Closing the door behind me, I lean back against it. I don’t feel better after that talk. If anything, I feel more conflicted. Rather than thinking about it anymore, since I had been doing nothing but that all day, I head for my bathroom and turn on the tub’s faucet. One of the reasons I bought my house was because of the bathtub. Three people could fit comfortably in it, and it has six powerful jets that turn it into an indoor hot tub.
Starting the water, I wander into my room to find my cell phone. I turn it on airplane mode, so that it won’t annoy me, and then find my headphones and start up Adele. Going back into the bathroom, I turn on my electric candles and shut off the light. I close the door then gather my hair on top of my head, strip out of my clothes, dump a ton of peach-scented bubble bath under the running water, and climb in. It doesn’t take me long to find peace and for the sound of Adele to take me away.
Blinking at the sudden bright light that fills the bathroom, it takes a second for my eyes to adjust. As soon as they do, a scream rips up the back of my throat and I scramble back in the tub, losing Adele as my ear buds fall from my ears. Sloshing water onto the floor, I stand as a man wearing a ski mask watches me from across the room.
Reaching my hand out blindly, I find a towel and cover myself, not taking the chance of pulling my eyes from him to look for something to use as a weapon. Panting, blood sings loudly though my veins as I keep my eyes on him, waiting to see what he does so I can counter his movement. He doesn’t move, doesn’t breathe or even make a noise. He just stares at me, his bright green eyes surrounded by black fabric fixed on mine.
I don’t know how long we stand there staring at each other. It could be seconds, or minutes, but without a word or a backward glance, he walks out. Hurrying from the tub, I stumble to the door, slam it closed, and click the lock in place. Searching the room for my cell phone, I see it at the bottom of the tub. I move to the vanity and pull out the drawers, dumping the contents onto the floor.
Coming up with a pair of cheap, black-handled scissors in the last drawer, I move to the door, press my ear to it, and adjust my towel. I can’t hear anything, nothing; it’s silent. It takes everything in me to open the door, my scissors my only weapon, and as soon as I do, I run through the house without stopping and head for the front door. As soon as I’m there, I swing it open and run as fast as I can across my lawn and up JJ’s porch, pounding on the door. It doesn’t take long for it to open, and as soon as it does, I fall inside.
“What the fuck?” Brew, JJ’s husband, hisses, shutting the door.
“Th—” I pant, dropping to my knees and clutching the scissors to my chest.
“June,” I hear JJ whisper, but I can’t answer. I can’t even breathe.
“Get my phone, baby,” Brew calls, and I try to catch my breath to tell them that someone was in my house, but I can’t do either. “I’m gonna get you off the floor, darlin’,” I hear muttered, before I’m pulled up and being moved and settled onto a couch.
“June, honey, you need to calm down and breathe for me,” JJ soothes as her hands wrap around my jaw and she pulls my eyes to meet hers. Nodding, I try, I really do, and then a large hand pushes down on my back, forcing my face low toward my lap. I absently hear Brew on the phone, but I can’t really make out what he’s saying, because JJ is whispering in my ear to breathe. Eventually, my breath comes back, and I lift my head and meet her gaze.
“Thank fucking God.” JJ wraps her arms around me, and I feel tears gather in my eyes as she hugs me. “What the fuck happened?”
“I… I took a… a bath. There… there was a guy… a guy,” I whimper, burying my face against her neck. Her body goes solid, and I feel a current of something dangerous weave itself through the room. Lifting my head away from her neck, my gaze collides with Evan’s. His big body is statue still, his eyes enraged, his energy so dangerous I feel it seeping into my pores from across the room.
“Brother, cool it,” Brew growls, stepping between Evan and me, cutting off our connection.
“Let’s get you some clothes,” JJ says, and I nod. Clothes are good. Actually, they’re great.
“Move out of my fucking way, Brew, before I move you myself,” Evan rumbles, and then he’s in front of me, his hands holding my face gently as his eyes scan me. “Are you hurt?” he asks, moving his hands from my face, running them over me. As I shake my head, he pulls my hands from my chest and pries the scissors from me, tosses them away, and then gathers me against him. He buries his face in my neck, holding me so tight that my breath leaves on a strangled whoosh.
“Ev,” I breathe against the skin of his neck.
“Fuck, baby. Jesus…” His hold on me tightens. I feel tears sting my nose for an altogether different reason. There is no way, not right now, that I can deny my love for him, that in his arms, I feel safe.
“Let me get some clothes on her. The cops are pulling up,” JJ says softly, and Evan’s arms loosen as he leans back, looks over his shoulder at JJ, and nods once. Then his eyes come back to me. Panic starts to creep through my system at the idea of Evan leaving me, and without even thinking, my hands latch on to the front of his shirt in a death grip. His eyes drop to my hands then move up to meet mine and his face goes soft.
“I’ll be right here, baby. I’m not going anywhere. Go with JJ and get somethin’ on.”
“I’m okay. I don’t need to,” I whisper, feeling my hands start to shake.