by Cara North
He finished the bandage, secured it in place, pushed the boxer briefs over both her feet and pulled them up over her knees. Standing, he pulled the T-shirt over her head and shoulders. Her mouth was agape. Apparently she wasn’t used to being talked to like that. Despite himself he smiled. He knew it would hurt to wiggle into them both, but he had to bandage those ribs, and she needed to have clothes on before he would even attempt it.
“Where do you work? Are you a cop?” Evelyn knew he had to be a cop. They could smell their own. He moved too quickly and efficiently in that kitchen.
“I’m a second grade school teacher, and my kids will be devastated someone else has to take them on their field trip today.” With that Joshua shut the door.
Evelyn sat motionless processing the words. No way did a man of his size teach kids that young. It reminded her of that movie, Kindergarten Cop. Hell he probably looked like a giant to them. Finally she pulled the boxers on and pushed her arms through the sleeves. Strangely she found the feel of his clothes comforting. They smelled like fabric softener, both cotton and soft. Thanks to her bubble butt the boxers fit just fine. The T-shirt was huge, but her breasts filled out the front of it. She hated her body. It was way too much woman for her job. It was too much for how she felt—ashamed of it.
Joshua knocked on the door again. This time when he entered Evelyn was dressed, and apparently she had decided to stand when she pulled on the boxers. Her gaze was locked on herself in the mirror.
“Probably looks worse than it feels.” Joshua slid past her and reached for the large bandage. “Let me wrap your ribs. We’ll put a steak on that eye and some frozen broccoli on that lip.”
“I’d kill for a steak right now.” Evelyn watched a tear shoot like a star unstoppable down her cheek. Her right eye was swollen. It would be a good shiner. At least it wouldn’t scar. Her lip might. It wasn’t a big gash, wouldn’t need stitches, but she had to keep it from getting dry, or it would split open and bleed again.
“Is there anything you wouldn’t kill for?” Joshua meant it as a joke, but when he looked at her in the mirror, he regretted his words. She had that tear streaking.
“A man. And may I remind you, I didn’t kill you.” Evelyn tried to lift the shirt, but as soon as she winced, he grabbed and pulled the back up hooking it on her shoulders. She was afraid he would see it, both of them, but he let go of the shirt as she grabbed it and started wrapping.
“I didn’t kill you either.” Joshua began wrapping the lower ribs. He saw the scar. It looked like she was branded. No, must be something else. His mind couldn’t wrap around that right now. Her ribs would be bruised, but they would heal in a couple days. Another scar on her back was raised and long, thin like a, no ... Now that he could see her clean face and the tears that abandoned her eyes he felt a sorrowful sad feeling deep in his core.
Evelyn stood there in silence. Seeing her reflection had been the final straw on an exhausting evening. She needed to rest. Food would have to wait. Joshua made no comment on her tears, and for that she was grateful. For a second grade school teacher, he seemed to know a lot about body damage.
“Are you gay?” Evelyn finally whispered. She had to stop thinking of him this way. No straight man was this gentle. Not with her.
“Excuse me?” Joshua pulled the shirt back down and realized she was now steadily crying though her voice was calm.
“You’re an elementary school teacher. The only elementary school teachers I have ever known are women and gay men.” Evelyn knew deep down he wasn’t gay. She could feel it. That made her want him to say yes, he was, even more. She didn’t want to feel anything, especially not for a man. And even if she did, her face was busted up. No one could find her attractive now.
“No, are you?” Joshua wanted to spank her. He wanted to hug her. This woman was crying from pain and yet steadily trying to insult him. Maybe he should hug her then spank her.
“Fuck, no. What gave you that impression?” Evelyn took the comment more to heart. Somehow she was offended by her own question.
“Well, you thought I was gay because I teach elementary school. You were a Marine, right?” He didn’t have a good comeback, so he threw the Corps at her. He knew plenty of women Marines by now. They came on to him regularly. This area was home to two major Marine Corps bases, Camp Lejeune in Jacksonville, and Cherry Point, up the road in Havelock. He now wondered which she was stationed at.
“All right, I judged.” Evelyn wasn’t going to apologize to a man. That was the best he was getting. The closest she ever came to offering one up to a man. “I need to sleep if that’s okay? I’m a real bitch right now.”
“So, you aren’t always like this?” Joshua’s eyes slowly trailed over her from head to toe. This was one fine woman. He could tell she was beautiful. Even with the swelling, her features were soft and sensual. Her breasts filled his T-shirt, and a lush ass filled his briefs. It was strange seeing a woman in his clothes, especially his underwear. What she was doing in a high risk job, whatever it was, just seemed unnatural. But he could wait to ask. She wasn’t going anywhere.
“Beat up, no. Bitchy, yes, unfortunately I am always like this.” Evelyn grabbed the ibuprofen tablets from the first aid kit and swallowed four of them dry.
“Ewww, that’s gross.” Joshua grew more curious about her rough brazen nature by the second.
“It would hurt worse to put my hand under and grab water.” Evelyn started to hobble out of the bathroom.
“I could have gotten you a glass.” Joshua lifted her up and carried her down the hall. He wasn’t giving up his bed for her. No way, he had too much personal information in there, and she could not be trusted. He put her gently on the guest bed across from his room. He would be able to hear her if she got up. Evelyn Blade was a hard ass woman, and whatever her job was, he wasn’t about to open his life to it.
“Asking a man for a favor would have hurt more than this lip.” Evelyn tried to sound tough, but he was carrying her again, and damned if she didn’t let him. It was weird.
“There you go.” He situated her ankle on a pillow propping it up, stuffed another pillow behind her head to keep her chest elevated and finally grabbed the two ice packs he had brought up from the freezer when he called out of work.
“Get some rest, Wonder Woman.” He tapped her gently on the nose, knowing she would feel it but not hurt from it. “I’m across the hall if you need me.”
Evelyn watched with one eye as the man walked out of the bedroom and closed the door. Her head was swimming. Her mind was playing tricks on her. She had a tugging feeling in her chest, something new to her. And when he tapped her on the nose that flicker went off in her groin again. When did her vagina get a mind of its own? And why did it want to talk to this man? Of course she knew why. He was the most stunning man she had ever seen, and she had seen a lot of men. When he showed up at the bottom of the stairs and hit the light, she should have shot him. She would have shot him, but he caught her breath and hasn’t returned it yet.
* * * *
Joshua stood in the much needed shower and tried to analyze the events so far. He was sleeping, Evelyn broke into his house, tried to kill him, and now he had doctored her up, and then called out of work.
“I must be losing my mind,” he said to himself. The water helped ease the stress away, another one of Ethan’s luxuries that he now enjoyed. Ethan was a millionaire. His grandfather had left him the art gallery that ensured his success. His father and Joshua’s father were brothers. When Ethan met Grace, he thought he would move here, and so he made some modifications. Grace surprised everyone by moving to New York. Now Joshua lived here. The cost of rent was the annual tax payment and upkeep.
Otherwise the house came free. Oh, and the family could come visit any time they wanted, which was why the guest room had an assortment of clothes and baby toys on the wire shelving system that otherwise rendered the closet useless.
Joshua shook his head thinking about his last case. It was for Ethan,
a stalker. Crazy bitch almost killed him. Now here he was, in his quiet little town away from the city, away from the stress, away from the crime, until this morning. He had put the past behind him, mostly. His partner’s death no longer haunted his dreams.
His partner’s widow no longer haunted his waking life. It had been a while since any woman haunted his life. There were plenty of opportunities. He had mothers at the school, single and unfortunately otherwise. The women in the military flocked to him. So far he had met Marines, Sailors, Coast Guard women, and also the women at the beach. But he wasn’t interested. Candice did a number all right.
Candice, he went back to school to become a teacher because she didn’t want to be married to another cop. Of course, Joshua didn’t love her, not like a man should love a wife, but she was pregnant, and her husband was dead, and it was his fault. At least he thought so at the time. He wanted to do what was right. He would take care of her. At first she agreed. It made both of them feel better. But, as a graduation present she set him free. Somewhere between his hours on the beat and his hours in school she met someone and didn’t tell him the whole year she was sleeping around behind his back. It was a good thing they didn’t do a lot of sleeping together.
Instead of a graduation card it was a wedding invitation. His life’s plan went down the drain. He had already arranged to quit. Then he met Grace. And now, he lived a quiet life as a school teacher. The mothers all brought him food and desserts; the kids all loved him. It was quiet unexpected, but flattering. It made him realize what he wanted, and he couldn’t settle for less again.
* * * *
Evelyn looked around the room. It was bare for a guest room. Stacked plastic boxes with kids’ toys were in one corner. Labeled, organized. A desk and chair, this was Grace’s mother’s room, she remembered that now. It looked different, but everything looked different downstairs. Joshua may not be gay, but he had a good sense of decorating. She laughed at that while sleep was pulling at her eyes. “Just a minute, I’ll close them for just a minute,” Evelyn told herself.
* * * *
Joshua wanted to sleep, but he was up for the day. He got dressed and headed downstairs to make breakfast. He wasn’t shaving. He walked the sidewalk in front of his house trying to figure out how she got here. Finally he gave up. It was about two hours later when he heard her scream. Like lightning he moved up the stairs. The door swung open and she was asleep. Like a baby. His breath was fast and heavy. He slowly moved toward her. As he moved closer, she began to mumble.
“Let go of her. I’ll be good, I promise. Don’t touch her. Please.” Evelyn was talking in her sleep. In her dreams she was talking to her father. “Don’t, look, I’ll do it. I’ll do it, Blade. I swear if you let her go I’ll do it.”
“Do what?” Joshua couldn’t tell if she was asleep or awake, but she was in terror either way. Sweat poured off her, and tears streamed down her cheeks. He said softly, “Evelyn.”
“I’ll call you daddy. Let her go. I’ll do it.” Evelyn’s voice was childlike and innocent.
Joshua fell into a million pieces right then. He couldn’t hear another word. His stomach lurched, and he thought he would throw up. He wouldn’t tell her about this; he didn’t know how.
“Evelyn!” he shouted, “Wake up, you’re dreaming!” He didn’t touch her. He couldn’t. He didn’t want his hands associated with that dark memory on any level.
“Mommy!” Evelyn shouted as her eyes opened. She burst into tears afterward, heavy sobs that hurt her ribs, but she couldn’t stop them. As she looked around getting her bearings, she realized Joshua was in her room. Fright turned to anger, as it easily did, squelching the tears almost immediately. She was dreaming. “What the fuck are you doing in here?”
“You were screaming. I thought you were hurt.” Joshua locked his knees and elbows. He wanted to grab her and hold her and tell her it was safe now, but he didn’t know if that were true. That memory could have been from childhood, or it could have been from last night. If he found out that man was still alive, he would pay, either way.
“I was?” Evelyn wiped the tears and bit down. She was afraid to ask the next question but had to know. If the nightmares were back, she was in more trouble than she thought. “What did I say?”
“Well, this last scream you yelled mommy. Before that I don’t know. I was downstairs and just heard the wail.” Joshua was matter-of-fact. If he showed too much concern, she would know he heard more, and he didn’t want to scare her, too.
“Did you just call me a whale?” Evelyn wasn’t sure what that meant. Her head was processing, and she thought he just called her a whale. He thinks I’m fat, thinks I sound like a beached, moaning whale.
“No, not w-h-a-l-e, wail as in sound w-a-i-l.” He spelled it out to her. And here he thought he would miss class today. For a tough chick, she had some serious insecurity. That made him want to reach out and hold her even more. He stayed locked. “Anyways I yelled your name so you would wake up; you did. You seem fine now.”
Joshua grabbed the fallen ice bags and headed for the door. “I’ll get some more ice.”
“Wait.” Evelyn’s voice was calm and rational again. Why did she say that? When did she become so insecure? Like she gives a shit what he thinks of her. But deep down in a dark place a candle had been lit, and she did care. Now what? “I’m hungry.”
“You wanna eat in bed or in the kitchen?” He breathed a heavy exhale. Joshua’s shoulder had been healed for a long time, but when it rains, like it did this morning, it hurt. But he knew it was nowhere near the level of hurt Evelyn felt, inside or out apparently. So he would carry her around all weekend if necessary. Luckily she broke in on a Friday.
“Kitchen if possible, I can’t stand being in bed for too long.” Evelyn had to keep going, keep moving, stay focused. If she stopped too long to focus on herself, she would have to face herself. There were no plans in her immediate future to do that.
But in the kitchen, she could focus on Joshua. His thick black hair and stunning green eyes, the way his chest felt in her hands, the soft black hair that lightly covered him, tickling her fingertips and curling her toes. Yes, this she could focus on.
Joshua sighed and turned. At the bedside he picked her up and carried her down the hall, and down the stairs. When they passed the kitchen, she thought he might set her out the door in his underwear, but then realized he was heading for the recliner.
“Hang on. Let me put these under there,” he said reaching for some throw pillows and put them on the footrest as Evelyn reclined back.
Joshua stood and looked down at her. The ice had reduced a lot of the swelling, but it was still pretty bad. Any damage at all was bad. “You need fresh ice for that eye. Your lip has gone down a lot.”
“I know I look like hell, but I have looked worse.” Evelyn wanted him to think she was okay. She was okay, a little banged up but nothing broken, no worse for the wear. Her cheek had scrapped his as he maneuvered the stairs. The rough whiskers jolted her breasts to attention and at the same time turned up the heat inside her.
“When?” Joshua held her gaze with his own. Maybe she was a boxer? But she seemed too small for that, and boxing wasn’t secret.
“You know, before.” Evelyn could feel the heat from those eyes burning into her, warming her to the core, but she knew with her eye black and her lip busted, he wasn’t looking at her the same. Maybe when she healed he would. Hell, it had been a while since she watched a man squirm. Maybe she needed a little release. On her terms it always worked out fine.
“No, I don’t know. We just met this morning, remember? You broke in. You wanted to shoot me.” Joshua could bring that up over and over, and it still sounded surreal to his own ears.
“I did not break in. The door was unlocked. And I didn’t want to shoot you. I thought you had hurt Grace.” Evelyn suddenly felt the need to get things a little more clear.
“Why would I hurt Grace? Why would anyone?” Well besides Ethan’s stalker but she w
as behind bars now and on to someone new. Thanks to him.
“No one would. I just saw a man here and that threw me okay.” Evelyn shrugged and wished she hadn’t. It hurt, and that made her grimace. Of course then she scrunched her eyebrows and that hurt, too. “The way she described Mitchell, he sounded like a little weasel.”
“He is. But he’s long gone now. Huge scandal, the Patterson’s moved to Florida after it all.” Joshua wanted to know how much she knew about Grace, how long, that could narrow her age down. He had already put in a few calls to find out who Evelyn Blade was. He should know by nightfall, but that wasn’t soon enough. “How long have you known Gracie?”
“Gracie, you call her that, too? Huh, a lot sure has changed in the past few years.” Evelyn wanted to know about the scandal, wanted to know about Grace. Who this guy was she’s married to, check him out, see if he makes the cut. Run some background checks to be certain he would never hurt her.
“She wanted to come down from New York today, but I told her to wait.” Joshua wanted a reaction to that, and he got one.
“Why the fuck would she listen to you? I’m one of her oldest dearest friends. Why can’t she come see me?” Evelyn’s eyes searched him from head to toe.
She wanted to be furious but kept getting distracted by his looks. He was smiling at her, shaking his head. He kept doing that, dismissing her like she wasn’t a ruthless tyrant. When she knew damn good and well she could be.
“Because I don’t think she wants to explain to a two-year-old what happened to your face.” Joshua headed for the kitchen on that note. Maybe if he fed her she would calm down. Be less evil. This woman hated men, and with good reason from what he heard, but he was not the average man, and even the average man didn’t deserve her wrath. But there was a man out there who did. And he intended to find out who he was, and deal with it.
“The hell you say!” Evelyn was shocked. Grace was like her, damaged. Not as severe, but they both ... as soon as she started to think it she realized Grace never hated men. She did. And she helped her friend become less naïve. Then when her mother died, Grace went numb. Like Evelyn had been forever. God, it had been too long since she visited Grace.