Page 36 of Claimed and Shamed

I didn’t need to think too hard about where Stevie might be, because I knew exactly where Henrik’s room was and I knew there was nowhere else he would take her.

I kick down the door and my eyes land on Stevie’s lifeless body, passed out on Henrik’s bed. Thankfully, she’s fully clothed. I scan the room, looking for Henrik, but instead, I find a video camera set up on the side table.

What the fuck is this? You’ve got to be kidding me!

I hear the bathroom door open and I turn to find Henrik coming out of the bathroom, completely naked.

I instantly see red and charge at him, grabbing him by the head and slamming it into the nearby wall, leaving a large dent and crack behind. I punch him to the ground, not giving a fuck that he’s naked. I make sure he has two black eyes, a busted lip, and a broken nose. When I’m done with his face, I start punching his torso until I’m sure his entire stomach will be a bruise in the morning.

I stand up and start kicking him.

“If you so much as ever LOOK at Stevie again, I’ll fucking kill you!” My voice is a growl and I drop down to one knee so he can hear me very clearly. “No matter how powerful your drug supplying friends are, my father, Senator Hudson, has connections with even more powerful people than you could ever imagine. Years in politics gets you friends and acquaintances on both sides of the law, both equally dangerous and ready to help a senator with a favor. I bet those people would handle you much more brutally than this. So, if you think this is bad, I suggest you back all the way off, before it gets worse.”

“What can I do to make this go away?” Henrik must have thought about it and realized that I was telling the truth, because even though he answered in a snaring way, he knew when he was bettered.

“Oh trust me, I would turn you in if I could. But doing that would get Tricia in trouble and she deserves a better life than to have it fucked up by you. So, that being said, I’ll let you live, but you’re the one that’s going to have to leave this college, not me. You will cut off contact with everyone here, including Stevie AND Tricia. You won’t have any political career to ruin, because I don’t want to live like my parents. So, you have no hold over me.” I chuckle, relishing the power of having Henrik cowered. “If you as much as BREATHE in either Tricia or Stevie’s direction, I’ll make sure Tricia gathers enough evidence to ruin your future completely.”

“Okay, okay! I’ll make the arrangements for a transfer in the morning. I’ll leave! Just please!” Henrik clearly was only agreeing, because he knew he was being backed into a corner. That doesn’t matter to me. As long as he actually leaves, and I know that Tricia and Stevie are safe without his polluting presence, I am perfectly fine with anything that makes that a reality.

Chapter Nineteen

Stephanie

I wake up and I'm not sure where I am. It's warm under the blankets, but I'm shivering. I remember the party, and then nothing. I’m still a little disoriented, but nothing like how I remember feeling at the party after drinking that beer.

Hudson is sitting next to me, looking at me with concern. He tells me what happened, about how he found me passed out in Henrik’s room and how he brought me back to his place.

“I’m sorry I didn’t see what was happening earlier. I could have prevented this before things got so bad.”

“No, don’t. I should have known better.”

Hudson hands me a glass of water and I take a sip. My throat feels dry and scratchy.

“Thanks,” I say, my voice barely above a whisper.

“Don't worry about it, just focus on feeling better,” he says, rubbing my back gently. I sit up, wincing as a headache starts to throb behind my eyes.

“How did I even end up in Henrik's room?” I ask.

Hudson's expression darkens. “He must have slipped something into your drink. I found you passed out on his bed.”

“Did anything happen?” I feel a knot form in my stomach, expecting the worst.

“No, I got there before he could do anything. You're safe now.” Hudson's eyes soften. I take a deep breath, trying to calm my racing heart.

“Thank you,” I say, tears starting to prick at the corners of my eyes. Hudson takes my hand.

“I'm just glad I could help.” We stare into each other’s eyes and it’s probably the first time I’ve ever looked at Hudson without eyes filled with desire. Now they are filled with an entirely new feeling.

“Stevie…I…I love you,” Hudson blurts out. He breaks eye contact quickly, clearly expecting the worst just like I did earlier.

I'm at a loss for words. I'm not sure how to respond. I’m speechless. I know that I care for him, but love? That's a big word.

“I know it's sudden and I don't expect you to say it back,” he says, his voice soft and full of emotion. “But I just had to tell you how I feel. You mean everything to me, and I don't want to go through life without you.”

I see the sincerity in his eyes and it makes my heart flutter. We maintain eye contact until we’re closing the distance between our faces until our lips touch.

But this kiss is different than any kiss we’ve ever had. We aren’t crashing together, instead, we are melting, our lips forming and shaping around each other’s. Our tongues slide out to meet each other with no force on either side and they dance in our mouths as I wrap my arms around his neck.