Fighting for Her - Hazel Parker

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Fighting for Her

By: Hazel Parker

If you are reading this book it’s because you are an exclusive member of my newsletter/mailing list. HELLO and WELCOME! These days readers are inundated with authors taking over their inboxes, I get it. I try really hard to respect that and only send one email a week. Sometimes you will get two but stay with me! Readers are everything to indie authors, without you I wouldn’t be able to do it as much as I can. I love hearing from you. Good or bad. This is a 20,000 word story (give or take) that I wrote for my readers. It’s based on a true story and a subject near and

dear to my heart. My editor said it was “ok” LOL so I hope you enjoy it more than she did.

Thanks!!!

Fighting for Her Chapter One Josh Harris sighed into his beer as he sat in the bar, waiting for something good to happen. It had not been long since he had returned from his last tour in the military, only a couple of months. There was little he enjoyed doing anymore, so he spent most of his time at the bar to keep himself out of his tiny, onebedroom apartment.

He also spent a lot of time at a small boxing gym a few blocks away, where punching bags were aplenty and very few people visited. He didn’t go for the boxing, though, or training, for that matter. Josh just went there to punch a punching bag a few hours a week, and the owner was cool with him going there without paying a fee. He had told him that anyone who served time in the military, and especially someone who was injured from it, was allowed to use his gym free of charge. Which was pretty fucking nice of him. This bar he was in was not

bad, though, and they had decent bar food—burgers, fries, nachos, and the like. It was all better than anything he could come up with at home. He had been there a few times between tours and on trips home. Looking over at one end of the bar, he saw Trixie and grinned. She strode over to him, taking the stool to his right and draping her arm around his shoulders. “I must say, it’s nice seeing you back here,” she flirted, grinning brightly at him. “It has been too long, Josh.” He nodded, taking another swig of his beer and shifting on his

bar stool to half face her. Smiling, he said, “Likewise. You always were a treat to see.” Trixie chuckled, sipping her own drink through a straw. If he recalled correctly, her drink was a vodka tonic. Her laugh gave way to a mischievous smirk, and Josh leaned toward her, drawn to her energy as he always had been. “So what’s this?” she asked, nodding down at his left arm, which was in a sling. Josh tugged the strap of his sling and the collar of his t-shirt to the side, exposing a rough-looking scar that appeared fairly new. “I got

shot over there, right in some nerves that are apparently pretty important. Lost a lot of blood too.” He shrugged his right shoulder. “And now my left arm is pretty useless. Paralyzed the whole damn thing and made me essentially onearmed.” Trixie clicked her tongue. “Now that’s a damn shame. There’s nothing they can do for it?” Taking another swig of beer, Josh shook his head. “I wish I knew. They chose not to amputate it there because the facilities aren’t the greatest, or the cleanest. One doctor told me I could talk to a

neurosurgeon about checking the full extent of the damage to the nerves and see if anything could be done to repair some or all of the nerves. That maybe I could have surgery and do some physical therapy and gain even a little mobility back, but who knows? I haven’t tried to find out.” Trixie twisted her lips to the side in thought and nodded. “You should check it out. Maybe you’d find out you’re one of the lucky ones.” Josh gave a short huff of laughter. “If I was one of the lucky ones, I wouldn’t have lost the use of

it in the first place.” “Sure, but you’re not dead. I’d call that sort of lucky.” She sipped her drink, then leaned in and pressed her lips to his ear. “Is everything else in working condition?” The corner of his mouth tilted up in a smirk and he nodded. “Of course it is.” Taking another swig of his beer, he considered the idea of taking her home to his tiny, lonely apartment and fucking her good and hard until neither of them could breathe anymore. Trixie had always been good for his carnal desires, someone he could enjoy for

a night here and there, who never needed more from him than just that. More than he could give. She was good for that. She was also good for taking his mind off of his problems and helping him feel good about things every so often. His gaze drifted past her to the other end of the bar, to another woman. He shouldn’t have been looking elsewhere when he had a fun woman at his side, but it wasn’t like he and Trixie had ever had more of a relationship than the occasional hook up, and this woman at the end of the bar caught his eye in a way no woman had in a

long time. She was beautiful, that was for certain. Her hair was dark and wavy, falling around her shoulders, but she had big, sad eyes. She looked incredibly unhappy. Josh looked at the man beside her and immediately understood why she looked so sad; the guy was treating her like garbage. He watched for a couple of minutes, and in that time, the guy with her had flirted with the bartender and another woman sitting at the bar, ignored half of what the woman with him said, and he shrugged off her touch every time she tried to put her arm on his

shoulder or back. There was also a group of men around the couple and the man with the beautiful woman was paying more attention to them than he was to her. She looked up, glancing at him and making him wonder if she could tell he had been watching them, watching her. Josh could not help but think she looked like she was silently pleading to be rescued, to be saved from this horrible man she was with, to be taken away and brought somewhere she could enjoy herself instead of looking miserable and bored. Pulling back from Trixie, he excused himself to go take a piss.

He headed to the bathroom, taking care of his business and washing his good hand. Heading back to his seat, Josh saw the man yelling in the woman’s face, and he wondered what exactly she could have done to the man for him to think she deserved such treatment, because, in his eyes, there was never any reason for that. He felt his blood boiling in anger at the man’s treatment toward her. Then all of a sudden, he heard a hard crack and his eyes shot back to the couple. The woman’s face was turned to the right, her hand cupping her left cheek, and the man

was just standing there, looking at her with a hardened expression on his face. Hell no. Josh was not going to stand by and watch a man beating on a woman. He felt himself filling with rage, and before thinking about it, he took a few steps back so that he was beside them. Tapping the man on his shoulder, Josh brought his right hand up and punched the man square in the jaw as he turned to look at him, and then he watched him fall to the ground. That action brought him more pleasure than he wanted to admit. Chapter Two

Anna pulled her hand away from her face when her husband fell to the ground. She looked on in shock at the man who had punched him. She shook her head in complete astonishment that someone would hit another man in public. Bending down and leaning over her husband to check on him, she opened her mouth to speak, but was unable to find the words. Looking up once more, she scowled at Josh and pointed her hand toward her husband on the ground. “Why would you do that?” she cried out, after a long moment of staring at him in utter disbelief.

Shrugging, Josh raised his eyebrows, his forehead creasing. “He looked like he needed a good punch to the face. If he can deliver the hits, he should be able to take them, right?” he answered dryly. “What is your problem?” She stood up, looking down at her husband, who was still on the ground, and back up at Josh. “We weren’t bothering you.” “You need a new boyfriend, lady,” Josh answered while folding his arm across his body, “Any man that will hit a woman is a piece of shit. Ditch him. It’ll be good for you.” He was in no mood to have

his efforts go ignored if the woman was just going to stay at her boyfriend’s side and help him up. “He is my husband,” Anna countered, looking away. Well, that made things harder, sure, but she still needed out of that relationship in his opinion. Josh could tell the slap had hurt her; her face was as red as a tomato, and the skin looked sore where her husband’s palm had made contact. Josh sighed and raised his hand in an act of surrender, turning around to go back to Trixie. He did his part; he stood up for the girl whose husband hit her in a bar. If

she wanted to stay and deal with it, there was nothing else he could do, regardless of how much he wanted to make the man pay. He heard shuffling and a groan, and knew that the woman’s husband was trying to get up off the ground. He half expected the man to grab him, maybe force him to turn so he could get in a good punch of his own. That did not come. Instead, he heard the man started yelling at the woman… no, he was screaming at her, calling her all sorts of names that nobody should be calling any woman, let alone their wife.

“You stupid bitch! What did you do? Did you tell him to come over? Do you know him?” the man yelled accusingly at her, his voice gritty. Turning, Josh prepared himself to hit the other man again, telling himself that he would not stand on the side and watch the man berate his wife just because he had gotten the shit knocked out of him in one punch. As soon as he had turned, the friends surrounding the couple stood up and moved toward him, trying to stop him from getting near the woman’s husband. The woman shook her head,

cradling her hurt cheek. “I don’t know him. I’ve never seen him before. Ben, please.” “Shut up before I make you.” The man took a step closer to his wife, his face mere inches away from hers as he looked at her threateningly. “Do you understand me?” The woman simply nodded that time, pressing her lips together to stop herself from saying anything in her defense. Josh took another step toward the man, but apparently the woman knew what he was thinking because she moved around to stand in front of her husband and shook her head.

“You need to leave. I don’t know who you are, but you need to go.” The woman narrowed her eyes at him and furrowed her brow when he stayed where he was. “You are not needed here. Leave us alone.” The bartender saw the commotion, making his way down to their end of the bar and putting his hands on the edge. “Hey, enough! I see another punch thrown and you’re all outta here.” Josh looked at the bartender for a moment and then returned his gaze to Anna, staring at her for a long moment, and he knew in that short amount of time that the

smack across her face that her husband had delivered was not the first one she had experienced. He knew that staying and trying to help would probably only bring her more problems when she got home. As it was, there were soft, yellow bruises littering her beautiful face, one on her temple, one on each side of her jaw, and there was even one on her neck. She was abused on a fairly regular basis it would seem, and that made him sad for her, and angry with the man she was with. He furrowed his brow in confusion that she would not want someone to step in to stop

it. Josh was still tempted to throw another punch despite what the bartender said, but eventually, he turned away. At the end of the day it is none of his business he guessed. The encounter had set him on edge, making him jittery with anger and adrenaline and in need of a way to cool down. Ordinarily, he would have sex, or go punch a punching bag to cool down from his anger, but he really was no longer in the mood to take Trixie home to mess around, so instead of asking her to go with him, Josh tossed a few bills on the bar to cover his drinks, told her goodbye and that he would

catch her another time, and then he headed for home.

Chapter Three Josh woke up early the next day, unable to shake the beautiful woman from the bar out of his head. Her story was tragic, even worse because she seemed so sweet. He didn’t understand how someone could be so abusive toward her. Actually, he had never understood how any man could lay a violent hand on a woman ever. He shook off the thought and decided to head to Punch. When he got there, Matt was already there laying into a punching bag. He wondered what had the other man there so early; usually it

was at least ten or so before he showed up. Matt was nearly fifty, and had six kids—only two of whom were over eighteen and out of his house, so the man slept in as often as he could. “You are an early riser today,” Josh said casually, dropping his bag and putting his boxing glove between his knees to get it onto his right hand. Even with only one hand, he could beat Matt up pretty well when they sparred. The older man turned to face him, shaking his head in amusement. “Yeah, yeah, all right, enough lip out of you,” the older man

answered, chuckling softly. “If you must know, I needed out of the house; there is a school dance coming up soon and Livvie has her boyfriend coming over to discuss coordinating colors for her dress and his tux since they have a teacher’s day today, so no school. I still do not like the idea of my fifteen year old going to a dance with a date, especially not one with a car,” Matt answered, motioning to the boxing ring. “Come on, let’s spar.” The older man climbed into the ring and straightened up. He raised his arms, setting his stance

and getting ready for a goodnatured sparring session. Josh got it and raised his good arm, the other tucked safely away in his sling, as he set his own stance. The men started at it, throwing punches and meeting gloves. Even with only one arm, Josh met every swing Matt gave him, bumping his glove over and over. Every swing Matt managed to get past his hand, Josh ducked, so he still did not hit him. Josh got one swing past Matt’s hands, slowing his arm and hitting him lightly in the jaw. Matt shook it off and laughed, and the men lined up their feet to start again. The door

creaked open, but the men ignored it. People occasionally came in to hit a punching bag or speed bag. Sometimes homeless people came in to take showers, and that was something Matt always seemed just fine with. He was just that good of a guy. Josh heard the clearing of a throat and looked over. He saw her, looking uncertain if she was in the right place. He had meant to only take a glimpse, but when he saw that girl from the bar, he forgot to look back at Matt. That was when he felt a kick across the face. “Ah, shit!” Matt watched Josh

fall to the ground, belly down and face to the ring floor. He checked the man over, nudging his side to see if he was okay. “Sorry, man, I had no clue you were not looking. Josh grunted, pushing up with his hand just enough to flip himself to his back. Matt stood, reaching his hand down to take Josh’s hand and pulling him up to stand. There was a small cut on his cheekbone, blood dripping from it in a straight line. He tilted his head toward the woman, letting Matt know he was going to break a minute from their sparring. Taking a stop at his bag, Josh pulled off his glove and

grabbed a towel, pressing it to his face as he walked toward the beautiful woman from the night before. “Hey.” He gave her a nod in greeting to go with his word. He had no clue what to expect of her. “Um. Hi. I thought I might find you here. Uh… you were wearing a hat at the bar last night that said Punch and it had a boxing glove on it, so I looked it up. I’m sorry to barge in on you like this.” “It’s cool. What can I do for you?” Well, at least she was smart enough to do low-level detective work to find him. Seeing her there

had had a small bit of panic blooming in his stomach that he somehow left something behind that would give away how to find him. But he didn’t believe that her husband was bright enough to look at his hat and put the pieces together. “My name is Anna. I just wanted to thank you for what you did last night.” She fidgeted with her phone in her hand and appeared to be trembling slightly, her gaze not meeting his. “Yeah, of course.” Josh looked her over for a moment, then put his bloody cloth onto his thigh and held

his hand out for her. “I’m Josh. It’s nice to officially meet you.” “Likewise. Listen, I know most people don’t like to get involved in stuff like marital problems, and it generally causes too much drama, but I really did want to tell you thanks for what you did. I know I stopped you, but it’s just… my husband gets really angry, especially at me, and he isn’t good at stopping.” Josh nodded slowly, letting out a soft sigh. “Would you like to get a cup of coffee with me?” Anna shook her head, checking her phone again. “I can’t. I

cannot be seen out with you or Ben will kill me.” “Okay.” He dipped his head to try to meet her gaze. “Do you want to stay here a couple minutes and talk? I wouldn’t complain about the company.” She nodded that time, giving him a shy smile, though it quickly changed to a frown. “You must think I am pathetic, stopping you from hurting my husband who had just smacked me.” Josh shook his head. “I don’t think you are pathetic. I think everyone has situations that they feel stuck in, or that they are too

scared to get out of. Whatever the reason is that you’re staying, I don’t think you’re pathetic but I definitely don’t understand it.” Anna picked at the skin around the nail on her index finger, letting out a soft sigh. “He wasn’t always like this. Ben… he used to be so kind. In high school, he was the nicest guy anyone knew.” As Josh was listening to her, he noticed two more guys come in and get their gear on, jumping into the now empty ring and sparring. Her eyes went wide when she noticed, and then she looked back down at her hands and paused in

her speaking. Anna took a moment and then shook her head. “Anyway, I didn’t mean to interrupt your day. I just wanted to thank you.” “No, the interruption was definitely welcome. I was worried about you. I don’t mean for that to come off as weird, but I don’t get how any man can hit a woman. I never will.” “But you fight in here. That man kicked you in the face.” Josh nodded. “Well, to be fair, I could have blocked that kick if I had been paying attention. But this is sparring; it’s never used for pain

or humiliation, just for sport. There is a level of respect between fighters, knowledge that this is a sport and something for entertainment, not ridicule.” Anna shrugged. “It’s just so… violent.” Her eyes moved to the men sparring in the boxing ring. “I get it. It’s not for everybody. I use it as a way to kind of channel my stress. I just recently got back from a tour with the military. Other than going to the bar, I don’t really have many ways to spend my time. This is a fun and healthier way.” “Were you on tour long?” Josh shook his head. “No, I

was supposed to be gone for three years, but got sent back for a couple reasons.” He nodded to his injured shoulder in explanation. “But I was all over the Middle East for my other two tours. Like touring part of the world in the worst circumstances ever.” He gave her an awkward grin, a low chuckle slipping between his lips to accompany it. “I have always wanted to travel the world. All the great books I read in high school made Europe seem so appealing, so I dreamed of taking a year off after school to travel, to backpack around Europe

and see so many things I had only ever read about, but it never happened.” “Why not?” he asked curiously. It probably had to do with her idiot husband. He had put together that they had probably been together since high school since she mentioned that knew him then. Anna seemed so intelligent and sweet, much better than what he could tell of her husband. She shrugged, checking her phone again. “Life happens. Anyway, I need to go. I have a sitter for the class I take, but I have to be home in time to clean the house

and make sure I can prep to have dinner ready before Ben gets home from work.” Anna stood, pulling her purse back up to her shoulder from where the strap had slipped down her arm. “Hey, wait,” Josh said, standing quickly. “Can I see you again?” Anna hesitated, but ultimately nodded. “I have class on Tuesdays and Thursdays at the community college down the block, but I don’t think I can come here that often.” Her eyes flicked over to the sparring men and back again. Josh nodded, realizing the

violence really was upsetting to her. Maybe she suffered from PTSD the way he did, only from different traumas. “I can come to your college. There’s a library there, right?” She nodded. “Yeah, that would be nice. And none of Ben’s friends would ever be caught dead in a library, so I wouldn’t have to worry about being seen.” Anna laughed at the thought. “Would you meet me in the science section? By the biology books?” “I can’t wait. I will see you Thursday. About the same time as right now?” He meant it. He could

not wait to see her again and talk to her some more. Josh wanted to help her so badly, and she seemed really sweet. She was the most interesting woman he’d had a conversation with in a long time, and he genuinely wanted to get to know her. She gave him another quick nod. “Perfect. See you then.” With her goodbye, Anna left quickly, heading for home.

Chapter Four When Thursday morning came, Josh was far too excited to see Anna. He knew he shouldn’t be; she was married, she was in a messy situation with an abusive jerk of a husband, but he was excited nonetheless. He liked her, liked her more than he had ever liked another woman so soon after meeting her. He had never really been into dating. Josh had spent his high school years hooking up with a new girl at every party, and after high school was over, he had enlisted in the Marines. There had

been no time for dating. Having sex, sure, but not relationships—not that he would have been interested even if he’d had the opportunity. Anna, though… she was different, she gave him butterflies in his stomach, and her smile made him smile. Making his way between the walls and shelves of books in the library, Josh found the science section and looked for biology. There was no need to look hard, Anna was already there, sitting on the floor against a row of shelves, her legs folded in front of her and a textbook opened in her lap.

“Hey,” he whispered, keeping himself conscious of the fact that they were in a library. Josh couldn’t recall the last time he had been in a library, but it was quiet and the atmosphere was comfortable and relaxing. Anna looked up at him and smiled brightly, her blue eyes shining. “Hi. Did you find it all right?” Nodding, he sat down beside her. “Yeah, it was pretty easy to navigate.” Anna nodded too, closing her book in her lap and sliding it into the messenger bag in front of her.

Josh noticed the book was a biology book, and he wondered if that was why she wanted him to meet her in that section of the library. “So… biology?” “Yeah.” She blushed faintly. “I am taking it because there are tons of science classes I need to take, and it’s basically a pre-requisite for all of them. I always wanted to be a veterinarian, ever since I was in kindergarten. My parents used to be so proud that I never changed my mind.” Anna smiled at him, then looked down and away, her eyelids closing slightly over her blue irises. “What’s wrong?” Josh asked

gently, bringing his hand over and just barely brushing his fingers over the back of her hand. “They love me, and they always liked Ben, since the first time I brought him home before he asked me to the homecoming dance in my sophomore year of high school. My dad was really upset when I told them I was getting married, but they supported me because they love me. I just wonder what it would be like if they knew, you know?” Nodding, he leaned back, bringing his knees up and resting his feet flat on the floor. “I think

they would do everything they could to help you. Most parents just want their kids safe and happy, right?” Anna didn’t say anything else for a moment, just looked away and sighed softly. Josh wanted to get her talking again; he simply wanted to hear the soft melody of her voice. “I got sent back because I got shot in the shoulder. My whole arm is paralyzed. And I suffer with PTSD because of the situation. It was an honorable discharge, and it’s not like anyone goes into the military without knowing that anything could happen, but somehow it’s like you think it won’t

be you. It will be the other guy or the douchebag who shows off too much. “And then it is you, and you can’t sleep at night, and your arm is gone, but it is right there. It’s in this stupid sling, hanging from my body and completely useless. It sucks. I am only twenty-eight and I don’t even know what I can do with my life with only one arm, not a single idea of what I could find to do for work or other hobbies. I don’t have any skills. The only thing I’m good at is MMA and shooting a gun. And I don’t want to go near a gun ever again.”

Anna wrinkled her nose at his mention of MMA, but her eyes moved up to meet his again. He wondered if her husband hit her so often that even the thought of people doing it for the sport was really that bothersome. “I have been doing MMA since I was in diapers. Every lesson I have ever learned, every trainer I have ever had, all teach the same thing: Martial arts is defensive. You should never go into a fight with the intention of hurting someone, only to win. It’s a sport, just like football or hockey. People get hurt in those, but that isn’t the point of

playing the game, right? Anyone that hits someone just because he wants to… any man that hits a woman… is a piece of shit. That is someone who does not deserve to have an arm.” Anna nodded. “It’s funny how things work out, isn’t it? I don’t feel as though I ever did anything so bad in my life to deserve the way Ben treats me.” Josh sighed, shaking his head. “If only the universe worked like that, then everyone would get what they deserve.” He contemplated for a moment after speaking, wondering if he should just say

what he wanted to. He looked over at her, meeting her eyes once more and finding himself suddenly unable to hold it back. “Do you stay with him because you love him, or because you are worried you can’t afford to leave?” He knew it was an intrusive question, one that he wouldn’t even feel comfortable asking women he had known his entire life, but somehow he was too curious to know and more relaxed talking to her than he had felt in ages. “I don’t know that I ever really loved him, if I’m being honest,” she answered quietly. “We dated for

almost all of high school, and he proposed the day we went to our senior prom, and I just thought it was what I was supposed to do. He was my high school sweetheart, we were voted cutest couple and most likely to be together at our ten-year reunion, so I married him because it was what everyone expected of me. I’ve been with him for seven years of my life, and I’m not even twenty-five. When I was a kid, I used to think those were the cute stories you would hear, you know? People who had been childhood sweethearts growing up and getting married, having children, and then

grandchildren. I used to want that so badly. Now I look at my life and I want to be with someone I hardly know. I want to take chances and be with someone who would never hit me and whom I would fall in love with.” “So why do you stay if there is no love there? Why stay with someone who hurts you without even the reason of love?” Anna rolled her lips together and huffed out a breath, the action making her cheeks puff out. “After my first semester in college, I found out I was pregnant. He hadn’t started hitting me yet; there wasn’t

a reason for him to want to yet. When Ethan came, only a year and a half into us being married, everything changed. I couldn’t work or go to school because we couldn’t afford daycare or babysitters, and he didn’t want my parents watching Ethan unsupervised because he absolutely did not want them teaching him about religion, even though he was just a baby and it’s not like they could have anyway. “So I stayed home all day, every day with Ethan, which I actually never minded. He is my entire world, and staying home meant being able to spend all my

time with this wonderful, perfect little boy. Ben, though, would come home from work and complain about everything. I don’t think he ever wanted kids because all Ethan was to him was an inconvenience. I didn’t have dinner on the table because I was feeding the baby and couldn’t start it early enough, or he couldn’t sleep because the baby was crying despite me trying to put him to bed. We didn’t have sex enough anymore because by the time I would get the baby to bed, Ben would be asleep. “Just… everything he could find to complain about would

somehow be our son’s fault, and it made me start to hate him. What makes it worse is that I feel like Ethan is missing out on so much. During the day, when Ben is at work, Ethan and I will play all over the house or go outside if it’s nice out, but when Ben comes in, I try to keep Ethan in his room playing, or I put him in his high chair and give him snacks while we eat dinner or while I clean up the dishes and whatever else needs done in the evenings. Children need to play freely so they can explore and learn, and I just feel so terrible that Ethan doesn’t always get that. And

especially because he’s such a good boy.” Josh was listening attentively, saddened by her story. “So when did he start hitting you?” he asked gently, not wanting to upset her, but too curious not to ask. Anna’s chin trembled slightly, and she gave a small shrug. “When Ethan was about six months, Ben came home from work really late, like eight or nine at night. It was one day that I had managed to have the house clean, and his dinner on the table at exactly five-thirty. Ethan had slept a lot that day, so I had taken a shower and put on

something other than yoga pants. We had obviously started having problems by then, but they seemed more reparable, you know? Like, he had never hit me, and aside from making comments about how I still had my baby weight, he wasn’t unbearable to be around yet. I hadn’t started to hate him yet, I wasn’t in love with him though. Anyway, so I worked so hard that day to make everything just how he liked it, and he didn’t even bother to come home on time. So I left his dinner on the table and ate mine around seven because I was too hungry to wait any longer, and

when he got home, he was wasted. I asked him where he had been and he smacked me. He said he would go where he wants when he wants, whenever and with whomever he pleases.” Reaching over, Josh gently rested his hand on her arm. When he was certain it did not bother her, that the touch of a man would not throw her into panic or something, he stroked his palm up and down her forearm. “Does he do it often?” She shrugged again. “Usually he waits until one round of bruises are gone before he hits me again. I imagine he tells himself he is doing

a kindness by waiting. I’m scared one day he is going to hit Ethan. I keep my son away from his father as much as I possibly can because it terrifies me. He terrifies me. But I have nowhere to go. I have a son, and no car, no job, no money, no family, or friends. He made it that way. Ben made it so that I can never leave him.” Josh watched her for a minute, noting how pained her expression was and how her hands were shaking. “You deserve so much better than that, Anna.” After another moment, he asked, “What about your parents?”

She shook her head. “I haven’t even talked to them in months. Ben would never let me when he was home, because he doesn’t like them, and I would call them sometimes during the day to talk, to tell them about Ethan, but they eventually stopped trying to keep in touch with me when I constantly refused their visits and refused to visit them. I think they must think something is up, but they haven’t tried to come over in a long time.” “I’m so sorry, Anna.” Josh did not know what else to say. He supposed there was not much that could be said in this type of

situation; words were not much comfort from the harsh reality of a life like hers, especially when there was no easy way out. Anna said nothing else about it, instead looking at her watch and jerking away from him. “Shit, I gotta go. I should have left ten minutes ago.” She shoved the rest of her things into her messenger bag, standing and pushing the strap onto her shoulder. “Can I give you a ride home?” Josh stood up, too, wanting to help her. “My car is right outside.” “No. There are too many neighbors around that talk to him.

They will talk, both amongst themselves and to Ben. Meet me here Tuesday? Same time?” She smiled, even if the rest of her body looked tense and ready to run. Josh nodded quickly. “I wouldn’t miss it.” She turned then, hurrying away and leaving him behind in the library. Josh rubbed his hands over his eyes. He was in too deep with her and he barely knew her. He found that he never wanted to stop listening to her voice, even if she was talking about sad things. It was the most beautiful he’d ever heard.

Chapter Five Three weeks passed with Josh meeting her in the library at her college every Tuesday and Thursday. She had come to mean a lot to him; there was nothing he looked forward to more than his secret meetings with her. She was smart and funny, and she made him smile and laugh more than he had in years. They talked about everything they could think of: books, movies, places they wanted to see and travel to, things they wanted to do before they died, and occasionally they would even get philosophical in their

conversations. It was because of the thought of seeing Anna that he got up one Tuesday morning to get ready. He was exhausted from sparring with Matt the day before. And Matt had also brought in a new trainee, who was young and had too much energy. Matt had set Josh up to spar with the new guy while he had worked on taking care of his monthly bills the previous day, and his body was telling him he should not have done it. There was no way he was missing one of his days meeting with her, though, so he forced

himself out of bed and into the shower, hoping the stream of very hot water would at least soothe his aching muscles enough to let him not walk around like an old man. After he took his shower and got ready, Josh hurried to the community college. He had made a habit of getting Anna tea and a sandwich from the cafeteria on campus. It was nothing special, but it was something, and he liked to treat her; she deserved it. She was always so grateful, too, thanking him entirely too much and acting like buying her a sandwich and a drink was the sweetest thing

anyone had ever done for her. He often found himself wishing he could bring her flowers, just to see how happy they would make her. Once he purchased their sandwiches and drinks, Josh made his way to the library. He was hoping to beat her there, but she was already sitting in their usual spot when he got to it. Anna smiled when he sat down, taking the food and drink from him as he held them out. She did not, however, turn her face toward him even once as she did so, or as he settled in beside her. Josh nudged her playfully. “Are you being shy today?” he

joked, grinning. Anna licked her lips, and then bit the thickness of them between her teeth to keep herself from letting out a cry as her facial features screwed together in her attempt to keep all of her emotions at bay. Josh caught on immediately, moving his drink to the side so it would not spill, and then shifting so he could look at the other side of her face. There was a huge shiner on her eye, though it was obvious she had tried to cover it with makeup. Anger rose up in him, bile filling his mouth as he tensed his jaw.

“What happened this time?” he asked, the words coming out almost in a low growl. “I…. On Sunday, he went out with his friends to watch the game at a bar,” she started, her words breaking up with hiccups. “And I made him a pot roast for dinner. I’ve made pot roast a hundred times for him, and he has always loved it. But I didn’t use onions, because I had forgotten to buy them at the grocery store when I went Saturday morning, and he said the flavor was bland and it was bad, and he was drunk, so he hit me. There was nothing I could do but take it, and

then he threw all the food away and called me wasteful because I made him do it.” Josh shook his head, his fist balling up in anger. “He has no right to touch you, or to blame you for anything that he has a problem with. He is an idiot, and he does not deserve you, Anna.” She started weeping then, though she immediately started wiping her tears from her face and slowing her breaths until the tears slowed, too. “I don’t know what to do, Josh. I want to leave, I know I need to leave, but I don’t have anywhere to go. If it was just me, it

would be so much easier. But it isn’t just me; I have to take Ethan, too, and all of his things, and I don’t know anyone who is going to take in a woman and her toddler and likely have to put up with harassment from her stupid, abusive husband as well.” He stood quickly, looking down at her. “I’m going to kill him. I am going to his work, and I am going to kill the bastard with my bare hand.” Josh started to leave, not even bothering to get his drink or food from the ground. Anna got up quickly, too, hurrying to catch up with him and grabbing his arm.

“You can’t do that. Josh, please,” she begged, pulling him to face her. Josh looked down at her, looked into those big, blue eyes and could no longer stop himself from what he wanted to do. He crashed his lips to hers, using his one good hand to pull her closer. Josh kissed her hungrily for a moment, teeth grazing her bottom lip. After a moment, he softened the kiss ever so slightly, but still, Josh put as much passion into it as he could muster, his mouth opening and tongue sliding out along her lips tenderly. It was everything he had imagined, better than he imagined,

actually. Josh felt warmth in his belly and the beginning stirrings of arousal at the intimate act between them. Pulling away from her, he looked around the library. There were several doors on the opposite side from where they were that led to study rooms. There were two he assumed were for film classes, where they screened movies because there were huge projection screens on the walls and no windows to the room. Josh took her hand in his and pulled her to the farthest room. Shutting the door, he grabbed a chair and propped it

under the doorknob so nobody could interrupt them. He turned to her again, taking a step closer and wrapping his arm around her waist. Pressing his palm to the small of her back, he pulled her close, dipping his head and pressing his lips to hers. Their kisses were slow at first, tasting each other and learning what the other seemed to prefer. Josh slid his tongue out, gently pressing it between her lips. She opened her mouth to him, tilting her head to meet the kiss better and wrapping her arms around his shoulders. He backed her up against the edge of

the table in the center of the room, moving his hand down to her thigh and lifting it, her body snug between his and the table. She took the hint, bringing her hands to the edge of the table and lifting herself to sit on it. Anna gripped his waist, pulling him to stand between her legs. Their kisses grew more fervent and hungry, his hand moving to her hair and threading the strands between his fingers. Josh wanted to control himself, badly wanted to bask in the moment of finally getting to be with her, of finally getting to touch her in a way that he had imagined far

too often when he thought of her. He also wanted to show her how much she deserved to be treasured, but the moment she started squeezing her thighs around his hips, he knew there was no way he would be able to be patient this time. Not patient, perhaps, but he would definitely be gentle. Moving his hand down from her hair, he cupped her breast in his palm and squeezed it in his hand. She felt incredible against him, and he wanted her so badly. Moving his hand down further, Josh brought it between where their bodies were pressing

together and caressed his knuckles over the seam of her jeans. “I want you,” he whispered into her opened mouth. He wanted to lay her down and fuck her. He wanted to be on top and to show her how good he could make her feel, but with only one working hand and not having a bed at their disposal, he knew that would be less pleasurable for her. Instead, he pressed his fingers harder against her and trailed his lips down her neck. She whimpered quietly at the touch, rocking her hips against his hand and bringing her hands to the button of her jeans. Anna

unbuttoned them, then pushed the zipper down and wrapped her thumb and middle finger in a loop around his wrist. Bringing his hand up to the opening of her pants, she looked at him. “Touch me, Josh. Show me how much you want me.” The words came out in barely a whisper, but they were in a seductive tone he had not yet heard from her. He groaned at her words, all too eager to do just as she requested. She was sexy, and the way she was looking at him, her eyes darkened with lust and her eyelids heavy, was almost too much

for him handle without shoving his own pants down and driving into her right then. He did not need to be told twice, though. Josh worked his hand beneath the band of her underwear and slid it down until his fingertips brushed through wetness. He barely contained his moan as he felt his cock harden inside of his own jeans. Anna was so wet for him, so hot, and ready, so he wiggled his hand to make more room, using his legs to nudge hers farther open for him. Pushing just a little lower, Josh was able to slide one finger into her. “Fuck, Anna.” He licked at the

skin of her neck, making sure not to do anything that could leave a mark her husband might see. She rocked against his hand some more, one of her own hands sliding into his hair and holding his mouth against her. Nothing was stopping her from being able to leave with marks on his skin, though, so Anna dipped her head and pressed her lips to his neck. She kissed a slow trail from the base of his throat to the skin over his pulse point, letting her tongue slide out to taste him. Her breaths grew heavier, faster, like she could not focus on drawing a complete breath in her

pleasure. Josh focused on finding her g-spot with his finger, and once he was certain he had, he swirled his finger against it and pressed the base of his palm to her clit, grinding it against her nerves. Anna’s orgasm spread through her, and she wrapped her arms back around his shoulders, clutching him to her and biting down on his shoulder to keep herself from moaning too loud. He continued working her clit despite the fact that she had finished, continued grinding his hand against her and searching for more from her, for more pleasure for her. After a few moments, she

was unable to take much more, the intensity of it too strong for her, and making her legs shake and jerk slightly. She gripped his wrist, tugging so he would pull his finger out of her and his hand away from her clit, so she could come down fully from the orgasm he had just given her. Anna pulled back, pushing him away enough that she could slide off the table. For a moment, Josh wondered if he had pushed too far, if maybe she had not wanted to do anything like that and become a cheater, even if her husband did not deserve a faithful wife. But then she

pushed her jeans and underwear down, kicking her shoes off and letting the clothing fall off her. She pulled herself back up to sit on the table, ignoring the coolness of the surface against her ass. Josh took no time in undoing his own button and zipper, shoving his pants and boxers down just enough to release his cock from the restraints of his clothing. He licked his lips at the sight of her, naked from the hips down and sitting on a table in a library. She was gorgeous, her skin smooth and soft. He stepped between her legs, bringing the front of his thighs against the

edge of the table and gripping his cock in his hand. Bringing it to her core, he slid the head through her wetness, making sure he would not hurt her despite knowing she was wet enough. The evidence of that was all over his hand as it was. He looked into her eyes, waiting for her to let him know it was okay. She nodded, licking her lips and bringing one hand to his hip, pulling him closer. “Take me, Josh. I want you so badly.” Nodding, he pushed himself slowly into her, taking in the feeling of her tight, wet heat surrounding him and making him feel more aroused than

he had in years. When he was fully inside of her, he stilled his hips and let himself grow accustomed to how good she felt. Josh slowly started moving his hips in gentle thrusts against hers and brought his hand back to her chest, tugging down the fabric of her V-neck shirt so he could see the swell of her breast. She was so gorgeous, he knew he had never been so deeply attracted to any woman he had ever had sex with before, and maybe that was what made her feel so good to him. His hand pulled her shirt further down and Josh pressed light, sucking

kisses to her breast above the cup of her bra. Her skin was delicious, and he found himself wishing they could be at his place; he wanted to be able to appreciate her body, to kiss every part of her skin and show her how she deserved to be touched. He wanted to lay her on his bed and kiss her until she could take no more teasing. He continued kissing her skin, letting his lips trail from one breast to the other, over her sternum and up to her collarbones. Josh thrust into her over and over, keeping a steady pace that was not too fast, but was also not as relaxed as he

would have liked. He would have liked to have the time to learn every dip and curve on her body, every scar and freckle on her skin, and to revel in the moment of being with her when he had fantasized about it so many times in his dreams and his moments alone. Josh pulled back to look at her face. Her eyelids were heavy over her eyes in her arousal, her lips parted just slightly as her breaths came heavy between them. She was a vision of pure ecstasy and he could not look away. He knew they should be hurrying, that he should be pushing her toward her orgasm

because they were in a study room off the main library on campus, and there was no way the room would go unneeded all day, but he could not bring himself to care. All Josh wanted in that moment was to enjoy the feeling of her surrounding him for as long as he could last. Anna licked her lips, the action making Josh lean forward and capture those full lips with his own. He kissed her fervently, tongues, lips, and teeth working in tandem, tasting each other and exploring how each other’s mouth felt. Her hands moved all over him, seemingly uncertain of where to go.

She held his waist, his hair, his shoulders, everywhere that made her grip and movements easier. Josh let his hand coast up and down her side as he fucked into her, burying himself to the hilt every time he pushed back into her It had been a while since he had been with anyone, so Josh regrettably felt himself growing closer to his orgasm. He wanted to make sure she came first, though, so he slid his hand down her body to where they were connected. Pressing his thumb to her clit, he caressed circles against the bundle of nerves. She leaned back on her

hands on the table, rocking her hips into him quickly to meet his pace, the touch clearly pushing her closer. She let out soft moans and shifted her weight so she was leaning back on one hand instead of both. Anna brought her other hand to his hair and gripped it tightly between her fingers. Her eyes closed as her facial features started to scrunch together. Josh was glad for all the signs she was showing for her impending orgasm; he was closer than he would like to admit, but he would not allow himself to come until she had first. Or until they could come

together—either would work for him. “Oh god, Josh,” she whispered, her voice slightly higher pitched than it was in a normal conversation. “That’s it, come for me, let me watch you,” he answered, his voice just as soft as hers had been. He wanted to see what she looked like in the blissful moment of her orgasm so badly, more than he had wanted anything in a long time. Speeding up the motion of his thumb, he switched directions and moved up and down against the nerves instead of in circles. The

change must have set her off, because the hand in his hair squeezed, her nails scratching at his scalp as she clenched her fingers around the thick strands. He groaned as he felt her tighten and tense on his cock, and he thrust his hips harder into her to drag out her orgasm. Her face was as gorgeous through her pleasure as he had expected it to be. Her features were more relaxed than he had ever seen them, even though her eyebrows knitted together as the pleasure moved through her body. When he was certain she was coming down,

he moved his hand from her clit to grip her hip. He held her in place as he drove faster into her, thrusting only a few more times hard into her before his own orgasm was hitting him and he came inside of her. Josh let out a low grunt as he did, eyes squeezing shut as he dropped his head to rest against her shoulder. It had been incredible. Sex had never felt like that for him in his entire life, and he had had a lot of good sex. Or so he thought. Anna wrapped her arms around his shoulders, holding onto him for a moment. They both knew they needed to fix themselves, and

it was probably time for her to go relieve her babysitter and get home, but they also both wanted a minute to be close after such incredible intimacy. He still wanted to go kill her husband, but he would give her time to try to figure out the situation for herself before he did anything of the sort. She pulled back from him and waited for him to do the same. Once he backed up from her, she slid off the table and bent to grab her underwear and pants. Pulling them on, she also fixed her shirt and ran her fingers through her long hair. She was always beautiful, but

somehow in those moments of them fixing their clothes and moving beside each other to straighten themselves, she looked even more radiant than usual. Perhaps that was simply because of the pleasure, since so little in her life made her happy. After Josh had his boxers back on and his pants back up and buttoned, he looked at her and smiled. “That was…” he trailed off, not wanting to say anything that might offend her or upset her; he knew it was a different and difficult situation. “Yeah, it really was.” She gave

him a faint smile in return and bent down to pick her bag up off the floor. “I uh, I have to go. Thank you for this, though. Really, it was wonderful.” Josh nodded. “Of course. Get home safely, okay?” Anna nodded, too, licking her lips and sighing as she glanced past him toward the door. He knew she had no desire to go home and take care of her house and make dinner for her loser husband, but he knew that she would insist it was necessary until she made a plan for herself and how to leave. He turned, pulling the chair out from

underneath the doorknob and setting it back where it belonged at the table. “I’ll see you Thursday?” Josh asked, confirming what had become their usual plans. “Yeah. I’ll see you then.” She gave him an awkward wave, walking past him through the doorway. Josh watched her for a long moment, then ran his hand over his face. “What did I get myself into?” he muttered to himself, shaking his head at his own actions and hoping she was able to clear away any evidence that they had had sex before her husband got home. He

would never forgive himself if she was abused again because her husband found out what she had done with him. He already knew he was putting her in danger by meeting her twice a week, even if she insisted that no one her husband knew would be caught dead in a library, or on a college campus. There was nothing more he could do for the time being, and he knew that, so Josh understood that he would just have to wait until Thursday came. He would see her again and hopefully, she would not have feelings of regret for what they had done.

Chapter Six Wednesday was absolute torture for Josh. He could not even bring himself to go to the gym. All he could think about was Anna, about being with her and how great it had been. She was sexy and beautiful, smart and funny. She was the most incredible woman he had ever met, and he could not get her off his mind. Not that it bothered him; he was perfectly okay with having his thoughts be consumed with her. There had never been anything in his life that had made him desire a relationship, at least not before he had met Anna. She

made him think he could do it, that he could be in a relationship with someone and love her and spend his life with her. Everything about Anna made him want that, and he knew that was crazy because he barely knew her. He also had his first doubts about them having sex. Not that he regretted it—he never would. He was unsure how she felt though. She had left so abruptly to get back to her life, that they did not really get to talk about it, and he had no idea if she would ever want a repeat. Josh did. He knew he would

want her over and over again, especially if they ever had the opportunity to be somewhere that was not a public setting. He worried that maybe he had pushed more than she was ready for and she just had not realized it until after the fact. There was also a small worry about having come inside of her without a condom. He had no idea if she was on birth control or what, because there had not really been any time to talk about it before they had dived right into the actual act of having sex. Not that her getting pregnant would be this huge issue for him.

He liked kids well enough, and he would never be a jerk to his kid the way that Ben was to Ethan, but it was a scary thought when he barely knew her, and had no idea if she and Ben still had sex often enough that if she did end up pregnant, there would be a way for it to be her husband’s. All of these thoughts plagued his mind all day Wednesday, and they kept switching from how amazing being with her had been, to how disastrous of a decision that sleeping with her could turn out to be. But he still had no regrets for doing it. And he would definitely do

it again. After a long day, full of mixed feelings, Josh was glad that it was ending. When it came time for bed, he climbed in and stared at the ceiling. He tossed and turned the whole night, barely getting any sleep, he was too anxious to see her again, to talk about everything he had thought about all day and to find out her feelings on it all. He wanted to know how she was feeling about what they had done, and he wanted to make sure she had no new marks on her face or her body. If he saw one more bruise, he was certain that Anna

would not be able to stop him from killing Ben. After he tossed and turned all night, he woke up Thursday with the thought that he would need extra caffeine to make it through the day. He hurriedly got ready, heading to the college as soon as he was. Deciding to skip food today, unless she said she wanted it, he went to the cafeteria just to get a tea for her and a triple espresso for himself. Josh went to the library, going to sit in the row they always sat in. Anna was not there yet, but that was okay; her class sometimes ran a little later than usual.

Half an hour passed and she still had not arrived. Her class never went this late. He decided he would just go and take a pass by the classroom she had her class in on Thursdays and see if there were still students in there. Josh got up, carrying the drink carrier with their drinks and making his way out of the library. Her class was in the building across the street from the library; it did not take him long to get there. The class was empty. It felt like someone had punched him in the stomach. She would not have just skipped out on him, he knew that much of her. She was a

courteous and kind person. Something had to be wrong. Even if she had had to go, she would have stopped by to tell him she could not stick around to chat. He was sure of that. Josh left in a hurry, tossing the drinks into a garbage can on his way to his car. He was going to go to her house. Thankful that she had shared where she lived in passing during one of their chats. There was no way he could pass up making sure she was okay. If Ben hurt her again, he was definitely going to kill the man. He drove the way, listening to the instructions his GPS

was giving him. It was a quick drive, for which he was thankful. He could not stop the nagging feeling in the pit of his stomach that something was wrong. When he arrived on her street he watched for her car in the driveway, parking on the street in front of the house, he saw Anna out in the yard, her little boy playing on the sidewalk in front of her. Her face was red, and she seemed to be crying. She had jeans and a tank top on, but no shoes and he wondered what the hell had gone down. Getting out of the car, he slammed the door and hurried up the

sidewalk. As he moved closer to her, he saw that there was another bruise on her other eye, one on her cheekbone, and another one on her jaw. He stormed toward the house. He was going to kill Ben and no one was going to stop him. At this point, he no longer cared if he was going to go to jail; he was not going to let that man hurt Anna again. “He’s dead,” he growled, as he grew closer to Anna. She stood up from where she had been sitting on the porch steps, shaking her head quickly and raising her hands in the air to

motion him to stop. “You have to leave. Josh, he’s not here; you have to go. Please go. You need to go.” “I am not leaving here until I know you are safe, Anna. I should never have let you come back here. You should never have been here with him.” His hand was balled into a fist, and he looked down at the little boy just a few feet away from them. “Did he hurt him?” Anna shook her head. “No. He didn’t. Ethan is fine, and I’ll be fine, but you need to go.” She looked around, noticing that the next door neighbors came out and saw her, and so did the neighbors across the

street. The people across the street came over sometimes to drink with Ben, and Anna knew that they would tell him. “Please, Josh… people are looking. They're friends with him and they will tell him you were here. The longer you stay, the more angry he’ll be.” “Come with me. Go get what you need immediately for you and Ethan and come back out here, and come with me. I can protect you. I can keep you safe. Please, Anna, I can’t leave and worry if you’ll be okay. Let me keep you safe,” he begged, looking straight into her eyes with a look as pleading as his

words were. She looked across the street again and saw the couple whispering to each other. Looking at him sadly, Anna shook her head once more. “I can’t. Please leave. Josh, if you care for me at all, I need you to go.” Josh looked at her with sad eyes, clenching his jaw and shaking his head, too. “All right. Fine. I’ll go. You have my number; don't be afraid to use it. Day or night, I mean it.” If she wanted him to leave, he would do so, but it was with great restraint and reluctance. Her asking

him to leave broke his heart. He wanted to take her home and give her a better life, to make her happy in a way that she clearly was not. He only hoped that with him leaving she would be safe from her husband regardless of if he found out she had had a visitor in the day while he was gone.

Chapter Seven Josh decided to go to the bar. He headed downtown, driving the back roads slowly while he tried to calm his anger. When he got to Main Street, he turned right toward the bar and gripped the steering wheel tightly in his fist. He looked over, checking the sides of the street for a place to park. He felt his blood boil when he saw Ben standing outside of the town’s only strip club. He jerked the wheel, parking his car in a no-parking zone and not bothering to care. He was going to hurt him. Turning the car off, he got out,

slamming the door shut behind him and going to the entrance to the club where Ben had just re-entered. The guy at the door did not even bother to check his ID, which was good, because Josh was certain he would have had no patience for it. He stopped once he had a good view of everyone inside. Thankfully the strip club was rarely busy during the week, so there were only ten or so people sitting around. He looked at the biggest group there, four guys close to the stage. He spotted Ben amongst them, sitting at one end of his group at a round table. Josh made his way over to the

table, slowly walking around the table they were sitting at and looking the man he wanted to kill dead in the eyes. He wasted no time threatening him. “I swear to god, if I ever see another mark on your wife again, even a god damn scratch, I will come find you and I will kill you.” Ben scoffed at the idea and smirked up at him, eyes glinting with malice. “Will you?” he asked, his tone filled with doubt and sarcasm. He looked amused, which made him seem even slimier. “Yes.” Just to prove that he was not playing around, Josh

punched him hard in the face. Ben’s head jerked backwards from the blow and he fell ass over teakettle to the floor. When he recovered, he stood up and kicked his chair off to the side. His legs were there, but not completely, as he staggered toward Josh. Ben haphazardly threw a wide, looping right hand, but Ben saw it coming and swayed back while sending a left body kick that landed directly on the liver. Ben dropped to his knee and grasped at his side in excruciating pain. Ben’s friends stood up and surrounded Josh and Ben in a

circle. He didn’t care, though; he was going to get in as many hits as he could. He was going to make the man hurt the way he made Anna hurt. Just as Ben recovered to his feet, Josh threw another punch that landed square on his nose. Josh could feel it crunch as he made contact. Ben clutched his face like a baby as blood gushed from his nostrils. His friends closed in on Josh to take over, and all three of them unloaded, clubbing blows on Josh. He had no clue how many hits he took before the bouncer came and broke the fight up, pulling him away from the other guys and

separating them by putting his body between them. “I want all of you to get the hell out right now, or I’m calling the cops!” the bouncer yelled, looking at Josh first, and then turning his glare to the other men. “You guys settle your tab another day, but I don’t want to see any of you for at least a month.” Josh was more than willing to leave, wanting to be nowhere near the man that had hurt Anna, not without the ability to kill him, but that was not going to happen when he had friends around. So he left, getting in his car and driving home.

When he got home, he looked in the mirror in his bathroom. He was proud of himself for not falling to the ground while they had beaten him up, but they were the clear winners. Not that he had expected anything else going into a fight with four against one, especially since he only had one arm to fight with. At least he had gotten a few good hits on Ben. He looked over his face and chest, noting all the red marks that would surely turn to bruises. There were a couple spots on his face that had started bruising already. Josh shook his head at himself, pissed that he was unable

to do more damage to Ben. He probably just made things worse for Anna, too, and that made him feel like shit. He had no idea what Ben would do to her now. He had behaved like an idiot, and all he had wanted to do was make her life better, to help her and now he had no clue what he had set her up for. He truly wanted to bring her home, to take her away from her abusive husband and provide a better life for her and her son. His apartment was too small, though. And he barely could handle his own life, all of his own problems. He was going to straighten up

his life. He was going to do something to prove to her that he could give her a better life than she had. Josh decided right then and there that he was going to deal with all of his shit and make things better. He was going to show her that he was stable, get help with his PTSD, and find a job. Josh was going to do everything he could to be able to provide a better life for her.

Chapter Eight Josh decided to go to her house the next morning. She would be alone, because he knew that Ben had to work during the week, so he could go and tell her that he was going to show her, to prove to her that he could give her a better life than Ben did. He would promise her that he would never lay a hand on her that was not loving, and that he would help her pursue her dream of being a veterinarian. He wanted to go tell her that she and Ethan could come home with him and they would live in the small apartment just for a couple weeks until he

could find a bigger place for them, somewhere with two bedrooms, or three, if she decided she did not want to be with him as more than just friends. He braced himself for that, too. Josh knew that having sex one time and talking a couple times a week for a few weeks did not mean that she felt the same way about him that he felt about her, but he wanted to give her the chance to choose. And he knew one hundred percent that he would never hold it against her if she did not want to be with him. He would still take her and Ethan in and provide them with

a safe home where they did not have to fear being hurt. He would help her get on her own feet so she could build a life for herself and her child if she chose she did not want to be with him. Anna had been surprised when Ben came home beat up the night before, particularly when he said nothing to her as he and his friends all grabbed beers from the fridge and turned on a game on the TV. He had done nothing more than glare at her and tell her they were hungry. She had made them food and stayed out of the way with Ethan.

When she had gotten Ethan to bed, she cleaned up the kitchen quietly so she would not disturb Ben and his friends. After that, she had gone to bed and Ben stayed in the living room with his friends. He had stumbled into bed drunk at some point, so when she woke up early in the morning to start her day, she made her way out of the bedroom as quietly as she could so she would not disturb the hangover he likely had. When his alarm for work went off, Anna started his breakfast. She cracked eggs into a pan, poking them lightly with a spatula until

they were just how he liked them. He came out of the bedroom, holding his hand against his temple, rubbing it with the base of his palm. Anna slid his eggs onto a plate for him and pulled down a bottle of aspirin, handing him two and a glass of water. She waited, bracing herself for his anger. She knew it had to have been Josh who beat Ben up; there was no one else she could think of who would, unless her husband had simply managed to piss someone off at whatever bar he was at the night before. That would actually not surprise her, since he was known for running his

mouth when he was drinking and trying to show off in front of his friends. Ben took the aspirin and the water, chugging half the bottle down with his pills. He looked at the plate of eggs she set on the table for him. “I’m not going to work today. I called in before I came out.” Anna tried not to tense at his words, though they terrified her. Nothing good could come from him spending the day at home with her and Ethan after the day he had apparently just had yesterday. “Okay, when Ethan gets up, I’ll take him outside to play so he doesn’t

bother your head.” He looked at her with a scowl. “Do you think I’m stupid? I know you had a man over. I know it was the man who hit me in the bar a few weeks ago, and who came to the club last night and tried to beat my ass right there in front of a ton of people I know.” Ben swept his hand against the table, shoving the plate of eggs from the table to the wall, the dish shattering on impact and falling in pieces to the floor. She flinched, backing away from him slowly. He turned to face her as she backed up into the living room. Ben matched every step she

took away from him with one toward her, closing the space between them and raising his hand to smack her across the face. Anna fell, having not expected him to hit her until he was closer, so she had been unable to brace herself. He kicked her hard on the back of her legs, following that kick with another to her lower back. Josh had made his way up to the front door hesitantly once he saw Ben’s car in the driveway. He broke into a sprint to the door when he heard a cry of pain from inside. His hands shook as he tried to open the door, but it was locked. He

slammed his shoulder into it and the door gave just slightly but stayed in place. Taking a few steps back, he tried again, charging into the door with his shoulder. “Come on, god damn it!” He grunted, going a third time at it. Finally, the door swung open, just barely hanging on its hinges. He rushed in, seeing Anna on the floor, her arms wrapped protectively around her head. Ben reached down and grabbed a handful of her hair, jerking her up to stand with his grip. “Let go of her, you son of a bitch!” Josh yelled, moving around

the couch by the entryway so he could get to them. He would protect Anna this time. He would save her from her husband. When he got to them, Ben let go of Anna’s hair and shoved her down, kicking her in the ass when she caught herself on the floor on all fours. Unable to hold back any longer, Josh unleashed a punch on Ben. Ben’s head jerked to the side on impact. When he straightened up, he took a swing at Josh, who ducked it. Ben came back quick with another. Josh was unable to duck that one, and he took the hit hard on his jaw.

Anna had slowly managed to drag herself away from where they were fighting, curling herself into a ball in the corner of the room and trying to inspect the extent of her injuries. Josh glanced over at her quickly and felt refueled with rage at the sight of her looking so beat up. He charged at Ben, slamming his shoulder into the man’s ribs and shoving him back against the wall. Josh pinned him there, slamming his fist over and over into the man’s side. He did not care if he broke his ribs, and he also did not care if he killed him. He would make sure Ben never laid another

hand on Anna. Ben wiggled, bringing his fist down on Josh’s back, pounding the side of it into his back over and over. It hurt a little, but mostly it was just annoying. Ben gave up on punching him, maneuvering enough from his hold to bring his elbow down against the back of Josh’s head, making him hiss and pull back. Josh raised his fist again, bringing it to Ben’s face and socking him in the jaw. He did not wait until the man was standing up straight again to hit him, and instead brought his fist up again when Ben was halfway recovered

and hitting him in the nose. Ben stumbled, knocking into a decorative table and falling beside it. A candle fell from it, immediately hitting the carpet and setting it on fire. Josh grabbed a blanket from the back of the couch, tossing it over the fire in an attempt to suffocate it, but it only caught the blanket on fire, making the flames rise. They caught to a curtain, spreading fire up the wall. The fire was growing rapidly, all the smoke alarms beeping loudly in warning. Josh kicked the coffee table out of the way, eyes moving away from Ben’s body as the man

struggled in an attempt to get himself up. Josh passed him, bending to help Anna up. He wished he could carry her out, he wished he could help her more, like a man with two arms could. She managed to get up, though, leaning the majority of her weight against him as he wrapped his arm around her waist and pulled her through the living room and around the couch. He got her outside and down the steps of the porch, down the sidewalk until he could set her down on the grass. Josh looked at the house guiltily then back at her. “I’m going

to go get Ben.” He wanted to let him die, but he was going to be the better man and save him. “No, Josh, Ethan is in there! You have to get Ethan. His room is the second door on the right in the first hallway,” Anna directed, looking up at him desperately, tears filling her eyes. “Save my baby, please.” Josh nodded, running back up to the house. Hurrying in, he ducked as much as he could to avoid the smoke. He pulled the collar of his shirt up to cover his mouth and nose. He was thankful the fire was on the opposite side of

the house as he made his way down the hall to find Ethan’s room. He found the second door, opening it and finding the toddler standing in his crib, crying and jumping, trying to get out. He hurried to the crib, picking up the little boy and the blanket he was clutching. Josh scooped him up in his arm, holding him tightly to his side and heading back outside. His goal was to get the boy out without him having any damage to his lungs. The fire was definitely getting worse, and he had no doubt that Ben was probably either passed out from breathing it in or on the

verge of it. Josh made his way quickly down the hall and out the front door, running Ethan down to Anna. Sirens filled the air and he looked up, seeing two fire trucks driving toward them and an ambulance, too. He breathed a sigh of relief, dropping onto the grass beside Anna and Ethan. The firemen could take care of Ben. Josh did not even think he would have been able to haul the man from the house if he was no longer coherent anyway, not with only one arm. He felt relief that he did not have to put in any effort to save that

vile man.

Chapter Nine The emergency response team had called for two more ambulances, making the adults all ride separately, but allowing Ethan to ride in one with Anna. Josh felt relief that Anna at least had her son to comfort her on the way to the emergency room. He wondered what the staff at the hospital would say about her bruises, about her entire body being so abused from Ben that she could hardly stand. He hoped they would call the authorities, and he hoped also that she would not lie for Ben and say they were not from him, that they

were from whatever else could be made up. He wanted her to be out of that situation. Part of him was really hoping that Ben did not make it. He was definitely in the worst shape of all of them, having been in the house the longest, and by where the candle had fallen and started burning on the carpet. Josh knew he probably should have at least dragged him away from the fire, but that would have made him a better man than he knew he was, especially to a man who beat his wife. When the ambulance pulled up to the hospital, Josh was forced

to ride in on the gurney, despite his protests that he was fine and could walk. He looked over, seeing Anna on a gurney too, with a responder carrying Ethan inside. Ben definitely looked in bad shape when they pulled him out, so the team with him went in first, prattling on about his injuries. There were already cops there, waiting for them; Josh supposed they were there to ask what had happened and make sure there was no foul play. If only they knew. They were all brought into the emergency room; beds lined up

with curtains pulled between them so Josh could not see what was going on with Anna and Ethan, or with Ben. He could hear a nurse, though, asking Anna how she had gotten her bruises. A doctor came, interrupting the cluster of questions and asking Anna who she was and what her relation was to Ben. “He is my husband. Is he okay?” she asked, though Josh would swear later that she did not sound as worried as a wife would in normal circumstances. “He needs emergency surgery, right now. He can hardly take in any

oxygen and the burns on his body are going to be infected if we don’t clean them out and take care of covering them. I’m going to send a nurse in with paperwork for you to sign to approve the surgery, but can you give me a verbal approval in the meantime?” The doctor’s voice was urgent and concerned, and Josh wondered if he would be so concerned if he knew what the man had been doing to his wife before the fire had started. Anna gave the doctor the necessary permission to start the surgery, and when the doctor left, pulling Ben’s gurney out from

behind his curtain cubicle, Josh hoped the man would die. When he was certain there was no one who would bother them from talking, Josh pulled open the curtain separating him and Anna. “How are you feeling?” he asked softly. He had gotten her out of the fire quickly, so she would not have damage from that, but that was not what he was concerned about anyway. He was concerned about her body, about the abuse her husband had laid on her. Josh had never seen someone so badly beaten by a person without a physical weapon in his entire life.

“I’m okay. I… I have absolutely no idea how I feel right now. Every single thing Ethan and I own is in that house. Honestly, I think I might actually feel a little relieved.” She looked at him and offered a faint smile, holding Ethan between her legs on the bed, where she was forcing herself into an elevated position so she could keep him occupied. “I can’t thank you enough for saving us, Josh. Really, I don’t know where I would be without Ethan. He is my everything.” Josh gave her a warm smile in return and nodded. “Of course. I’m

just glad you are both alive. How is your pain?” Anna shook her head sadly, looking at her son as tears she had been fighting finally began to stream slowly down her face. “It hurts. I hurt everywhere. He has never beaten me that badly before. Usually, it’s just one hit, or maybe two, and then he goes and gets drunk and passes out either on the couch or in bed.” “Was it because of me? Did he find out I came over? And because I hit him in the club?” Josh knew the answer, and he felt terrible that he had angered Ben enough to cause

this. “Does he know we… uh, were together?” he whispered, trying to be as quiet as he could and still make sure she could hear him. “This is not your fault, Josh. You were only trying to help. I know that. And it took me a long time to realize that it isn’t ever anybody’s fault except the person doing the beating.” She looked at him, wiping her tears from her cheeks and under her eyes. “I will be okay. I have survived before. I am just glad he didn’t touch Ethan. And that you showed up when you did, because I don’t know if he would have stopped this time.”

Josh nodded. “It’s no problem. I’m just hoping he leaves you alone now. Anna, you have to leave him. When the nurses come back, if they ask you again where your bruises are from, you have to tell them. You have to tell them he beats you. They can help you, they can call the cops and have him put in custody or something and you won’t even have to leave your house.” Anna sighed, looking back at her son and not responding in any other manner. She wanted to; she no longer cared about what she would do for a living, and the government might even help her

until she could get a job. She just wanted to be away from Ben, away from the beatings and the fear that one day hitting her would not be enough and he would go after their son. “They sounded pretty worried about him when they asked permission for his surgery. Maybe…” she let her words trail off, unable to actually say the words out loud. “I was hoping the same thing,” he admitted quietly. “I just want you safe. I want to know that you will never have a fresh bruise again unless it’s from running into a coffee table or playing with your

son. You don’t deserve that, Anna. No one deserves that.” She rolled her lips together, sliding her tongue out to wet them after and turning her head to look at him once more. Anna hesitated, but after a long moment, she finally asked, “Why do you care?” “Because I care about you. I care about you more than I have cared about any woman before.” “No, I mean… before you knew me, before we started meeting and talking, and before we…” she did not say the words, knowing they both clearly remembered what they had done in the library that day.

“Why did you bother? Why did you defend me that night in the bar? Why did it matter to you?” Josh shrugged. “Because no man should hit a woman. It’s one thing to hit someone out of defense or you know, sport, like MMA, but no one should lay a hand on another person just because they cannot handle their own anger. I felt so much anger when I saw him yelling in your face, and when he ignored you for his friends. Him smacking you was the last straw that night, and honestly, it pisses me off that there weren’t more people there to defend you. It pisses

me off that his friends are okay with watching him do that to you, and it makes me hope none of his friends are married, because that means they probably beat their wives, too.” The nurse came back to check on Ethan and Anna, so he had no clue how she was going to respond. The nurse closed the curtain between them. He immediately missed the sight of her face. Even bruised and red and swollen, she was the most beautiful woman he had ever seen, and he wanted so badly to kiss every hurt part of her body and hold her until she was

better. He never wanted to let her out of his sight again. He wanted to take her home with him, make her one of the few meals he could cook, just so she would have nothing to worry about, and then he wanted to watch her curl up on the bed and sleep with her son, peacefully, and without worry of ever being abused again. Hearing the nurse ask again about her bruises, he listened in on her talking to the nurse, making excuses for Ben, just as Josh had practically begged her not to do. “There are a series of bruises all over your body,” the nurse said.

“I know. I… I’m so clumsy, and my son has no fear, so he’s running around and banging into me a lot when we play.” Anna was a terrible liar; Josh would have laughed if it was not such a sad story. “And the two men I came in with, they were fighting before the fire, and I accidentally got too close and got bumped into. Really, I’m okay.” He hated it, but he did not blame her; he knew that people did that often. Anna had also claimed that she fell and bumped against the table and knocked the candle over, along with blaming that for

some of her bruises. It irked him to hear, and his stomach churned as he listened to her making up excuses, and he thought maybe the nurse did not believe her, because the woman’s voice was doubtful as she continued asking her questions. He sighed, laying back in his bed and waiting for the nurse who had taken his vitals. He definitely had the least amount of damage, so he did not mind the wait, but he was tired and would do just about anything for a nap and a beer, not necessarily in that order. Josh listened to the choked sound of Anna’s voice as she lied to the

nurse, and he could tell she was trying not to cry. She was trying to be brave and do what she needed to for herself and her son, and even if he hated it and wanted her out of that relationship, he had to respect how much she loved her son and seemed like she would do anything for him. The nurse left her cubicle, and Josh wished he could have seen her face or her notes—anything that would tell him if she had believed Anna or if she would be calling the police. He was unsure of what the laws were anyway, and he didn’t think that Anna would press

charges even if the police arrested him. She was too afraid of Ben, he thought. Too afraid of what would happen if Ben got off and was let go to come back to her and hurt her more. This time, Anna was the one to open the curtain. She looked at him sadly and pursed her lips. “I couldn’t. He has friends, and too many people that would protect him if I turned him in. Even if he went to jail, I don’t think I would be safe,” she whispered, her chin quivering as she spoke. Josh nodded, reaching over to take her hand. “Hey, it’s okay. We

will wait to see how his surgery goes and then we will figure it out. I will not let him hurt you ever again. Even if he is okay and you go back to him, I will make it very clear to him that he will never lay another hand on you again, or I will kill him. I will tell him I was in the military, tell him I have ways and weapons he has never seen before. No matter what it takes, I will make sure he never hurts you again.” Anna nodded, shaking her head quickly to keep her eyes from drooping closed. She looked exhausted. “Okay. Thank you, Josh.”

“Anytime. I will do everything in my power.” He looked at her, and then turned his gaze to her son. “Do you want me to play with him so you can sleep? He can come sit with me here and you can take a nap. You look tired.” She looked at Ethan and ran her fingers through his hair. “No, that’s okay. I don’t want to take my eyes off him right now. Today has been the worst day of my life, and I just want to hold him and look at him right now.” Josh smiled. “Okay. If you change your mind, I’m right here.” A different person came over,

looking over Ethan. “We have to take him for a chest x-ray. You said he was in the house longer than you were, right?” Anna nodded. “Not for very long, but yes. I couldn’t... I couldn’t get him out, I… my friend went and got him for me,” she explained, her voice overcoming with emotion again. “That’s okay, we just want to do an x-ray to make sure there’s no smoke lingering in there. Sometimes that happens, and we just want to make sure that he won’t have any issues when you leave.”

“Can I come with him?” Anna asked. “I’m sorry, you can’t leave your bed right now. Your injuries are too apparent, and the nurses have you down as needing to stay in your bed. Is this the father?” the woman asked, pointing at Josh. “No, he’s not. But he’s a good friend. Can he come?” Anna looked at him, her eyes wide and hopeful. Josh turned his gaze to the other woman and nodded. “Would that be all right? Just so he has someone with him?” The woman looked between Anna and Josh. “Okay, you can

come, sir. Are you all right to walk?” “Of course.” Josh got up from the bed, reaching for Ethan. “I’ll carry him.” They went for Ethan’s x-ray, and Josh secretly hoped that the doctors would not be finished with Ben’s surgery before he got back to Anna. He wanted to be there with her to hear how it had gone. He was anxious to hear if Ben was going to live or die, and what whichever it was meant for Anna. Josh found his hopes were fulfilled when they returned from Ethan’s x-ray and there still had not been any news on Ben’s surgery.

Anna was rightfully pleased to have her son back with her, and the worry that had been etched in her features slowly cleared away when Ethan climbed into her lap and cuddled into her, glad to be back with his mom. The time passed slowly as they waited, and Josh made it his personal mission to get Anna thinking about anything except Ben. He asked her questions about her childhood, friends she favored when she was young and what kind of grades she made in school. He asked about her classes, which they occasionally had talked about in

their library meetings, but he wanted to keep her distracted, so he asked more. Every once in a while she would tell him something about her biology class, and while it was not an entirely enthralling subject to him, the way her face lit up when she talked about it and how it would help her move on to higher classes for vet training, was more than enough to keep him interested in the subject. He thought maybe an hour had passed when a doctor came over, asking if she was Mrs. Jones. She nodded, shifting to sit up more and look at the doctor attentively.

“Your husband is going to live, but he has a lot of second-degree and third-degree burns covering the whole right side of his body. His lungs are weak, so right now we have him on a ventilator to help him breathe. He’s going to need a lot of care, around the clock preferably, so he can stay here, or you can take him home and care for him. If you work, you’ll need to see about having someone come stay with him or paying for a home nurse for quite some time.” Anna nodded as she took in all the information. Ben would kill her if she agreed to leave him in the

hospital. Not only would he be pissed that he was stuck at a hospital in the first place, but he would be angry about the size of the bill that would rack up. His health coverage from work was average at best, so an extended stay in the hospital would cost them quite a bit of money, and that was not even thinking about the cost of the ambulance trip for each of them, and Ethan. “Is he awake?” she asked the doctor, her gaze flickering over to Josh for only a quick moment. The doctor shook his head. “He is sleeping right now. He’ll

likely sleep a good portion of the rest of the day, and most of tomorrow. He will be heavily medicated for a few days, and we’ll send him home with a prescription for a painkiller and one for antibiotics. We can’t discharge him for several days regardless of what you choose, but when he’s cleared to go home, a nurse will give you instructions on how to care for him.” “Okay. Thank you.” Anna felt sick. He was her husband, even if he was abusive and a jerk, she felt it was her responsibility to take care of him. She did not want to, not

really. She wanted to go home with Josh and live with him while she got back on her feet for herself and Ethan. The offer Josh had made had sounded so wonderful and promising and it was slipping out of her hold before she could even get a grip on it, and it felt terrible. “Would you like to see him?” The doctor motioned down the hallway. “Thank you, but if he’s just sleeping anyway, I would like to stay here until my friend is cleared. He saved our lives, and I want to stay to make sure he is fine.” Anna looked over at Josh and gave him a

sad smile. Nodding, the doctor told Anna that a nurse could take her to her husband’s room whenever she was ready, and then left them alone. Anna waited until he was gone, and then she looked at Josh once more, knowing what she had to do. “So… I guess I have to stay.” She rolled her lips together, pursing them after and shaking her head sadly. “I have to take care of him. Someone has to, and there’s no one else.” Josh sighed. It was such an awful feeling to know that she was going to take care of the man who

was essentially the reason they were all at the hospital anyway. She was going to take care of her husband, who did not ever take care of her, who beat on her and acted like she was his punching bag after a bad day at work, instead of treating her like the gift she was. It made his stomach churn. He could not say that to her, though, not without making her feel bad, and he would not do that to her. “That’s who you are,” he answered in understanding. “You’re the amazing woman who will do for others. I totally get it.” Josh tried to make his voice even, and steady. He

didn’t want to make anything harder for her; that would not be fair, and it was not his place. He was just her friend, and Ben was her husband, and while Josh still did not think she owed a single thing to Ben, she felt she did, so he would let her go. It killed him. It made him hurt and feel even more anger on top of the anger he had already been feeling from what he had interrupted when he went over to Anna’s house earlier. That anger was building inside of him, and Josh hoped a nurse would come and discharge him as soon as

possible, because he needed to get out of there. He needed to take himself somewhere he could be alone, with no one watching and no one to see him upset. “Yeah,” Anna finally said, her eyes welling with tears that she seemed to be fighting. “He can’t even breathe on his own. I can’t leave him to his own devices right now.” Josh simply nodded. “It’s okay. Don’t cry. If you change your mind when he’s healed, I’ll be here. It’s not a one-time offer; if you need anything, you know where to find me, and I’ll be ready, I promise.

Take the time you need.” He gave her a weak smile, even though it felt like it was killing him to do so. She returned his smile hesitantly. “I appreciate that. I really do, Josh. You’ve been so amazing and understanding. You’ve been a great friend when I really needed one, and I won’t forget that.” Her words sounded so much like a goodbye that he couldn’t take it. Josh nodded once more, not knowing how else to respond to her words. He was saved more awkwardness when a nurse came to her to talk about Ethan’s x-ray, and

a different nurse came to him to do another round of vitals and to check his breathing. The need to cooperate with the nurse provided him a small distraction for the moment, but it, unfortunately, did not last long. She told him he looked fine, and gave him a breathing treatment just in case. His lungs felt fine, though. It was his heart that was hurting. When the nurse was finished with him, he looked over to see that there was still a nurse with Anna and Ethan, and he was glad she would not be able to talk more at the moment. He could not bear

listening to her apologize for doing what she thought was right, for staying to take care of her husband when he was in poor health. He was discharged a few minutes later, a receptionist coming by to give him paperwork that he needed to make sure he knew what to do if he started feeling any symptoms from the minor smoke inhalation. He got up from the bed, waiting until the nurse left Ethan and Anna. When they were alone, he bent and kissed her forehead, and then ran a hand over Ethan’s hair. “I’m glad you two are all right. Take care, okay?”

Anna looked at him through watery eyes. “You, too. I’ll see you around.” Josh had nothing more to say, nothing he could say without making her feel bad, anyway, and he was sticking to his plan not to do that. So he turned and left, leaving behind the beautiful woman he had happened upon in a bar by mistake. The beautiful woman who had come to mean so much to him.

Chapter Ten Weeks passed, and Josh found himself still thinking of Anna every day. He thought of her at the gym, at the bar, when he was out running. He had gone and gotten himself a job, nothing too fancy, just working in a factory gluing Styrofoam to boxes for car parts. It was work, though, a job with a steady income and occasional overtime pay. He had also started going to therapy sessions once a week. It actually felt good to talk to someone about his problems, to seek help in a way that he never had before. He had changed so much of

his life to better himself, to be someone that deserved Anna. He had not heard from her in the long weeks that had passed, had not seen her beautiful face, bright eyes, or her pretty smile. Some days, he could still hear her laugh, the melodious sound having become one of his favorite noises in the world. He knew it was probably ridiculous; they had hardly even gotten to know each other before it all fell apart. Still, he ached for her. Josh knew he had fallen in love with her, and he had no idea if she had felt the same way or not, but it

did not matter, because she had chosen to stay with her husband and take care of him. There was a small part of him that still hoped that one day she would realize that she did not have to be with that jerk anymore, that she could have a better life for herself and her son, that he would help her with that. That was why he had gone and found work, and he was seeing a neurosurgeon soon about if he could get his arm fixed. It was a dreary Wednesday at Punch after work when things changed. He missed coming in the morning when there were fewer

people there taking up the space, but his working hours started very early, and it was too far away to come on his lunch break. The door opened, and while he usually ignored people entering, he looked up this time. There she was. Anna walked in, Ethan’s hand in her own as the door shut behind them and she looked around. She spotted him, smiling brightly immediately and making her way over to him. Josh stopped hitting the punching bag and looked her over, returning her smile with an ease he did not know he had in him. “Hey.” He raised his eyebrows,

looking her over and finding that there was not a single mark on her skin that did not belong there. She looked healthy, completely unharmed, unlike all the other times he had ever seen her, and she was even more beautiful without all the bruises marring her skin. “You look great. How are you doing?” “Thank you. I’m… I’m good. How are you?” She pointed to a bench, telling Ethan to sit down so she could talk to her friend. The little boy obeyed, climbing up and sitting down with his legs stretched along the bench. “I’m okay.” Josh motioned to

the bench beside Ethan. “Do you want to sit?” Anna shook her head quickly. “No, I don’t think we’ll be staying very long.” “Oh. All right.” That saddened him, having hoped she would at least visit for a little while. He had known all along that he had been missing her greatly, but seeing her again reminded him just how strong that feeling was. “No,” Anna added, “I mean, we’re here for you.” Josh tilted his head, giving her a look of confusion. “I’m sorry, I don't think I understand.”

“I had divorce papers served to Ben, and I filed a restraining order against him, too. I’m talking to my parents again, and they’re outside, waiting for us. I told my mother I would let her know if we needed a ride home or not. We’re staying with them for now.” “Oh.” It surprised him, and it made him a little sad that she had not wanted to take him up on his offer of help, but he was truly happy for her that she had gotten herself out of that situation. She deserved so much better, and he hoped that she would be getting it now. “That’s really great, Anna. I’m really happy

for you.” Anna smiled, taking a step closer to him. “Anyway, I have had a lot of time to think and to talk to my mother, and to sort of figure things out for myself. It has been really good, and I am a lot happier now knowing that Ethan and I are safe from harm. I owe you so much for that, for all the help you gave me and all the times you saved me from him. I could never repay you.” “You don’t have to,” he answered quickly. “I never did any of it to get something out of it. I just wanted to help you. I just wanted to make sure you were

okay.” “That is what’s so great about you. You are too kind and generous. I wanted to thank you also for your offer to stay with you until we could get back on our feet. I appreciate that you would do that for us, but we are going to be good at my parents’ house. It will be good for Ethan to finally get to have a relationship with his grandparents, and they said they will watch him while I finish school. They even told me I should go full time and not worry about working right now. Just until I can get my degree, or get closer to it anyway.”

Josh smiled. “That sounds great. Really, it will be good that you get to focus on school and following your dreams faster. I know only taking one class a semester makes the process drag out a lot.” Anna nodded. “Yeah, it will take some getting used to, living under my parents’ roof again, but it beats living with Ben and being afraid for my life all the time.” She paused, looking around the gym and letting her gaze settle on Ethan for a moment. Anna looked back up at Josh hesitantly. “Anyway, I wanted to see if you would like to

join Ethan and me for some ice cream. I promised him a cone because he started his potty training and the place is nearby, so I thought of you.” Josh looked at the toddler, and then back at Anna. “Of course. I would love to get ice cream. Are you sure? You don’t have to feel obligated to do anything for me, really. It’s okay.” “I don’t. I don’t feel obligated at all. I just thought that maybe ice cream could be a new beginning for us. Ethan’s car seat is in my mother’s car; I can go get it and you can drive us home after, too, if you

would like to, that is.” He could not stop the bright smile that spread across his face at her words. Taking a step closer to her, Josh wrapped his arm around her shoulders and pulled her close to him. It felt so wonderful to hold her, to be near her with so much ease and no worry about what would happen. “I would love to get ice cream with you.” He moved his arm from her shoulder, pulling back to look at her and bringing his hand up to tilt her chin up. Josh dipped his head just slightly, pressing his lips to hers in a gentle kiss. He had missed

her too much, had missed her scent and how he could feel the warmth of her body through her clothes just from their proximity to each other. Josh held the kiss for a long moment, then pulled back to look at her once more. He smiled, pressing a chaste kiss to her lips, and then another, before taking a couple of steps back so he could resist temptation. “That sounds perfect. Let me just pack up my stuff here and then we’ll get going.” Anna nodded, picking Ethan up from the bench and watching as Josh unwrapped his hand and wrist and tossed the wrap into his duffle

bag. He looked up at her, feeling her gaze on him and finding himself happier than he could ever remember being in his entire life. Even if she did not need his help to better her life, she was out of that terrible situation, and she was doing something to take care of herself and her son. He was proud of her. When Josh finished packing up his gym bag, he nodded to Matt and tipped his head at a couple of other guys that were there working out. Sliding his arm around Anna’s waist, he started gently leading her outside. “Let’s go get us some ice

cream.”

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Abby Walker nervously wet her lips with the tip of her tongue. Once again, she tried to remind herself that she had no reason to be nervous. She had a plan, she could put it into action, she could carry it out. She was settled now in the front row at one of the largest fashion houses in New York, waiting for their latest fashion show to start up. She looked stunning in her low cut, short black dress and six-inch Jimmy Choos. Abby loved fashion. She’d grown up with it, and the models that went through it, her entire life.

Abby’s father, Ed Walker, had co-created the most successful modeling agency in New York City. While Abby was pretty enough to be in the industry herself, her father had gone out of his way to protect her. Ed Walker did not want her to see the ugliness that could come with both the modeling and underside of the business enterprise. That had not stopped Abby from ending up at parties, or corporate events. That was where she had met the man who was currently seated on the other side of the runway from her—Mitchell Fields.

Mitchell Fields had been her father’s business partner her entire life. Mitchell was twice her age, but he was gorgeous. She’d developed a crush on him early and it had been with her ever since. Not that Mitchell had ever noticed. She’d always been nothing but Ed’s Little Girl to him. But today, Abby had a feeling that was going to change. Abby had not seen Mitchell in several years. She’d graduated high school and gone off to college, coming home only on the occasional holiday break and never for a full summer. Now that graduation was over, she had just

returned to New York after finishing at Yale. Her degree was just as impressive as her looks. She was twenty-three now, and had grown up in all of the right ways. Abby’s long blonde hair, huge green eyes and killer figure had gotten her the attention of all of the Ivy League boys. Despite that, she was still a virgin. She was holding out for just the right man… and today she was going to have him. She was not a little girl anymore, and today Mitchell Fields would see that. Abby was going to seduce him if it was the last thing that she did. Studying him, she

realized that he looked even better than he had in the past. She had chosen her outfit with the intent of proving to him that she was no child. She had gone through every modeling tip and technique on makeup that she had learned over the years. Expensive foundations and brighteners accented her flawless skin. Her eyes were rimmed in black liner and mascara. She had topped off the look with bright red lipstick. She looked hotand Mitchell was going to notice. The house lights dropped. Abby smiled as her eyes focused across the runway on Mitchell. Her

tongue traced across her lips once more while she crossed one long leg over the other. Her Yale roommate and best friend Maria had dared her to seduce the man she had been lusting over all these years. Abby suspected that Maria might have been growing weary with hearing about Mitchell. As long as Abby had known Maria, she had her crush on Mitchell. Maria had sat through countless nights of Abby googling recent pictures of Mitchell or just declaring how gorgeous he was. So when the other girl had offered out the challenge, she could not really blame her. After all, the

other girl who had watched Abby walk away from countless men her own age over the years. So when the dare had come out of Maria’s mouth, Abby had thought it was as much a challenge to make her stop talking as much as it was one to see if she could do it. Abby had accepted immediately. Abby smiled at the memory, just as Mitchell happened to turn. He looked across the runway at her. Their eyes met. She gave him a sly smile. She watched as Mitchell’s eyes roamed over her. Abby held back a grin. The look on Mitchell’s face said it all. He wanted her

already. This was going to be no trouble at all. Abby licked her lips again. Maybe she did have a reason to be nervous after all. ***** Mitchell Fields took a deep breath, trying to hide his arousal. Who the hell was the girl in the front row? He knew that he had never seen her here before—he certainly would have remembered. She was gorgeous, and she would not stop staring at him. Mitchell was not doing much better himself. He could barely take his eyes off of her to concentrate on the girls on the runway.

Mitchell was used to beautiful women hanging on him. He was forty, but he enjoyed his bachelor lifestyle. He had never really seen himself as the settle down type. Therefore, he had every intention of sticking to his world of drinks and hot sex with gorgeous models. Getting older had done nothing to his looks. Mitchell still looked fabulous. His black hair had a few streaks of distinguishing gray in it. He himself kept to a strict workout routine and diet. It paid off. Models were always after him. Actually, all women were always lusting after him.

The fashion show ended not a moment too soon. Mitchell got up from his seat. He was a bit ashamed to admit that he had not paid as much attention as he probably should. He was too distracted by the hot blonde seated across from him. He hoped that she was on her way over to the after show party. He needed to find her —immediately if not sooner. There was always an after show party filled with drinks and bands. It was a good way to network, give feedback, or simply hype up publicity with the press. Of course, it was also where some of

the darker aspects of the modeling business began to form. That always happened. He entered the large room that was already filling up with beautiful women and well-dressed men. He knew that most of the men in the room did not have the best of intentions where the women lay. That was the problem with modeling. Women too quickly became objects that symbolized only one thing. While he did not care much to think about it, it was something that he had to admit he was guilty of from time to time. He laid eyes on his mystery

woman near the bar. She was sipping on a glass of red wine. Mitchell smiled. He began making his way through the crowd. It took him a few moments. He kept getting stopped by both men and women alike. Everyone wanted his attention. While most of the men wanted to talk business or compliment him on the company’s successes, the women were batting their eyes in ways that Mitchell knew. Apparently his reputation preceded him. “Did you enjoy the show?” He finally reached the mystery woman’s side. He leaned against

the bar beside her, ordering himself a gin and tonic. The girl turned to him. Her eyes were bright green. Her lips were a beautiful shade of bright crimson. Mitchell felt the lust well up in him immediately. He could already imagine what those lips could do to him. “Couldn’t take my eyes off of it.” The girl put her wine glass on the bar. “It was everything I wanted.” Mitchell chuckled. “I don’t believe that we’ve met. I’m Mitchell Fields.” He offered her a hand. “It’s my pleasure.” She shook his hand firmly.

“And you are-?” Mitchell pressed gently. He was curious just who she could be. He had never seen her here before, after all. “A fashion lover who is thrilled to meet the brilliant mind behind this empire.” She leaned against the bar beside him as her fingers wrapped around her wine glass once more. “Flattery will get you everything.” Mitchell looked the girl over. His eyes immediately landed on her chest. She had quite the figure-that was for sure. “Have we met before?” “Oh, we may have run into

each other a time or two, but it was nothing formal.” She was quite casual about it. “Regardless, I have always been a fan of yours, Mr. Fields.” “Oh have you?” Mitchell took a quick sip of his drink. He set the glass on the bar. “And please, call me Mitchell.” “Well of course… Mitchell.” His name rolled so smoothly off of those beautiful red lips. Mitchell could barely contain himself. “So are you a model yourself?” The girl laughed. “Not hardly.” She took a step closer to him. Mitchell shook his

head solemnly. “Such a shame. A beautiful girl like you? You could be any modeling agent’s dream.” The girl laughed once more. It was delicate, musical. Mitchell could not believe his level of interest in this incredible woman whom he had just met. “Well, you are quite the flatterer.” She shook her long blonde hair. Mitchell picked up the faint aroma of shampoo and expensive perfume. “I’ve been in this business for a few years.” Mitchell sipped his drink once more. “I’ve got an eye

for beautiful women.” “I’m certain that you do.” The girl’s bright red lips formed a coy smile. “Men like you are brilliant.” “Well, I’m not the only one who is good with flattery.” “I can’t help myself.” She took a step closer to him. “There’s just something about a man in power that has always… turned me on.” Mitchell smiled. So she was certainly interested. That was a good thing. He wanted to see what was under that skimpy little dress that she was wearing. “It’s certainly a shame that you never went into modeling.”

Mitchell took his own step closer to her. “The runway would have loved you.” “Thank you.” His mystery woman took another step closer. It made the scent of her intoxicating perfume stronger. When he moved his arm to rest on the bar, he brushed against her breasts. She did not pull away. In fact, she looked even more interested. “What can I tell you?” Mitchell pressed his arm more firmly against her breast. “I know a body the camera would love.” He watched her press her tongue against her front teeth. He

found it incredibly sexy. He moved his arm slightly so that he could stroke his fingers against the side of her breast. “Actually,” he murmured, “I know a body that anyone would love.” “Oh, I know that you do.” The woman let her hand fall to rest on his upper arm. “I know all about your talent, Mr. Fields. There’s no one that I’d… trust… more.” Mitchell shook his head. He met his share of beautiful women at these events, and he had many of them play up to him, but this one seemed to have a particular

determination. He did not really understand it—or why she was not offering her name. But he was not about to turn her down. “If you ever do want to get into the business,” he met her eyes, “you just let me know. I’ll make sure to find you the right connections.” The woman laughed flirtatiously. It was a beautiful sound, and the action made her brilliant green eyes light up. She was playing this game like a champion—and she was clearly in it to win it. “Well, maybe if you were

really interested, I could find some time to give you a private performance.” Ah, there it was. It was exactly as he had thought. He felt the immediate stirrings of arousal. He was certainly not going to turn this one down. “Why don’t we do just that?” THE END