“And if I say yes?” I grin down at her, but she doesn’t smile. She seems to be in deep thought.
Deep thought is exactly what I’m trying to avoid right now. Good thing she’s naked, distracting me. I run a hand over the curve of her hip and brush it over her belly.
She shivers. “Why aren’t you still mad at me?” She watches my hand as it travels down to her thigh. “I reported Blake, Micah. Did you hear me before when I said that?”
My hand stops. Here it comes. I’m not ready yet. I move my hand lower, between her legs, and she gasps when I tease her seam open with my thumb.
“Do you want me to stop?” I stroke her, and her eyes close as her breathing speeds up. “Would you rather talk instead?”
Shit, she’s so ready. I dip my finger inside her again and again until she moans my name and comes apart in my arms, convulsing.
I’m breathing just as hard as she is. Reaching down for my junk, I find it rock hard and wet. I tug on it, and then her hand closes over mine.
“Micah. Did Seth say anything else to you about his assailants?”
All air leaves my lungs. “He did.”
There it comes, the sound of reality rushing back. Deafening.
“What did he say?”
“He said…” I lick my lips, and the cold fills me up again. “They claimed they did it for you. What did you do, Ev? What the hell did you do?”
“Me?” She flinches and pulls back. “You think I did this to Seth? That I sent people to beat him up?”
The hurt on her face is too much. “To hell with it, Ev. You asked what Seth said. And you always act scared around him and avoid him, and then you left from the hospital acting all upset. What is the truth?”
She gets up, and all the warmth leaves me. My teeth clack together, and my skin breaks out in goose bumps. I sit up and watch her standing with her back to me.
“You’re right,” she says, her voice barely audible. “I should have told you everything from the start.”
“Everything? That sounds like a lot.”
Her shoulders slump. She turns to face me. “Remember you asked me what scares me?”
“You said Blake. Very ex-boyfriend.”
A faint smile tugs on her lips. “Right. Well, he obviously doesn’t get the ‘ex’ part. Plus he has an issue with me talking to people on the street. So he threatened to hurt any homeless person I might talk to.”
Shit. I blink at nothing. “But Seth isn’t homeless anymore.”
“Blake said he kept track of the faces of every homeless person I’d taken care of before my accident. I wouldn’t put it past him to have photos of all of them. He’s sick. I thought he was just trying to frighten me, and some time passed with nothing happening, so I thought it would be all right, but then this happens…” She throws her hands into the air, and her mouth trembles. “This is my fault, for thinking Blake wouldn’t do it.”
I gape at her. The hell. “I’m gonna kill that fucker,” I say, my voice a growl. “Where is he?”
“Micah, no.” She returns to me, kneeling on the sofa next to me. “Don’t do anything. Get Seth to file a report, and combined with mine it should be enough to get a restraining order for Blake, for both me and Seth.”
“What about others? What about Shane?” What about me?
This sucks serious ass.
“I mentioned this to the police. I’ll have to avoid Seth and Shane for now, until we see what happens. Blake may have a record already. They’re looking into it.”
“You don’t…” I struggle to suck in breath. “Don’t understand.”
“What?” She’s looking at me, her eyes clear.
She reported the asshole. He’s being investigated, watched. Why should I scare her now by telling her I was on the streets, too? I can take care of myself. I’ll be careful.