I could see the pain on your face and it broke me, I couldn’t keep doing it, I couldn’t keep hurting you.”
“He found out, tonight, didn’t he?”
“No, he was just mad I ran after you. This,” he says, pointing to his body, “is a warning.”
“You need to report him Slade, he can’t do this to you!”
“I’m a grown fucking man,” he snarls. “How bad is it going to look to walk in and say my daddy still beats me?”
“You think it’ll make you look weak, because you’re not a child?” I whisper, shocked.
“Of course it will, I still let my father beat me.”
“Your father is a big man and he’s using your weaknesses to get to you. He knows you won’t give up racing, he knows you love it and so he’s doing whatever he can to use that against you.”
“He knows that without him, I have no place in that racing world.” Slade says, his voice broken.
“That’s crap Slade, and you know it. You’re talented…”
“I know what I am Dash, I also know if I don’t do it his way, my career is over. He’ll make sure of it.”
“Slade…you can’t live like this…”
He looks over at me with pained eyes. “I have no choice.”
“You have to report him!”
“If I report him, I will lose everything. Racing is my life Dash, it’s everything to me.”
“Is it worth this?” I say, gently running a hand down his chest.
“Yeah, it is.”
“Slade…”
“If you say anything Dash, I’ll never forgive you.”
“Why don’t you fight back?”
He looks away. “Because I’m scared if I fight back, he’ll do something far worse than beat me.”
“You think your own father would…kill you?”
“I don’t think he’d mean to, but Dash, when he loses it…he loses it. If I fight back, it’ll only make that reaction worse.”
I take his hands. “Oh Slade.”
He reaches out and strokes my eye. “Are you ok?”
“Don’t worry about me, come on, let me help you.”
He lets me lead him into the kitchen and slowly remove his shirt. He has bruises all over his chest, his stomach, even as low as his belly button. They’re ugly, purple and painful. I feel my eyes fill with tears as I reach out and stroke the soft, beautiful skin that is damaged by hate. Hate from his own father. When I lift my face to look back up at him, his eyes are glassy and red.
It’s the first time since Slade has been back, that I see the boy I loved so deeply. I reach up and cup his cheek, then I bring his face down to mine and I kiss him so softly it’s barely a touch. He makes a pained sound and puts a hand up to tangle in my hair. Our lips slide together gently and I can feel the warmth of his tears mingling with my own and sliding down my cheeks.
I take his face with both hands now, bringing his forehead down to mine. We stand like that, me just holding him as tears slide down his cheeks. Broken, painful tears. He presses his lips to mine again, but this time the kiss becomes heated. Our mouths move together in a desperate dance that has us both panting. Tongues softly combine, groans fill both our ears. Slade forces himself to pull back and looks down at me.
“We can’t…”
I nod, stroking his cheek. “I know.”
“But…I want to Dash, I want to so badly.”
I look him right in the eye. “I want to as well.”
His eyes search my face as though he’s looking for the punch line.
“You want to?”
“With every soul crushing part of me, I want you Slade Devaroe and I always have.”
His breathing becomes deep and he pulls me closer, even though it causes him to wince.
“Dash, my life has been so dull without you. Without your laughter. Without your beautiful face. Tell me we can fix this, tell me you’ll be mine?”
I cup his cheek and whisper, “We already are, and I already am.”
Chapter Twenty Seven
I wake early the next morning and shift carefully as the hard body beside mine groans and rolls. I spent the night with Slade, I guess you could say we’re a couple now…right? I don’t know, but I do know I want to help him and I’ll do anything to make him happy again. I also know he makes my heart do things no one else has ever made it do and that is enough to make me want to fight for him. For us.
I stare down at