A/N- Very mature sexual contents and language. You've been duly warned. Reviews always appreciated.

Chapter 7

"You bitch," Fox, murmured the words flying out of his mouth before he had processed them in his mind.

He hadn't meant to be so harsh with Teresa, but that phone call had rattled him. Bozman had made it pretty clear earlier that Teresa belonged to him but he hadn't wanted to believe it. He had been so sure of Teresa's love for him that he hadn't considered the possibility that she might have moved on and knowing that while he had been dreaming of a reunion she had been shacking up with Bozman made his so mad he could spit.

A flustered Teresa watched helplessly as Fox tore about the room searching for his missing clothes. There was so much she wanted to say, so many things she wanted to explain, but the anger prevalent in his demeanor terrified her and rendered her silent. She knew how hot-tempered Fox could be and there was no point talking to him when he was in one of his moods. Resigned, she rose gracefully and feeling self-conscious she hastily slipped on her robe.

While Fox dressed, Teresa walked over to the door and leaned negligently against it, waiting for him to cool down. When he had finished dressing, she walked over to him and patted him lightly on the arm. The thunderous expression on his face had her taking a step back.

"Don't touch me," he murmured through clenched teeth and Teresa hastily dropped her hand. "The sight of you makes me sick. I can't believe I've spent so much time looking for you when you've been shacking up with Bozman the entire time. Is he the real reason you left Teresa? Were you cheating on me with Nick and decided that being Mrs. Nicholas Crane would be too tedious? Was being Bozman's whore more appealing?" he spat out.

Feeling as though Fox's words had slapped her in the face, Teresa averted her gaze. "Fox, please----, please let me explain," she entreated quietly as she hugged herself in a dire attempt for strength.

Fox laughed bitterly, the sound ringing harshly in Teresa's ears. "Yeah, sure, go ahead Teresa. Go ahead and explain how you left me to be with that son of a bitch, tell me that you haven't been spreading your thighs for that bastard behind my back, convince me that you're still the sweet, innocent girl I fell in love with," he replied cruelly and Teresa's eyes filled with tears at his harsh words.

"I'm not a whore," she replied evenly trying to control her own temper for she knew that Fox's cruel words were only a result of his anger.

"Really?' he drawled. "It's been my experience that if it walks like a duck and talks like a duck, it is a duck," he added letting his eyes roam over her body insultingly.

Teresa's eyes flashed fire and without stopping to think she raised her palm and slapped him hard across the face.

"Wanna play rough, sweet cakes? I can accommodate you," he told her, gripping her arms forcefully and pressing her tightly against him.

"Fox, you're hurting me, let go," Teresa whispered but Fox only laughed and the sudden glint in his eyes had Teresa struggling to be free of him in earnest.

"Relax babe, you're going to enjoy this," he promised, tangling his hands in her hair and gently biting the lope of her ear. A shiver of awareness raced over her spine and Teresa was horrified to realize that she was becoming aroused.

Fox's hands skimmed over her back and his hands hastily slipped under her robe to cup her breasts. Wanting to see the bare flesh that he stroked, Fox grabbed the lapels of her robe and ripped it in half. Before Teresa could protest, he backed her against the refurbished armoire and cupping her face with his palms, captured her mouth in a savage kiss as he pressed himself roughly against her.

The feel and weight of him pressed against her had a slow heat unfurling in her belly and without conscious though, Teresa's eyes fluttered close and her hands hastily unbuttoning his shirt so she could feel his warm skin under her hands.

"Tell me you want me Teresa," Fox murmured grittily as he roughly fondled her breasts.

Teresa let out a soft moan as she caressed his bare chest and her mouth opened on a moan.

"I want you Fox," Teresa replied dutifully.

"Tell me you want this," he commanded grabbing a dainty hand and pressing it against part of him that ached for her touch. "Say Fox I want you to f---k me," he gritted out and Teresa's eyes widened for Fox had never been so blunt with her.

"No," she murmured trying to elude his hold but Fox wouldn't let her go and with a feral grin he slipped a hand inside her wet warmth, stroking her soft folds with calculated ease.

When she moaned into his mouth, Fox laughed and continued to stroke her until Teresa was aching for release.

"Fox please," she begged mindlessly.

"Please what Resa? If you want to come you have to say the words," he told her and with a hard smile he withdrew his fingers, leaving Teresa empty once again.

"Please make love to me," she whispered but Fox shook his head.

"That's not what I asked you to say babe. Tell me what I want to hear and I'll give you what you want," he promised wolfishly.

Teresa stared at him uncertainly, not liking the hard glitter in his eyes. Fox was enjoying having her beg him, he was enjoying having her at his mercy and his hard smile brought back awful memories of the night she had been raped by a man she had loved and respected as a surrogate father.

"No," she sobbed. "Leave me alone," she cried beating her tiny fists against his hard chest and trying without success to elude his embrace.

But Fox would not be swayed and with a savage grin he pushed her back so she fell to the lushly carpeted floor and before she could recover he had settled himself against her. His hard hands stroked her satiny skin with ferocity, leaving marks on her soft flesh and Teresa's cries became harsh sobs as past and present combined and became an indistinct mix of emotions and memories and she was suddenly transported back to that rainy night that had forever altered her life.

"Please, let me go, let me go," Teresa screamed at her captor, kicking and clawing as she tried to save herself from the horror that awaited her. Raising one knee the way she had been taught in self-defense she tried to kick him in the groin but he anticipated her move and managed to side step it. Knowing what would happen if she didn't fight; she made herself go limp in his arms and when he pulled her to hard ground she clawed at his face with one hand as she kicked his groin with her left knee. When he whimpered, she scrambled to her feet and ran as fast as she could.

"Don't look back, don't look back. Run, just run as fast as you can," her mind screamed and Teresa tried to comply but before she could make it too far she felt her attacker pull her roughly against him.

"Stupid bitch, did you really think you'd get away," he murmured and then backhanded her with such force that she fell to the floor in a dead faint.

When she awakened she felt him pulling at her clothes and the night air felt cool against her bare skin. She could feel the hard bulge of his arousal pressing against her thighs and his hard hands roughly pawing her breasts and she wanted to vomit. When he tangled his hands in her hair and forced his mouth down on hers, the smell of the whiskey on his breath made her nauseas and a small moan escaped her lips.

"Like that do you?" her tormentor whispered forcing his tongue inside her mouth as he continued to maul her breasts and Teresa let out a horrified gasp as she recognized her rapist.

"Don't do this, please don't do this," she begged trying to appeal to the conscience of the man she had always considered a surrogate parent, the man who'd taken her to her first softball game and who had taught her how to climb trees and how to throw a football.

Her rapist stared at her from cornflower blue eyes and smiled.

"You're so beautiful," he murmured and the look in his eyes terrified her even more than before. "And now you're going to be mine," he told her, laughing when she continued to fight.

"I like a woman with fire and you certainly are feisty. He said you'd fight, that you'd defend your virtue like a mama bear defends her cubs. But that won't matter cause you are going to be mine. I've waited a long time for this night and now that I have you I don't mean to let you go," he told her and Teresa stared at him with disgust.

"I will never be yours, never," she spat out, clenching her hands and raking her nails down his lean face.

The man laughed again and slapped her hard across the face. "Bitch," he murmured.
"Go ahead and fight kitten, I enjoy taming shrews," he informed her and Teresa began kicking and clawing at him like a wild animal.

Her captor simply laughed and waited for her to tire herself out. When Teresa lay limp under his weight, he captured her hands with his and hastily undid his trousers and, Teresa squeezed her eyes shut, praying that someone would come rescue her.

"Fox, help me, you promised you'd always be by my side, help me," she screamed, tears seeping down her cheeks but there was no one to hear her pleas

When her captor thrust himself roughly inside her, Teresa let out a loud wail that came from the depth of her soul; the tears that fell down her cheeks a silent testimony to the horror that had befallen her

"Please Fox, help me, you promised that you'd always be by my side, don't let him hurt me," Teresa cried and Fox's movements stilled above her.

Staring into Teresa's eyes Fox realized that something was terribly wrong. Teresa's dark eyes were glassy with tears, her face was pale in the lamplight and her body was taut with tension. With growing horror he realized that it wasn't passion that held Teresa enthralled it was fear, she had been fighting him in earnest and he had been too angry to realize it. Disgust filled his stomach as he acknowledged to himself that he had almost raped the woman he loved.

Her silent sobs echoed about the room and rang in his ears with the intensity of a freight train. Muttering a soft curse to himself he reached out to her.

"Resa," he murmured softly, flinching when she evaded his touch, curled herself into a corner and covered her face with her hands.

Fox sighed and watched her, his beautiful Teresa, curled in the fetal position, sobbing in pain and heartache.

"Resa..." he whispered again trying once more to take her in his arms.

This time Teresa accepted the embrace but her eyes remained glazed and he knew that she wasn't seeing him, that she was lost in a memory of the past.

Fox stroked her hair as she continued sobbing in his arms. "What's wrong?" he pleaded with her. "Tell me...please..." he begged. But she was beyond hearing.

"Fox..." her pleas this time were soft and desperate and filled with a sense of hopelessness and grief. "You promised me...you promised..." Fox swallowed the lump in his throat and pushed back her hair "Help me...please...don't let him hurt me...you let him hurt me..."

"Baby, tell me what's wrong?" he pleaded but Teresa shook her head and continued crying.

"You promised me Fox, you promised you'd always be there when I needed you but you weren't. I begged you to help me and you didn't. You weren't there when I needed you the most," she told him and Fox felt the weight of his failure settle on his shoulders.

He had failed Teresa. Somehow he'd failed her and he didn't know if she would ever be able to forgive him.'