I was sitting on the sidewalk with my back against the tree and a cloth pressed to the side of my head. The boy who pulled me out of the car was hovering a few meters away. A bunch of people had gathered to stare at the car and at me.

Some had even taken photos. It didn't bother me– not at the moment– since all I could think about was the little girl. Did I hit her? Was she okay?

A shudder raced through my body when an image of her small bloodied body on the road, flashed through my mind.

The sound of approaching sirens penetrated my mind. I glanced up just in time to see a police cruiser parking across the street. Please don't let it be my father, I muttered in my head. My eyes dropped again when the door opened.

Father would kill me. I would be an embarrassment to him if word got out. I was pretty sure the whole town already knew about it.

Commotion from across the street caught my attention. I glanced up just in time to a woman storming past the people. She was crying and screaming as she fell down to her knees. I hit her.

Oh God!

Legs dressed in dark blue trousers appeared in front of me. I glanced up and instantly wished I hadn't. My eyes locked with peculiar green ones.

“You saw what happened?” he asked the boys who nodded. “Go to that officer there and give him your statement.”

I swallowed the lump that was suddenly in my throat. Stephen crouched in front of me. Without warning, he reached out and gently pulled my hand away from my head. 

“Let me see that,” he muttered. “You need to go to the hospital.”

My attention was focused on the woman instead of him. I killed someone. I was going to rot in jail for murder.

“Alia?”

My eyes snapped to his. Tears filled my eyes as reality started to set in.

“Hey, you're okay. There's no reason to cry.”

“S-Stephen the g-girl,” I sucked in a sharp breath. “I k-killed-”

“No,” his voice was hard. “She's fine. You didn't kill her Alia. Like you she's in shock. There's not a scratch on her.”

“The ambulance is here,” a man said softly. I glanced up at him.
“Are you going with her or...?”

“I'll go with her,” Stephen said softly. “You can handle things here.”

“Of course,” the man muttered before walking off.

“Come on.” Stephen gently gripped my arms as he straightened.

The moment I was on my feet the black dots appeared again. My ears started ringing as my stomach dipped. I think I'm going to be sick.

“Alia?”

The world faded into darkness.

* * *

Everything ached. I wished I never woke up in the first place. My head was pounding in rhythm with my heartbeat. The light above me was too bright. I felt numb. My limps felt extremely heavy and my mouth felt dry.

“Alia.”

I blinked rapidly before turning my head slowly. I winced. Stephen stood beside the narrow hospital bed. Lifting my hand, I pressed it against the side of my head. There was a bandage.

“You had to get at least five stitches,” he muttered, “and you have a slight concussion, but nothing too serious.”

I had to get stitches. I was thankful that I was out when they did that because I hated needles. Shifting on the bed, I groaned as pain shot through me. It wasn't so bad but I had a feeling it will be worse once the medicine worked out of my bloodstream. My eyes slowly moved back to Stephen. He was watching me silently with a hard look.

“The girl?”

“She's fine, like I told you earlier.” He ran a hand down his face. “I know that you're in pain but I need to get your statement.”

I pushed myself up onto shaky hand before sitting up straight. My head was spinning again but it faded after a few seconds. When my vision was cleared, I glanced around the room. It was a typical hospital room. With a small sigh, I turned my head to look at Stephen again.

His eyes were focused on my legs instead of my face. I followed his gaze only to find my school shirt had ridden up almost completely. At least I wasn't flashing him my totally unattractive gym shorts.

“I only took my eyes off the road for a second. When I looked back she was in front of the car. I turned the wheel and hit the brakes then the car hit the pole.” I told him.

When his eyes snapped up to my face again, I turned to face him with my legs hanging off the bed.

“You didn't see her run into the street?” I shook my head. “What were you looking at?”

I bit my lip. This could go two ways; I could either tell him about the message I received, or keep it to myself while I tried to figure out who this guy was.

“I was looking in the rearview mirror,” I whispered. The same fear I felt when I received the message, flashed through me.
“I got a message just before the accident.”

“What type of message?”

“I-” my voice cracked. “S-Stephen.”

“What message Alia?” His voice was cold. “Hell Alia.”

The next second I found myself in his arms. I was pressed against his chest with his arms wrapped around my back. I wanted to blame the tears on what happened earlier but I knew it was because of the fear. I did something stupid. All I was thinking about was losing my virginity and not what trouble it could cause. Because of my own actions I was in trouble.

“I w-was so stupid!” I gripped his shirt tighter as tears streamed down my cheeks.

“Shh,” he whispered. “Tell me what happened Alia.”

I pulled back from him. My eyes were focused on his chest as I wiped the tears away. For the first time I became aware of the fact that he was wearing his uniform. The dark blue material clung to his muscular chest. His utility belt held everything he needed, including handcuffs. For a few second my mind trailed off. I could feel my cheeks heating as I imagined him handcuffing me to the bed. Delilah had talked about it once.

“Alia.” I blinked. “What are you thinking about?”

“Handcuffs,” I whispered. “My friend says it's pleasurable when you're tied to a bed and your partner has full control over you.”

“Do you want to try that?” Stephen asked softly. “Would you like to be tied up while I kiss every inch of your body?”

My breath caught in my throat. I could feel the dampness between my legs as I imaged his lips on my body. Stephen stepped closer. He gently pushed my legs apart so he could step in-between them. His scent surrounded me. The air around us had a changed again– just like at the café. My eyes locked with his. They had darkened and appeared almost black.

I was waiting in anticipation for his next move and he didn't disappoint. He cupped my cheek with a slightly shaky hand. Stephen placed a finger under my chin to tilt my head up to his. His thumb softly traced my bottom lip which made me part my lips. For a few second fear washed through me but I barely had anytime to think about it. His lips brushed mine– barely touching. I sucked in a shaky breath before allowing my eyes to flutter close.

He pressed his lips harder against mine. They closed around my bottom lip gently as he pulled back slightly. His teeth nibbled gently before his tongue soothed the pain. A whimper fell from my lips. My stomach was quivering as the same unknown feeling from before filled me.

“Follow my lead baby,” he whispered before smashing his lips on mine again.

I reached out to grip his hips when he stepped closer. My legs were pushed further apart as Stephen wrapped an arm around my waist. He pressed my body against his as he deepened the kiss. My lips parted so his tongue could slip inside. He stroked my tongue slowly before exploring my mouth. I moaned gripping his hips tighter as I pressed my chest against his.

We were so caught up in the kiss that we didn't hear the door open until it was too late.

“You fucking bastard!” Stephen was ripped away from my body before I could react.

With wide eyes I stared at Patrick who was pressing Stephen against the wall with an arm pressed over his neck.

“Patrick!” I struggled off the bed.

My legs gave way beneath me but before I could hit the ground, hands gripped my arms.
I glanced up at him. Patrick was frowning down at me with disapproval. I licked my lips then gave him a smile. His frown deepened.

Rolling his eyes he guided me back to the bed before lifting me onto it. My eyes darted to Stephen. He was leaning against the wall with his arms crossed over his chest, and his eyes focused on Patrick's arm. I followed his gaze to the dark tattoo on his wrist.

“So,” Patrick muttered, “who's going to fill me in on what I just walked into?”

“He was taking my statement,” I muttered, trying to keep my face straight, but I knew my heated cheeks gave us away.

Patrick scoffed. “Right. We'll stick with your story. I'll pretend I didn't just walk in on two people about to fuck in a hospital room.”

I groaned as I covered my face with my hands. “Why do you always have to be so embarrassing?”

“Because I can,” he winked at me. “I'll go see if you're ready to go home.”

My eyes followed him as he walked towards the door. With his hand on the handle and the door halfway open, he paused to glance back at his. A shiver raced down my spine when he gave Stephen the look.

“You better keep it in your pants copper. If I find out you've been sticking your dick in my little sister's pussy, I'll kill you.”

Silence followed his departing words.

The room felt stuffy but I knew it was only because of my heated cheeks. Patrick was the most straightforward person I knew. He didn't hesitate to speak what's on his mind, and he just proved that. I risked a glance at Stephen. To my amusement he was watching me with a smirk. His green eyes were shining in amusement.

“Little sister?”

“He's my brother-in-law.”

Nodding, he pushed away from the wall to walk closer to me. Like before he pushed my legs apart to stand between them. I jumped when he placed his hands in my thighs. Our eyes locked as he slowly moved them higher. My breathing had sped up. The skin where he had touched me felt tingly. I closed my eyes when he captured my lips again.

The kiss wasn't as heated or as long as our first kiss.

“Your lips are addictive baby.”

“Yours aren't so bad either,” I whispered.

Stephen chuckled. “Have you started on the list yet?” I nodded. “Good. We're still on for Saturday, but before we do anything you're going to tell me about that text message.”

My eyes widened. I had completely forgotten about it. My mind trailed back to the text message and the photo. I couldn't suppress the shudder that went through my body. They had taken the photo without me realizing it. What if they've been following me all this time?

Stephen said that he had deleted the ad from the website. How did they get me number, and my address?

“Stephen-”

The door was pushed open before I could continue. He quickly stepped away from me with a frown. Swallowing, I watched as Patrick entered the room again. He glanced between us before locking eyes with me.

“You're all clear. Let's go, your mother is worried sick,” he held open the door, “couldn't say that much about your father.”

The words stung.