Claire Dearing has always been the tough girl. Independent and strong. She never needed a man to make her feel good about herself. She never let a man tell her how to live her life. Her confidence was something most men feared. Most men, besides Owen Grady. He always saw her as a challenge. Getting under each other's skin was what they did best. It's their fight for dominance that drove them apart.
Now almost six months after their split, Claire dove headfirst into the DPG. While Owen kept to his quiet corner of the world. His own personal solitude.
Claire knew she loved Owen. Maybe more than she's ever loved anyone else, but he drove her crazy. It took a few months before Claire finally let herself dip back into the fishing pond. Michael was everything she ever wanted in a man. Intelligent, clean cut and a successful businessman.
The two meeting at one of Claire's fundraiser banquets for the DPG. His law firm was one of the top contributors to the DPG and his focus wasn't solely on the dinosaurs. Most of the volunteers at the DPG knew this and the ones closest to her teased her about it.
"What are you afraid of?" Zia teased her at the latest silent auction fundraiser.
"Me?" Claire gasped and immediately took a sip of her wine. Eyes refusing to meet her friend's.
Zia jutted her chin out towards where Michael stood at the auction table.
"I don't know what you're talking about."
With a roll of her eyes, Zia sighed. "He's been dropping hints for months! Move on and take the bait."
Claire took a slightly longer sip of her Merlot. "I don't know."
"What are you afraid of?" Zia asked again, raising an eyebrow at Claire's glare.
Afraid of? There wasn't anything she seemed to be afraid of anymore. Taking the challenge, Claire squared her shoulders, adjusted her strapless black dress and tossed her red curls over her shoulder before turning to face the auction tables.
"Go get'em, Tiger." Zia called after her and she spun around to wave her hand, shooing her friend away.
Claire stood confidently on the opposite side of the table as Michael. His attention was focused on the clipboards organized by category on the table in front of him. When he didn't look up she glanced down at the item he was looking at. Smiling to herself she walked around the table until she was beside him. She reached in front of him with a soft, "Excuse me." and leaned down to bid on the item he was looking at.
His eyes widened when he noticed it was Claire and he peered over her shoulder to see her bid. "Three hundred?" He questioned. He hoped it didn't come off as too much of a surprise. He didn't want to offend her even before he was able to start a decent conversation.
Standing up straight she slid the clipboard back in front of him. Keeping her left palm on the table, she turned slightly to lean her hip against the table. "They have the best sushi around," she shrugged and her eyes flickered down to the clipboard before looking back into his dark brown eyes. "Besides, it all goes to the dinosaurs."
Michael smiled and reached for the pen still in Claire's right hand and wrote his bid below hers. "Well then, if I win you'll have to accompany me. After all, it is dinner for two."
Claire nibbled on her bottom lip and nodded slowly. Her heart pounding in her chest. Was this really happening?
Michael wrote his bid down and placed the pen beside the clipboard. With a wink he said, "Pick you up at eight?"
"What?" Claire stood tall, wondering what it was that she missed.
He tapped the paper with his index finger. "I'll stand here all night if I have to win this. I'm pretty sure I can outbid any one of these men in this room."
Claire raised an eyebrow and shifted in front of him, standing a bit taller than she was before. "Trying to impress me with money, Mr. Landry?"
"No, Ms. Dearing, just trying to finally get you on a date."
She quickly looked down at his bid. "You'd spend five-hundred on a dinner that you were questioning my bid of two-hundred less?"
He shrugged. "You're very convincing. Besides, like you said, it's for the dinosaurs."
She couldn't help but smile at the. "Good answer."
"Can I buy you a drink?" He asked and motioned towards the bar.
She nodded and laughed when he picked up the clipboard and took it with them. "That's cheating." She pointed out.
xxx
Claire was fixing her lipstick when the buzzer sounded in her apartment. She hurried to the door and took a few deep breaths before answering it. "Hi—" She hesitated, unable to stop her eyes from taking in Michaels attire. He stood tall and handsome, his dirty blond hair was freshly cut and styled perfectly. Claire's eyes lingered on the silk blue button up shirt he wore. Her fingers suddenly tingling to feel the fabric stretched perfectly across his chest. His dark slacks and shoes finished off the outfit.
Michael cleared his throat and Claire jumped.
"Come in, please. I just need to grab my purse."
He reached out and caught her arm as she turned away from him. "You look beautiful." It was his turn to take in her outfit. She decided to go against a skirt and blouse since that's all he ever saw her in anyway at their meetings. Skyping her sister, she helped her settle on a white lace tank and dark skinny jeans complete with heels.
Claire was focused on his eyes raking her body that she completely missed the bouquet of flowers he was holding out to her. Still holding onto her arm, his hand slipped down until he reached her wrist. Pulling her hand up slowly he placed the flowers against her palm. "I'm sorry," She shook her head, embarrassed. "They are beautiful." She quickly placed them in a glass, her cheeks flushing red when she realized she didn't have a vase to put them in. She never saw the point of spending money on flowers that would die in a few days anyway. Thankfully Micheal didn't seem to notice.
"Shall we?" Michael asked, holding his arm out for Claire to hook hers through. This was a motion Claire wasn't used to, but she linked her arm with his and let him lead her out of the apartment.
"Really?" Claire couldn't hide the snicker as she stared at the limo in front of them. Did he think this impressed her?
"Have something against limo's?" He asked, waving for the driver to open the door.
"No…" She trailed off and slid into the limo. "I just… I could have drove. It's not that far away."
Michael slid in behind her and immediately reached for the bottle of champagne. He poured them a glass and spoke once she had hers in her hand. "You deserve it all, Claire." He smiled and clinked his glass against hers. "You should say thank you when someone goes out of their way for you."
"Oh," Claire shifted uncomfortably, now completely embarrassed. "Thank you, I appreciate that, but I don't need all of this to be impressed, you know." She caught the flash of anger in his eyes and settled back in her seat. Did she always have to open her mouth? "I'm sorry," she apologized quickly, "I just… I haven't actually been out on a date in a while. This is… this is great, thank you."
He smiled and leaned forward to find a station on the radio. Claire took the opportunity
to down the rest of her champagne.
xxx
"Mt. Sibo has been showing more signs of an eruption. We need to start moving fast. We need them off the island." Claire paced the flood of the DPG headquarters. The TV above their heads showing the latest coverage of the volcano on Isla Nublar.
"How do we do that?" Amber, one of the volunteers spoke up.
Zia muted the TV when Claire stopped walking and stared out the window.
"I don't think there's anything we can do." Michael spoke up, standing up from Claire's desk to stand behind her. For the past month, falling into a relationship with Claire, he found himself at the DPG more often than he ever was before.
Claire spun around, eyes narrowed at him. "You're wrong! There has to be something! We can't just let them die!" She didn't mean to yell, but she didn't understand how he could be giving up so easily.
He stepped back, anger flashing in his eyes. "Excuse me?"
Claire watched his hands ball up into tight fists. "I can't give up on them, Mike." She tried to mask the frustration in her voice, but he caught on to it. She turned her back on him to look out the window again. "I have to do another press conference. I have to try and convince the government to help us. We can save them. We will save them." Turning slowly she met his eyes. "You can either help, or not. Choice is yours." Nothing and no one has ever stood in her way from getting what she wants. She wasn't going to start now.
The other volunteers had busied themselves with their work and missed when Michael gripped Claire's arm hard enough to pull a surprised hiss from her lips. He spoke through clenched teeth, close to her ear. "Don't you ever speak to me like that again."
Claire turned her head so he could see the fire burning in her eyes. She wasn't afraid of him. Her response matched his, but her teeth were clenched out of pain. "Let go of me." She warned.
"Hey, Claire!" Franklin's voice coming closer had Michael immediately dropping her arm.
Claire's hand rose to try and soothe the throbbing, her eyes still locked on Michael. "Yeah?" She answered Franklin. She could feel him standing beside her, but Michael held her focus. She couldn't quite understand why he was so angry.
"I have a press conference set up for Friday. That gives you three days to prepare."
Michael shook his head. "Trust me, it's not going to work."
Ignoring him, Claire turned to face Franklin. "Thank you, I'll be ready by then."
"Can I speak to you? Alone?" Michael grumbled.
Claire shook her head. "No! In fact, I think you need to leave."
"You'll be sorry." He hissed and stormed towards the elevator.
"What was that about?" Franklin asked.
Claire kept her eyes locked on the elevator, her shoulders relaxing when the doors closed. She sighed and looked at Franklin, fighting the urge to rub at her arm again. "Nothing, but we are to cut all ties to the Landry Law Firm."
"Whoa," Franklin gasped. "Are you sure?"
"Do it!" Claire yelled and spun on her heels towards her desk. She sat down and threw herself into writing her speech.
It was late when Claire got home, too tired to turn on the lights as she walked blindly through her apartment. She made it into her bedroom and was blinded by the light turning on. "What the hell?" She spun around, startled. She didn't turn on the light.
Hands gripped her neck and shoved her hard into the wall behind her. She called out, surprised by the force. "You bitch!" Michael roared.
Claire jumped to her feet, her chest rising and falling as she panted from fear and anger. "What are you doing in here? How did you get in here?"
"Billy the doorman let me in. Such a trusting man. I just had to tell him you were working late and said to let me in." His hands gripped the tops of her arms and she cried out again from the pain. "You think you can speak to me the way you did and then stop all partnership with my firm? I own you."
Claire shoved against him as hard as she could. "You don't own me, asshole! Get the fuck out."
She didn't see the blow coming. The back of his hand made contact with her cheek. The loud smack echoing in her ears. The contact knocked her off her feet and she scrambled to stand back up. "You don't give up, do you?" Michael growled and placed his hands on her shoulders to knee her in the stomach.
Claire curled herself into a tight ball, her head spinning and her ribs aching. Michael knelt beside her and bent over her, his lips at her ear, "No wonder your last boyfriend left you. He didn't have enough balls to knock you into place. Women like you who think you're strong and tough are the weakest. Look at you know, cowering like a lost puppy." He stood up and with one hard kick he left Claire alone.
She waited until the door shut to crawl her way over to it. Locking it and shoving the deadbolt in place she slid down the door. She wasn't sure how long she cried for, but once the sobs subsided, she found herself shaking from fear. The loneliness of her apartment haunted her. There was no way she could stay here. But where could she go? She wasn't about to tell anyone from the DPG what happened. Besides, Michael knew where Zia and Franklin lived. She wouldn't feel safe there.
Safe.
Claire needed to feel safe. She found herself searching for her car keys even before she knew where she was going.
"Ms. Dearing!" Billy Called after Claire as she stumbled out of the building. "Do you need help? What happened?"
Claire winced from realizing she never actually looked at herself in the mirror before she rushed out of her apartment. Now she was even more afraid to see what she looked like. She could taste the blood on her lip. She knew her eye was swollen and probably bruising by now.
Ignoring Billy she hurried out to her car. Desperately trying to focus through her tears. She ran as fast as she could, her bare feet slapping against the pavement. Diving into her car, she locked all the doors.
Claire stopped driving when she reached the empty lot. A dull light lit up the back window of the van. She sat, starring at the van and tried to remember when she decided this was her safe place. The one place she ran away from—choosing the city instead.
There was only one place she could feel safe. No matter if they were running from a hybrid dinosaur, hiking up bear infested mountains, or sleeping under the stars. She was always safe with Owen.
The thought of him had her in tears again. Still unsure of what exactly she was doing, Claire got out of her car. The long ride making her ribs even more sore than before.
With one arm wrapped tight around her torso, she raised a shaky hand to knock on the small door. She could hear rustling coming from inside the van and the door open a few seconds later.
"What the fuck?" Owen dove out of the van just as Claire's legs gave out. She felt his arms around her and she sobbed into his shirt. Owen swept her up into his arms and hurried back into the van. He sat her down on the small couch and knelt in front of her. His hands immediately moving to gently press on the bruise around her eye. She winced from the pain. "Who did this to you?" He demanded.
When she didn't answer he got up to find an ice pack in the freezer. "No!" Claire yelled and did her best to stand up. "I need you." She whimpered, tugging at his shirt until his arms were around her.
"Ok, ok, I'm right here. I'm just going to get you some ice literally two feet away." He sat her back down on the couch and watched her cautiously as he got the ice.
Claire curled herself into a ball once again and hid her face in her hands. "I'm sorry. I didn't know where else to go. He was in my apartment. He was mad because I yelled at him in front of everyone at the DPG. He hurt me and I immediately cut all ties to his law firm. He got really mad about that."
Owen listened to her carefully as she cried through her story. He sat on the couch and she immediately curled herself onto his lap. "Who's he?" He tried his best to keep his voice calm and soothing.
"We were dating." Claire felt Owen tense up and she held him tighter. "Only for a few weeks. He's one of the biggest donators to the DPG… I should have known… he was too perfect."
Owen had his eyes squeezed shut as he listened to her. It took all he had in him to not get in his truck and find this guy. Not even running from a T-rex had her trembling in his arms as much as she was now. This angered Owen. She was his and someone hurt her. He dropped his lips to the top of her head and she began to relax against him. "You're safe here. I've got you." He held her for a few more minutes until she was completely relaxed in his arms. "How about a shower?" He didn't wait for her response. He stood up with her cradled in his arms and carried her over to the bed.
Owen left her on the bed and she heard him start the shower. "No." She began to tremble again when he reached for the hem of her shirt.
"I'm just helping you get in the shower. Nothing more." He placed a hand on her side and she winced from the pain. "Did he…" He trailed off and pointed at her face. "This isn't all he did, is it?"
She shook her head slowly.
Owen took a few deep breaths to control the rage burning inside him. Being angry right now was not going to help Claire calm down. He reached for her shirt again and she whimpered, tears silently streaming down her cheeks. "I need to check you over or I'll take you to the hospital and they can do it."
Her eyes went wide and she shook her head frantically, ignoring the throbbing pain it caused. "Please no." She whispered. There was no way this could become public. Not when she was so close to get the federal funding she needed.
"Then let me see." He tugged at her shirt once more and this time she didn't fight him. Squeezing her eyes shut. She didn't want to see his reaction.
Owen's hands gripped Claire's shirt tightly in his hands as his eyes ran across her bruised collarbone. The bruise above her ribs had him shaking with anger. She instinctively wrapped her arms around her torso and he let out a frustrated growl when he noticed the handprint bruises on her arms. He reached up to cup her face in his hands and she flinched from the sudden motion. This shattered Owen's heart into a million pieces. "Hey," he whispered, and hooked his finger under her chin so she was looking at him. "You're beautiful." Remembering this always brought a rosy flush to her cheeks. He needed to see her smile.
She refused to meet his eyes, shaking her head. "You're a liar."
"No," he shook his head, "no I'm not, Claire. What he did…" Owen fought to keep his voice calm and soothing. "What happened is not your fault. He's the coward. Not you. You're not just any woman. You're successful, beautiful, and you hold more confidence in your pinky than most woman have in their entire body. Some men don't know how to appreciate someone like you. They don't deserve to." He watched her cautiously and could see a glimmer of light flicker back into her green eyes. She couldn't hide the smile that spread across her face. "Yeah," he sighed and softly caressed her cheeks. "There's my girl."
xxx
Claire slept soundly in Owen's bed. A borrowed t-shirt wrapping her in Owen's scent. His hands soothed her to sleep. He watched her sleeping form for a moment before carefully extracting his arms from around her. She shifted, but didn't wake up.
He crossed the van and hurried through the darkness to Claire's car. She thankfully had her phone sitting in the center console. Quickly punching in her birthday, he unlocked her phone. He searched through her texts, but didn't find anything that resembled a conversation with someone she would have been dating. "She deleted them." Owen grumbled. "Calls." He mumbled and found her recent calls log. Seeing a few names he didn't recognize he decided to go back to her texts. Searching out a name he did recognize.
Zia was one of the first to sign up as a volunteer and had helped Claire get the DPG off the ground. Claire spoke of her before they split up. Jamming his finger down on her name he brought the phone to his ear.
"What, Claire?" Zia growled, obvious she was annoyed that he woke her up.
"Erm, sorry, it's Owen. Not sure if you remember me or not, but I have a question."
"Why do you have Claire's phone?"
Ignoring her question, he threw out his own. "Who is the guy Claire was— is dating?" The words tasting like acid in his mouth.
"Why?" Zia asked and he could hear the frustration growing in her voice. "Why do you have her phone? Is she with you?"
"This is important, Zia. I need to know who he is." He pinched the bridge of his nose, realizing that even Zia didn't know what was going on. "It's a matter of her safety, Zia."
"Her safety?!" Zia shrieked. "Where is Claire!"
"She's safe." Owen assured her, not wanting to disclose any more information.
Zia was silent for a moment. When she spoke again it was a whisper, "Michael Landry."
"Thank you." He said quickly and hung up the phone.
He rushed back inside and jotted down a quick note, leaving it on the mattress beside Claire. He kissed her temple and turned to focus on his target.
Googling his name was easy. He was the largest law firm in San Fransisco. Owen found his address easily and found himself storming up the steps to his house. The porch light flicked on and the door swung open. Michael stood in front of him. Owen saw red.
Without a word spoken, Owen lunged at the man. One hard blow to his jaw had him on the ground. "What's the matter? You can dish it out, but you can't take it? Get up, asshole." Owen growled and kicked him in the side.
He waited a few minutes, watching Michael struggle to get to his feet. Owen bent down to fist his shirt, pulling him to his feet. "Want to hit someone?" He asked and punched him again. "Come on then! Better start swinging!"
Michael crumbled to the ground once more, but Owen caught him. "Stand up and hit me! You think it's ok to hit a woman? You went after the wrong one this time, buddy. She's mine!"
"I'm sorry, man!" Michael began to beg. "It won't happen again."
"You're right, it wont. Touch her again, and I'll kill you." Owen shoved Michael's head into the wall and this time he let him fall to the floor. "That's not a threat. That's a promise."
Owen left just as the sun was rising. He drove as fast as he could back to Claire. He sighed when he saw her car still parked in the same spot she left it last night. She was still here.
He stepped into the van and froze when he saw Claire curled up on the couch with a blanket.
"Where were you?" She knew she didn't need to ask. She already knew the answer.
Owen shrugged, refusing to meet her eyes. "How are you feeling?" He tried changing the subject.
Claire sighed and got up to cross the small space. "I think I should be asking you that question." She got him an ice pack and he followed her back to the couch. "You didn't have to do that." She said and placed the ice across his swollen knuckles.
"He hurt you. No one should or will ever get away with that. Not as long as I'm around."
She curled into his side and he wrapped his arms around her. "You know I'm against violence, but I hope you kicked his ass."
Owen smiled and kissed the top of her head. "It's taken care of."
Claire settled deeper into Owen's side and closed her eyes. She knew she should be getting back to the DPG. She had a speech to finish, but right now she wasn't ready to let go of Owen and he showed no sign of letting go of her.