Realizing that her hands were clenched into fists up under her chin, I set to work manually opening them. I was happy for the distraction, because what I wanted to do was to destroy something. This was a much better use of my time.
Slowly, the focus began to return to her eyes. I knew when she started to try to put distance between us that she her awareness was coming back. When she tried to get up I decided I would try to keep her in place. To my surprise, it worked. She must be tired. Her apologizing for her reaction earlier, really pissed me off. She shouldn’t be apologizing at all. I wasn’t lying to her either when I told her that this guy would pay. He would, and I would gladly dole out the punishment.
I’m content to rub her neck and hold her. I breathe her in. She smells like a mix of citrus and tangerine. This is the longest she has let me near her. After a few minutes, I break the silence. “I think that we should think about getting dressed. The guyswill be here soon, and we have a lot of ground to cover when they get here. Why don’t you jump in the shower first,” I offer.
She jumps up like a jackrabbit and nods. It is like she is afraid to speak. Before she runs off I grab her hand and squeeze it. She looks down at me almost confused. I grin at her slowly. Her mouth tilts up as if she wants to smile but can’t. I understand. We will get there, I silently vow.
While she is in the shower I call Holt. I know he will be here in a bit, but I think we need to change the plan. When he picks up, I briefly update him.
“Shit, this gets worse and worse. Carter didn’t have much to go on either when I spoke to him last night,” Holt surmises on the other end of the phone.
“I know, I think we need to confuse this guy a bit. Throw him off. I think she needs to stay with me— but we need to make it look like she is here,” I explain.
“It couldn’t hurt to get her to another location, I think that is smart. We can leave your truck there and you both can ride back with me today. I’ll drop you off,” he plans.
“We will still install the cameras and change the locks, that way we can monitor from afar. We can also stop by so it looks like its being used,” I say as I go into the kitchen to pour a mug of coffee. I heard her shower shut off a couple minutes ago.
“I’m going to get dressed. See you in 45 minutes,” I end the call abruptly. I don’t have time for chitchat.
I turn around with full mug in hand and head towards her bedroom door. I listen quietly to see if I hear movement. It sounds like the closet door is being closed. I knock on the hollow door.
A few seconds later I hear a muffled, “come in”. I push open the door and see her sitting cross legged on a made bed with a hairbrush in her hand. I didn’t notice how tired she looked earlier. I’m sure she is not feeling the greatest.
It dawns on me that she had a migraine the night before last, and last night she didn’t sleep well. Add to it her panic attack and the stress of having a stalker overnight, and she must be on the edge. Walking into her bedroom, I scan the room quickly.
It is neat, but lived in. A few books stacked on the nightstand. A couple of receipts on the dresser. She has a small basket of clothes on the floor next to her dresser. I hand her the mug with steaming coffee and she automatically sighs and smiles.
The smile doesn’t have a lot of energy behind it, but I’ll take it just the same. She is dressed in a pair of black leggings, and a long sleeved shirt. A sweatshirt lays next to her on the bed. Her chin length hair is still wet, but has just been brushed. Her face is devoid of make-up, which seems to be the norm for her.
I realize that I’m inspecting her and it makes her uncomfortable. Part of me enjoys making her nervous, but the other part of me knows, now isn’t the time. Soon. Just not this morning.
“Thanks,” she says as she takes a big gulp of the black coffee. It had a couple of minutes to cool, but I am still impressed. She takes another big sip and sets the mug on her nightstand.
“No big deal, I’m hopping in the shower. Don’t answer the door, don’t go outside for any reason. I’ll be out in 5 minutes,” I order.
She has a slight frown on her face as if she wants to argue. All of a sudden she smirks and gives what I think is a salute. “Sir, yes sir,” she says sarcastically.
I can’t help but chuckle at her sense of humor. Part of me wants to punish her in the most delicious way for being such a smart ass.Later, I think. The other part of me is thrilled that she bounces back so quickly.
Shaking my head I turn around. I can feel her eyes on me as I walk into the other bedroom. By the time I come out she is focused on her phone and clutching her cup of coffee. I slide into the bathroom with the intention of taking the fastest shower possible.
Chapter 19
Meg
My brain feels fuzzy. I know I should be more concerned with the fact that some creep is currently following my every move—and believe me, I am. However, I’m totally perplexed at Sterling and his demeanor towards me. I mean, I’m embarrassed to admit that I lost it this morning. Over some pictures! How stupid. But Sterling tried to assuage my embarrassment.
Hecomfortedme. Held me in his lap— and he was shirtless! He brought me coffee. My brain shifts back to last night again. Taking a deep breath, I remind myself that it was probably a one-off kind of thing. My phone buzzes and I almost drop it. I’m relieved to see Piper’s name pop up. I still don’t know how to tell her that I have this slight…issue.
Sharing this situation with her will make it even more real. Right now, I’m in this odd bubble. No one from my life knows what is going on. Part of me wants to wait to say anything until this has been taken care of. Realistically, I don’t know if that will be possible. I decide to wait to respond for a few minutes. It is early yet, so she won’t be surprised if I don’t answer.
I hear Sterling turn the water off in the bathroom and the shower door slide open. This house hasn’t been insulated since the 1960s and the walls are fairly thin. You can hear almost everything.
I jump up from the bed and head to the kitchen. I know that Holt is supposed to be here soon. I want to refill my coffee so I feel more human and less zombie. As I’m filling my cup, the bathroom door opens and I feel Sterling enter the kitchen. It is amazing how quiet he can be.
I turn around with my cup in my hand and almost bump into his chest again. Backing up a little the coffee sloshes over the rim of my cup. He grabs my wrist and takes the mug from me. Pulling me closer, he says “this doesn’t mean I have forgotten about last night, we will pick up where we left off,” he quietly promises.
My mouth is opening and closing like a fish trying to come up with a response when Holt pulls in next to the carport. I need to remember to send him a fruit basket or something for the rescue. Sterling smirks.
