Shadows: A Love Ever After Series

by Amber Lacie

  “Yes, baby. Come for me.” He rocks harder into me, pushing my body deep into the bed. His eyes roll back, closing tightly.

  “Open your eyes, Theron. I want to see them when you come.” His eyes fly open, staring straight into mine. His one eye is a bright and explosive green, showing me the excitement running through him. The other one pools into darkness, exposing the danger lurking under his surface.

  Chills spread across my body and my pussy clenches his cock, while he thrusts deeper into me. I can’t take my eyes off him. Watching his body strain, as he tries to hold himself back is such an amazing sight. “Yes, Theron!”

  “Eve!” My name is a harsh cry, as he loses himself in me, filling me with his release, triggering my body to explode around him a second time. I feel a slight pinch, followed by a release of pressure, as Theron removes the clamps.

  Collapsing beside me, he frees my arms from my shirt. I curl into him, laying my head on his damp chest.

  “Eve?”

  “Hmm?”

  “Eve? Did I break you?”

  “Mmmm.”

  He chuckles. Placing a kiss on my forehead, his hands softly stroke my back.

  Closing my eyes, I drift to sleep. Movement wakes me, and I roll to the side when I feel him slide out from under me.

  My body is completely drained. I don’t want to move. The bathroom door closes and I hear the water in the shower turn on. I was hoping he would lay with me for just a little longer.

  Stretching my muscles as best as I can, I untangle myself from the sheets and make my way to the bathroom. The door softly clicks, as I push it closed. Theron is standing under the shower, letting the hot water pour down over him.

  Slipping into the shower, I wrap my hands around his waist. His head and shoulders drop, as he lets out a deep sigh.

  “I thought you were sleeping? Didn’t I wear you out?”

  “I was and you did.”

  “I see, but you aren’t now?”

  “I’m not tired anymore, but I’m definitely worn out.” I smile, as I place a soft kiss between his shoulder blades. I’m not sure when he’s working out his body, but it’s so obvious he does. I start to slide my hands up his stomach, but he pulls out of my grasp.

  Turning to face me, Theron lets out yet another sigh. It’s obvious I’m bothering him. I don’t know why I thought this was a good idea. He probably just wanted to be alone with his thoughts, but me being the selfish person I am, I invaded his space.

  “Beautiful, what are we doing?”

  “I don’t know. I just want to be near you.”

  “I’ll make you a deal. I’ll order us some dinner, and after you are done with your shower you can lay with me on the couch, while I go over some more files. Okay?”

  Disappointment flutters into my stomach, causing a small knot to form. I shouldn’t expect everything to be back to normal with us. We’ve both lost so much…him more than I.

  We haven’t even discussed the night he left me. The knot in my stomach grows, as I think about that night. I felt so loved when I fell asleep in his arms, but I woke up alone, only to find out he left me, after reading the note on the fridge. One day, I’ll ask him about it, but for now, I’ll leave it.

  “Yeah. Okay.” I nod my head and step into the water. I have a tight hold on my emotions, but once he closes the door, my tears blend with the water now streaming over me. I want to take away the weight that’s on his shoulders. It’s apparent my distraction, was exactly that. It distracted him, but not long enough for me to help him. I finish with my shower, while trying to decide on my next move.

  Walking into the living room, I notice Theron isn’t anywhere to be found. There’s a sticky note attached to a pizza box on the counter.

  Figures. Grabbing the pizza box, I plop down on the couch. Turning on the television, I make myself comfortable, while watching the Food Network.

  I only manage to eat one slice of pizza. With all the stress I’ve had lately, my stomach just seems to be in knots. I’m watching some guy demonstrate how to grill the perfect steak. One would think after watching so many of these shows, my cooking skills would be greatly improved, but they are far from it. I love eating food, but if it came to me being able to cook it to survive, I’m afraid I would not live very long.

  There’s a light tap at the door. Standing, I stretch out my muscles and slowly walk to the door. I open it, and find a very distraught looking Evan looking back at me. He looks worn and exhausted. At least two days’ worth of stubble lines his jaw, his eyes are sunken and dark, and I am pretty sure he’s wearing the same suit he wore to the funeral.

  “Evan?” He doesn’t move. I step back, thinking maybe I’m too close. “Sweetie, you coming in?”

  He barely moves, but I register a slight nod of his head. He shuffles into the room, crashing onto the couch.

  “Nowhere to go.” He starts mumbling, but I can’t understand him. He’s struggling to take his jacket off, so I walk over to help. That’s when I notice the smell.

  He reeks of alcohol. No wonder he’s mumbling…he’s drunk. My past experiences I obtained during college come in handy. I know better than to move him around too much.

  “All right, big guy. I think you’ve had a little too much to drink tonight. I’m going to help you get this jacket off and then lay you back on the sofa. I’m going to put the trash bin right next to you, so use it if you need to. Theron should be back soon. Okay?”

  Slipping his jacket off, I roll him onto his side, and prop him up with pillows. Hopefully, he will be okay.

  I’m not sure what I’m supposed to do now, so I send Theron a quick text letting him know Evan is here and passed out on the couch. No sooner do I hit send, I hear a vibrating sound coming from the kitchen counter. Glancing down at the counter, I grab Evan a bottle of water from the fridge.

  “Of course, Theron forgot his phone. Could this night get any better?” I should have never said those words because I completely jinxed myself.

  Evan is throwing up all over the floor, completely missing the trashcan I put beside him. Taking a deep breath through my mouth, I grab some towels out of the guest bathroom.

  Cringing, I walk over to him and throw the towels over his vomit. There’s no way I can clean this up tonight, I would end up using the trashcan myself. I hand Evan a washcloth for his face, and he lies back down again. I’m done. I’ve hit my limit of shit for the night.

  I leave Evan in the living room, hoping he stays asleep, and head to bed.

  “Hey, beautiful.” Theron whispers in my ear. His breath tickles my neck, waking me up.

  “What time is it?”

  “It’s only ten, babe. What time did you come to bed?”

  “I don’t know. I had a piece of pizza and then Evan came over. Please, don’t wake him. He’s drunk. I threw towels over his vomit. I’ll scrub it in the morning.”

  “I noticed as soon as I came in. It smells awful in there.”

  “That’s why I’m hiding in here under the blankets.” Theron stands and starts to walk towards the door. I don’t know why, but I start to panic, like he’s going to leave. “Wait. Where are you going?”

  “Nowhere, babe. I’m just getting ready to join you in bed. Everything okay?”

  “Yeah. I just…I thought maybe you were going to grab some pizza or something.”

  “Nope. I lost my appetite when I walked in the house.”

  I nod my head at him, while chewing the inside of my cheek. He lays down beside me, circling his arm around my waist, pulling me to him. “I love you, Theron.”

  “I love you too. Is everything okay?”

  “I just feel off. You know? I can’t explain it. Maybe I just need some sleep.”

  “Well, I had other plans, but I’ll let you sleep tonight.”

  I close my eyes with his body wrapped around me. I feel so safe in his arms, but I still can’t shake the knot of nerves in my stomach.

  Eve

  “Wait, are you serious? He just
left you to clean up after his drunk friend, who does that?”

  “I didn’t really have to clean up after him. Poor Rebecca was stuck with that job; I just sort of covered it up. Anyways, it doesn’t matter. We barely spoke all weekend.”

  Kayla is circling the park bench I’m sitting on. I wish she would just sit down. She’s making me dizzy.

  “So, what’s going on with you guys?”

  Resting my elbows on my knees, I drop my head into my hands. “I don’t know. He seems so distant. When we have sex, he is right there with me. I can see how much he loves me in his eyes. But no sooner do I think I have him back, his eyes go dark and my Theron is gone again. I know he’s going through so much right now. I just wish he’d let me help him.”

  Kayla sits down beside me, softly rubbing my back. “It’s okay, sweetie. He is hurt right now. I’m sure he doesn’t realize he’s distancing himself. It will all work out, I promise.” She hands me a napkin and I wipe away my tears.

  Maybe she is right. I just need to give him some more time. “How long of a break do you get today?”

  “I don’t know. I normally take about a half an hour or so. Olivia doesn’t really seem to mind.”

  “Okay. Well, we will get you a cup of coffee and then head back to the bookstore. You look like you could use a cup.”

  “I could use a whole pot. I am so tired. I feel so off lately. My stomach is a ball of nerves, and for some reason I feel so anxious when Theron leaves, or is working on files from G.I.L.F.”

  “I’m sorry. I need to stop you right there. What the hell is a G.I.L.F?” Kayla jumps up from the bench and pulls me to my feet.

  “Okay. Don’t laugh, but it’s the name of Isa’s company.”

  “Tell me my mind is in the gutter and it’s not what I think it stands for.”

  “Nope, it is. Grandma I’d Like to Fuck.”

  “Oh my God! That’s great.” She can barely contain her laughter. “That woman just amazes me.” Her excitement over the name makes me smile. “Wait, are you smiling? This just keeps getting better. We can get our coffee and then dish some more on our walk back.”

  We both order two large coffees, cream, no sugar. I like to add my own because they always tend to put too much in it. I open the lid to my coffee, and the strong smell assaults my nose.

  This doesn’t smell good at all. Glancing over at Kayla, I notice she is drinking hers without a problem. Great, now my nerves are affecting my coffee intake. There’s no way I am going to let that happen.

  By the time we reach the bookstore, I have finished more than half of my coffee, but I am starting to regret it.

  “What are your plans for the rest of the day?”

  “Um, I’m working. Do you mean after work?”

  “Nope. I mean, like, right now. Can I hang with you for a bit?”

  “Don’t you have to go to work?” The little bells ring, as I open the door to the bookstore, alerting Olivia to my return. She peeks around one of the shelves with a pile of books in her arms, towering over her face, and gives me a small wave with her fingers.

  “Kayla, hold that thought. That woman is going to hurt herself.” I rush over towards Olivia, grabbing some books off the top of her pile. “What are you doing? You could have waited. I was coming back.”

  “I know, but I needed something to do. You do so much already—”

  “Olivia, stop. I am your employee. I am here to do work and to help you. Please, stop trying to kill yourself with work. Harold would never forgive me.”

  “Fine. Have it your way.”

  “Thank you.”

  “I’ll just be sitting behind the desk, all alone.”

  “Nice try. It won’t work. You and I both know you will be busy checking the inventory and sales reports.”

  “Alright. You have me there. Do you girls need anything before I sit down?”

  “Nope. Kayla is going to help me for a bit. We will be in the back.”

  “Okay, sweetie. Let me know if there’s any good gossip though.”

  I laugh, handing some books over to Kayla for her to carry. We walk into the back-room and plop down on the makeshift mats I made from flattened boxes. Setting the books down beside us, we both lean against the wall.

  “Why don’t you have to work today?”

  “Because I quit. Bridgette may not be there anymore, but I don’t want to work for Thomas either.”

  “Wait, Bridgette quit?”

  “I guess. One day Bridgette was there. Then the next day Sharon was back. Supposedly, the deal fell through, but it’s just a rumor. I don’t want to take my chances, so I talked it over with Paul. It’s not like it will hurt us moneywise, if I don’t work for a bit. So, I quit. Now, I’m just bothering you.”

  I have no idea why, but tears start falling from my eyes. By my reaction, you would have thought she proposed to me, or something. I’m a blubbering mess and Kayla is staring at me like I have lost my freaking mind. Maybe I have. How can you tell if you’ve lost your mind or not? Does the crazy part let you know or does it just happen?

  “Eve, what on earth is wrong with you? Damn, girl, you’re crying like I just ran over your dog or something.”

  “I know. I know. I think I’m losing my mind. I feel so closed off from Theron, but it’s not justified. He’s not ignoring me, he’s just busy. Then, Evan came over and he was just so broken. It was awful. We set him up in the spare bedroom again. I took all the alcohol out of the house. He was pretty bad on Saturday, but yesterday he seemed better. Tired and grouchy, but not drunk. Plus, Theron is having a hard time finishing whatever Isa’s plans were with the company, and I’m just so tired. I can’t fucking eat. There’s a huge knot in my stomach. I just don’t fucking know, you know?”

  “No, sweetie. I don’t know. All I know is you are a mess. I mean, yeah, things have been overly fucked up, but I think you’re having a breakdown. Here, finish my coffee and I’ll get us some more. You always function better with coffee.”

  I take her cup from her and gag from the smell. At least, I thought I was going to gag. I ended up retching so hard, I slapped my hand over my mouth to keep from throwing up everywhere.

  Kayla jumps back as if I have a horrendous disease and runs to grab the trashcan in the corner. I’m bawling my eyes out, while puking into a trashcan in the back room of a bookstore. What the hell is going on with my life right now?

  “Hey, take a breath. Just breathe, Eve.” Kayla, who is being a complete saint, is softly rubbing my back, while holding my hair. I finally catch my breath, and sit back against the wall again. She brings me a wet paper towel and I wipe my face. I’m shaky and my hands are clammy.

  “Eve, just listen for a second. I’m going to say something, but I don’t want you to lose the rest of your sanity, okay?”

  I hate being approached as though I am some fragile person who shatters whenever someone says something. I also hate when people start conversations like that. Obviously, it’s not going to be good news, so why not just come out and say it?

  “Say whatever you need to say, Kayla. Just get it over with. I’m not a fucking child.”

  “No, sweetie you’re not, but has the thought you may be having one, crossed your mind?”

  Wait. Hold everything. What the hell is she talking about? We may not use condoms every time, but I’m on the pill. I am not stupid. I know how babies are made. I can’t be.

  “No. No. No. Nope. Not happening. This is not happening. Kayla, I’ve been on the pill since I was sixteen. I never miss. Hell, I have an alarm set on my phone.”

  “Okay. So maybe you’re not. Maybe I’m just jumping to conclusions. We could check though, right? Tell you what…come home with me, and I’ll pick up some tests. At least, we will know one way or the other, right?”

  “Yeah, okay. Um, can I drop my car off at home first? I’m not sure I’m going to want to drive home later.” I cannot believe I am agreeing to this. We do not need this right now. I do not need this right now.

&n
bsp; Kayla helps me stand and follows me to the front of the store. Olivia is going through some papers, but looks up when I lean against the counter.

  “Eve, you look awful. What happened?”

  “I think she has food poisoning. She just got sick, so I’m going to follow her home. Sorry she has to leave like this.” Kayla to the rescue. Thank goodness, she knew what to say. I can’t put any rational thoughts together right now.

  “It’s no problem. Eve, sweetie, please get some rest. Take tomorrow off and I’ll see you Wednesday, if you are feeling up to it.”

  I cannot form words. Kayla grabs my arm and follows me to my car. Motherfucker! “There is another note on my car.” I am not in the mood for any bullshit right now.

  “Another note? Eve, how many is this now?”

  “I don’t know. I don’t keep track, Kayla. I just throw them away.”

  “You throw them away? Have you even told anyone else about this, yet? Does Theron know?”

  “No, he doesn’t and he doesn’t need to. They are just harmless notes.”

  “Harmless? This one says, ‘I’m watching you. It’s my turn next.’ What the hell, Eve? That’s not harmless.”

  I snatch the note from Kayla’s hand and toss it into my back seat.

  “Stay out of it, Kayla! I have enough going on. Don’t create problems where there aren’t any.”

  “Damn it. I’m going to drop this for the time being, since we have other problems to address, but we are not done with this conversation. We are leaving. I’ll follow you home.”

  “Done with this conversation? You are not my mother, Kayla.”

  “No, I’m not, but since you are deciding not to tell anyone about this, I’m going to act like it until you pull your head out of your ass.”

  “Fine. Whatever. Let’s just go.” I slide into my seat, slamming my door. Who the hell does she think she is?

  I pull up in front of the guesthouse and Kayla is right behind me. My intentions were to jump straight into her car, and just shoot Theron a text, but my plan goes out the window, as I rush inside to the bathroom. I pass Evan on my way, but I don’t have time to explain.