Chapter 33
CHAPTER THIRTY-THREE
Last night was filled with passion, and Titus had taken her once again in the early hours of morning while the woods remained shrouded in darkness and a cool breeze from the open window gently caressed her skin. He left her satiated and boneless.
Now he was in the kitchen making breakfast. Emelia looked at her watch. It was 9 a.m., with the whole day ahead for doing something or nothing.
She hadn’t slept this late in so long, and it felt good.
Emelia got up to shower. The warm water sluicing over her body, erasing any aches she had, felt heavenly.
She wrapped herself up in a towel and walked into the bedroom. They both spent so much time at each other’s place that they each had a drawer and closet space for clothes.
Emelia pulled out her underwear and, after looking outside, decided to wear a long-sleeved cropped pink sweater over her jeans from last night. She brushed her hair, pulled it back into a ponytail, added a little lipstick, and stepped into her shoes. The room lacked a full-length mirror, but it was fine.
She followed the scent of bacon frying and watched as Titus beat eggs for their breakfast.
He wore just a pair of drawstring sweats, was barefoot and shirtless, and looked incredibly sexy. His coppery hair was disheveled, and he hummed a tune.
Emelia snuck up behind him and placed her arms around his waist. That he didn’t jump wasn’t a surprise. He probably heard her breathing a mile away.
“Morning,” she whispered.
Titus poured the eggs into the skillet. As he turned, he hugged her close to his chest and sniffed her neck. “Mmmm. You smell good. Good enough to eat for breakfast.”
She pushed away from him. “There’s no way you’re getting out of making me breakfast. I’m famished and used up all my energy last night and this morning.”
He chuckled. “Maybe we can use up more energy after breakfast.”
Emelia lightly slapped his arm. “You’re an animal. You know that, right?”
In an instant, Emelia was bent sideways, and Titus kissed her silly. When he let her up, he bopped her nose and said, “I’m your animal. But right now, I need to feed you. Can’t have you passing out later.”
She got a couple of plates from the shelf and silverware.
Titus had taken the pan of scrambled eggs off the heat and divided them onto plates. Then he uncovered the bacon he cooked earlier and placed a couple of slices next to the eggs.
“Butter the toast, will you, while I get the jam?”
Emelia buttered the toast, placed it on a plate, and set it on the table. Titus walked back into the kitchen with the jar of jam when his phone suddenly rang.
“Hello.” Silence. He glanced at her and listened to whoever it was, only grunting a couple of times. His face became more serious as he listened.
Emelia couldn’t help but wonder if it was an emergency at the gym or if he had a new security job. Either way, it would be a shame because she was looking forward to spending more time with him. It wasn’t often that they had an entire night and day together.
Finally, he let out a heavy sigh, sat across from her at the table, and cleared his throat. Then exhaled again, this time rubbing his chin.
“Emelia,” he started, his voice filled with concern. He closed his eyes for a moment and shook his head. When he opened his eyes, he said, “That was Vanessa.”
Her heart skipped a beat. “Oh no, is something wrong with Leo?”
“No, it isn’t Leo. She went to your apartment to get more food for Leo but discovered the lock broken and your place trashed.”
Trashed?
Emelia closed her eyes and rubbed her forehead. A chill had settled in her limbs and her core. Who would do such a thing and why? What were they looking for? Or was this just part of some crazy scheme to scare the shit out of her?
It was working.
Titus leaned over and took her hands, trying to offer comfort. “It’s okay. We’ll deal with it.”
She opened her mouth to ask something, but no words came out. Emelia swallowed hard and whispered, “Why?”
Titus’s eyes filled with sorrow. “Don’t know, sweetheart. Colt and Zach are working on it.” He glanced at their unfinished breakfast. “Why don’t we finish breakfast and drive into town?”
Emelia looked at the table, and her stomach revolted. She pushed the plate away and gulped hard. “I—I can’t eat. Can we just leave?”
“Of course. I’ll get my keys and we’re off.” He stood and grabbed his keys off the counter.
She thought about picking up the plates, but she felt herself unable to move. Her body and mind were fused into the chair. Moments later, Titus had changed into jeans and a T-shirt and helped her stand. “Come on, sweetheart. I called Liam, and he’s going to meet us there.”
Great. Another police visit.
She clung to Titus as they made their way to his truck, her mind filled with questions, so many questions, and fear.
Titus kept stealing glances at her. His worried face nearly crushed her. When they arrived in town, Titus found a parking space by the gym. He helped her out of the truck and held her hand, walking down the alleyway.
Dread washed over her body when she saw the red and blue lights flashing from the street and two police cars parked outside. Liam was there talking with two uniformed officers and Vanessa, who was trying to control an excited puppy on the leash, straining to reach Emelia.
“Oh Emelia,” cried Vanessa. “I’m so sorry. Is there anything I can do to help?”
Emelia managed a weak smile. “I can’t think of anything at the moment, but thanks.” She bent over and scratched Leo behind the ears.
Liam and Titus shook hands as Titus asked him if he had any ideas.
“Not yet. Vanessa let us in, but I’d like to go back up with Emelia and see if she notices anything missing.”
Emelia stared at the broken lock to her apartment and inhaled sharply. Someone had invaded her space. The graffiti on her window was bad enough, but this felt even more personal.
Her heart pounded as she walked up the stairs to see the door to her apartment pushed in. She gulped air into her lungs. Was she ready to see what happened? No.
Swallowing fear, Emelia stepped through the open door. All the air in her lungs escaped as she took in the chaotic mess that had been her sanctuary.
“I—I feel sick.” Emelia held her mouth and rushed to the bathroom, heaving whatever was left in her stomach from the previous night. When her stomach was empty, she ran the cold water and splashed it on her face.
As she glanced around, she noticed the bathroom hadn’t escaped the violence. The shower curtain was ripped off, and her toiletries were thrown around. She sat on the toilet seat, trying to hold back the flood of tears.
There was a light knock on the door, and Titus opened it to peek in. When he saw the tears, he came in and scooched in front of her. “We will find out what happened. I promise.”
“It’s just so overwhelming.”
“I know, sweetheart.” He leaned over to kiss her. “Can you come out and talk to Liam? He wants to know if anything is missing.”
Emelia rubbed her eyes and took a deep breath. “Yeah.” She splashed water on her face and cupped her hands to rinse her mouth. Stepping into the living room, she felt violated once again.
“Whoever trashed your apartment was very angry,” said Liam. “This is personal.”
“I can’t imagine anyone hating me this much to do such damage,” she replied.
“It’s not only about hating someone, but it could also be something you don’t even know about,” Liam said. “There are a lot of crazies around.”
One of the uniformed officers motioned to Liam, and he excused himself.
“God, Titus, what am I going to do now?” she asked. On the one hand, Emelia wanted to clean and toss anything broken. On the other, she just wanted to go to sleep, wake up, and find out it was all a dream.
That wasn’t happening.
“What I think you should do is get Leo and come home with me. Since the bakery is closed Monday, I’ll have the guys haul away anything that’s broken.”
“I can’t impose on you,” she said.
He tucked a stray lock of hair behind her ear. “You’re never imposing. I want you safe and with me until we figure out what’s going on.”
She sighed. “Okay, but it’s only for a little while until I get my apartment cleaned.”
“Why don’t you pack a few things while I call Colt?”
Emelia found her empty suitcase in the bedroom closet. Finding clothes was more challenging since everything was thrown in a pile. Then she found some unbroken toiletries and packed them.
In the kitchen, she picked up Leo’s toys and food. Titus could fold and carry his crate. After another look around, Emelia shed one last tear. Today was a bust, but tomorrow? She’d pull up her big-girl panties, get her place cleaned up, and get on with her life.
However, when she found out who did this to her, all bets were off.