“I think I’ve won the jackpot.” I turned to kiss him, my weird fantasy of children disappearing, and we closed our eyes, drifting off into a peaceful, restful slumber.
I was in deep, dreaming of something wonderful, when I heard a growl prying me awake. The sound of shattering glass followed, and I shot up in bed along with Josh. Hank barked consistently, standing near the closed bedroom door waiting to be let out. My heart raced as Josh scrambled to his feet. “Stay here,” he whispered, opening the door. Hank ran out and to the back door that had slammed shut.
My heart jumped as I picked up my cell phone and called the police. Josh opened the door and let a barking Hank run into the yard. I moved to where Josh was turning on the lights in the house, and I began talking to the dispatch operator, unsure what to say. I fumbled, my hands shaking, “I-I think someone broke in—”
Josh snatched the phone away from me, and I stayed focused on him. “Yes, we’re at 1875 Vista Lane, there was an intruder in the house. He’s gone now but send an officer over as soon as possible.”
He hung up the phone and I glanced around, my eye catching on what had fallen. It was a crystal rock-cut bowl that belonged to my grandmother. I had several of her things that passed down to Ally and me when she died. She was our only relative that actually loved us, spent time with us, and made us feel like we mattered. I was eight when she had a heart attack. I wasn’t too attached to her stuff, but it was a damn nice bowl. Peppermints and shards of glass covered the expanse of the floor.
Josh held me and Hank back from getting near it. “I don’t want you to cut yourself.” He pulled me against him and hugged me. “You okay?”
I nodded. “Yeah, just a little freaked out. How the hell did he get inside?” I looked back at the door as Josh shrugged. We both moved to the room to get clothing on as we waited for the police to arrive.
Josh pulled on his shirt as I put on my pajama bottoms. “I need to make sure you get a security system installed.”
“I don’t need that. I’ll just add some locks.” After Ally’s little mess, I couldn’t afford to install and pay for some type of security system. I tugged my hair into a messy bun and slipped on some sandals.
“I’ll get it installed tomorrow.”
“I don’t need—” The pounding at the door made me jump and Hank barked.
“Love, will you please take Hank to the backyard?” I nodded as Josh went to the door.
Two police officers entered and introduced themselves to us, made their way in and began to look around the house. Officer Brodie and Officer Ramos were nice enough, asking for as detailed answers as they could get.
“So, what time did you fall asleep?” Officer Ramos asked as Josh and I sat beside one another.
“A bit after midnight,” I said sluggishly. I was exhausted and part of me had no idea what I was saying. It was past three in the morning, and I needed sleep.
“And the dog started growling, and then you heard a crash,” Officer Brodie repeated. “When you opened the back door, Mr. McKenzie, did you get a view of the intruder’s face at all?”
He shook his head. “He was thin. Athletic if he could climb over a tall wooden fence easily.” He rubbed over his stubble, worry drawn over him. “He was wearing black.”
The officer with the salt-and-pepper hair and brown eyes had a soothing tone to his voice. That was Ramos, I think. They were both starting to look the same. “Miss Sullivan, do you notice anything missing at all?”
I surveyed the room and shrugged. “I’m not sure, I…” Mid-sentence I noticed something different. “My laptop is open.”
I walked to where it sat on the desk near the candy bowl. I placed my finger over the touchpad and it flickered on. The police officers followed. “It was turned off before?”
“Yeah, I think someone tried to get into it, but it has a password.” I looked over and saw it was disconnected.
“The intruder might’ve tried to take it. The cord is yanked out and that’s what knocked the bowl over,” Brodie said, his gray eyes examining the room. “But there was no forced entry.”
Officer Ramos spoke. “The back door might have been unlocked. It’s common for thieves to search for an accidental open door. He saw the laptop, thought he could make a quick getaway without anyone noticing, but the dog scared him off.”
“Don’t you think this is odd, though?” Josh asked concerned. “She got mugged at her work almost three months ago, her tires got slashed a month ago, and now this? The laptop wasn’t taken, it was turned on.” Josh had a point. Who the hell would try to get into a computer without taking it?
I was wondering the very thing that came out from Officer Brodie’s mouth next. “Is there anyone who might have a vendetta against you, Miss Sullivan? Anyone who might not like you very much?”
“Aiden?” Josh questioned quietly.
It couldn’t have been Aiden. The last I heard he was in a long-term relationship. He didn’t care about me. “No, that was a while ago, Josh. He’s moved on.”
“Who’s this ma’am?” Office Ramos asked.
“An ex-boyfriend, but it’s been years since I’ve seen him.” I picked at my cuticle wondering if Aiden would be capable of that behavior.
Josh was pacing and I could tell he was nervous. “What about your sister’s ex-boyfriend? Think she might have told him about you? If he has her information and stole it, he may have come looking for you.”
I shrugged, uncertain. “I don’t know. I can ask Ally tomorrow.” I told the officers what went down with my sister and they took their notes in detail. By the time they were done, Josh and I cleaned the glass on the floor, let Hank back inside, and made sure all the doors were locked.
I was nervous and couldn’t sleep, and I could tell Josh felt the same. I shifted in the bed, moving closer to him, but he was still, tense, cold. “Josh?”
“Yeah,” he whispered.
I snuggled closer to him. “Are you alright?”
“Yeah.”
His arms didn’t hold me.
He didn’t move.
He just breathed.
I called for Hank, and he climbed up on the bed between us. I needed him. Josh needed him. It took a long time, but I finally fell asleep. When the morning came I woke to an empty bed.
A note sat on my nightstand –
HAD AN EARLY DAY, DIDN’T WANT TO WAKE YOU. CALL ME AFTER WORK. – J
Why did I feel like he was distancing himself from me? A knot in my stomach formed and I felt out of sorts. This was the first time since we’d begun dating that something was left unresolved between us. It would help to know what the problem was, but I had a feeling it ran deeper than what happened last night. This was about feeling out of control. He had no idea what was going on and no idea how to handle it. Truthfully, neither did I.
Despite a lovely lunch with my sister, work had been long and difficult. My concentration was shot, not only from the lack of sleep, but because I was disturbed by how Josh and I had left things. I wondered if he was upset that I didn’t return his declaration of love, or if he realized that I was more work than he wanted to take on. Perhaps he’d changed his mind, wanted a takeback and didn’t know what he was saying. I shook that stupid, insecure thought away instantly.
I discussed my concern with Ally, letting her know everything that happened. She followed up telling me I was crazy to think Josh was anything other than honest and sincere. I realized in talking with her that I wasn’t only dealing with boyfriends that left me wounded, I was dealing with my family’s lack of affection. Was that why it was difficult for me to give in to him and let him know how I felt? I could easily say I love you back, but I was scared he would take that piece of me, crush it, and I would feel that emptiness once he left.
Grace had helped me get back on my feet after I lost Aiden, but for some reason the idea of Josh leaving was far worse. It was only a matter of time. I had to remember this wasn’t permanent. How could it be when he had to work? He lived in Lo
s Angeles. This wasn’t his home. I had gone into this whole thing blinded, once again putting myself in harm’s way.
I was wallowing in misery, but a knock on my door lifted me out of it before tears had time to fall. Cameron stood, shifting his feet as he waited for me to say something. I stared instead and he cleared his throat. “Sorry to bother, I was wanting to ask you about the situational analysis for Anderson.”
I wanted to turn him away, not help him anymore with stuff he didn’t know, but he was just as exhausted as I was, and lately he had seemed different. I nodded and he walked in setting the paperwork at my desk. “You look exhausted, Cameron.”
He gave a weak smile, “I could say the same thing to you, but that would be ungentlemanly.” I looked into his dark eyes and saw worry. “I’m having trouble keeping up,” he admitted softly. “This job is taking its toll.”
I nodded in understanding. “It’s a lot to take on.”
“I want to apologize, Marla. For anything I may have said or done to make you uncomfortable.” His eyes stayed fixed on me. “I hope there’s no hard feelings. I want us to be friends.”
Friends with him wouldn’t be possible. Instead of giving him hope, I turned my head toward the documents. “Let’s see what we’ve got here.”
I had to admit teaching Cameron this stuff made the time fly faster than I thought it would. Before I knew it I looked at the clock on the wall. “I think I should get going, it’s late.”
“Oh, no, please,” he pleaded looking up at me as I stood. “You can’t leave yet. I’m meeting with Simon tomorrow. I need to know this stuff.”
“Cameron…”
“Marla, I want to be able to tell my father how you’ve helped me. We’ve got this. You and I as a team are remarkable, and I know if you put your all into it like you are now, we could make this company soar.”
I reluctantly nodded. “Okay, we’ll go over the SWOT analysis now, and then I really have to go.”
I reached for my purse and dug my phone out, noticing several missed texts and calls from Josh. I scrolled through them quickly, all of them asking when I was getting home. They started coming in half an hour ago,
Josh: I need to talk to you.
Josh: When are you out of work?
Josh: Call me.
Me: Still working.
I sent a simple response and put my phone back in my purse.
I knew why I was hanging around helping Cameron instead of going home. I was scared of facing Josh, of facing the strange tension caused by yesterday’s events. Since when had I become that woman again? The woman who wasn’t scared to face a challenge head on was who I truly was, but she seemed to be hiding. The reason being I had way more to lose. I wanted Josh, and that frightened me beyond comprehension.
By the time I got to my place I saw the lights were on and Josh’s jeep was parked. Before my key even hit the lock, the door swung open and inside stood my very large boyfriend with a dark expression. I stared at him wide-eyed and then walked inside as he shut the door. I kicked my shoes off into the corner and Hank approached me, but I was in no mood to pet him, even if he did nudge my leg. I sighed, taking off my sweater and hanging it over the others on the rack and turned to a glowering Josh.
“What, Josh?”
“Why didn’t you call me?” he grunted, as he moved with me toward the kitchen.
I chilled from the sound of his voice, but didn’t dare look at him. “I was working.”
“You could’ve called.”
“I texted.”
“It’s after eight, Marla,” he said through gritted teeth.
I opened the fridge to see containers of fresh food. He had cooked tonight. My eyes met his. “You left me a note saying to call you after work. Well, this is after work, yet you’re here. I don’t see what the issue is Josh, or what you’re bothered about.”
“Your house had been broken into last night. Don’t you think I have a right to be worried about you?” He was worried about me? Or was he just worried he didn’t have control over me? Silence hung as he pushed me aside and took out the food, getting a plate and serving me.
“I don’t need you to fix my food, Josh. I’m a big girl.”
He continued the task. “Were you by yourself? At work?”
I heaved a sigh, not wanting to fight with him, yet feeling stifled. “No, I was helping Cameron.”
He stopped his movements, his icy glare caught mine. “Cameron? What the hell did he want with you?”
I dismissed him grabbing a bottle of wine. “I was helping him.”
“Helping him? He’s the boss, you shouldn’t need to be helping him. Besides didn’t you say his father’s getting rid of him?” I didn’t like his tone.
“So what? I wanted to help him,” I fired back. He grasped the bottle away from me and opened it as the food heated in the microwave.
“I don’t like you hanging around that idiot, especially by yourself.” He slid a served glass of wine toward me, and I snatched it.
“Too fucking bad, McKenzie. When I have to work, I have to work.” My eyebrow cocked up as both our tempers began to flare.
“Why the hell are you behaving like this?” His gaze stung me, my face flushing at the intensity of it.
“Me? Why are you behaving like this?” I asked indignantly. “You were distant last night, left early this morning, and I’m the one acting strange?”
“I left early to arrange another trainer to work with my other clients. I got the security system installed if you’d take a damn moment to notice.”
My mouth dropped open as I turned to the door and saw a small box with buttons. “What the hell?” I walked over to it and Josh followed behind me. I turned back, “You got me a security system when I told you not to?”
“I said I was going to do it.”
“And I said don’t, and like always, you never listen to me.”
“Too fucking bad, Sullivan.” He crossed his arms over his gigantic chest.
“How much is it going to cost me to make sure this thing works?”
“Don’t worry about it,” he muttered.
I was angry again. “Don’t worry about it? I have to worry about it, Josh. If you recall I no longer have a cushion to help me through the lean times, buddy. I don’t need your charity either, so don’t even think about paying for it.”
Instead of Josh shouting the way I did, he got close to me and spoke with a guttural force. “Don’t call me buddy, my love. When it comes to your safety, I will always do what needs to be done. Understood?”
“Don’t treat me like a child.”
“Stop acting like one.”
I gasped. “Strike two, McKenzie!” I tried to walk away, but he grabbed my wrist and pulled me to him, his arms wrapping around my waist. “Get out of here!”
“You don’t get to count me out, Red. I’m not going anywhere.” His mouth was close to mine, and I could feel the heat of his form against me.
My breath caught as he stared down at me, holding onto me as if I was his lifeline. I should have fought against him, told him I didn’t like the way he had served me food or installed a fucking security system in my house, but all I needed in that moment was him. So I ignored the red flags, the warning bells that went off in my head that told me he was changing my life, taking it over. I was becoming someone I didn’t recognize. Instead of telling him that I needed to get away, I kissed him hard taking all of him that I could because I had a feeling this wasn’t going to last much longer.
She kissed me last night as if it was the last time. She made love to me as though it was the end of something. I held onto her tightly, wanting to regulate every motion of our bodies as we rocked into each other. My wish was to have her understand I wasn’t going to hurt her. She was frightened of what we had, perhaps. I felt something was different, like a high-pitched whirring sound you couldn’t locate. I knew it was there, but I didn’t know where it came from. And at that moment, I couldn’t figure out what steps to take in
order to find it and fix it to make it go away. I ignored it instead, let our minds relax by physically taking her out of her head. Maybe that wasn’t the best way to solve anything, but it sure as hell felt amazing.
It didn’t stop me from feeling on edge any other time, however. Marla said she didn’t want a security system, I knew she would resist, but I couldn’t in my right mind let her be without one after that break-in. Whatever it took to keep her safe, I’d make sure of it. Grace made me promise. But it went beyond that. I had a desperate need to take care of her, as if it was my mission in life.
I knew well out that she was able to take care of herself. She damn near perfected the art of the independent woman, and that was one of the many reasons I loved her, but no way in hell would I ever let her get hurt. Whether through stress on the job, not eating, or getting mugged, she was mine, and I would do what I could to make sure she wasn’t hurting or harmed. Which is why it pulled at my heart when she was scared, confused, or even upset. I wanted things with us to be good, and I wanted her to know I’d forever try to do right by her.
Hank barked as I approached the door, walking into my rented home. Zach took care of Hank today while I worked. Evan and Grace had taken off to Fredericksburg. I wondered if Zach tended to get lonely, although he was good with making friends on the set. Still, two mates with girlfriends left little time for blokes to hang out together.
Hank jumped up to greet me, and I gave him a quick cuddle as I threw my keys down on the counter. I would have gone to Marla’s place, however, I wanted to give her some time to herself. She seemed tired, and truthfully, I was nervous. She was pulling away. I felt it, and the more I fought against that, the more she was backing off. We were those damn magnets turned around all over again.
“Hey, man, how was work?” Zach was sitting on the couch with a script in his hand. His green eyes looked tired, his hair was a mess, and scruff had started turning into a beard. I wondered if he was truly feeling well. I sat down beside him, as Hank followed between us.
A Promise Made (Promise #2) Page 20