15. Chapter Fifteen
15
Mia
I lift my hand and rub at my temples, the throbbing in my head only subsiding slightly at the action, and I lean back in my chair with a heavy sigh. I’ve still got my dress on from last night, but now my hair is pulled into a haphazard ponytail with papers strewn all over the table sitting in front of me.
My eyes are heavy with sleep, slowly drooping closed, only to snap back open when my mind reminds me why I’m still awake — you still haven’t found out who the stalker is.
When I look around the room, something I haven’t done for hours, I realize Evan’s frame is no longer in the king-sized bed. I frown, darting my attention to the bathroom. The lights are out, so he can’t be in there.
I look toward the window, the curtains closed so that I don't get distracted, and note the sliver of sunlight slipping through a crack. Apparently I wasn’t kidding when I told Evan I’d be up all night.
Just as I take a deep breath and straight my spine, more than ready to get back to work, the hotel door swings open and Evan walks in with a tired smile. “Morning, darlin’, thought you could use a good breakfast this morning.”
He doesn’t let me shake my head and instead pushes the papers out of the way, replacing them with the tray full of breakfast. There’s a coffee cup, some creamer and sugar, with a plate of eggs, bacon, sausage, and waffles sitting next to it. I don’t miss the carton of milk as well, probably in case I didn’t want the coffee, but I’m reaching for the hot beverage before anything else.
Coffee is a necessity right now.
As soon as the bitterness hits my tongue, I drain what’s left of it without a care in the world that it’s likely burning my tastebuds off. I place the empty cup at the corner, then reach for the plastic cutlery Evan grabbed for me. Breakfast would be a good idea, especially with making sure my head is clear while I keep working on this stalker situation.
Liam.
The stalker knows about Liam and I’ve tried desperately not to contact Kenzie, begging her to let me talk to my son, but I’m getting that itch once again and I don’t think I could ignore it this time. I’m about to grab my phone, but Evan’s hand comes down on mine and he gives me a small smile.
“I’ve already talked to Kenzie, Mia, she says everything is okay and nothing weird has happened. I also asked Carmen to send security to your house, told her that the stalker left another message that included you and you just want your house looked after.”
My racing heart calms, and I stare into Evan’s eyes. He’s making sure Liam is safe.
Without thinking, I lean forward and brush my lips softly against his. There’s stubble on his chin, a clear indication that he hasn’t shaved in a short while, and I run my fingers over his jawline to feel the rest. At first, he lets me take it slow, but after a moment, he deepens it and wraps his large hand around the back of my head.
This is what I need.
My coffee did the trick, but this will do much more.
I let him pull me from the chair, tilting my head back as he moves his kisses down the length of my throat, and his hand travels to the zipper of my dress. Evan unzips it, then pulls the straps down my arm and shoves the fabric down my legs until it’s a puddle at my feet. His eyes heat at the sight of my bare frame, aside from the lace panties, and I shiver under the stare.
I’ve never had someone look at me quite like he does. Yes, he once looked at me with heat in his eyes, but it was not nearly as smoldering as this stare. I take a step toward him, desperate for more, but he shakes his head and smiles.
“As much as I would love to hear you cry out, Carmen will be here soon and you still haven’t eaten your breakfast.” He reaches out, brushing loose strands of my hair back, and smirks. “I figured the dress was uncomfortable.”
Such a gentleman.
This is becoming harder and harder to ignore.
Do I even want to ignore it anymore?
He walks over to the other side of the room, grabbing the hoodie that he insisted he wanted to bring in case it got chilly last night, and brings it over to me. “Put this on. I’m sure it will be much more comfortable.”
With shaky hands, I do as he asks and slip the hoodie over my head. When I’ve got it situated, and it stops just past my ass, I steal a quick glance at Evan.
“You’re so beautiful,” he whispers in awe, then clears his throat and sits at the edge of the bed. “Eat, then we’ll get cleaned up and head downstairs. The guys will be waiting for us soon.”
Right… back to reality.
If only this bubble of ours could last.
As we make our way to the tour bus, reality starts to seep back in. The weight of my responsibilities settles on my shoulders, heavier than ever. I scan our surroundings, hyper-aware of every movement, every shadow.
This morning's stolen moments with Evan feel like a distant dream now.
***
The tour comes to a stop at our next destination, and Carmen sighs heavily, looking between each of the guys with a frown. “Listen, I wish we could continue with the tour like planned but I think it would be too dangerous right now. At least here you’ve got security outside your house, and we’ll just keep doing shows within a reasonable distance from here.”
Brent nods slowly, his eyebrows knitted together and an arm circling Julia’s waist. “You’re doing the right thing, Carmen. Who knows how much worse things are going to get, and this might be the safest place for Evan to be.”
Carmen smiles at Brent thankfully, then claps. “Plus, once this all blows over, we’ll continue with the tour as planned. Right now, smaller and closer is the best option.”
Her eyes dart around nervously as she says the words, leaving me to believe she doesn’t quite trust her own words, and that doesn’t make me feel much better. The guys each rise from their places on the couch, stretching their arms into the air, and I make sure to stick close to Evan’s side.
When we step off the bus, I make sure to scan our surroundings before following Evan onto their front porch. It’s weird being back at their house, but at least I’ll get to be in a more comfortable bed.
Evan kicks his shoes off inside the front door, nodding to the guys tiredly while making his way toward his room, and I glance awkwardly around before shrugging my shoulders. I’m about to turn down the hallway where my room is located when Evan clears his throat and catches my attention.
“Where do you think you’re going, darlin’?”
I hook a thumb over my shoulder and frown. “To my room?” I’ve got a lot to comb through tonight since I didn’t get anywhere during the drive back to New York.
He smiles brightly and nudges his head. “Come with me.”
Is that wise?
When I look around, double-checking that we’re alone, I hurry across the room and let him lead us down the hall. Thankfully, the front door opens, signaling that Carmen just walked inside as soon as we round the corner, and I blow out a relieved breath.
Evan threads his fingers through mine; the action is more comforting than it should be, and he pulls me inside eagerly. I’m about to ask him what he needs that I had to follow him, but before I can voice the question he’s got his lips slamming against mine. I open for him, my hands roaming over his back, then I pull away breathlessly.
“What was that for?”
He sighs and presses his forehead against mine. “It was torture being so close to you on that bus and not touching you, and this is all I’ve wanted to do since Carmen told us we were coming back home for the remainder of the tour.”
I tremble under his touch as he brushes his knuckle along my cheek, and then he does the most surprising thing and presses a tender kiss against my cheek. The warmth that was enveloping me disappears as Evan pushes away from me, and I whimper at the loss of it, which gets a chuckle out of him that I’d love to hear more of.
“You haven’t slept, Mia,” he says gently. “As much as I love your determination, I’d also hate if anything happened to you because you’re too tired to focus.”
Evan disappears into his closet, then comes out with a t-shirt and tosses it to me. “Put that on, then join me in bed?”
I can see the hope in his eyes, but I can’t help to dart my gaze toward his bedroom door. What if someone needs him and they catch me inside? Everything I’ve done would be for nothing, and Evan, possibly Liam, will still be in danger.
“Darlin’,” Evan says from across the room, a smirk on his face. “We’re fine. You’ve got enough to worry about.”
He pats the empty space next to him, and my eyes fall onto his bare chest. The tattoos that are always covered by his shirt are out in the open, forcing me to swipe my tongue over my bottom lips slowly, and I swallow thickly.
I can lay with him without doing anything… right?
His lips tip into a knowing smile as he watches me ogle him, and I glance away from him, my cheeks heating from embarrassment. He’s already got the blanket flipped over, ready for me to climb beneath it, and I sigh happily as soon as I sink into it. This is exactly what I was missing, and apparently, my body recognizes that as well because I’m desperate to close my eyes.
Evan chuckles, then flips the lamp off on his side of the bed and blankets the room in darkness. I’m nervous, which is something that rarely happens to me, and I can’t stop my hands from shaking as I pull the blanket up to my chin.
Just as I push my arm under my pillow and close my eyes, a loud crash echoes through the room, and Evan curses beside me. In seconds, the room is lit up again, the pieces of glass glistening on his floor, and Evan holds a hand up at me.
“Don’t move, Mia.”
What the hell was that?
After Evan has slipped his feet into a pair of shoes, he easily walks over to the broken glass and crouches down. His eyebrows knit together in confusion, and then all the color drains from his face as he lifts what looks to be a big rock from the floor. From here, all I can see is a small space of white, and I’m desperate to see what’s on it.
“This is getting out of control,” he says breathlessly while shaking his head. “I thought it would blow over; they would get sick of following me around, but they only seem to be having more fun with it.”
Evan deposits the rock onto his nightstand, giving me the chance to reach over and snatch it off.
My hands shake as I unfold the note wrapped around the rock. The message, scrawled in angry red letters, makes my blood run cold:
"Your little family won't be safe for long. Tick tock, Evan."
I swallow hard, my mind immediately going to Liam. We need to end this, and soon.
While he gets busy cleaning up the broken glass, there’s a rapid knock on his bedroom door that has my eyes widening.
Shit.
I knew this was a bad idea.
“Evan?” Carmen’s soft voice comes from the other side of the door. “Evan, is everything okay?”
The door knob turns but gets stuck — at least he had the sense to lock it.
“Please unlock the door, I need to make sure you’re okay. Should I get Mia?”
Oh God, she’s going to catch me here.
“Get in the bathroom,” Evan whispers, pointing to the large space across the room.
Right.
I’m glad Evan has the sense to figure out what I should be doing instead of staring at the closed door like a deer in the headlights.