The Running Series Complete Collection: 3-Book Set plus Bonus Novella (27 page)

“I can certainly understand why you drank so much.  I’m so sorry I wasn’t there for you.”  He sweeps a random lock of hair off my face and behind my ear.  “I don’t suppose Derek tried to convince you to call the police, did he?”

“No, he didn’t.  What am I supposed to tell them, Evan?  There was no threat, no harm, and no damage.  What could they do?”

“I definitely wish you would have called the police.”  He holds me close and I can hear him take a deep breath.  “You had me worried.  I thought it was much worse than that.”

“There’s more.”

“OK.”  He releases me and I sit back in the couch.  I don’t want to look at him when I tell him this next part.

“When I got home from work today, I found signs that someone had been in my house.”  Evan stands up and walks to the other side of the room.  He has his back to me.

The timbre of his voice is off.  “What kind of ... signs?”  He’s mad.  Really mad.

“For one thing, the dog was outside.  Auggie and I never leave Maddy out all day.”  I hesitate for a moment and consider leaving it at that, but my conscience gets the better of me and I tell him the rest.  “Someone was in my bedroom, too.  A sexy red dress, thong, and stilettos were laid out on the bed for me.”

He punches the wall.  I was afraid of this reaction.  “Juliette, do you have any idea what could have happened?  He could have been waiting for you in your closet, under your bed, in another room.  This sick fuck could have taken you, raped you, and killed you.”  Now he’s pacing around the room frantically.

“That’s why I called you and came right over.”  The reality of the situation is starting to sink in.  I’ve been telling myself all along that songs, flowers, and dresses are harmless.  But the truth is that he seems to be escalating.  He’s invaded my work, my car, and now my bedroom.  What’s next?

“Get your shoes on.  We’re going to the police.  Now.”

“It’s Saturday night, Evan.  There’s no one there but the dispatcher right now.”

“I don’t care.  Let’s go.  I’m not kidding, Juliette.”  He walks over to the hall and grabs his wallet and keys.

“Evan, this is a small town.  Please listen to me.  There’s a non-emergency number we can call.  They will send someone here.”  I take out my phone and find the number for the police station and hand Evan my phone.  “Just hit ‘call’.  Go ahead.  Make the call.”

The dispatcher tells Evan someone will be here within the hour.  He’s pacing the room again.  It’s much worse than I anticipated.  Evan makes another call.  He asks Adam to come over, too, although I’m not sure why.

When Evan speaks to me again, he’s practically shouting at me.  “Juliette, you’ve been here for over two hours.  This should have been the
first
thing out of your mouth!  When something is wrong, you have to tell me.  I want to take care of you, dammit.”

Now I’m getting angry.  Evan’s got to know my limits.  “I’ve taken care of myself for a long time now.  I don’t
need
someone to take care of me.  My father only cared about taking care of himself. And my mother?  Her idea of taking care of someone was to stay out of the way.” 

Evan is now looking at me like I have three heads.  A smile spreads across his face and he begins shaking his head.  Then he laughs, loudly.  Not the reaction I was anticipating.  “What’s so funny?” I bark at him.

“I’ve never been interested in taking care of another person in my life.  Ever.  I finally find someone who I want to be with, share everything with, and take care of.  And how does she feel?  She doesn’t
want
me to take care of her.”

“You think you have it bad? I have huge trust issues with men, and here I am, falling for a man who didn’t want to tell me his real name!”  Now we’re both laughing.

“You’re right, we should end it now.”  He walks over and extends his hand to shake.  “It was nice knowing you.  Good luck with all that nasty little stalker business, Miss Fletcher.”

“Yes, it was nice finally meeting the real you.  Good luck with those annoying intimacy issues, Mr. McGuire.”

I turn to leave, and Evan grabs me by the hips and spins me around.  “You’re going to be the end of me, you know.  What am I going to do with you?”

“I have a few ideas.”  As I kiss him deeply, I find an opening beneath his shirt and run my fingers across the toned muscles of his back.  He grabs my ass and pulls me closer to him.  He whispers in my ear, “You’re not going home tonight.”

“I had no intentions on going anywhere tonight.  Not unless you were to come with me.”

“Sweetheart, I have every intention of coming with you, believe me.”

Before things get taken too far, there’s a loud knock, followed by opening of the front door, and the familiar voice of Adam.  “Hey guys, I’m here.  What’s going on?”

Evan brings Adam up to speed on the details of the past few days.  “Why didn’t she call the police?”

“Damned if I know.  She thinks she can take care of it herself.  Do you believe this shit?”  They keep talking about me like I’m not even in the room.

“You’re not letting her go home tonight, are you?”

“Hell, no.  She’s not setting foot in that house alone until we install a security system.  Can you take care of that?  You know who to call, right?”

“Sure.  But tomorrow’s a holiday.  I can’t get anyone there until Monday or Tuesday.  Does anyone else live in the house?  They shouldn’t go back there, either.”

Crap.  Auggie.  I never even thought about the danger I was putting him in.  How could I be so thoughtless? 

“Yeah, she has a roommate.  Juliette, please call Auggie right away.”

While the boys continue their conversation, I step out onto the deck to call Auggie.  I tell him absolutely everything: all about Evan, our rekindled relationship, and my unwelcomed attention.  He says he can stay at Brandon’s until things are straightened out.  The two of them will go back to the house together to get a few things.  Brandon even allows him to take Maddy with them.  I don’t know what I would do if anything happened to him or Maddy.

When I come back inside, Adam’s nowhere to be seen.  “Did he leave?  I wanted to thank him.”

“No, honey.  He’s in my office making a few phone calls.”  I wrap my arms around his waist and lay my head on his chest.  He’s right, I should have listened to him sooner.  He’s not only taking care of me, he’s taking care of those I love.  How could I have ever doubted him?

The police arrive to take our statements.  Just as I suspected, there’s nothing they can do right now.  Nothing was stolen or damaged.  But Officer Harper assures us that we did the right thing by filing a report now.  If anything else were to happen, there will be a record of previous activities.  Additional patrols will be made on my street for the time being.

“Officer Harper, I’m sure you know who I am.  I don’t want any of this leaked to the press.  I need to know that all of this will remain completely confidential.”

The two men shake hands, “Of course, Mr. McGuire.  You have nothing to worry about.  Have a good night.”

I
t’s almost ten o’clock at night when Adam leaves.  Evan walks over to the front door and sets the alarm.  I guess that means we’re in for the night and I’m not happy about it. I’m definitely not going to be able to make dessert for tomorrow.  Evan agrees to take me to the bakery early in the morning so at least I can bring something fresh, if not homemade.

“Evan, I’m sorry I ruined our night together.”  The more I think about it, I have to admit to myself that I haven’t been making good choices lately.  When faced with new information about Evan, I took everything at face value and denied him an opportunity to explain things.  I find myself on the receiving end of inappropriate, unwanted attention that could quickly turn dangerous, and I ignore it, putting myself and my loved ones in harm’s way.  A man that I am crazy about tells me he only wants to take care of me and I challenge him on it.  Throughout it all, Evan has been steadfast and unyielding in his devotion. 

“You’re right.  You did ruin everything.  I think you should be punished for your appalling behavior.”  He lunges for me, but I wriggle away, trying to evade his advances.  “I don’t think so, young lady,” Evan retorts.  I try to run away, giggling, but I don’t get very far.  He leaps in front of me, sweeps me into his arms, and swiftly deposits me onto his bed.  Next thing I know, Evan has me pinned beneath him, kissing me with a hunger and passion that makes me feel weak.

His hands move over me, gently stroking my hair, kneading my breasts, and cupping my heat.  Our hips begin rocking against one another, needing and wanting more.  Desire is pooling in my stomach, and I cannot stop my hands from finding his hair and holding his face tightly to mine.

Our breathing becomes erratic, and I find myself struggling for breath.  Evan takes my hand and places it over his chest.  “Do you feel that, my heart is racing.  That’s you.  That’s all you.”  I sigh at how good it is to feel his touch again, to hear his breathless confessions.

His hands move towards the button on my jeans, but he hesitates, unsure.  He looks up at me with smoldering eyes, seeking permission.  “Evan, make love to me.  Please.” 

Silently, he slips from our embrace and stands at the foot of the bed, his eyes never leaving mine.  I lean up on my elbows, watching his every move with fervent desire.  First, he removes his shirt, stripping it up and over his head, and then tossing it to the floor.  My eyes linger over the indent in his hips, forming that sexy v-line that extends beneath the waistband of his jeans.  Looking at the ripples in his muscles sends tingles down my spine.  He unzips his jeans and slips them off his long lean legs.  He now stands before me only in his boxer shorts, and the sight of him is unnerving.  It feels as if I could explode from the tension building up in my body.  Finally, he removes his boxers and crawls back to me.

He trails kisses along my neck as he presses against me.  He finds the hem of my shirt and pulls it up and over my head, tossing it to the side.  I remove my bra, and his lips find one breast while his hand claims the other.  “Mine,” he mutters against me as he gently teases my nipple with his teeth. 

“Yours,” I repeat as I rake my nails across his back.  He lets out a whimper that travels right to my sex, causing me to become even damper with want.

Evan kneels above me and begins to remove my pants so slowly it is almost torturous.  I lift my hips to help as he slides them down and off my legs.  He sweeps kisses up my leg, stopping at my hipbone, whispering “mine” again and again.  When he finally reaches my ear, he gently nibbles and hisses, “You are so beautiful.”

Lying there together on his bed, completely exposed to one another, we take time to explore each other’s body.  I discover I can make him groan when my fingers, lips, and tongue explore his abs and the cut in his waist.  He revels in delight when whimpers of pleasure ripple from my lips as he tugs on my nipple with his tongue and teeth. 

We lie on our sides, face to face, and kiss slowly.  Our hands continue to explore each other’s bodies, all the while, our eyes gazing into one another’s, filled with desire.  His hand travels down my navel and he slowly slips one then two fingers deep inside me.  I am so wet with need, it is almost unbearable.  Instinctively, I find his firm erection and begin stroking his length, slowly and deliberately.

I close my eyes so I can shut out everything except the feel of our hands caressing each other.  I open them again to take another look at the beautiful man in my arms.  The realization that he is mine and I am his washes over me and overpowers me.  This must be what true love feels like.  A lone tear escapes and I bite my lip to keep from losing control.  Evan gently sweeps away the tear and reassures me, “I know, I feel it too.”

Slowly, he rolls me onto my back, placing his knees between mine, opening me up to him, and he slides into me.  Inch by inch, our bodies expand and contract to accept one another until we are as tightly bound as any two people could be.  When it feels like I can take no more, I call out his name and grip his ass tightly in my hands.  I hold him to me, moving ever so slightly in order to feel all of him as he glides in and out.

Our hips rock together, finding a rhythm.  “Juliette, don’t ever leave me again,” Evan pleads.

“Never,” I promise.  I reach up to touch his face when he takes both my hands in his and pins them to the bed above my head.  Holding me in place, he grinds his hips into mine, creating the most delicious friction.

“Oh, my God, Evan, please. I’m so close,” I moan into his mouth.  Without needing any more encouragement, he thrusts inside me over and over again.  He wraps his fingers around mine as we both move closer and closer to the edge.  “Harder,” I plead, arching my back to welcome even more of him inside me.

“Juliette, come for me,” he demands.  He groans against my neck as he thrusts into me, bringing the most exquisite release from deep inside me.  I cry out for him as I begin to tighten and pulse around him.  “Oh, baby,” he calls out as his body tightens and his hips jerk against me.  I can feel his release inside me and the look on his face is the sexiest thing I have ever seen in my life.