Sera stopped as tears spilled out of her eyes. She tried to wipe them away, but now that they were flowing freely, they wouldn't stop. "Sera, you don't have to say anything more. I understand."
"There's more," she whispered, lowering her eyes.
He tried to raise her chin back up, but she kept her face firmly averted. She couldn't look at him when the shame was boiling up in waves, and the memories of Jacob's hands on her were so vivid and real. She didn't want him to see her humiliation.
"Sera—"
"I have to finish. I have to." She took a deep breath and forced herself to continue speaking. "To make a long story short, my father called me a liar. He said Jacob had told them I’d gotten drunk at the party, and taken off with a group of guys from his school. We must have gotten into a car accident, and I was trying to cover it up so I wouldn't get in trouble. The kids at school began to whisper about me behind my back, and my friends abandoned me. You don't remain popular by calling the star quarterback a rapist.
"It didn't matter people saw me leaving with Jacob that night, or that there had been no other guys around. No one would believe he could do such a thing. They all said I had asked for it. That I deserved whatever happened, and Jacob had done nothing wrong. Most of the guys already disliked me because I wouldn't date them, and I think the girls had always secretly hated me. They now had their excuse to turn their backs on me.
"By the time my father realized there had been no car accidents reported that night, and people had seen me leave with Jacob, it was too late. The damage had been done. I hated them for not believing in me, for not trusting me. The only person who always believed me was my grandmother. I moved to Cape Cod to spend the rest of my senior year with her. It took some finagling, but she managed to get me a resident tuition rate here."
He squeezed her chin gently, and she finally managed to lift her eyes to his. She was scared she would find disgust, or pity, in his gaze. Instead, she found a startling wealth of warmth and caring. The sight of it stole her breath away.
"I'm sorry for what happened to you, and I wish I could take it away. It never should have happened to someone like you. But the worst things always happen to the best people. I think you realize that," Liam said.
He bent his head and dropped a kiss on her trembling lower lip. He pulled away and wiped the tears from her face. "I don't know why I told you all of this," she whispered. "I barely know you. You must think I'm an idiot."
"You're not an idiot, Sera, and no matter what people said, or did, you did not deserve what happened, and you didn't ask for it."
It had taken her a long time to believe that, and there were times she still doubted it. She had always thought she’d done something wrong, that she’d encouraged it, but to have Liam say she hadn't made her feel better, stronger. For once, someone besides her grandmother believed in her and was on her side.
He lay back on the bed, pulling her down with him. She didn't fight against him as she lay down on top of him. His hands were relaxing as they rubbed her back and hair. She nestled closer, his warmth and security pushing the remains of her fear away.
Liam stared at the ceiling as she cuddled against him. He couldn't get over how small and delicate she was. Protective instincts he never knew he possessed raced through him. The anger still radiated just beneath the surface, but he refused to let her see it. He didn't want to frighten her with it.
"What do you say we order some pizza, rent some movies, and stay in tonight?" he inquired.
"What about the party?"
He knew the last thing she felt like doing was going to a party right now, and neither did he. "I'd rather stay here, with you."
She lifted her head to look at him. Her eyes were bloodshot from crying, but she was still exquisitely lovely. "I'd like that."
He smiled as he pushed back some of her glorious hair from her face. "Good."
She curled up against his chest and, within minutes, fell asleep again.
Chapter Five
Sera leaned against the doorjamb. The frat house was packed with people, more people than she had ever imagined it could hold. They bumped and jostled her as they made their way through the crowd. Kathleen stood by her side, swaying with the music as she surveyed the dance floor. It was so packed there was no room for them.
Danielle reappeared, slightly flushed and harried looking as she handed Kathleen another beer. "God, it's packed in here!" she cried.
Sera agreed as she studied the swarm of bodies. Kathleen ran a hand through her tousled, short bob. Even though they weren't dancing, the heat of the room was enough to make them sweat. She cast Sera a small smile as she stood on her tiptoes trying to look over the sea of heads.
Sera was still amazed Kathleen wasn't mad at her for not telling her about Jacob sooner, and for telling Liam first. At first, she'd been upset, more by the fact Sera had told Liam first, but she’d said she understood. Sera was even more astonished when Kathleen stated she'd known something had happened to Sera; she just wasn't exactly sure what.
She knew Kathleen, and patience was not one of her virtues. Kathleen loved gossip and hated being kept in the dark about anything, but although she had
