Page 41 of Midnight Mooring

Suddenly the guy was pushing Cameron toward the ground.

I took off at a run without thinking.

It all happened so fast.

Cameron struggled in his grip and kicked him hard between the legs.

By the time I reached them, the guy was bent over in agony.

Her head flew toward me, eyes widening. “Forde!”

I glowered as I strode past and slammed my foot into the guy’s arse, sending him tumbling face-first into the grass. He scrambled, flipping over to stare up at me in fright. I did not know this guy, so that meant he was a tourist.

He also looked like he was in his twenties. “What the fuck, dude?” he yelled in an Australian accent.

“What the fuck?” I rushed toward him, but Cameron grabbed my arm to halt me. “What the fuck is that she’s only fifteen!”

His expression slackened. “I didn’t know. I swear I didn’t know.”

“Aye, did you know when she was pushing you off her that usually means no?” I charged for him again, but Cameron got in my face.

“Forde, stop! Let’s just go.”

I pointed a warning finger at him. “I see you on this island again and I’ll rip your fucking nutsack off!”

“Forde!” Cameron shoved me toward the coastal path. “C’mon!”

Fury at her thrummed through me, but I tried to contain it as I grabbed her by the biceps and hauled her away.

“Stop!” She ripped her arm from my hold, glaring at me like I was in the wrong.

I glared right back. “Move.”

I was surprised she didn’t stick her tongue out before she stomped off like a child.

Taking a few deep breaths to calm my fear and anger, I followed her, catching up quickly. Keeping my tone as even as possible, I demanded, “What were you thinking going off alone in the dark with a guy you don’t know from Adam?”

“I was thinking it’s my business what I do,” she hissed, her arms crossed defensively over her chest.

“Cameron … do you even know what almost happened to you?”

“I had it under control.”

“No. See, the problem is because of how you look, people treat you older than you are, and I think you actually forget you’re only fifteen. Did you really want your first time with a bloke to be like that?”

“Of course not! I just …”

“You just what?”

“I didn’t …” Her chin wobbled. “I didn’t think he would do something like that.”

I hated seeing her upset, but she needed to understand and understand it quick. “There are men who will do that and worse. You’ve only ever been around me and your brother, and the other boys on this island know if they did anything to you, we’d kill them. So you’ve been protected. But there are boys and men who will take what they want from a lassie without asking her. Without giving her a choice. So you never go anywhere alone with a man you don’t know or trust.”

“I … I can look after myself.”

“It’s not about that, Cameron. It’s not about how mentally tough you are. If a bloke is physically bigger and stronger than you and he wants something you don’t want to give him, he might just take it. And then I’d have to kill him.”

She halted her long strides as we neared the harbor again. “I’m … I’m sorry. I just … he was nice to me.” Groaning in disgust, she threw up her arms. “Ugh, how pathetic does that sound?”