The fire inside

Chapter 20

"He. Did. What?!" Trent yelled.

I sat there on the rock and bit my lip. "Trent," I sighed trying to reason with him.

"Don't Trent me, Elaine!" I jump slightly when he yells my full name. "I swear if I ever see that creep again I'll kill him. He had no right to put his hands on you. Especially when you told him no."

"Trent, I'm over i-"

"You're such a liar, Ellie!" I could tell he was furious. "You're not over it! Your face practically turns green every time I say the name Tommy!"

I felt my stomach churn and I tried not to get sick again.

"See?" He walked up to me and sighed. "I love you and I will protect you from anyone that is dumb enough to try to hurt you. I don't care if it was in the past or in the future, You're mine to protect."

I blushed and looked up at him through my lashes. He was looking at me hurt and worried. I looked back down at my hands and tried not to cry.

"Ellie," Trent said softly, sitting next to me and pulling me into a hug. "I'm just worried about you. That's all. This guy has really messed you up and he's lucky I didn't know about this before I saw him."

"You beating him up wouldn't do anything to change the past," I told him sadly.

"But it would have made me feel a little better," he grumbled.

That made me chuckle a little. "I know." I looked up at him and smiled. "I'm glad I have you to protect me," I whispered, then kissed his cheek.

He just hugged me tight and kissed the top of my head. "I'm sorry I yelled at you, Elle. I'm just so mad that he took advantage of you."

"I know," I whispered then chuckled humorlessly.

"What is it?" Trent pulled away a little to look at me.

I shrugged and in my head said He wasn't the only one. I hated to admit it even to myself but it was the truth. I shuddered, feeling absolutely disgusted. "I need a shower."

"What else happened?" Trent asked through gritted teeth.

"What?" I felt my entire body go rigid and my stomach churn.

"Something else happened with him. I can sense it." He squeezed my shoulders gently and looked me straight in the eyes. "What was it?"

I looked down and whispered "He wasn't the only one."

He let go of me and clenched his fists at his sides. "How many?"

"Two or three others," I whispered.

"With him?" I could hear the malice in his voice.

All I could do was nod. I refused to meet his gaze but I could feel his gaze on me.

Suddenly Trent pulled me into a tight hug and he kissed the top of my head. "I'm here for you, Elle." He whipped a tear from my cheek and I realized I was crying. I'm not sure how long we sat there with my head buried in his chest while I cried and he held me, but he didn't let me go.

The next thing I remember is waking up in my room with Trent wrapped around me snoring softly. I slowly slid away from him and went to the bathroom. I realized it was still dark out. I looked at my alarm clock and saw it was 3 in the morning. I groaned knowing I wasn't going to be able to get back to sleep. I changed into shorts and a T-shirt and crawled back into bed being careful not to wake Trent.

"Hey beautiful."

Obviously not careful enough. "Hey."

"Get over here." I heard the smile in Trent's voice as he pulled me to him. "What are you doing up?"

"I could ask you the same thing."

"You left the bed and I got worried."

I rolled over so I was facing him. "I'm okay Trent. I just had to use the bathroom." I kissed him softly and laid my head on his chest.

Trent hugged me tight and kissed my head. "Okay." He lifted my chin and kissed me deeply.

Feeling him hold and kiss me made me feel like everything was right with the world. I smiled and kissed him back. He pulled me as close as possible and I wrapped my arms around his neck. He bit my bottom lip softly, making me gasp. He chuckled softly and pulled away. He smirked at me and I playfully pushed him away.

He sat up and pulled me into his lap. "I love you," he whispered so close to my ear it sent shivers down my spine.

"I love you too," I whispered back.

Trent kissed my neck then rested his head on top of mine. I closed my eyes enjoying the moment. He rubbed my back and held me close to his chest. I curled up in is lap like a kid and relaxed.

"I wish we could stay like this forever," I said sleepily.

"Your wish is my command," Trent whispered and leaned back slightly, resting against my headboard. "I will never let you go." He kissed my cheek, my temple then the top of my head, keeping me close to him as I slowly drifted back to sleep.