Beginnings - The start of Hunted.

Chapter 8 - Trust

Adult version of this chapter and the last is in the R rated book.

I went, stumbling a little, fear still throbbing in me. Fear and disbelief. Why would this man lie like that? He'd just about dragged me into a dark part of the park too.

Nick came up and found me halfway there, offering a hot cocoa, frowning at the look on my face. He glanced from me and then to where Clayton and the man were vanishing deeper into the park. "Clayton again?"

"Some man said he was my lover and tried to drag me into the park. Clayton stopped him." I shivered a little. "Called him a mutt."

"Ah. Come on. Clayton will handle him."

"Shouldn't we call the police?"

"No need. He'll scare him off." Nick closed his arm around my shoulders, leading me to the car, glancing back. "Come sit in the back seat with me. I'll wait till Clayton leaves just in case."

"Okay." I turned around, seeing Clayton's head twisting in our direction for a moment, just a moment, as if he'd heard him. Impossible from this distance. But maybe they really were as close as they claimed. Sometimes Susie knew what I'd do before I did it too.

We slid into the back of Nick's sports car and he turned on the heater, sliding my jacket off so he could rub my bare arms.

"You're shaking so much." He muttered, concerned, yanking his own warm jacket off and pulling it around my shoulders. Nick moved closer, kissing my shoulder under it, inhaling slowly. "So afraid."

"He scared me but I'm okay. Your friend was good." I reassured Nick, stroking his face, finding that he was almost shaking too. "Behaved like usual but he told me where you were."

"I told you that you'd like him eventually. Come here, Liz, it's okay." Nick tugged me into his lap, my legs straddling around his waist, and I was held against his chest as he nuzzled against me. "No one gets to touch you."

"Except you." I reminded him, feeling him shiver a little at that, felt his body rub up against mine just a little bit more than it had. "In the hotel room. Not here."

"Not here." He agreed, sliding one of the straps down, fingers tracing under the dress against the bra, playing with it. "I promise. I'll just check you're okay. Where did he grab you?"

I showed him my arm and he made his way there, lips touching my skin lightly, kissing the spot as he inhaled, slow, deep, frowning as if he could literally smell the man on me.

"It'll bruise badly. Is that blood?" Nick stroked my arm, growling as he found traces of blood coming off my skin. "I bet he did it on purpose. Trying to mark you."

"Do guys do that a lot?"

"No." A hand slid across it, making me shiver as it teased the sensitive skin, Nick's other hand sliding between my legs. "You smelt so good when I left you. Now you smell like fear."

"Do I?" I wasn't sure how he could 'smell fear'. Wasn't really in the mood to question it.

Nick nodded and continued to tease me, his thumb tracing circles along the inside of my thigh, so slowly, so damn slowly, that I felt my hips shift forward without any thought from me. He laughed softly and held me still. Continued the very slow teasing, getting about halfway before he stopped, and by now my breathing had gotten faster again, body heating up.

He slipped the other strap down and inhaled sharply when he found where the man had bit me. Nick shifted me closer, harder, as if it was his turn to panic. He flipped on the light switch and checked it, checked it so carefully, fingertips brushing along the bruised skin. "It didn't break your skin."