.
She stripped off and slid in between the cotton sheets. Fighting off sleep, she tried to stay awake but failed miserably. The last thing she remembered was Kane crawling into bed. He mumbled something sweet and sexy against her lips before she drifted off to sleep.
Chapter 29
Two Weeks Later
Peyton stretched her neck and excitedly waved at Kane, Braden, and Evan.
“You act so silly about them,” Vicky said.
“Ridiculous,” Freda agreed.
“I’m still waiting for her to make her choice so the rest of us will have a shot,” one of the other girls said as she waved at her parents.
Peyton and Vicky exchanged knowing glances. Peyton studied Freda as her parents walked up and asked someone to take a picture of them.
After Freda’s parents took a few photographs of the girls, Peyton turned around and tried to find her men in the crowd once again. This time, they weren’t where she could see them.
She felt a sudden panic, and her chest tightened. She felt the loss just because she didn’t see them right away. God, she was in love. She was so in love that she didn’t think she’d make it five minutes without seeing one of her guys.
Vicky tugged her around then. “Come on. We leave our stuff here and march in. Hurry so we can see who we want to see before we go to the waiting hall.”
“The waiting hall?”
“Yup, that’s what they call the corridor in between the gyms. It’s the ‘waiting hall’ on graduation day.” Vicky grabbed her hand then. “And by the way, they must’ve had someone else’s seats. They moved over there.” She pointed to the second section of the gym and as soon as she did, they all waved like proud dads or brothers or worse still, boyfriends.
She gave them an oh-come-on-now look and rolled her eyes. Then she whispered to Vicky. “Do you think people know about my relationship with them?”