Page 57 of The Doctor

I put my hand over hers, stilling her, and she looked away.

“Can you tell me what happened last night?”

“I don’t want to.”

I sucked in a breath. “I know, kid, but I need you to tell me.”

“Why?” Her voice snapped, but it broke at the same time. She buried her face in my gut, and my blood began to stir.

Hooking my hands under her arms, I dragged her up until her head was on the pillow and I was staring down at her. “Can’t help you if I don’t know what’s going on.”

Her gaze darted away, and her hands fumbled at her chest. “I don’t want to talk about it.”

“Clara.”

“Zeno.” She hooked her leg over my hip, then took my pulling away from her to her advantage. She climbed on top of me, and my mind was no longer lost in my worries.

Instead, it was stuck on the closeness of her pussy to my dick. I grabbed her hips, locking her in place and ensuring neither of us did the one thing I’d been thinking about all night.

“What are you doing?”

She leaned forward, lowering her mouth to mine, pecking her lips to my lips once, twice. “Thanking you.”

Her name was on the tip of my tongue, but she swallowed it the second I opened my mouth. And fuck, I couldn’t stop myself if I wanted. Not when she swirled her tongue against mine. Not when her bare breasts pressed against my chest and her bare pussy slid down against my hardened cock.

It wasn’t until I nudged something I most definitely didn’t need to nudge that I was reminded that I was the adult, and I couldn’t let her take control of me.

“Clara.” I gripped her arms and pushed her away, though I didn’t even think of letting her go. “Tell me what happened last night.”

Her bottom lip trembled when she opened her mouth. “I don’t want to—”

“Now!”

She jolted at the loud crack of my voice, and tears pooled at the corners of her eyes. “He tried to rape me.”

“What?” I sat up so fast, if I hadn’t been holding on to her, she would have toppled right off my lap. “Who?”

“Jayden Anders.” It came out a whisper. “I snuck into the club, and he cornered me in the back hall and he…”

She swallowed hard, then wiped a tear from her cheek.

“He touched me, Zee. He pinned me against the wall and tore my panties off and shoved them in my mouth. And he… he…”

That rage I’d felt when Stephano dropped her on the curb came racing back. “I’m going to kill him.”

A sob ripped from her chest. “Stephano already did!”

Clara covered her face with her hands, sobbing uncontrollably, and her tears were the cold shower that put out my fire.

“He did what?”

“Stephano shot Jayden.” She sucked in a sharp breath, but her crying didn’t cease. “He yanked him off me and broke his dick, then shot him in the head. There was blood everywhere, Zeno. The entire wall was covered in red.”

“Clara.” I wrapped her up tight, pulled her to my chest, and squeezed my eyes closed as I buried my face in her hair. “Clara. I’m so sorry.”

“I don’t know what I’m going to do. Jayden was the only one who knew, and now he’s gone.”

My entire body turned to stone, even as Clara’s whimpers continued. When my mouth unfroze itself, when my tongue found the ability to move, I forced out, “What did he know?”