by J. G. Sumner
“That’s a little over the top, don’t you think?”
“Maybe, but I wanted you to have a nice dinner and try not to think about things.”
“Thank you, that’s sweet.”
Together, Josh and Laney walked toward the parking garage where he grabbed his things, the small ice chest containing the sushi, and placed them on the roof of his car. He leaned back in and came out with an armful of pink Gerber daisies and a golden box of chocolates that he handed to Laney. She took a sniff. They didn’t really smell like anything.
“Josh, these are beautiful.”
“I was hoping you’d like them. I wasn’t sure whether or not I should get you flowers. You know…with everything going on. So, I also got you some chocolates.”
“You can bring me flowers anytime. I refuse to change what I like because of some sick lunatic who likes to leave me flowers and notes. Besides, the last ones he gave me were dead. These are way prettier.” She laughed.
Josh locked up his car as they headed toward Laney’s. “So, what would you like to do tonight, beautiful?”
“Honestly, I think I’d like to have a nice quiet dinner with you and go to bed early. I’m pretty tired, and I still have two more very long shifts ahead of me. I think all of the stress from the crazy guy is making me feel fatigued.” Laney tried to keep a smile on her face. She didn’t want Josh to know how stressed out she really was.
“That sounds good. I’m on call for the next couple of nights. So a good night’s sleep would do me some good too.”
“You’re on call?”
“Yes. Why?” She unlocked the trunk so he could put his overnight bag inside. Then she walked over to the driver’s door. Josh helped Laney in and closed the door before he walked around to the passenger side.
“I just assumed you’d be staying with me until this guy was caught.”
“Don’t worry, beautiful. I’ve already thought of that. My group pays for an apartment just across the street from the hospital. We sleep there when we’re on call and there’s nothing going on. You can stay there with me the next couple nights. I figured this guy would have no idea where it is. And you’ll be safe.”
“I don’t know. Maybe I should just stay with Peyton those nights.”
“Absolutely not! It’s my job to protect you. And you will be staying with me,” Josh barked.
Laney instantly became guarded. “Okay, overprotective Josh is back. Why do you think it’s your job to take care of me?”
“Because I’m your boyfriend, and I love you. Isn’t that enough?”
“Yes, you are my boyfriend of an entire week. Of course that automatically makes you my keeper,” Laney replied mockingly.
“Don’t belittle what we have. There’s literally no one else who is better suited to help you right now. Am I mistaken?” Josh raised his eyebrows and stared straight at her. Clearly she was supposed to answer.
“This all began when we started dating. Maybe if we stopped seeing each other, this would all go away.”
“No! That’s not going to happen. You said yourself that you weren’t going to let this psycho dictate your life.”
“I know. But maybe we’re better off staying apart, even if it’s just for a little bit.” Laney stared out in the distance wishing this would all go away.
“You aren’t going to get rid of me that easily. Now I suggest we stop this crazy talk and focus on something a little more uplifting.”
Laney pulled off the highway and started toward her apartment. “Fine, what do you suggest?”
“I have Wednesday and Thursday off next week. I was thinking we could take the train to Santa Barbara and spend a couple of nights there. We could drink some wine and get to know each other some more.”
“That sounds nice. I’ve never been to Santa Barbara.”
“I think you’ll like it. It’s beautiful there, and this is a great time of year to go. We can walk along the beach, and on State Street you can browse all the eclectic shops or stop at a local pub. It’s a little touristy right now but still romantic. I think it’ll be good.”
“Let me see if I have those days off at work. If not, I’ll look at switching with someone.”
Laney pulled into her apartment complex and into the garage. As they walked up the steps to her apartment, she couldn’t help but feel a pang of nervousness in her stomach. Her heart raced. She was fearful of what might be waiting on her doorstep. Fortunately, when they got to her front door, there was nothing there. She sighed with relief and opened the door to her apartment.
Even though she had only been gone one night, it felt good being home. Somehow, Laney felt safe here despite everything that was going on. She wasn’t ready to leave it to stay at Josh’s work apartment. She would have to figure a way out of that. If Josh weren’t in her life, perhaps the crazy person who was making her life hell would be gone too. Unfortunately, her heart didn’t agree. She wasn’t sure she was ready to give him up or even if she wanted to.
“What are you thinking about so intently?” Josh pulled the sushi rolls out of the ice chest and put them in the refrigerator.
Laney forced a smile. “Just about all the stuff that’s happened.”
“Well, that has to stop right now.” Josh rinsed off his hands and grabbed the bottle of wine he had picked up for dinner. He opened it up and poured her a glass.
“How about you sit down and enjoy this glass of wine while I finish getting the table set and dinner ready to go?”
“I should help you. You don’t even know where everything is.”
“I’m a brilliant man. I can figure it out. Now, go sit down.”
“Yes, sir!” Laney did her best impression of a military salute.
“I’m glad to see your sense of humor has returned. How about you find some music that’ll relax you?”
“Oh, okay.”
Laney grabbed her iPod and threw a mix together. When she was satisfied with her selections, she hooked it up to the speakers and it began playing. Laney drank wine and danced around the living room. She hardly noticed Josh had stopped what he was doing and was now staring at her with a smile on his face.
“One More Night” came through the speakers, just as it did that first night they were together. Laney stopped in her tracks and looked Josh straight in the eyes. Instantly, her body warmed and a pulsing sensation formed between her legs.
Josh put down the plate he was holding, pulled the wine glass out of her hand, and planted his lips firmly on hers. Within seconds his tongue was entering her mouth, searching for a connection and claiming her. Her desire for Josh hadn’t waned. If anything, it had grown stronger.
He pulled her clothes off so fast that even if she wanted to resist, there wasn’t the chance. Laney clawed at Josh, pulling his shirt off. In no time at all, he had her leaning over the back of a chair. The ripping of a condom wrapper echoed in the room before he penetrated her from behind, forcing her to moan softly. With every moan she made, he seemed to thrust deeper inside. The feeling of being ravaged turned Laney on and she forced her bottom toward Josh, allowing for maximum penetration. He pulled her hair back to move her head back to his face. He kissed her neck and face as he continued thrusting.
The wetness between her legs increased as Laney got closer to climax. Josh’s sudden dominance had her body responding in ways she never thought possible. She never had her hair pulled in that way before and when he did it, it made her body want to open up and take whatever he could give her.
He shifted his hands onto her breasts, and it was enough stimulation to send her over the top. The intensity of the orgasm was unlike anything she’d ever experienced before. Laney let out a soft cry and squeezed the sides of the chair so hard she thought they might break.
When she had finished climaxing, Josh sped up the pace of his rhythm. He pushed further inside of her, if that was even possible. He grabbed onto her hips as he found his own release.
Josh rested his head on Laney’s back. His heart be
ating against her. Fast at first and then slowing to a normal rhythm. Slowly, he lifted himself up and planted small kisses up Laney’s spine, causing chills and goose bumps on her skin.
“That was hot. I’m not sure what came over me.” Josh’s voice cracked before he cleared his throat.
“I don’t know either, but I liked it!”
“What do you say we go take a shower? The food can wait.” Josh removed the condom and pulled up his pants.
She liked the feel of Josh’s warm skin against hers. As much as she wanted to lay in that position forever, the world wouldn’t stop around them. Work was calling. “That sounds good.” Laney bent down and grabbed her clothes as they walked into the bedroom.
***
Laney
Laney woke up to the familiar sound of her alarm clock at five in the morning. She shut it off and then rolled over onto her back. Josh threw his arms over her chest and she was reminded he was there. For one brief moment, her life seemed normal. It was just another morning that she was getting up and ready for work. But just one touch from him reminded her of the mess that surrounded her.
She sat up on the side of the bed.
“Oh, baby, don’t get up yet. Come back and stay with me for just a few more minutes.”
An internal war was waged. Should she stay or go? “I can’t. I have to get ready for work so I’m not late. Besides, if I lie back down with you, I know I won’t get out of bed for quite a while.”
“That’s not such a bad thing,” he said with an alluring smile.
“You’re insatiable.”
“Who wouldn’t be when they have the hottest girl in the world next to them?”
“The sweet talk isn’t going to get you anywhere, Mister.” Laney got up, headed into the bathroom, and turned on the shower. When the water was warm enough, she jumped in and stood there for a very long time. The hot water burning her skin made Laney feel alive. It ignited all her senses and gave her time to think without Josh clouding her judgment.
Things had been moving so quickly with Josh. The stalker hadn’t come into her life until he had. She longed for some normalcy, even if it meant Josh was not a part of that life. Optimally, she would’ve liked to have the best of both worlds, a normal life and Josh. She didn’t think that could happen.
She had to end things with him, but how? In her heart she didn’t know if she wanted to. I’ll tell him after work tonight.
Her mind was made up. It was the right thing to do. Leaving Josh would hopefully make the stalker leave her alone, and she could get on with her life. Everything would finally be okay.
Laney got out of the shower and dried herself off. As she opened the door to the bathroom, Josh was standing there reading a piece of paper. Instantly, she knew he had found another note on her doorstep. Her heart sank.
“What does it say?”
“I don’t think…”
“Tell me what it says!”
“Fine.” He hesitated, but read:
“Roses are red, violets are blue.
The cops can’t stop me and the end is coming for the two of you.”
“I see.” Laney just stood there, the towel wrapped around her.
“There’s more. There were two decapitated dolls with the note. I assume that one was supposed to be me and the other you.”
Josh looked at her with fear in his eyes. Was he afraid of the stalker or was he afraid she was going to leave?
Laney swallowed. “I thought the police were supposed to be monitoring last night.”
“I thought so too. I don’t know what happened. I’ll call Detective Neal and find out.”
Laney went to her closet and grabbed clothes for work. She mustered up all the courage she had as now seemed to be just as good a time as any to break it off with Josh.
She looked to him.
“I was going to tell you tonight, but I think it’s better I tell you now. I think we need to stop seeing each other. This isn’t going to work out.”
Josh dropped the paper. “What do you mean, it’s not going to work out? What does that mean?” The expression on his face almost made her want to change her mind. The last thing that she wanted to do was hurt him.
“I like you a lot. But dating you has made my life a whirlwind. I can’t keep doing this. I can’t wake up every morning to find a threatening note on my porch. I can’t keep wondering if the relationship in my life is the cause of this insanity. For God’s sake, we haven’t even been dating that long. If it’s this much trouble already, then how much worse would it get after we’ve been dating a year? I don’t want to stay at your work apartment. I want to stay in my own home and have a normal life.”
Josh slammed his fist against the wall. “You can’t do this. You can’t keep saying that we’re moving too fast and that we haven’t been dating long enough to love each other. Who can put a time frame on love? It’s not like we’re strangers. We’ve known each other for over a year. I love you, and I want to be with you.”
Laney took a deep breath and tried to tame all the emotions running through her heart. “I understand that. I know it sounds cliché but sometimes love is not enough.”
Josh’s eyes widened. “Wait, you love me too. You love me, don’t you? That’s why you’re doing this. You’re trying to push me away so that neither of us gets hurt.”
“Let it go. It’s just not going to work for us.” Laney tried to walk past Josh and go into the kitchen.
Josh grabbed her arm and pulled Laney into his arms. “Do you really think us breaking up is going to make the stalker just disappear? Don’t you think if he disappears for a while, he will come back as soon as you start dating someone else? You breaking up with me isn’t going to make him go away. The only thing that’ll make this stop is catching him. Laney, I’m not giving up on us. I’m going to find out who this lunatic is and make all of this stop. And then, there will be no reason we can’t be together.”
Laney pulled away. “We’ve only been together a little over a week. Just let it go.”
“The amount of time doesn’t matter. When it’s right, it’s right.”
“Clearly it isn’t right. Or none of this would be happening.” She walked into the kitchen. “Would you like some coffee?”
“No! I don’t want coffee. I want you. I’ll give you some space. This can’t be the end of us. You’re mine. We belong together.”
“I appreciate your tenaciousness. But I really think this is for the best.”
“I’m not going to argue anymore with you because you’ve already made up your mind. However, I’m going to work diligently to try and change it. I will change it.” He grabbed his phone.
“Who are you calling?”
“I’m calling Detective Neal to find out how that creep left this stuff on your porch. I want some answers.”
Laney went to the refrigerator and grabbed things for her lunch. Against her better judgment, she prepared Josh a lunch too. By the time she was done, he had finished with his phone call.
“Well?”
“Apparently there was a fire that was started in one of the dumpsters in your complex last night. The officer left for a few minutes to tend to it. He thinks that’s when the guy left the stuff on your doorstep. He also thought that the creep might have also been the one who started the dumpster fire.”
Laney chewed on her lip. “I see. If the police can’t stop him while they’re supposed to be surveilling my place, then how can I expect he’ll ever be caught?”
“Detective Neal is going to beef up on security here. He thinks the threats are legitimate and you’re in danger. He also suggested we stay someplace else. He’d like to watch your place without us being here. It would be safer for you.”
“What if I want to stay here?” Laney’s heart was racing faster at the thought of the actual danger she might be in. The realization that whatever decision she made could significantly affect her life was overwhelming. “He said that you could as long as you had someone with you. H
e also wants to know anytime you’re staying somewhere else. So far, the perpetrator is only coming during the night. The detective doesn’t want you to be alone and wants you to be in frequent contact with him. I’ll program his number into your cell phone.”
“Thanks.” Laney gave Josh a paper bag. “Here, I made you lunch.”
“Thank you.”
“I think I need to take a few days to myself. All of this is overwhelming. I’ll go stay with Peyton or something. I just need a break from us until we can get this sorted out.” Laney couldn’t look Josh in the eyes. She wasn’t sure if she was trying to convince herself or him.
“No, you can’t do that. I can’t leave you alone. I’ll go crazy worrying about you.”
“Please, Josh. I need this.” Laney finally was able to look Josh in the eye pleadingly. The hurt and concern she could see almost broke her heart.
“Are you sure?” Josh rubbed her cheek with the back of his hand.
“Yes. Just for a few days. I can’t let my feelings for you cloud my judgment. I need to be able to think clearly.”
Josh nodded. “Fine. But only for a couple of days. Then you’re going to have a hard time keeping me away from you.”
Laney smiled. “I hope you’re right. Now, I need to get to work. So if you want me to take you to your car, I need you to get ready fast so I’m not late.”
“No problem.” Josh headed into the bathroom to get ready for work. As soon as the door closed, she heard music blaring. Laney approached the bathroom to hear what he was listening to. She recognized the artist immediately—Howie Day, and the song was “Collide.” The lyrics struck a chord with her because suddenly, she was wondering if she had made the right decision to stop seeing Josh.
Chapter 22
Rebecca
“I want to caution you to take it slow. Your body isn’t used to real food in your stomach. Eat slowly and when you get full, stop. Don’t force yourself to eat more. You could get sick. If you need anything else, please ring your call light. I’ll come running.” Peyton smiled at Skyler as he pushed a piece of pancake in his mouth.