Once I was dressed, I pulled my hair up into a loose knot on top of my head. Wiping my hand across the mirror, I studied my reflection, surprised to see the signs of the attack on my face. The guy hadn't wailed on me, but he might as well have. My bottom lip was swollen from being pushed against my teeth. Upon closer inspection, I could see a large cut inside my lip. Faint bruises had materialized on my cheeks from where his fingers gripped my face. My neck was also bruised, along with my collarbone.

The most startling feature was my almost lifeless eyes that usually danced with laughter. Mom always commented that the sparkle in my eyes was her favorite thing she had given me. At the moment the sparkle had been replaced by a dull, haunting nothingness.

Studying them critically, I felt like I'd somehow lost a part of myself tonight. For the first time in my life, I realized that I'd been pretty much kept in a bubble of safety. I'd had my share of injuries during the years, like the broken arm I got when Zach decided to pull me down our sloped driveway on roller skates. Another time Tony challenged me to a tree-climbing contest, leading to six stitches. At least I had beaten him to the top. I was able to scale the tree like a spider monkey, but during my celebration I forgot I was supposed to be hanging on. As it turned out, falling through branches was nowhere near as fun as climbing them. Despite those couple of instances, my life had been surprisingly free of any blemishes. I had never gotten into any fights. Mom and Dad were never the types of parents who spanked me or my brothers. I had even managed to escape high school relatively drama free. Honestly, I had probably transitioned into adulthood almost too easily.

My eyes were like windows into the mixed-up feelings swirling through me. I needed to put what happened tonight behind me and move on.

Turning from the mirror, I left the bathroom, uncertain if Alec would still be waiting. I found him sitting in the chair I had vacated, talking on my cell phone. A tray with two covered plates of food sat on the foot of the bed. My stomach, which had rejected the idea of food just moments before, let out a low rumble.

Alec ended the call and looked up at me. "Olivia," he said, setting my phone on the table.

I nearly groaned. "You called, Olivia?" I wasn't sure how I felt about him taking the liberty of calling her. She was sure to call my parents, and I wanted to tell them about the incident on my own terms, after I had fully digested it in my head.

He stood up and scooted the chair closer to the foot of the bed where the tray of food sat. "I didn't call her. Your phone was going crazy, so I decided to answer it. I told her you'd call her back in the morning. I think she was on the verge of catching a plane if I wouldn't have answered."

"What? How did she find out?"

"I'm not sure specifically." He lifted the lids off the covered plates. "I ordered burgers. I hope that's okay." He patted the edge of the bed so I could sit across from him. "I only found out because I ran into Jennifer downstairs and she told me you had gone up to the room for the night. I came up to see if you were okay. Olivia said someone who also has a room on this floor came up while all the commotion was happening with the cops and hotel security and somehow found out you were involved and posted something on Facebook. That's how she found out."

"Damn it," I groaned. "It's on Facebook?" So much for privacy.

I sank down on the bed and absently picked up a fry to nibble on. I couldn't help feeling embarrassed everyone knew. "What did Olivia say?" My voice was barely above a whisper.

Alec looked up from slathering his burger with ketchup and mustard. "She's concerned, just like the rest of us. I think between the two of us, she and I could have given that asshole the beating he deserves."

Alec had venom in his voice. I'd never seen him angry. It wasn't directed at me, but was intimidating as hell nevertheless. "That's cool of you to say, but you don't need to fight my battles. Besides, that guy is sitting in jail probably wondering how he ended up there. I really think he believed I'd be up on his offer when he asked. My prospects might be low, but even my V-card has standards." I thought maybe my joke would lighten the mood, but it fell flat and sounded harsh, even to my ears. Maybe it was my mind's way of coping. It was better than the images of his disgusting hands on my body, or how close I'd come to losing the one thing that meant the most to me.

Alec's hand tightened around the plastic cup he was holding, making it creak and crack. Neither of us spoke as we sat watching the water inside cascade down his fingers and to the floor.

"Sorry. I know that sounded shitty. It's just—" I said, breaking the silence. I couldn't finish my thought because I really didn't know what to say. I jumped off the foot of the bed to retrieve a towel from the bathroom, but Alec had stood first, blocking my way. Unlike my incident earlier, there was nothing threatening about the way Alec stood in front of me. My eyes remained on his chest. I was too afraid of what I would see if I looked at his face. I thought I had already cried myself out, but tears collected in my eyes, spilling out and falling to the floor like the water from his cup.

Alec dragged me into his arms. My face remained tightly pressed against his chest as a new wave of sobs left me. All the fear and shame I had been fighting to hide poured out. He tightened his hold on me as I began to shake. Sweeping me up off my feet, he carried me to the bed and without releasing his hold, lowered us both so that we lay together with me cradled in his arms. He was tender and compassionate. I couldn't help but wonder how one person could be so rough while another was so gentle.

I felt awful for ruining Alec's evening. It wasn't like he had signed on for this, but it would have taken the Jaws of Life to pry me from his arms. For the first time since I'd stepped off the elevator earlier, I felt safe.

I wasn't sure when I stopped crying because I fell asleep shortly after we lay down together. The last thing I remembered was Alec rubbing his hand smoothly over my back in soothing circles. At one point I thought I felt him pull the comforter up over me, which made me burrow even closer to him, afraid he would leave me.

I slept void of any dreams in spite of what had happened, which I was thankful for. By the time I finally pried my eyes open, the room was dark, but I could tell it was morning because of the sun peeking around the edges of the curtains. Initially I thought I was alone in bed. I stretched my arms over my head, fighting the disappointment that flared through me. Of course, it was selfish to expect that Alec would have stayed with me all night. Especially since he had allowed me to soak his shirt without complaint.

I felt the bed dip down beside me, making my eyes fly open.

Alec peered at me with concern. "God, I'm sorry. Did I scare you?" He brushed a lock of hair off my forehead. His touch was comforting and familiar. If anything, last night had brought us closer.

I sat up and dragged myself up against the headboard. Afraid of what I must have looked like, I smoothed a hand over my head. Medusa probably had nothing on me. "No, it's okay. I just thought you had left." My voice sounded raspy and dry.

"I did for a little bit. I figured you could use a Starbucks." He handed over an insulated cup with a paper sleeve on it.

I raised the steaming cup to my nose, inhaling appreciatively. "Bless you." I took a sip of my coffee, marveling that he had doctored it up to my preference. His attention to detail surprised me. "How did you remember how I take it?" I asked, taking another sip.

He chuckled. "I think it's a hazard of being a bartender. I tend to remember what people order. My head is filled with hundreds of worthless drink orders."

"That kind of memory should come in handy when you start medical school," I added.

"Let's hope so. I'd hate to take an exam in human anatomy and totally blank on the right answer for the femur when all I can think of are the ingredients for a Sex on the Beach."

I laughed. "I don't know. You get the right professor and they may appreciate that. Grading anatomy exams has to be tedious. They could probably use a drink. So, why a doctor?" I pulled my legs up and folded them under me.

"Versus a tightrope walker like I thought I wanted to be?" He plopped down on the bed beside me with his own coffee.

A giggle bubbled up through me. "Tightrope walker? You're teasing."

"Much to my parents' horror, no. From the time I was six years old until I was twelve, I was convinced I wanted to be a tightrope walker in the circus."

"You didn't want to be a lion tamer or maybe a clown?"

He looked at me with disbelief. "A clown? You're kidding, right? Clowns are fucking messed up. Haven't you ever read It or seen the movie Poltergeist? Clowns are like demons. As a matter of fact, they're the only reason I changed my mind about being a tightrope walker. There was no way I could have balanced on a rope fifty feet in the air with those freaky bastards looking up at me." He shuddered at the thought.

My giggles turned to belly laughs. He was almost too cute for words. "How can a big strapping guy like you be scared of sweet clowns who hand out balloons?"

His reaction to my statement made me laugh even harder. "I'm not sure I even know you," he sputtered, scooting away from me like I was a special kind of crazy and he was afraid of catching it.

Laughing as hard as I had made not only my side ache, but my lip throbbed painfully. I ignored it, not wanting to ruin our happy bubble. "At least I know what the theme for your birthday will be this year," I joked. "Oh, and Poltergeist. Thanks for reminding me. Now I know what to get you too."

"You wouldn't dare." Anyone who had seen the movie, Poltergeist, remembered the iconic scene where the possessed clown puppet jumps from under the bed to choke the poor frightened kid.

"What, you don't want a clown puppet? Don't worry. I'll wrap it and not just stick it under your bed or anything creepy like that," I said with a mischievous smile.

"You are just plain evil." He wagged a finger at me, downing the rest of his coffee. "Oh, by the way. You might want to call your parents. I guess they're freaking out too."

Shit. My smile dropped.

"Did they call?" I asked, patting around the bed for my phone.

Alec pulled it from his pocket. "At six, seven, and again at eight. Judging by the pattern, I'd say your mom will be calling in approximately thirteen minutes," he said, checking the time on my phone.

"Oh lord. Have you talked to her?"

"Only to reassure her that you're fine and that I was standing guard over you while you slept. Her demand, not mine."

"I'm sorry. Both my parents can be a wee bit overprotective. For that matter, my brothers are too. That's why I planned on keeping this from them for now. I knew I should have called Olivia last night. She probably told them," I grumbled, jumping out of bed. "I'm sorry you had to hang around here all night. My mom wouldn't have known if you had gone to your own room." I paced back and forth, tapping my phone against my head. "Okay, should I call her or wait for her to call me back? If I wait any longer she could work herself up even more. For all I know, she's already jumped on a plane to rescue me."

"Are you talking to me or yourself?" Alec watched me in amusement while I paced the floor. "You know it's just a call, not the Spanish Inquisition."

I stopped mid-step and turned toward him incredulously. "I would prefer the inquisition. Once my mom gets started, you're in for the long haul."

"She sounded understandably concerned but very sweet."

"Oh, she's sweet all right, but she's a worrywart. Even when I assure her that I'm fine, she'll probably still insist on flying here to be with me. I wouldn't be surprised if she and my brothers are in a taxi on the way here. It's the curse of being not only the baby of the family, but the only girl."

My phone rang in the middle of my tirade. Much to Alec's delight, the conversation went much like I had anticipated. It didn't help that Mom had me on speakerphone, so my entire family fired questions at me. It took nearly forty-five minutes to convince them they didn't need to attend the rest of my events to watch over me. I assured them having Alec around was enough to keep me safe. Of course, much to my continued mortification, once I mentioned his name, they all insisted I put him on the phone. I had to hand it to Alec. He handled the onslaught of questions like a pro. He agreed with my brothers that I would no longer wander any halls at any hotel by myself, and that I would be escorted everywhere I went. My attempts to protest were dismissed like I didn't have a say in the matter.

By the time Alec finished talking with my brothers, they had worked out a security plan that rivaled any A-list celebrity. I felt bad that Alec was pressured into their demands, but once we hung up, I would let him off the hook.

Chapter Fourteen

As it turned out, it was Alec who wouldn't let me off the hook, claiming he had given my family his word. I tried to argue that my mom would never know, but he countered that he would never be able to face them, let alone forgive himself if anything happened now that he had promised to keep an eye on me.

After speaking with my family, I decided to get the inevitable call with Olivia out of the way next. Our conversation went much the same way it had gone with my mom. Alec had already given her the details of what he knew, so she basically just wanted to hear from me that I was okay. That and to tell me not to go anywhere alone again. After telling her about the elaborate security plan Alec had hatched with my brothers, she felt better and made me promise to call her again later.

I found everyone's concern for my well-being touching, even though it bordered on overkill. One isolated incident didn't mean I would be in danger everywhere I went. Still, I would have been lying if I said having Alec playing the role of knight in shining armor was unpleasant in the slightest.

Looking at the time on my phone, I gathered my clothes for the day and walked to the bathroom to get ready for an author brunch that was scheduled to begin in less than thirty minutes. My initial instinct was to skip it, especially after realizing the news of the incident had spread in my social media circles. The last thing I wanted was to become the center of attention and be asked to recount the details of something I just wanted to put behind me.

Walking out of my room felt like an act of will. Even though the drunken slob who attacked me was gone and in jail, I still had to walk by the door of his room. The room he had nearly dragged me into. As we approached from the far end of the hallway, my pace slowed. I felt like a small child, expecting the boogeyman to jump out at any moment.