Bad Girl. by E Z (classic novels to read .TXT) 📕

Libia only had the strength to nod her head, as her body shut down on her. It took all of a minute to get to the bar, and the whole place went silent when they entered.

"Call the police!" Damon ordered, his voice loud and demanding.

"Oh gosh! I'll get her some water," Bertha, a good friend of his Aunt told him, running to grab a clean glass.

"What happened?" Danny, Bertha's husband asked as he dialed.

"She was attacked around the corner in front of the park. Two drunk idiots. I was lucky I got there in time," Damon answered, sliding onto a stool and helping Libia to sit up on his lap.

Despite the stress, rage and worry the night brought on, it still warmed his heart when she cuddled into him, burying her face in his neck. She still huccupped every once in a while, but her sobbing had died down. He liked to think that she felt comforted with him around.

"We've just had an attempted rape in front of Bear Village Park. An eighteen year old girl named Libia. Description of the men?" He asked Damon.

"They're bloodied and bruised. In fact, they should still be passed out on the sidewalk," Damon answered, taking the water from Bertha with a nod of thanks.

Danny smiled, although it wasn't happy, nor humorous. "That's my boy."

He explained that they should be passed out on the sidewalk, and where to find Libia and Damon, gave his own name, and then hung up. Danny watched as Damon carefully pulled Libia from where she had wilted into him. He had her take long sips of water, wiping the tears from her face as if she were an easily-broken piece of china. In all his years, he'd never seen the boy so tender. He spoke to her in soft tones, as she stared up at him with eyes that were so trusting, you'd think she would follow him off a cliff.

Shaking his head, Danny leaned against the counter across from them with Bertha, wrapping an arm around her shoulder. "Those two are hopelessly in love. And I bet you they don't even know it yet," He said to her.

Chuckling, but hardly with humor, Bertha knudged him. "Like you and I for ten years?"

He shook his head, still disbelieving that he had waited so long to realize it. "Exactly like you and I."

Damon pushed the hair tenderly behind her ear, as she stared up at him. She was in shock, he could see it in the way her eyes were glazed over. He just hoped that this didn't affect her in the long run. He hoped that she could move on, without living in fear.

He would help her, in fact. He would keep her safe. Forever. She wouldn't feel the need to live in fear, because he would be by her side. Always.

He was cut from his thoughts when Libia began to shiver. She began to shiver uncontrollably. She said her first two words since being attacked, "Oh God!"

Libia could feel her revulsion, pain, anger, and fear all come crashing down on her. If Damon hadn't been there...they'd have raped her, and possibly killed her. 

"Oh God!" She repeated, sobbing now as she buried her face in his chest. "I could have been...I was almost...they would have..." Her sentences were incoherent, and muffled in his shirt.

It killed him to see her like this. He rocked them back and forth yet again, his eyes closed as he buried his face in her hair. 

"It's alright Baby. They're gone. They won't hurt you anymore. I've got you Baby. Shh," He murmured to her, his mouth moving down to her ear as he brushed the hair behind it, pressing a kiss to the skin just in front of it.

Danny stood straighter as a policemen entered the bar.

"Danny Fiorelle?" The man asked him.

"Yeah, you got the right guy. This is Damon Slain, and Libia...?" He looked to Damon.

"Libia Fields," He answered idly, still comforting the shivering, crying girl.

"We've got the two in custody, but we're going to have to take you two down and ask some questions. That okay with you?" He asked.

Sighing, Damon crinkled an eyebrow as he gently pulled Libia's face from his chest. "Libs, this man wants to ask you some questions about the men who attacked you. Do you think you're up to it?" He asked her, cradling her face gently in his hands.

Libia wrapped her arms around herself, still shivering. She gave a nod, her lip still quivering.

"Can...can you s-stay with me?" She whispered.

Damon looked at the police officer, whom nodded.

"Of course I can. Do you want me to carry you?" He asked her, wiping the tears from her cheeks.

She nodded, knowing that her legs would be too weak to even try.

Gathering her carefully in his arms, he stood up, coddling her like he would a baby. Nodding to the police officer, he followed him out, Danny following close behind.

Suddenly, Libia jolted in Damon's arms. "I have to call my mother...my brother! I was supposed to be home by at least two thirty!" She cried, sniffling.

Damon shushed her, shifting her to one arm so he could coddle her face in his other hand. "Don't worry. I'll call them."

She stared up into his eyes, those deep blue ones calming her almost instantly. It shocked her to feel a warmth flooding her heart. Tender feelings that should not be there for a man she just met fertilized the seedling that had been planted inside her, quickly growing, unfurling it's red, fiery petals and flourishing. This was much more than a simple crush. This was morphing into love. 

The way he held her, comforted her. She even recalled him calling her the pet name 'Baby.'

And she loved it. Was this simply a hero complex? She was seeing him this way because he had saved her from certain violation, and possible death?

That had to be it. She couldn't love him...not now. Not when they had just met.

Sighing, she closed her eyes. If that was so, and this was some sort of damsel-in-distress complex, then why did she feel so right in his arms? His touch on her cheek still tingled, although he'd taken it off seconds ago. What was this, exactly?

She knew for a fact that he did not harbor any sort of infatuation towards her. Despite what her mother said. This was just him, comforting a distraught girl any way he can. He was being the hero she needed him to be. Nothing more.

They sat in the car, Damon studying Libia's face as they drove. She hadn't fallen asleep, he knew it by the troubled look that still marred her features. She was thinking. He hoped that it wasn't of the two that had attacked her, but it was highly likely that she wouldn't just forget it.  It had only happened just fifteen minutes ago.

Her eyes slid open again, catching his own as they stared down at her. She barely managed a small smile. "Are you okay?" He asked in a whisper, tucking her hair behind her ear.

She nodded. "Yes. Thanks to you."

Shaking his head, he looked away. "I should have gotton there sooner," He mumbled.

She lifted a slightly shaky hand, very gently taking his jaw and turning his head down to look at her. "Don't say that, Damon. You were there. That's all that matters to me," She whispered.

He stared down at her, eyes stinging with tears that he refused to shed. "They hurt you. Not just mentally, but physically. All because I-"

"Because I was stupid, and walked home at one in the morning," She interjected. "You saved me from much worse, Damon. And for that, I will be forever indebted to you," She murmured.

He stroked the bruise forming on her beautiful cheek, his anger still boiling under the surface. Idly, she pulled his hand back and examined his bruised, battered knuckles, frowning. He still didn't remember what happened. One minute, he was standing there, watching as they assaulted her in front of him, and the next...he was standing over both of them, fists clenched and bloody.

He noticed, also, that her lips were bruised slightly. Taking his hand from her grasp, he ran his thumb along her bottom lip. "Did he...?"

She nodded. "Don't you remember? You pulled him off of me," Libia reminded him.

He shook his head. "The only thing I remember is one minute I'm standing in front of the guy, the next you're calling my name, and both of them are on the ground," He explained in a whisper.

She didn't answer, as they pulled into the police station. She only cuddled into him, burying her face in his neck and closing her eyes. He held her close, feeling content to have her in the one place he could keep her the most safe, his arms.

"I'm sorry, Libia. If I could have been there with you...they wouldn't have touched you, even if they tried," He whispered to her, as the policeman got out to open his door for him.

"Don't blame yourself, Damon. I don't," She whispered back, her lips moving against his neck, sending tingling warmth down his spine.

Damon sat in the back seat, Libia sleeping, curled up close to his side. Two of his friends had called a cab, but the other three were in with them. Neil drove, while Leo and Dennis sat silently, soberly beside them. 

"Hey man, I'm glad she's alright, at any rate." Neil said, noticing the barely-contained anger in his friend.

Damon tightened his grip on Libia, and she cuddled closer to him in response. "Yeah," He replied, unable to think of another answer.

The car fell into more silence, as they arrived at Leo's house on the way to Libia's. Damon couldn't get ahold of either of the Fields' from Libia's contacts on her phone. He hoped they were home. 

"Hey, I hope she's really okay, man. Sorry about this," Leo told him as he opened the door.

Shaking his head, he grit his teeth, "Don't tell me that. I'm not the one with bruises all over their face," Damon ground out.

Sighing, Leo nodded. "Right. Keep me updated, though. I mean it. I want to know if she's alright."

Damon gave a long sigh, softening his tone. "Thanks man. Sorry. I will."

Leo got out of the car with one more goodbye to the others, walking leisurely up to his house.

When they pulled away, Neil sighed. "I'll drop you off next, Damon, seeing as Dennis is out."

Shaking his head, Damon looked over into the passenger seat. Neil was right, Dennis was passed out cold.

Libia stirred in his arms, mumbling something incoherent before settling back down again, this time with her face pressed into Damon's neck, her breath tickling the skin.

"How did you get involved with this girl?" Neil asked him quietly.

Looking up, Damon raised an eyebrow at his friend from the rear view mirror. "What do you mean?"

Shrugging, Neil replied, "She just doesn't seem like the kind of girl you'd go for. Your usually into the wild types," Neil's eyebrows raised a fraction in the mirror, "She doesn't seem very wild to me."

Damon sighed. "She's not exactly wild, but she's not exactly tame either. She's trapped in a goody-two-shoes family. I wanted to help her out