Free Take It - Part Two by DJ Stone, B.E. Raj Page A

don’t know how.” This feels more intimate, or I guess a different kind of intimate, than what I had planned this afternoon.
    “The day of the accident, where were you coming from? Were you with this guy?”
    “I was trying to get away from a really bad situation. That’s why I was so distracted. That and the fog didn’t help. I just needed to get away.”
    “I’m sorry you had to go through that. I’m here to listen if you want me to. Leaving was the best thing you could have done, maybe leaving a little slower would have helped, but I’m glad you left. You deserve to be treated like someone special.” Pierce rolls to his side and brushes my hair back affectionately. Maybe it’s the softness in his eyes or his kind words, but I can’t help myself anymore. I push my lips firmly against his and grab a handful of his hair. Parting his lips with my tongue I run my free hand down his chest and clutch his belt. No I don’t intend to have sex with him right here with little eyes watching us, but I want him to know I want him.
    “Jenny,” he whispers in a husky voice, “stop, you have to stop.” His hand is on my wrist, gently, but firmly enough to show me he’s not interested in my advances. My embarrassment feels like hot coals over my body.
    “This is a mistake; I need to go.” I roll away from him and fight the tears gathering at the corners of my eyes.
    “It’s not a mistake,” Pierce announces, still clutching my wrist. “It’s just not the right time.”
    “I know we’re in the park; I wasn’t expecting us to just—” Pierce cuts through my words with a wave of his hand.
    “I don’t mean because we’re in the park. You haven’t opened up to me about this last guy, but it sounds like he did a number on you. I don’t want to be the guy to just make you feel better; I like you. I’m hoping this can turn into something, but doing it this way won’t get us anywhere. You need to be in a place where you feel good on your own first, before we start anything. I’m here to listen; I’ll help you in any way I can, but I’d be an idiot to act like a selfish, shortsighted guy who takes advantage of you in a tough spot.”
    “I made a fool of myself.” I suck in a choppy breath and hang my head, pulling my wrist away from him. “I should have realized you didn’t want me like that.”
    “I want you, Jenny. Turning you down is not easy. You’re gorgeous and funny; we have a lot in common. But I think it sounds like you’ve made some dicey choices and been treated badly. I don’t want to be the next guy in line to do the same thing. Don’t think for a second I’m just some church boy who doesn’t want anything to happen between us.”
    “So what am I supposed to do now?” I feel like running, or whatever semblance of running I can do in this stupid boot.
    “Stay. Eat. Talk to me about who you are and what makes you tick. Let me get to know you.”
 
    “I don’t want to talk about what Harrison did to me.” I roll my head back to catch the tears before they can fall, trying to defy gravity. “I’m trying to move on from it, and I don’t need it to be something you and I try to work through. I need it to be over.”
    “If that’s how you feel, I can live with that for now. I’m not going to lie, it’s not the healthiest approach to dealing with things, but if it’s what you think you need, that’s fine for now. I can support that.”
    “Why are you like this?” I ask, narrowing my eyes and stiffening my shoulders. I’ve come across men who are weak, men who are dogs, men who objectify me, men who fail to please me or challenge me intellectually. Harrison didn’t require me to feel weak in order for him to feel strong; he was the first man who could have an intelligent conversation with me and laugh with me. I never felt inferior with him, until one day I did. What if Pierce is the real everything? The strong, the kind, the smart, the funny, the patient man. I’d be lying