Free Haven from the Storm (Storms of Life #1) by Sarah Dosher Page B

pretended I was some famous makeup artist while trying to cover it up, and everyone acted like they couldn’t see it. The guilt that anchored me to my father was what had kept us playing this game successfully for years. However, this time my busted lip was harder to hide. It was very swollen with a long cut that ran vertically over my top and bottom lip. I knew leaving it alone was best. I'd learned that trying to hide wounds on your lips only made them look worse than they already did.
    Figuring out a way to get to school with two flat tires was difficult. I debated sending Adley a text, asking if Violet could drive us to school, but since it was so early I decided to just walk the few miles to Violet's house and wait for her to wake up. Maybe the walk would help clear my head and the cool air would help with the swelling. Waiting at Violet’s house I ran the risk of seeing Dean, but having them come to my house to get me meant they could run into my father which would only make things worse. My rain boots were still sitting outside, so I slipped them on and started walking.
    It was a little after 7 a.m. when the sun started to peek from behind the horizon. The temperature couldn’t have been above freezing. I was glad I’d layered my clothes and thrown on the only heavy coat I owned. I was less than a mile from Violet’s house when I heard the pounding of feet and heavy breathing. Not far in front of me, Dean rounded the corner and came to a complete stop. He was dressed in dark sweat pants with no trace of a shirt, his hair was tousled and steam was rising off his sweaty body.
    Holy abs! Who knew men actually had abs like that! I thought that was something you only saw on the cover of romance novels. He looked exactly like the Dean I had been dreaming about for years.
    His eyes were searching my face and his surprised expression quickly turned menacing. I was so busy drooling over him that I had forgotten about the marks on my face. I instinctively dunked my head, allowing my long hair to cover the damage.
    “Lily, what are you doing out here?” he finally asked.
    “Um, my car…tire…flat,” was the only reply I could come up with. My heart was pounding in my chest and butterflies danced in my stomach. He took several steps in my direction and I looked up into his black eyes, clearly seeing concern mixed with anger. I knew the anger wasn’t directed at me, but it still sent tingles down my spine. He reached out and gently ran his thumb across my bottom lip, causing a tiny spark of pain on my tender lip. But his touch also caused the butterflies in my stomach to reproduce until I felt like I was choking on them.
    “What happened? You didn’t have this last night?” His eyebrows were drawn together as his eyes searched my face for answers I knew I’d never give him. I stepped away from his hand and lowered my head again.
    “Nothing. My car has a flat tire that I thought I could fix myself, but obviously I’m too clumsy for my own good.” I shrugged my shoulders and peeked at his face to see if he believed my story.
    “Lily, please don’t lie to me. You can lie to yourself all you want, but I know what that man is capable of. I saw it myself and I’m not gonna believe your made-up stories. So, are you still gonna say this happened trying to fix a flat tire?” This time the anger I saw was directed at me, but I would rather have his anger than his pity.
    “Yes, I can’t help it that I’m clumsy,” I snapped back at him.
    “That’s the excuse you’re going to use? Really?”
    I ignored his comments and continued to walk toward Violet’s house. After a few seconds, Dean appeared by my side.
    “I’m sorry. I wish you trusted me enough to tell me what happened, but I also don’t blame you if you can’t yet. I just hope one day you will.” He took my hand in his and lightly kissed it.
    We continued our walk side by side, neither speaking another word. He continued to hold my hand. I knew I should