The Running Series Complete Collection: 3-Book Set plus Bonus Novella (16 page)

I turn onto Arnold Avenue and begin driving towards the bridge that leads me home.  The car behind me does the same.  After crossing the bridge, I make a quick turn onto Herbertsville Road, and the car is still with me.  I make two more turns down random side streets, and I still have company.  This is not a coincidence.  I am definitely being followed.  Now I have to decide where to go.  I can’t go home.  Auggie isn’t there, I’d be alone.  Besides, do I want to lead him right to my house?  No!  Evan. I have to go to Evan’s house.  My hands are shaking, so I employ the help of Siri to get Evan on the phone.

“Siri, call Evan.”

“Do you want me to call Evan Thomas?”

“Yes, call.”

He answers on the second ring.  “Hey, Juliette.  Are you just getting out of work?”

“Evan, I need you.  I’m in my car and I think I’m being followed.  Can I come over?”  My voice is shaking and I’m sure he can tell I’m a wreck.

“What the fuck?  Are you sure?  Come straight here.  Do NOT stop anywhere.  Do you hear me?  Come straight here.  How far away are you?”  I can hear drawers opening like he’s pulling out clothes to get dressed.

“I’m just going back over the bridge.  I’ll be there in two minutes.  Evan, he left a note on my car.  He said he’s watching me.  I’m really scared.”

“Stay on the phone with me.  Don’t hang up.  Can he tell you’re on the phone?  Are you holding the phone up to your ear?”

“No, you’re on speaker phone.  He can’t see my phone.”

“Good.  Just keep driving.  Can you tell what kind of car it is?  Is it a truck, an SUV, a car?”

“It’s definitely a dark car.  I can’t tell any more.  It’s not a sports car or convertible or anything.  Just an average small dark car.”

“I’m outside in the driveway waiting.  Drive right up to me, but don’t get out of the car.  Do you understand?”

“Yes, I’m almost there.  Do you see my headlights coming down the road?”

“I’m here and I can see you.  Just calm down, you’re almost here.  Hang up now, OK?”

“OK, I’ll be right there.”  Evan’s driveway is all lit up and I can see him waiting.  I pull right in, and my pursuer slows for a moment, and then speeds off.  Evan runs into the street, trying to catch a glimpse of the license plate number.  It’s no use.  It’s dark out and the car is gone.

I turn the car off and I just sit stock-still.  I can’t move.  Evan instantly appears at my door, but it’s still locked.

“Juliette, it’s OK, he’s gone.  Open the door, sweetheart.”  I can’t move.  “Juliette, please open the door.”  I’m frozen.  “Juliette, you have to open the door now or I’m going to break your window.  You’re safe.  Please.”  I find the strength to push the button to unlock the door.  Evan whips the door open and is kneeling beside me.

“Juliette, look at me.  Are you OK?”  I nod my head and swing my legs to get out of the car.  Evan helps me onto my unsteady feet.

“You sure he’s gone?”  My voice is still quivering.

“Yes, I’m sure.  Let’s get you in the house.  Can you walk?”

“Yeah.  Can we please get in the house quickly?”

Evan rushes me to the house and engages the security system.  “Do not open any doors or windows.  I just set the security alarm and it will go off if anyone from the inside or the outside tries to open a door or window.  OK?”

We walk to the living room and I’m still slightly trembling.  I try to pull myself together and sit on the couch.  “I’m getting you a drink of water.  Do you want something stronger?”

“No, thank you.  Maybe a few aspirin if you have them.”  Being here has a great calming effect on me and I can feel myself begin to relax.  My pulse begins to slow and my heart rate is returning to normal.

“Here’s your water and two Tylenol.”  I gulp them down in one swig.  “I’m calling the police, Juliette.”

I don’t know why, but I really don’t want to call the police.  Maybe I’m just overreacting and I wasn’t being followed.  Maybe it’s just a prank.  “Can we wait until tomorrow?  Please don’t call yet.  I just want to calm down, and then I’ll head home.”

“There’s no way you’re leaving tonight.  If you leave, I’m going with you, so what’s the point?  Just stay here.”  He’s sitting beside me on the couch now.  “Come here.”  He opens up his arms for me to crawl into.  “Tell me what happened.  And don’t leave out any details.”

There’s not much to tell.  I explain about the song dedication and how I thought for a moment it might be him.  Then I tell him how Derek drove me to my car and waited until he thought I was safe.

“Remind me to thank Derek for that,” Evan interjects.  I give the final details about the note and the car following me.  “Is that everything?” he asks.

“I didn’t leave anything out.  What do you think?”

“I think you’ve got a very sick individual latched onto you. Are you sure you don’t want to call the police tonight?”

“No, I’m sure.  Can you put on a movie or something to distract me?  No slasher movies. OK?”

“Sure, anything you want.  Let me get you something to change into.  I’ll be right back.”  Evan slips away and returns with one of his t-shirts.  “I don’t think I have any shorts that would fit you, so I grabbed the biggest shirt I could find.  I hope it’s good enough.”

“This is fine, really.  I’ll be right back.”  I take his shirt to the bathroom and I try to wash up a little.  I really wish I had a toothbrush.  Auggie’s list of must-have’s sure would come in handy right now.

By the time I’m done, Evan is on the couch with a blanket, a couple of pillows and a movie has started.  He peels back the blanket and I crawl back to my spot on the couch with him.  “What’s playing?”

“Well, since I know you’re on an eighties kick, I thought I would put one of my favorites, ‘Big’ with Tom Hanks.  Is that all right?”  He’s rubbing my back and it feels so good.

About an hour into the movie, I’m finally calmed down enough to appreciate and enjoy the closeness with Evan.  I yawn, then he yawns, and I yawn again.  Yawning really is contagious.

“Let’s call it a night.  Come on, I’ll walk you to my room.  You can sleep in my bed.  I’ll sleep here on the couch.”

“Why don’t I just sleep in the guest room?  I don’t mind.”  I know he has a guest room because Adam stayed here for a short while.

“I stripped all the sheets and everything off the bed when Adam left.  The cleaning lady comes on Friday and I was waiting for her to put the room back together again.  I don’t mind. I’ll be fine.  I can sleep anywhere.”

Since I can barely keep my eyes open, I grudgingly agree.  “Only if you’re sure.”  Evan nods, turns off the television, and leads me to his room.  He’s got a large room with simple furnishings and a huge bed.

“Please call if you need anything.  I’ll be right in the living room on the couch.”  Suddenly, I feel uneasy.  I’m in an unfamiliar place and I’m still a little nervous. 

He watches as I climb into bed and pull the covers up to my chin.  I inhale deeply.  His bed smells just like him.  He walks over and kisses me good night.  “Evan, wait.  Can you stay with me just until I fall asleep?  I feel safer when you’re around.”

“OK.”  Without another word, Evan slips into bed next to me under the blankets.  He’s wearing a t-shirt and boxers.  I wonder what it would feel like to have him here with me, flesh against flesh.

He snuggles up next to me and wraps one arm around my waist.  I lean into him and pull his hand to my chest.  I kiss his knuckles and whisper, “Thank you.”  Evan releases a slight groan as he weaves our fingers together. 

Our bodies fit together like two puzzle pieces.  I hear his breathing slow and I know he’s fallen asleep.  His warm breath skims against my shoulder and eventually, I drift off to sleep.

Sometime early the next morning, I wake to find Evan still beside me.  He rolls towards me and pulls me closer.  I close my eyes and listen.  His breathing is slow and steady.  He’s deeply asleep.  I glance at the clock on the nightstand and it reads 5:41.  Just another hour of sleep and I’ll get up.  I close my eyes and return to a blissful sleep.

When I wake again, I find myself resting in Evan’s arm with my face lying on his chest.  He’s playing with my hair and when he finds a loose strand, he tucks it behind my ear. 

“Good morning,” I whisper, looking up at him.  He looks down at me with those bright blue eyes.  He smiles and those dimples make a return appearance.

“Mornin’,” he breathes.  He holds me tightly and I wrap by arms around his waist.  His hands begin to explore, but never straying too far.  I lie in bliss as he strokes my hip, my back, my backside.  As I hold him close, I can feel his arousal as my own desire grows.  How nice it would be to wake this way every day.

“I could stay here and hold you forever, but I have to get up.”  I watch as he gets up from bed and walks to the bathroom.  I hear the shower running and glance over at the clock.  It’s nearly eight thirty.  Slowly, memories of the previous night’s events creep back into my mind.  Back to reality.

Just Desserts

I
take a deep breath and look at my surroundings in the daylight.  I am pleased to see that Evan’s room is tidy.  I’ve been in boys’ rooms before and most often, they live like slobs.  Evan lives alone, and I know how easy it would be for him to just toss his things on the floor when he’s done.  His dresser is uncluttered.  There are no stray socks floating around.  Everything is neat and in order. I still hear the shower running.  I walk around, peeking in drawers and walk over to his closet. When I open it, my mouth drops! His walk-in closet is amazing. Hanging neatly are suits, jeans, sweaters, dress shirts, and an assortment of football jerseys and t-shirts. Before he catches me snooping, I quickly walk out of his closet and shut the doors.

I make quick work of making the bed, occasionally glancing at the bathroom door.  Behind it, I can envision Evan in all his glory, standing under a steady stream of water, washing all his bits and pieces.  What I wouldn’t give to be in there with him right now.  But since we’re in reality check mode, I have to recognize the fact that there most likely have been many girls before me who got to experience the pleasure of Evan’s finely sculptured body.  How many have come before me?  And how long have they stayed before he moved onto the next?  He’s been travelling with a football team since college.  If he
only
had one girl in each town he visited, the number would be incredibly high. 

My number is considerably lower.  Definitely in the single digits.  How could I compare?  Would I even get a chance to ever find out?  After last night’s fiasco, he must look at me like a frightened, pathetic waif.  I pride myself on being strong and independent, but last night I was neither.  I was needy and clingy.  How will he feel about that in the light of day?

I gather my clothes and head to the guest bath to shower.  The water is hot, really hot, and it feels soothing as it washes over me.  I wash myself from head to toe, but I still feel unclean, like there’s a film covering every inch of my body.  I wash myself two more times, and finally, I begin to feel cleansed. 

There is a bath mat on the floor, and I step lightly, trying not to get the floor all wet.  I use one of the towels to dry myself, wrap a towel around my hair, and dress in my clothes from last night.  I go through the drawers searching for some toothpaste.  Bingo.  Not only am I rewarded with a new tube of toothpaste, there are several brand new tooth brushes still in their packaging.  Thank God. 

I reach into my bag and pull out a hairbrush and a hair tie.  I put my hair up in a messy, wet bun, and I’m ready to face my day.

Standing in the kitchen, I find Evan in a pair of the same cargo shorts he was wearing on my first visit to his home.  Today, he’s chosen a clean and crisp white t-shirt that looks heavenly on him.  His feet are bare, and I don’t know why, but there’s something intimate about a man’s bare feet.  He’s drinking a cup of coffee and a huge grin spreads across his face when he sees me emerge.

“Can I get you a cup of coffee, Juliette?”

“No, maybe just some water this morning.  I can feel a headache starting and caffeine’s probably not a good idea.”  He brings me water and a bottle of aspirin.  I uncap the water and wash down two tablets.

Standing at his kitchen sink, I am holding onto the counter and staring out the window as the waves crash on the shore.  The surf is a little rough today, matching my gloomy mood.

I can sense Evan walking toward me ... that familiar tingle running down my spine and stopping right down there.  I feel his hands on my waist and his lips on my neck.  His gentle kisses make their way up to my ear as he whispers, “I’m so glad you called me.  It’s going to be OK.  I won’t let anything like that happen again.  I promise.”

“Can we just pretend this never happened?  Seriously?”  I turn and look at him, pleading with my eyes.  “Please don’t make me call the police.  It was probably just a silly prank.  You’ll see.”

“I don’t like it, but for now, yes.  We can let it drop, but on one condition.  I’m going to insist that you call the manager and tell him what’s going on.  The bouncers need to know and so does the DJ.  The minute some prick tries something like that again, we’ll be prepared.”  He’s holding me by my arms and I can tell by the look in his eye that he’s dead serious.