Lacey

Chapter 23 - Lacey

Waking up in Dane's strong arms was bittersweet. On the one hand, it was awesome to see him, the circumstances that bought him here, not so much. The emotions causing my heart to hurt just as much as my body. "Morning, baby," Dane says as I sit up and stretch my arms above my head. "How are you feeling this morning?". Hmmm, now that was a question that I wasn't sure I could answer. I hadn't had time to consider the events of the last twenty-four hours but knew if I went down that rabbit hole, I would get stuck in my head, so I went with the safest answer I could think of at present. "Like a truck ran over me. Thank you so much for coming, Dane. I don't know what I would do without you. I don't know what I was thinking, trying to push you away. You have always been my rock. I don't deserve you," I sniffle, hating how weak I am.

"Shhhhhh, baby. I have told you a million times that I am not going anywhere, no matter what you say. I would kill for you. You know I will again. I would die for you. You are it for me and always will be. I will make sure that filthy teacher dies the most horrible and pain-filled death for ever laying a finger on you, baby. That cunt will be wishing he had never been born by the time I am done with him," Dane declares passionately, his grip on my chin tight as he makes his declaration. I believed every word. I didn't know how to reply though and honestly was too emotionally exhausted even to try. Instead, I curled myself around his large body and hid under the comfort of the blankets, snuggling into his warmth.

It was Monday, but there was no way in hell that I was getting ready for school or even considering going. I had too much on my mind. I needed to work my way through each problem one at a time. The most pressing being Ryder, West, Saint and Lawson. In my mind, there was no way that they could believe Lyndsay over me, and I knew that if I just had a chance to explain the situation, they would be on my side. I was unsure if I could ever forgive them, though, for the video they streamed online of me being sexually assaulted and would not grovel if they didn't believe my side of the story. I didn't need to be made to feel any worse than I already felt about the assault, especially by anyone who believed it was consensual.

Surprisingly, when I clicked on the link to show Dane the clip, it was no longer available. I don't know if that was because they felt bad about posting it or the fact they had posted a minor on a social media platform. I was hoping it was the former but wasn't going to hold my breath. By the afternoon, Dane and I had ordered food via menu log twice and were just about to go through the menus again for dinner. I didn't feel like running into Ryder or any of the guys right now; thankfully, the house had been quiet the entire day, so I can only guess that Ryder had gone to one of their houses after school thankfully. Dad would be home tomorrow from his business trip, and I mentally prepared myself to talk to him about having a car of my own. I had no delusions that Ryder would be taking me to school anymore.

Dane was going to stay another night and head off tomorrow morning; he wanted to stay longer, but, in the end, he knew I was right and he would need to return to work. "I promise I will handle everything on this end, Dane. If I don't, you will be the first person I call to handle it for me, ok," I say as I head for the front door to collect our sushi from the delivery driver. "I swear, baby, if it isn't handled soon, I will kill them. I am not playing around when it comes to you or your safety", he growls, grabbing the food bags from me and heading back towards my bedroom. Always the gentleman, I think with a snort, trudging up the stairs behind him. I was so thankful that Dane allowed me the freedom to handle and deal with things in my way. Growing up so close, he respected my boundaries and trusted that I would do the right thing for myself. No matter how many mistakes I made along the way. Thankfully the house was still silent after dinner.

Dane and I put a scary movie on and snuggled under the covers. Having him so close broke my heart, knowing that I only had a few more hours with him before he would have to return home. "What baby?" Dane whispers, catching me staring at his handsome face. "I still can't believe that you have my name tattooed above your eye", I reply, still studying his beautiful profile and the new ink that adornes it. Dane lets out a sigh and rolls over onto his side to face me, propped up on one elbow. "I don't know how many more times I have to tell you that I love you, Lacey before it gets through that thick skull of yours. I have been in love with you from the moment I laid eyes on you, and that is never going to change," he replies with a small smile on his face. The look does funny things to my insides, making me feel like a slut after what I endured only two nights ago. I shouldn't beat myself up, in any case. There is a huge difference between consensual sex and being brutally attacked and raped by an older teacher. Dane and I had always had wicked sexual chemistry, not that our relationship was just a physical one, no ours ran deeper than that. "Ok", I reply, cupping his face in my hand, wanting nothing more than to touch him and erase the memories of Mr Marone's hands on me.