In Your Eyes (Man of the Month 6)

She felt the chill first, even before she recognized him, and she started to back away. But then he looked up, his smile wide and welcoming and utterly charming.

"Megan," Carlton said. "I've been waiting for you."

Chapter Fourteen

Terror sluiced over Megan, and she stood stone still, her blood like ice, her eyes fixed on the man on her stoop.

Casually, as if this were no big deal at all, he stood up, then flashed her that brilliant smile

that had charmed her so thoroughly the first time she'd met him. "Wow, Megan. You look great. Austin agrees with you."

"Get away from me."

His brow furrowed, and he shook his head as if confused. "Hey, whoa. What's wrong?"

"Do not even try to bullshit me. Get the fuck away or I'm calling the cops."

He lifted his hands in surrender. "What the hell happened to make you so paranoid?" His eyes widened. "Oh, shit. Is it Parker? Am I too late?"

She opened her mouth to respond, realized she didn't understand what he meant by any of that, then closed it again. "Just go. Dammit, Carlton, just leave me alone, please. Can't you just leave me alone?"

"No, not when I'm scared for you." Sincerity oozed from his voice. "I tried to call, but you blocked my number." He exhaled, then shook his head. "I get cutting ties with an ex, Megan, but that seemed a little extreme."

"Extreme!"

Before she could continue, he barreled on. "But since I was going to be in Austin anyway, I thought I'd warn you in person."

She should tell him again to get lost, and then call the police if he didn't. But, dammit, she wanted to know what he meant. Still, she pulled out her phone, then held it tight, ready to hit the SOS icon if she needed to. "Warn me about what?"

"Parker," he said, the name like a bullet to her heart. "I saw a picture of you with him at some bar, and I just--oh, hell, Megan. I just couldn't live with myself if I didn't warn you. Especially after he did all that weird stalking shit in LA."

Her legs went weak and she stumbled backward. "What weird stalking shit?"

"Driving by your house. Calling you. Leaving flowers."

"Bullshit."

"I wish it was. I went to your place one night after we broke up. I had a pink T-shirt of yours I wanted to return."

She remembered the shirt; she never had gotten it back.

"I got distracted when I saw Parker sitting in a car across from your place. I confronted him--he didn't tell me the details, but I put together enough."

She shook her head. "You lying sack of shit."

"And then the son-of-a-bitch cornered me at my house and beat the living shit out of me."

She swallowed. If nothing else, she knew that was true.

"Pretty fucked up, right? They arrested him for assault, but we've been friends for a long time. I figured he just snapped. So I cooperated when he wanted to sweep it under the rug. I mean, he's got the kind of money to make that happen. Worse, too." He stepped toward her, close, almost pinning her against one of the stone support columns. "You should go. Get the hell out of Austin before he starts his shit all over again."

"Megan!"

Relief flowed through her, and she turned to find Parker racing toward her, her spare set of keys tight in his hand. He didn't pause, he didn't even stumble. He just slammed his fist into Carlton's face and sent the little bastard crashing to the ground.

"Get inside," he told her.

Her eyes went wide. "What are you going to do?"