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Ewan: ??
Amelia: Someone called her. Now her phone keeps ringing. Like blowing up and she won’t talk to me about it. She’s all upset.
Ewan: Who was it? Where are you?
Amelia: Leaving the mall to go home. She said some client is calling her a bunch. That man is texting her too. E, she seems scared. Like turned her phone off scared.
“Guys, I need to go.” They all looked at me like I was crazy. “Something is wrong with Jovie. I don’t know, but I think some guy is harassing her.” They told me call if I needed them, and I left, peeling out of the driveway to try to make it home before them. Teaching a self-defense class didn’t mean I was a fighter, but it did mean I could kick someone’s ass. The desire had never been there before, but someone upsetting my girls made me lose it. Whoever was bothering her was going to pay.
I slid into the driveway after trying to call Jovie all the way home. Her phone was still off, and her mailbox was full. Amelia made it clear that Jovie didn’t want me to know about the harassment so I settled my anger before they got home. I wanted to storm out to her car, demanding to know what the hell was going on, but I shook my hands out to relieve the tension. I watched out the window, still trying her cell, and waiting for them to get back. Jovie had done something to me, flipped a switch that made me some kind of animal. I wanted to have her with me all the time, keep her safe and happy constantly. I knew I wanted it all from the beginning, but she made the drive so much worse. Aside from the need to have her under me at all times, her happiness and comfort was at the front of every decision I made. Jovie felt uneasy when I dropped Ams off, and I knew it.
I was pulled from my thoughts when I heard her car pull in the driveway. Jovie shoved her phone in her pocket when I opened her door. “Have fun?” I kissed her forehead as she stood. She nodded once, pushing past me to get to the trunk.
Ams stared at her over the hood, glaring. “Oh, my god, Jovie, tell him.” Jovie grabbed bags from the trunk and her phone rang again. Amelia tipped her head at me to do something, but unless Jovie decided to tell me what was happening, I couldn’t do anything. Jovie stared at the gravel, storming past me to take the bags inside as her phone rang again. I saw red. Someone was threatening her, and I was going to end it whether she wanted to or not. I got the rest of the bags, Amelia closed the trunk, and we followed Jovie in, making a point to lock the door.
She jumped and yelped when I touched her arm. Her knuckles were white from gripping the counter and her eyes were squeezed closed. “Give me your keys. You’re staying here tonight.”
“You aren’t going to hold me hostage here.” Jovie picked her keys up from the counter, turning to glare at me. It was a really bad time for her to be feisty.
I shook my head. “No, I’m going to your house to get your things.” I held my hand out and she dropped her keys in my palm. “Now, call the police and file a report from Amelia’s phone, then let everyone know to call me if they need to reach you.” I kept my voice soft but made sure she understood that there was no arguing. Jovie stared me down until I pulled her into me, curling my arms around her, and pressing her into my chest. “I’ve got this, Jove. I’ll take care of it. Just tell me what to get, okay?” My woman nodded against me and rattled off a list, telling me to take Merlin to Nick’s. I kissed her head as she peeled away from me reluctantly. Tears clung to her lashes, breaking my heart. I tipped her face up and kissed her softly. Jove mumbled a thank you against my mouth and went to find Amelia while I left to get her things.
SEVENTEEN
Jovie
When Ewan got back, I was successfully pouting on the couch and my phone was ringing on the table next to me. Mason had moved from using his phone to using a local number, but I still hadn’t answered. Every time there was a noise, I jumped. I had become a fucking coward over a client. Granted, the client was stalking me. Why me? What had I done to prompt his reaction? The texts went from run of the mill crazy to rape threats quickly and were peppered with pictures of his unimpressive manhood. Ewan dropped a bag at my feet and sat next to me as my phone blew up again with another bombardment of text messages.
“Turn it off.” He took my hand and rubbed his thumb down mine softly. Ewan was being so sweet, but his tone made it clear that I shouldn’t argue. I picked the phone up and opened the new texts. Who knew there were so many angles to take a dick pic from? I offered the phone to Ewan and watched his face as he read through the texts. His lip curled into a snarl and he held down the power button until the screen went black.
“I gave my family your number, so I need to apologize in advance.” I laid my head on his shoulder. “I don’t know what brought it all on. Mason’s been a client for over a year, maybe even two. He has never been the least bit creepy until today. Well, he was weird, but not a stalker.” Ewan rested his head on mine, and I told him about the weird date proposition and roses making him tighten his grip. I told him about Mason knowing where I went to eat on Wednesdays, and my caveman pulled me in his lap, hugging me to him and grumbled into my neck about taking care of me. I rolled my eyes.
His phone rang, and Ewan showed me the number. “Hey, Mom.” I braced for her verbal assault.
“What the hell kind of text is that, Jovie? You can’t send out a message saying some psycho is calling you without more details,” Mom screeched the words so loud I had to pull the phone back from my ear. Ewan chuckled.
“I had to call the police so a quick text was all I had time for. I have it under control.” Biggest lie ever. I felt like everything was anywhere except in my control. Ewan squeezed me, knowing damn well I was a liar. It was like he could sense my fear and was determined to take care of it.
“Don’t you dare go home. Whose number are you using, anyway?”
“It’s Ewan’s, and I don’t think the man would let me leave if I wanted to.” He shook his head emphatically. “So, I’m fine, Mom.”
“Come stay here. Bring Merlin, and you can sleep in our extra room.” She used her maternal voice, but there was no way I was going back home over some psycho. It was bad enough being there every weekend. I loved my family dearly, but sometimes they were too much. Before I could answer, Ewan took the phone and cleared his throat.
“This is Ewan.” He rubbed his forehead. “It’s really no trouble for her to stay. The least I could do, really. I live right up from her shop and will make sure she gets back and forth safely.” Ewan paused. “Of course not. I’ll take her myself and pick her up. No, it’s my pleasure.” Pause again. “Right, no need to thank me. Have a nice night, Louise.” He dropped the phone on the couch in true mic drop fashion and donned a smug grin. “Now, I packed only the sexy nighties for you, so if you expected actual pajamas that’s too bad.” Something about his poorly-timed joke made me feel so much better. I was scared, and Ewan knew it. Mason knew where I worked, he found my number, and I was terrified. I forced a laugh and Ewan made me look at him. “You’re all right.”
I believed him.
I spent all day Wednesday cleaning Ewan’s house. I did laundry, washed dishes, and scrubbed the floors. The dogs got clean beds, and I ironed his shirts. Digging through the fridge and cabinets, I found everything to make vegetable lasagna. It took a couple of hours so I started around lunch knowing they would both be home right after four. Ewan’s bathroom was even clean. I was going mad. Like it wasn’t bad enough to fall in love with a guy I had just met, but I had holed myself up in his house with him and his sister. Then I was cleaning his house like I had never cleaned my own. Gods, I was going stir crazy. I tried to read, but there was no point. Every car going by made me jump as I sat on the porch swing. I went around to the back to sit in the hammock on the porch, but I couldn’t focus on anything. I finally pulled my laptop out and started typing. I wrote a crap story about a time traveler, but it dwindled fast, and I was writing drivel before long. I relented to my guilty pleasure of reading paranormal romance. There was no way for me to resist getting swept up in a good Dark Hunter book. No matter how embarrassing the habit, something about a vampire-esque troubled soul being saved from damnation by a mortal and having mind-blowing sex along the way got to me.
By the time my alarm on my phone went off, I was half way through the book, and probably flushed from the scene I had just read. I ambled in to get the food from the oven and make lemonade. I squeezed the lemons, added water and sugar, tasting as I went until I heard the front door. Amelia bounced in.
“Wow!” She looked over the kitchen. “Bored much?” I nodded at her slowly. I hated cooking but had made dinner and drinks from scratch. She shook her head. “Let’s do something tonight after dinner. Ewan can take us across town, or even out of town to do something.”
“No, he worked all day, and we both have to work tomorrow.” Truth was, I was terrified to go anywhere. I was a fricking coward. Amelia shrugged and started sifting through stuff in her backpack. She slouched down at the table with a text book and rested her brow on the heels of her hands, reading. I set a glass of lemonade down in front of her. When Ewan came home, I was sitting across from his sister, also reading. What else was I supposed to do? I was too afraid to even walk my dog. He kissed Amelia on the head, and his eyes darted around the kitchen before addressing me.
“Did you cook?” I nodded. “And clean?” I nodded again. Ewan pursed his kissable lips and caught his sister’s eyes. “Amelia’s right, after dinner, we’re going somewhere.” I shook my head adamantly, setting my jaw. Ewan crouched in front of me, taking my hand. “Jovie, we’re going to play mini-golf. They’re open late, it’s only four now, we can eat fast and go.” He said it gently, but I could tell my ass would be dragged to the car if I didn’t agree.
“Fine, but you better eat the hell outta the lasagna.” He smirked and kissed my nose before going up to change. They helped me eat nearly the whole pan of lasagna and the lemonade was gone by the time we left, heading east. I drummed my fingers nervously on the armrest making Ewan grab them. Amelia bragged, daring us to bet on her “mad putt-putt skills”, sending us all into laughter. I hadn’t been to play mini golf in years, but the closer we got, the more my nerves settled and the more excited I was.
