Protective Love (Hidden Secrets) Read Free

the doorway. 
    “Jeez , Nick! I was sleeping, you know?”
    I rubbed my eyes , and when I looked back the door was being locked.  It was not my brother after all.  Instead, it was a man about the height of my brother, with a buzzed head and average frame, though it was apparent that he worked out.  He wore a tank top with a vest over it, revealing several tattoos lining his arms and neck.  His jeans were baggy and sagged from his waist.  He had three piercings - two silver hoops in his ears that caught the light from my room when he walked, and the other in his lip.  He moved closer to me, and I noticed that his eyes were dark - almost black.  He walked with the confidence that he owned the world and had a smile on his face that sent chills down my spine.
    “ Um, you need to leave my room,” I said, trying to keep the fear from my voice.
    “My name is Alex.  I am a friend of your brother , Carson.  I take it he is not coming home tonight?”  His voice was low and had a menacing tone as he spoke.
    It puts me on edge.  The look in his eyes wasn’t making me any less nervous.  I wasn’t sure what the look was or why he was in my room, but my gut was telling me to stay alert.
    “No, he made it farther than he thought and will be gone for an extra couple of days, but I will tell him you stopped by.  Please shut my light off on your way out, Alex.” 
    Carson was a kick boxer, and a good one.  He was fighting in some tournament in New York. 
    I forced a smile, but Alex moved closer to me.  He was staring at me with cold eyes that held no hint of light or warmth. 
    “I like the way my name sounds coming from your lips.” 
    I tensed up immediately.  He was much bigger than I was.  As he reached my bed, I scooted as far away from him as I could get.
    I should have listened to my gut.  If I would have listened, I might be in a better position than I am in right now. My mind was frantically trying to figure out how to get away.  I tried to move toward the end of my bed.
    He grabbed me immediately and held me down with his body .
    “Your brother cost me money , so to pay him back, I am going to have some fun with his pretty little sister.” 
    I screamed.  I screamed as loud as I could.  
    “No one can hear you, princess.  Just relax.  You will enjoy it, I promise.” 
    I started crying as he started pulling up my nightgown. 
    “Please don’t! Please leave me alone.” 
    But, he didn’t care, he began to—
    Shaking my head, I tried to rid the thoughts ... the memories of that day, but they seemed to always come back when I came home.  It was why I didn't come home often.  It was still, even after all of these years, too painful to come back around.  I no longer viewed that house as my family home anymore. I saw a place that was tainted and haunted with bad—
    KNOCK... KNOCK... KNOCK...
    A knock on the car door jolted me from one of the scariest moments in my life and brought me back to the present.  I screamed.  I couldn’t help it; it was the memory.  It took longer than it should have for me to recover.  Trying to calm myself, I knew that the fear I felt must still be on my face, but I slowly turned to see who knocked. 
    It was Carson.  I let out a slow , deep breath of relief. 
    Carson was a handsome man, with dusty brown crew cut hair.  He would always joke, saying keeping it short helped with his game.  He was fairly muscular, with bright green eyes.  Many people would not believe by looking at my brother that he was a champion kick boxer, but he was amazing to watch.  The skill and precision that he showed in his fighting… I wished I could fight like him.
    The intensity in my brother’s stare made me worry that he could see my thoughts.  There was nothing I hoped for more than for no one to ever find out about m y secrets.  I planned to take it to my grave.  Carson opened the door, unbuckled my seatbelt, and pulled me into his arms.  Because of everything that