Chapter 6

Dave went back to Christian's locker room with Trish so she could grab her things. Trish told him that he didn't have to but Dave insisted on going. Dave didn't want Christian pulling any fast ones and trying to hurt her in any way. He would rather be safe than sorry.

Once Trish got everything she needed they headed on over to the Evolution locker room. When they entered the room they were greeted by the other three members of Evolution, each congratulating Dave on his victory over Christian and Jericho.

"Hey Ric, I am going to jump in the shower, can you keep an eye on Trish?"

Ric patted Dave on the back. "Of course I can Big Man, this will give us a chance to chat a bit while you are doing your thing."

Dave knew that Ric would do anything for Trish. He hoped that Ric would take this time to find out more of what was going on with the beautiful, blonde Canadian. Christian was definitely not the only issue and Dave wanted to help her any way that he could. She had to open up to someone and he hoped that it would be him but Ric seemed to have things under control. As long as someone was able to get through to her, that was all that mattered.

Ric gently took Trish's hand and guided her along with him to the conference room. He didn't want anyone eavesdropping and he definitely didn't want her feeling uncomfortable. She had been through so much already and he wanted her to come to trust each and every member of Evolution. They were her new family now and Ric would do anything to make sure it stayed that way.

"Do you want something to drink doll? We have anything your little heart desires."

Trish was actually quite parched and a drink would really hit the spot.

"Sure Ric, a water will be fine."

Ric grabbed a bottled water from the fridge and handed it to Trish.

"Thanks."

Ric gave her a wink and a smile. "No problem dear."

Trish chugged back about half the bottle of water before beginning. She knew why Ric had brought her in there and now that Christian was out of the picture, or so she hoped, she was ready to let him in on her secret. However, there were some things that nobody should ever know and she planned on keeping it that way.

"So," Trish began, "what do you want to know?"

Ric didn't expect her to be so upfront with the situation but he was definitely thankful that she broke the ice so easily. He didn't want to have to give her the third degree or psychoanalyze her, that's for sure.

"Gosh I don't even know where to begin," Ric stated matter-of-factly.

"Well, I guess I will help then. I know you know that Christian was abusing me. I think we have established that already."

Ric nodded in agreement.

"Well," Trish paused for a moment taking another sip of her water. "I guess I should start with the reason why I put up with it and never walked away."

Ric knew that it had to be hard for her to open up to someone this way and especially when he was still pretty much a stranger to her. He rubbed her back soothingly, reassuring her that it was okay for her to continue on.

"You see, Christian found something out about my past, something that I had done that I tried to cover up. I thought I covered my tracks well but apparently he had hired a private investigator to find out this bit of information. I am sure he hired the best although why he did it, I will never know."

Now they were getting somewhere. Ric couldn't believe how low that Christian would stoop. Why on Earth he would want to hurt a beautiful woman in such a manner was beyond him. All of this just to get even with Chris Jericho? It made no sense to him. What man would deliberately set out to hurt someone as sweet as Trish?

"So Christian used this bit of information to make you do things that you didn't want to do?"

Trish nodded.

"Well, then that explains why you look at Chris Jericho longingly. You still love him don't you?"

"A part of me with always love him Ric but that part of my life is over. He moved on and even if I tried to explain to him why I did what I did, he wouldn't listen to me."

Ric shook his head in disgust. "Well that is just his loss then because if he truly loved you Trish, he would have tried his damndest to try and find out why you did what you did. Besides, any man who would make a bet to see who can sleep with who the quickest, isn't a man in my eyes."

Trish bowed her head in anguish. Ric was right, he wasn't worthy of her love but at the same time no man had ever been kinder to her. Well, until Dave and Ric came along. Ric was like a father figure to her in a way and Dave, well, she wasn't sure what he was to her yet but she could definitely tell that he cared for her. That much she knew.

"You do make some good points Ric. I guess it just wasn't meant to be."

"No doll, it wasn't."

There was an uncomfortable pause between the two before Trish spoke up again.

"So, can we umm, can we finish some other time because I am kind of hungry and I was going to ask Dave if he didn't mind taking me out to eat somewhere before we headed back to the hotel?"

"Definitely sweetie, I would never push you into anything. You can tell me whatever you want at your leisure. I am just happy that you trusted me enough to tell me what you did tonight."

"You got it pops," Trish teased as she punched him in the arm.

When the two of them went back into the main room, Trish immediately locked eyes with Dave. He was so handsome in his black suit and silky blue shirt. Why she never noticed him before, she did not know. He was definitely a sexy man but that was the last thing that she needed right now. She was just content for the time being in seeing where their friendship leads them. However, what she wanted and what she got were two different things.

"So big guy, you want to take me out to grab a bite to eat? I am famished."

Dave was happy that she asked him first because he didn't want to impose but at the same time he DID want to take her out to eat. That was the main reason why he got dressed up rather than throwing on a pair of workout pants and a t-shirt.

"It would be my pleasure darling. A man would have to be insane not to want a gorgeous blonde such as yourself on his arm as he walked into a restaurant."

Trish blushed from Dave's kind words. Who knew that a man could be so sweet? Why she never met someone like him sooner was beyond her. However, she was thankful that he was in her life. He was definitely one of the good ones. There was no doubting that.

"Well then, I guess I could say that being accompanied to dinner by a handsome, stud such as yourself, would be all my pleasure."

Dave put his hand on the small of her back, guiding her out of the room and into his car.

The ride to the restaurant was quiet but peaceful. Trish rested her head on the cool glass as she watched the scenery pass her by. She went over everything that had transpired over the past couple of months in her head. She had lost all hope and was on the brink of a nervous breakdown. Then Ric, being a father figure to her and Dave, her knight in shining armor, rescued her from the cruelest man, aside from her stepfather, that she had ever met. How she managed to put herself in these predicaments, she would never know. It was one disappointment after another.

Dave mainly focused on the road ahead of him but couldn't help but sneak a few glances of the beauty sitting next to him. She was absolutely stunning this evening. Her cute little black dress hugged her in all the right places and the stiletto heels that she had on gave her some height and matched the dress perfectly. Dave wasn't sure why he never noticed her before. He supposed it was the fact that he was so focused on his career that nothing else mattered. Actually, since he and Angie divorced, he couldn't recall having one real date.

"Penny for your thoughts," he asked.

Trish smiled as she focused all of her attention to the stud next to her. She couldn't help but feeling like a princess. Being in the company of a man such as Dave Batista definitely made her feel like she was worth more than she truly was. Adding in the fact that they were driving around in a gorgeous, silver Mercedes. She felt like a million bucks.

"I was just thinking about everything that has gone on these past few months, that's all."

Trish stared at Dave intently, mesmerized by so many things. She loved the way that he unconsciously darted his tongue out every now and then to lick his lips. To her it was one of the sexiest things that she had ever seen a man do. His eyes were so dark and mysterious but at the same time he was like an open book to her. She could read him so easily and it scared the hell out of her because that only meant that he could read her too. Why this man had such an effect on her, she did not know.

Suddenly she got this overwhelming urge to kiss him. The butterflies in her stomach began to form and her cheeks became a light shade of crimson. She felt like she was burning up and had to look away because the desire to touch him was too intense.

Dave could feel her eyes boring into him and he had to say he was quite flattered. She was staring at him intently and he found it hard to focus on the road in front of him. He could tell by the way her cheeks turned rosy that she was having anything but friendly thoughts about him. The sexual tension in the car could be cut with a knife. He was thankful that they finally arrived at their destination because he was sure that he would have to pull over to the side of the road and taste those sweet lips of hers.

Dave turned the key to the ignition off, stepped out of the car and made his way around to the passenger side to let Trish out.

Trish couldn't help but thinking that he was the perfect gentleman in every way. He was killing her with kindness but she would be damned if his sexy mannerisms didn't kill her more. This man would definitely be the death of her.

Because of the late hour they basically had the whole place to themselves. Trish absolutely loved Chinese and she couldn't remember the last time she had eaten it. The waiter sat them at a quiet table for two in the corner. The lights were dimmed much to her liking. It wasn't a fancy restaurant but being there with a man like Dave made it extremely romantic.

They made light conversation while they dined, getting to know each other a little better. Dave told her about his failed marriage to Angie and how she treated him badly simply because he was on the road all the time. She knew going into the marriage was what his dream was so it was basically over before it got started.

Trish told him about how her daddy died when she was a little girl and how she hated her stepfather. When he married her mom he had kids of his own and they always got preferential treatment. That caused her relationship with her mom to go sour as well.

Both Trish and Dave were equally surprised at how easily they could talk to one another. They could feel a special bond of friendship growing between them.

"Dave, thank you so much for listening to me yammer on tonight. It really felt good getting that off of my chest. I have to honestly say that this was the first time I ever told anyone about my childhood."

"Anytime sweetheart, anytime," Dave responded, giving her a wink.

That wink of his was driving her nuts. Did he really have to do it all the time to her? God he was so sexy she couldn't stand it. She was definitely going to need a cold shower tonight. How he managed to get her all aroused like this, when he wasn't even trying, drove her up the wall. What the hell was happening to her? What did he slip something into her drink?

Dave watched Trish intently as she made all kinds of different facial expressions that were too damned cute for words. She had to be the most enticing woman that he ever laid eyes on. He knew it would be next to impossible for him to contain himself from kissing her this evening but he would try as hard as he could. How any many didn't fall head over heels in love with her was something he couldn't understand.

As they finished up their dessert, Dave paid the waiter so that once they were finished they could take off. Both of them had a great time, simply enjoying each other's company. They would definitely have to do this again, Trish thought, preferably in a less romantic environment. Next time she wouldn't be so sure if she could keep her hands off of him.

When they arrived back at the hotel, Trish was a bit reluctant in spending the night with Dave all alone in his hotel room. After what she had been through, she didn't trust any man, even if it was Dave. Sure he woke up feelings inside of her that she didn't know existed anymore but at the same time, he was still somewhat of a stranger. Needless to say, she was confused as hell.

Sensing her uneasiness, Dave tried to reassure her that nothing was going to happen.

"Trish, I know what you must be thinking and I promise you, I don't plan on laying a hand on you. I just thought you would feel safer being here with me as opposed to in a hotel room all alone where Christian could easily gain access to you."

It amazed her how easily he read her mind. He hit the nail right on the head. She still wasn't sure what she should do but the thought of being alone scared the hell out of her and Dave was really sweet.

"Okay Dave, I will stay with you tonight. I see what you mean about Christian and I really don't want to be alone."

He knew she was still unsure but that was understandable. After what she had been through it was amazing that she had even gone out with him this evening.

"Trish, if it will make you feel any better I will sleep on the couch. You can have the bed all to yourself."

Trish liked the idea of that but at the same time wouldn't mind having his arms wrapped around her while they slept just so she could feel safe. From that first night that he held her, he had made her feel safe.

"No actually, I think I might feel better if you are in the same bed as me. I really don't want to be alone. If that's alright with you."

Dave wanted nothing more than to hold her in his arms but he knew the night ahead of them was going to be a long one. If the sexual tension at dinner was any indication of how things were going to go, they were both in for a lot of cold showers.