“What happened next?” he asked.
“They were drunk. They were chanting for this one guy to make a move and I tried to run back toward the door but he grabbed me and kissed me. His breath smelled like beer and his hands were all over me. I was trying to fight him off when I felt my skirt being ripped and hands moving under it and to my panties. I freaked out and pulled from them and kicked the one guy in the groin.”
“Good girl,” Burker said from behind her.
“The other came at me and struck me hard. I went flying. They were a lot bigger than me. There were five of them against me, but I just kept screaming for help and swinging my arms. They ripped my blouse, grabbed at me, touching me everywhere and I reached for whatever I could grab and struck the other guy with a lamp. Luckily my friends who were waiting on me heard my screams as well as things crashing and guys yelling and carrying on. They grabbed other guy friends and knocked down the door to stop them just as one of the guys lifted me up and tackled me to the couch.”
“Jesus,” Parker said.
“I was so scared, Lynch. I still have nightmares about it.”
He rubbed her arms. “Still? You haven’t seen anyone to talk to them about it?”
She shook her head. “It’s gotten better, except recently,” she said and lowered her eyes.
He cupped her cheeks and tilted her head up toward him. Tazer sat on the couch next to them and Parker and Burker stood behind the couch facing her.
“Why recently? Has someone been bothering you? Did something happen and some guys try to hurt you?” Parker asked.
She swallowed hard.
“Nothing I couldn’t handle or that didn’t turn out fine. It’s not what I mean. It’s the intimacy thing. It’s letting my guard down to let a man…men, close,” she said and looked at each of them then back at Lynch.
“We caused you to have nightmares about the attack to resurface?” Parker asked.
She shook her head. The tear escaped from her eye and she wiped it away.
“Wanting to be close to the four of you, to accept your guardianship, your beds, scares the hell out of me.”
Lynch squinted his eyes at her and she quickly continued. She needed to be honest and do it fast.
“The only thing I know about sex is violence. That guys want to possess your body and take from you then get off on it and carry on like a bunch of cavemen. That once they have sex with you they lose respect for you, but it’s so major to a woman to have sex with a man. To give up her virginity and to let go like that and trust in that way. Now throw in multiple men and do the chances increase that the relationship will fail? That the men will take her for granted or think of her as a sexual item and not as a human being with feelings and emotions and a need to feel loved and cared for, like part of those men she shared her body with? I don’t know. I don’t have anything to go by but my fears.”
“Wait a minute. Slow down, you’re confusing me,” Lynch said to her, but then Tazer reached up and cupped her cheek.
“You’ve never had sex before, have you, Eliza Grace?”
Lynch’s hands firmed on her hips.
The tears fell from her eyes.
“Never wanted to.” She swallowed. “Until now,?
?? she added.
“Oh baby. My God,” Lynch whispered and hugged her to him.
* * * *
Tazer looked at Parker and Burker as they stared in shock but also with love and care for Eliza Grace. They each touched her. Tazer caressed her back, Parker gently caressed her hair and Burker ran his hands along her arm, soothing her.
When she pulled back she looked at each of them.
“I hope you don’t think I’m immature, or silly for waiting.”
“Not at all. It’s special and you were right to hold back and wait for the right man,” Lynch said to her.
She shook her head.