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I sucked in a sharp breath at heradmission. “What?” I asked in a shaky voice as she loosened hergrip and then dropped her hands. She rolled her eyes and wiped herface as she looked at the ceiling. When she finally dropped hergaze to me it wasn’t hate I saw reflecting back at me.
“I don’t care that you’re with mydad, I just…” she said and I held my breath. She sniffled as shegrabbed my hands in hers. I moved so I was fully facing her on thebed. “You are both adults and I don’t care that you’re sleepingwith each other.” Her lips twisted as the words came out as if theytasted weird on her tongue. I couldn’t help the snorted laugh thatbubbled up. She gave me a half smile then. “Just don’t lie to me, Idon’t want secrets. You’re my best friend, Lyns, and I need you tobe in my life too.”
I nearly sobbed again when shefinished speaking. Words evaded me as more tears leaked down mycheeks. I flung my arms around her neck and pulled her to me in abear hug. Her arms surrounded my ribs and she hugged me back justas fiercely.
“I swear, no more lies orsecrets,” I promised against her neck.
I felt her nod against me butneither of us released the other. “Good, and I’m sorry I slappedyou,” she said.
I shook my head against her. “Ideserved it.”
“No, you didn’t.” She was thefirst to loosen her grip. She gripped my shoulders as she sat upand searched my eyes seriously for a moment. I worried what wouldcome out of her mouth next.
“I’m not gonna call you Mom,though,” she said so seriously.
The noise that left my mouth was across between a choke and a laugh. She smiled then and we bothburst into unstoppable giggles. We laughed so hard that my sidestarted hurting and I laid back on the bed. Anna flopped over withme, still holding her stomach.
“That’s not something I would everask you to do!” I howled as we faced each other again.
“Good.” Her cackles turned intolight chuckles as the moment passed.
“I love you, Anna,” I admittedquietly.
She smiled at me and I swear I sawher eyes flicker with new light. “I love you too, Lyns.”
A knock sounded at the door andbroke us both from our little bubble. Anna rolled her eyes beforesmiling. “Let me guess, he wanted to come in here with you?” sheasked and I nodded. She scoffed but it was an endearing sound.“Rule number one, he will always try to fight your battles for you.He’s always been super-protective,” she said as she stood from thebed.
The knock sounded again as sheapproached the door. She smiled over her shoulder as she grippedthe door handle. “And persistent.”
I smiled back at her, I knew allabout his persistence. Anna shook her head as she opened the door.“Don’t worry, we made u—”
Anna’s words were cut off as Ben,not Ian, pushed into the room past her. I sucked in a sharp breathas he rushed into the room with a wild look in his eyes. Fearslithered up my spine when he locked those black-and-blue-rimmedhazel eyes on me. He had a bandage on the bridge of his nose as areminder of what Ian had done to him yesterday. His nose was brokenfor sure and it looked like it hurt like hell.
“Lindsey, please, you have tolisten to me,” he begged.
“What are you doing here? Get thefuck out!” Anna yelled as she grabbed his arm. The sheer violencein the way he ripped his arm away from her had me cowering towardthe wall at my back.
“No! I’m here for Lindsey, backthe fuck off!” he screamed at her. The amount of malice in hiswords had my pulse thumping in my veins so much I feared they wouldburst soon.
“Fuck you!” Anna screamed rightback as she grabbed for him again.
It seemed to happen in slowmotion. One moment Ben was pleading with me to hear him out and thenext his face mirrored the look of pure volatile rage. It was atrue Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde moment. I didn’t usually believe thatpeople could be entirely evil, but the way Ben scowled at Anna toldme I was so very wrong. I didn’t even have time to try and stop himas he flung around faster than I’d ever seen him move and hit Annaacross the face.
Chapter Twenty-Five
“Ben!” I screamed as Anna’s headsnapped to the side and she crumpled to the floor, knocked outcold. I scrambled up from my cowering spot and rushed to my friendlying motionless on the cold floor.
Before I could reach her, Benturned to face me and caught me around my middle. My feet left thefloor briefly as he hauled me around. “Stop!” I screamed as hepushed me back toward my side of the room. I kicked and thrashedlike a wildcat until he put me back down. I was still facing awayfrom him as he sat me down but I turned on a dime and rushed backfor Anna.
He grabbed me again and pulled meto him roughly. His fingers bit into the flesh of my biceps, makingme wince in pain. “No,youstop!” his voice boomed throughthe room and I wanted to hide inside of myself. Aside from himacting out at the cabin, I’d never seen this anger from him beforeand it scared me.
My chest heaved as I stared fromhis crazy eyes to Anna softly breathing on the floor. I glanced upat the door Ben hadn’t bothered to close when he barged in. I couldonly hope that someone was around and they would call campussecurity because I feared that would be the only way I would getout of this situation.
“What are you doing? Let me go!” Iyelled, hoping someone was out in the hall.
Ben seemed to be having a hardtime with his emotions as his expression flickered from sadness toanger then to empathy and back to anger. It was like watching somesort of sick picture show. He shook me a little and squeezed myarms tighter.
“Can’t you see that I can’t letyou go, Lindsey Bug?” His nickname for me slid off his tongue soeasily and left me feeling queasy. He meant it as endearing when itreally sounded like the sick hopefulness of a delusional person.His eyes were mad as I stared up into them but his tone was sugarysweet.
