by Hope Ford
“Yours!” I say loudly.
He gives me a cocky laugh. “That’s right. Mine. When all is said and done, you’re going to be mine.”
He turns and walks away as my mouth falls open and I stare at him go. He stops at his truck. “Lock the door and turn on the alarm.”
And he doesn’t look away until I walk inside and shut the door, leaving me to wonder what I’ve gotten myself into.
7
Evan
I got as far as the end of the road before I turned back around. There’s something that stops me from leaving. I sit in my truck all night and watch the neighborhood. It has to be the quietest, most boring neighborhood in all of Whiskey Run. The most excitement all night was when Old Man Larry let his dog Squeaks out at two in the morning, and he went across the road, pooped in the neighbor’s yard, and then came back.
That was it. I was sure it was safe to leave Sierra and go home, but I couldn’t. So when the clock turns seven-thirty and I see Sierra walking out of her house with her head down, it’s easy to get out of the truck and walk up to her. She doesn’t even notice me until she’s almost up on me.
She puts her hand over her chest. “Evan. You scared me to death.”
She looks me up and down. “What are you doing here?” She looks at where my truck is parked. “Did you stay out here all night?” No doubt she’s noticed I’m in the same clothes I had on yesterday.
I scrub my hand through my hair. “I did.” I grab her hand and pull her with me. “C’mon, I’ll take you to work.”
She walks a few feet with me. “Wait, you stayed out here all night?” she asks in awe.
“I did. I need a shower, but first I’m going to make sure you get to work okay, have Sam keep an eye on you, and then I’ll run home and shower.”
She’s going to argue with me, I know she is. Either about me staying out here all night or about me taking her to work, but I’m ready for it.
She finally starts walking toward the truck, and when I open the door for her she climbs in.
I get into the driver’s seat and put the truck into gear. “You really slept out here all night?”
She’s stunned, and I don’t understand why. “Yeah, why wouldn’t I?”
I peek over at her and she’s looking at me incredulously. “Why would you?”
I’ve shocked her; that’s probably the only reason she’s letting me drive her to work. “Why would I? Uh, because I got to the end of the road and knew I couldn’t leave. I wanted to make sure you were safe, and the only way to do that was to be outside your house in case you needed me.”
“Evan,” she says, and I wait for her to continue. “Evan, no one... I mean, well, I can’t believe you did that... for me.”
“I wasn’t joking last night, Sierra. I meant what I said. I know you don’t trust me or believe we could make a go of this. Heck, I can’t even convince you to date me, but I don’t plan on giving up.”
She doesn’t comment, and we ride the rest of the way in silence. I walk her to the entrance of the library and walk in with her, making sure everything is secure. I go down the line of everything she needs to do to be safe, to not leave without me, and to call if she needs anything.
“You’re making a bigger deal of this than you should. It’s probably nothing, and I feel bad that you’ve completely changed your life to deal with it.” She says it in a quick jumble of words.
I ignore her as if she didn’t say anything. “What about lunch? I can come by and take you somewhere or I can bring you something.”
She points to one of the bags she just set down. “No, I brought it.”
With her distracted, I move closer to her, and when she turns back to me, I kiss her quickly. “Okay, I’ll be back at five, but promise to call me if you need anything.”
She touches her fingers to her lips. “Okay.”
With another glance at her, I walk out of the library and across the street to the office. Luckily, I had a change of clothes in my truck, and I shower at the office. I work all day, and I discover that I’m obsessed. I pull up the feed of the library’s security system, and I’m able to see her when she walks by the front windows. A few times through the day, I notice she’s staring out onto the street, and I walk out of the security firm and look her way. As if caught, she waves and then slinks back behind a shelf. Was she looking for me?
My heart swells in my chest thinking that maybe she was.
At five o’clock, I’m picking her up and walking with her to the truck. “Anything out of the ordinary happen today?”
She shakes her head. “No, see, I told you we were making a bigger deal of this than we should.”
I help her in and when I get in, she exclaims. “What is that smell?”
“I picked up pizza from Giovanni’s. And a movie.”
She folds her hands in her lap. “Are you inviting yourself to my house for dinner and a movie?”
I put the truck into gear and drive toward her house. “Well, if I can’t get you to go out with me, then I guess I’m going to stay in with you.”
She laughs, and I relax a little. She could’ve point blank told me no, but she didn’t. Maybe I’m at least moving in the right direction and making her feel like she can start to trust me.
“I hate to ask, but do you care if we stop at the grocery store real quick? I’m out of coffee.”
I gasp. “Out of coffee? Oh no.”
She slaps me playfully as she laughs out loud. “You laugh now, but you haven’t seen me without coffee.”
I shiver like I’m scared, and she laughs again. I love seeing this relaxed side of her. I stop at the market that’s on the way to her house, and she jumps out before I can get her door. “You don’t have to go in if you don’t want. I promise I’ll be quick.”
But I shake my head and grab on to her hand. “Take all the time you need.”
She stumbles a little but catches herself. I wait for her to pull her hand away, but she doesn’t. We walk straight to the coffee aisle, and she picks it out and starts to walk toward the front. “Wow, you weren’t kidding. I figured you’d find something else you needed while you were in here.”
“Nope. Just the coffee. I told you I’d be quick.”
We’re standing in line when I feel her tense next to me. I look around, trying to find a threat or what has her upset when I lean down in front of her. “What’s wrong?”
But before she can answer, I hear it. A sing-song voice from behind me. Sierra pulls her hand from mine. “Evan McCarthy, is that you? I heard you were back in town.”
I roll my eyes at Sierra and turn around to face the woman from my past. And when I do, I put my arm around Sierra. “Hey, Jessica. How you doing?” That’s right. The woman from my past, my prom date. What are the chances of running into her here?
She stands closer to me than I like, and I pull Sierra tighter under my arm. But Jessica doesn’t seem to notice because she reaches out and touches my shoulder. “I’m doing good. Well, I’m getting divorced, but I’m sure you’ve heard. Maybe we can get together and catch up.”
But I’m already shaking my head. “I’m sorry to hear about your divorce, but actually, I’m spending all my time with Sierra.”
And it’s then Jessica looks at Sierra as if noticing her for the first time. She then gives us a quick goodbye and walks toward the back of the store.
All the progress I thought I made with Sierra is now gone, because as soon as Jessica walks away, she pulls out from my arm. She’s tense all the way to the truck, and she doesn’t say a word until we pull into her driveway. “You know, you could have gone with her.”
I blow out a breath. “Is that what this is about? I have no interest in Jessica. I didn’t even want to go out with her in high school. I did because it was expected of me. Now I do what I want. And I want to be with you.”
She beams over at me, and for once I know I said the right thing.
Hours later I find that I wasn’t prepared to sit next to he
r on the couch for hours and not touch her. We started off with a cushion between us, and slowly we moved and eventually met in the middle. We’ve long ago eaten the pizza and finished the first movie. Now, there’s some reality TV show on, but neither of us is watching it. I’ve asked her twenty questions it seems like and with every answer she gives me, I find that we have way more in common than I initially thought. She loves to watch the History Channel, enjoys any action movie, and is hooked on Jeopardy.
We’re laughing, and she’s more relaxed now than she’s ever been. I don’t want to ruin it, but I don’t think I can resist any longer. I put my hand on her shoulder. “I’m going to kiss you now.”
Her eyes widen and dilate. Her tongue pokes out to wet her lips, and I hold in my groan as I lean in and kiss her. As soon as our lips touch, I hold her in my embrace. But that’s not close enough. I pull her onto my lap and show her how I feel about her. If she’s not going to listen to me, maybe she’ll believe it if I show her. And there’s no way she can not see how I feel about her by the way we mesh together. It’s a perfect union, and when I eventually pull away, we’re both breathless.
I lean my forehead to hers. “I better go, or I’m going to try and talk you into letting me stay.”
She’s about to do it. She’s about to let me, but I don’t want it this way. I don’t want to pressure her. I want her to decide she wants me on her own.
“You can...” She starts, but I put my finger on her lips to stop her.
“Don’t finish that. Before we get to that point, I need to know you trust me. And I can’t believe I’m fucking saying this, but when I take you, Sierra, it’s for keeps. I can’t do it and you have second thoughts about it. We can wait, there’s no rush.”
I get up from my seat. The bulge in my pants is uncomfortable, but I’m not going to draw attention to it.
She follows behind me. “You’re tired. And I know that is not good for your vertigo.”
“Actually this new medicine has been great. I haven’t had one symptom since yesterday.”
“Oh, that’s great news. But still, you need your rest. You can’t sleep in your truck. Please go home and rest. I’ll see you in town tomorrow.”
I lean down and kiss her. “I’ll be here to get you in the morning.”
She’s already shaking her head. “I can drive...”
I wrap my hand around the base of her neck. “I know you can, but I want to drive you. I like having you with me. Is that okay?”
She nods slowly, and I kiss her again. “Now, I better go. Lock the door and set the alarm.”
She looks at me dreamily. “I promise.”
It’s then I decide to push my luck. “Go out with me.”
I’m ready for the no. I’m sure she’s going to say it but instead, she says, “Okay,” and I can’t resist. I kiss her again.
I step out the door and hear her set the alarm before I descend the steps. I’m just going to run home real quick, grab some clothes, shower, and then I’ll be back to sit outside her house again. She’s right, I’m tired, and besides the nap I had on the couch today at work, I’ve hardly slept. But I know I won’t sleep if I’m across town, so I’m coming back.
I get out of the shower and pick up my phone to log into Sierra’s security system. I’ve been on edge since I left her neighborhood, and so I decide I’ll survey the place on my phone until I can get back to her.
I’m combing my hair when movement on my phone catches my eye. There’s someone standing in her driveway. He’s in the shadows, but sure as shit there’s a man standing there. I hit the silent alarm button for her house, knowing the cops will be notified and on their way in an instant.
I pull on clothes and run outside to my truck. My tires squeal on the pavement as I speed across town, taking curves way too fast.
I’m dialing her number when an incoming call comes in, and her picture pops up on the ID.
“Sierra,” I breathe into the phone. I want to talk to her, but I hate having eyes off her house.
“Evan, oh my God, there’s someone outside my window. I started screaming, and he’s knocking at my door.”
She’s absolutely terrified, and so am I. If anything happens to her, I won’t forgive myself. I never should have left her. “I know. I saw it on the cameras. I’m on my way, and the police will be there soon.”
She’s breathing frantically into the phone, and it guts me knowing how scared she is and I’m not there to help her. “Sierra, listen to me. Go to your room and get in your closet. Don’t answer the door for anyone. You only open the door when I get there. Do you understand?”
She’s panting heavily, and I hear her tearing through her house. When there’s an echo, I know she’s in her closet. “I’m in here. I’m in my closet.” Her voice has dropped to a whisper.
“Okay, keep talking to me. It’s going to be okay, I’m almost there.”
She screams, and I swear I lose ten years off my life. “What is it? What’s happening?”
“There’s someone pounding now. They’re hollering police. Should I go open the door?”
“No! Do not open the door. I’m two blocks away. You open the door for me, that’s it.”
I push even harder on the gas, even though I already have it to the floor. I take the corner to her road on two wheels. There are blue lights in front of her house, and I get out, recognizing Officer Bales. “She won’t answer the door.”
“Honey, I’m here. Open the door.”
Five seconds later, she has the front door open, and she’s diving into my arms. Her legs go around me, and I’m holding her so tight I know I’m hurting her, but I can’t let her go.
I turn to Officer Bales. “We’ll be right back.”
His gaze is on her ass, but he’s nodding his head, and I turn real quick and slam the front door behind me. I stride across her living room, down the hall, and walk into her bedroom. She’s still wrapped around me, and when I look at us in the floor length mirror across the room, I see what Jensen was looking at. Sierra has a T-shirt on, and the way she’s hanging on to me, you can see her panty-clad ass plain as day. My head drops to her shoulder. Fuck, Evan. Now is not the time. Get your shit together, I tell myself.
“Honey, you need to get some clothes on, and we’re going to go out and see the policeman and see if they found the guy.”
She’s shaking her head. “Sierra, baby, you have to talk to them, and you can’t do it like this. Jensen’s already seen your ass, and I already want to put a bullet in him for it.”
That seems to jolt her, and she loosens her hold and slides down my body. When she steps back, it’s then I notice she doesn’t have a bra on. Her breasts sway, and her hard pebbled nipples are pressed against her shirt. “Fuck me,” I groan.
I stalk over to the closet and pull out a pair of shorts. Then I go over to her drawers and start pulling them open roughly. I see her lace panties, silky nightgowns, and in the third drawer, I find her bras. I grab one, the exact shade of peach as her panties, and then walk back over to her.
She’s trembling, and I drop to the carpet in front of her. “Here, put your leg in here.”
She does as I ask and steps into her shorts. When she tries to pull them up, I wave her hands away. “I want to do this. Let me take care of you.”
She sighs heavily and lets me pull the shorts up her thighs and onto her hips. I raise up and look into her eyes. “I’m going to put your bra on,” I tell her matter-of-factly. It’s then I know how messed up she is when she merely nods her head. I try not to look at her large, rounded breasts or ignore the fact that her nipples are a darker shade of pink than the lacy bra I’m covering them with. She’s perfection in every form, and it’s fucking painful to touch her, but not really touch her. When this is over, and this terrible night is nothing but a memory, nothing is going to be able to stop me from having her.
8
Sierra
I can’t believe that after the night I had, all I can think about is how goo
d it is to be sitting next to Evan with his arm around me. He hasn’t let me go. He sat with me as I answered all the policeman’s questions. And he held me even tighter when they told me they caught the guy, and he claimed he was my boyfriend. They showed me his picture, and I recognize him as a man that comes into the library. He had asked me out, but after I turned him down, he never asked again, and I thought it wasn’t a big deal. However, now I’m finding out it was definitely a big deal to him. The police have already taken him in and have searched his house. He had a shrine set up of pictures of me that really freaked me out, until Evan told me that nothing or no one is going to hurt me.
When exhaustion started to set in, Evan is the one that told the police I needed to rest and walked them to the door.
I can’t take my eyes off him as he locks the door and sets the alarm. “Are you leaving?”
He shakes his head. “There’s no way I could leave you now.”
I breathe a sigh of relief, and my eyes well up with tears.
He rushes to me and gathers me into his arms. “You’re okay. I’m not going to let anything happen to you. I’m so sorry, Sierra. I shouldn’t have left...”
I pull back. “This is not your fault.”
Guilt is all over his face. “I was going home to shower and grab clothes and then I was coming back, but I wasn’t fast enough.”
“Yes you were,” I tell him. “You got here before I got hurt. You’re here now.”
He lays his cheek on the top of my head. “Please don’t ask me to leave. Not tonight. I just need to hold you. That’s it. I can move my truck if you’re worried about what the neighbors think. Whatever, just don’t ask me to leave.”
I grab his hand and pull it over my heart to my chest. I raise my eyes and look into his. “Stay with me.”
He nods, and I know he’s not understanding what I’m asking him. I move his hand to cover my breast. “I want you to stay with me.”
He’s shaking his head but at the same time his hand squeezes my breast. As if he just realizes what he’s done, he tries to pull back, but I don’t let him. “Sierra, I want you and I’m going to have you, but not like this, not after what you’ve been through tonight.”
