See Me (19 page)

The soft knock on the door made her jump. She ran to the door and grabbed the baseball bat she kept inside the umbrella stand. “Who is it?”

“It’s Sean. Can I come in?”

She slid the baseball bat down into the brass umbrella stand and opened the door. She was greeted with a tank-top clad Sean, who had a tool belt draped over one muscular shoulder and a drywall bucket full of supplies fisted in his hand. “I’m here to fix your wall.”

Abigail stepped aside and proudly pointed to the wall in question. “I already did. Just needs some paint and it’s good as new.”

Sean stepped inside. “Really? Huh, you did a…great job. Come on, Abigail. Let me do it right. I’ve got everything here and some new paint out in the truck. Give me a second chance. Please.”

Abigail looked at the wall, then back at Sean, who was fidgeting with the hammer hanging from the tool belt. “Okay, I guess it would be all right. I was going to order some Chinese for lunch. Do you want any?”

“Sure,” he said and walked into the kitchen to put down the tools. “Mind if I grab a glass of water?” Penelope came running from the bedroom. “Hey, girl!” He leaned down to scratch behind her ear. “She missed me.”

Abigail hugged her waist. She missed him too. “Let me finish packing up a few things, and I’ll call.”

He grabbed a glass and filled it with water from the tap. “Was Ron serious when he asked me to go camping with you guys? Do you really want me to go?”

She stopped by the sofa. “Yes, I mean, if you want to go. I thought it would be fun to get away.”

“Then I’m in. I was thinking maybe you could stay at my place tonight. You know, so we could get an early start in the morning.” Abigail watched as he rinsed out his glass and put it in the drainer in the sink. “I mean, if you’d want to. The mutt can come too.”

“I don’t know…”

“Come on, be adventurous. I promise it’ll be fun. Just like a little slumber party. I’ll spring for pizza.”

He set out the tools on the counter and walked over to her. She fidgeted with the tiny tube of toothpaste. “I… Sean, there’s things about me you don’t know and—”

He slipped a loose strand of hair behind her ear. “Like who that guy was on the answering machine? Like who that key chain really came from? Or how about the dead rose petals in the sink? I’m not blind, baby. Something is going on, and it’s got you on edge all the time.”

She turned her cheek into his warm palm.

“Nothing…and I mean nothing you tell me will make me run away. Okay? When you’re ready…I’m here.” He leaned down and pressed a light kiss to her temple.

“Sean…”

“I like sweet-and-sour chicken, and get some of those big egg rolls too. Oh, and some fried rice.” When she pulled back from his tender embrace, she watched him grin. “What? I’m hungry.”

She smacked him on the shoulder and laughed. “You’re always hungry.”

“So what do you say?” he asked and pulled her tight against the safety of his body. “Come stay with me tonight, and we can talk about this key chain business.”

The thought of talking about Justin made her insides shake. Maybe it was time. “Okay, I’ll stay with you, but only if my wall looks like new. I was thinking about changing the color.”

“That’s great, because so was I. I was thinking more of a gunmetal gray,” he said and gave her a smirk. “I know it sounds weird, but I can do this treatment to the wall that’ll make it look really cool.”

“Okay, I’ll trust you, but it better look good or no extra egg rolls for you.”

Sean tapped her on the nose, making her blink and smile. “You’re one cruel woman, Abigail.”

“I know,” she said as she walked into the bathroom to finish gathering the things she was going to need for the camping trip.

Abigail spent the afternoon watching Sean fix the wall as she sat at the dining-room table making phone calls and looking over the schedule for the new orders. The largest portion of the requests were for Sean. They wanted him in every way possible, and that made something funny happen to her stomach every time she opened a new request for him. She finally concluded after the sixth video request that she didn’t want other people watching Sean jack off or riding a motorcycle naked. Hell no. She wanted him all to herself.

“Why are you looking at me like that, Abigail?” Sean asked and took a gulp of the iced tea she’d made. “The wall looks weird now, but it will look great after I apply the treatment. It’ll look old, like a castle kitchen. It’s going to match your stainless-steel appliances. I promise.”

“I know,” she said, a bit embarrassed that he’d caught her gawking at him. “It already looks ten times better.”

“Just trust me.”

The simple phrases meant more to her than he’d ever know. “I…do trust you.”

The smile that lit up his face made her smile too.

The afternoon went fast as they both took care of their separate tasks, every once in a while stopping to laugh at the dog or snack on the leftover Chinese food. Sean didn’t seem to mind that Abigail liked to eat. He encouraged her to eat an extra fortune cookie but not before making her open it up and say “in bed” after each fortune she read. That caused another riot of laughter when her second one read, “You will find great adventures…in bed.”

The day became so relaxed she could almost forget the lingering fear that Justin could step through the door at any moment, or that another call would come over the answering machine. She’d called the phone company to have the number changed, but they said it would take two days to activate. It was two days too many.

“So,” Sean said with his back turned to Abigail so he could stretch to paint behind the stove, “are you ever going to tell me the truth about the key chain and phone calls? I’m not stupid, ya know. After I thought about it, I think there’s more to this than you’re telling me.” He straightened back up and pointed the paint brush in her direction. “If this crazed fan is someone you know or was once a performer or whatever, I want to know about it. This can escalate, Abigail. What if he wants to do more than stalk you?”

Abigail felt her stomach roll. The General Tso’s chicken wasn’t sitting so well all of a sudden. “I’ll be right back.”

She ran into the bathroom and made it to the sink just in time to splash water on her face and stop the wave of nausea. She leaned over the basin, studying her reflection in the mirror. She should just tell him. Maybe Justin wouldn’t find her and make good on his promise to kill her or any man he found her with. What if she told Sean and his rage forced him to go after Justin? She shook her head. No, she couldn’t think about the two men fighting. Justin’s unstable mental state could make him harm Sean. She just couldn’t risk it. After brushing her teeth, she opened the door to the bathroom and ran smack into a muscular chest.

Sean grabbed her shoulders and pulled her in close to steady her. “You okay?”

“Um, sometimes Chinese food doesn’t sit well with my stomach. Is the kitchen done yet? I’ve got everything packed and ready to go. Can we leave soon?”

He tugged her against his chest. “I want you to know that I’m not going to leave you, no matter what you have to tell me. If this is a boyfriend of yours you want taken care of, I can do that for you. After I talk to him, believe me, he won’t bother you anymore.”

“Can we just go, please?” Penelope ran between their legs. “See, even she’s ready to head out. Let’s go to your place.” As long as Justin didn’t follow them, she’d be safe there for the night. And she figured they’d be safe at Carl’s cabin too, seeing as it was so far in the woods.

Sean ran his hand along her ponytail. “Okay, we can go.” He hesitantly leaned in, and her heart stopped.
Please kiss me. Please kiss me
. He pressed his lips to the top of her head. Her pride deflated just a bit. It’d have to do. “Come see what I did, and tell me if you like it.”

They walked into the kitchen, and Abigail’s mouth gaped open. The wall was beautiful. The small space looked like a kitchen from her favorite home-improvement show. The new color freshened up the space and seemed to add more light.

“Thank you, Sean. It looks amazing!” She turned around and flung her arms around his neck. “You’re so talented.”

“I’m glad you like it. And…I’m sorry again for being the reason it needed fixing.”

“I don’t like what you did, but the kitchen looks better for it. I was wondering, when we get back, could you fix a tile in my bathroom?”

“Sure, what’s wrong with it?” he asked and wrapped his arms around her waist, pulling her in close.

God, she thought, the simple gesture made her feel so safe. “I punched it.”

“What? Because of me?”

“No,” she said and rubbed her nose against the tip of his nose, “because of me.”

He ran his lips along the seam of her closed mouth. She opened and darted her tongue into the warm cavern of his mouth. The sensual kiss made her want to sink to the floor and take off his shirt, but she wanted to get out of the apartment and into a safer place first.

“I never took you for a Chuck Liddell type,” Sean said.

“Is he a fighter?” she asked.

“Yeah, he’s a fighter.”

“Well, I’m a fighter too!”

* * * *

Sean pulled the truck up to the curb and parked. “This is my place,” he said.

Abigail checked around the street as she helped Penelope out of the truck. She wasn’t sure what she was scanning for. Justin could be driving the same BMW, or maybe he’d traded it in for something less conspicuous. She had no clue. The helpless feeling made her sprint around the truck, where Sean leaned behind the seat to grab their bags. The muscles in his thighs stretched as he hefted the bags out of the truck.

“You’re really strong.”
Did I really just say that out loud? I’m such a loser.

He tipped her a sexy grin. “And you’re cute as hell, especially when you blush like that. Come on, let’s get inside. Do you want anything to eat?”

“I don’t think I can eat right now.” If she put even a morsel in her gut, it was going to do a reverse-engine. Her nerves felt raw and exposed. Every muscle in her body tensed and released. Was Justin hiding behind a tree? Was he spying from a parked car?

She followed Sean into an old Victorian house. Once inside, she could see a stairway leading up to a landing with three doors. She looked around where she was standing. Downstairs, a hallway stretched before them with three more doors.

“I’m upstairs,” Sean said.

Sean unlocked the door to his apartment and stepped aside so Abigail could walk in. Penelope scampered across the room and jumped onto the couch. Abigail felt safe. Her nerves leveled to an unsteady hum while she looked around Sean’s place. She wanted to live, to be blessed with one more day with him. Her body overloaded as she silently stood in the middle of the room. The coiled tension unwound with a dangerous snap, and she slumped onto the floor and curled up into a ball.

“Oh God, baby,” Sean’s voice rang out as he knelt and stroked her hair. “Whatever’s happened, we’ll figure it out. That message on the answering machine, that’s it, isn’t it? Something’s going on, Abigail and I want to know what it is.”

She sobbed into the hand pressed against her wet cheek. “You’re strong enough. T-To be safe. I know you’re strong enough.”

“Come on. I’m putting you in the tub.” He helped her up and cradled her against his side as they made their way the few feet to the bathroom. “Sit down.” He rested her on the toilet while he got the bath ready. “I don’t have any frilly stuff to put in here. My mom used to have fifty thousand bottles sitting on the side of the tub. I’m going to feed Penelope while you get undressed. I’ll be right back.”

The thought of stripping naked in front of him made her stomach roll again.
It’s time to tell someone
. The only mirror in the tiny bathroom hung above the pedestal sink. Three large, round bulbs lit up the rectangle. The black circles under her eyes were accentuated by the swelling, blotchy skin around them.

The time was now or never. Her hands trembled as she tugged the jean shorts off and tossed them by the toilet. She pulled the hem of her T-shirt over her head, tossing it in the pile with the shorts. Bra and panties next. She stood naked, scars and all displayed for him to see. If he didn’t like it, she’d pack Penelope up and hit the road. Ron could take her back to her car, and she’d drive. No direction, just drive.

“I brought you a glass—” Sean set the glass of water on the lip of the tub and bent to turn off the knobs. Steam rolled from the water. “It might be a little too hot.”

Abigail forced her arms to rest at her sides. “Look at me, Sean.”

Kneeling by the tub, he raised his gaze. “Get in the water.”

Her insides twisted, taking the air from her lungs. She couldn’t breathe. He’d rejected her. She couldn’t reach for the pile of clothes fast enough. When she turned, a strong hand caught her by the waist and tugged. She stumbled against him as he sat down on the toilet. He hugged her so tight she could barely breathe. “Baby…baby,” he whispered while he rocked her. “Goddamn it…you’re so beautiful. Goddamn…Goddamn, baby. What happened to you?”

He smelled so good. He’d worked hard all day, and the musky scent of what he’d been doing lingered on his skin. She nestled her nose against his collarbone to sniff. “Y-You smell good.”

“What?”

“I like when you smell sweaty.” She sniffed again.

“You’re crazy, little lady,” he said through a shaky laugh. “Want to get in the tub?”

“Uh-huh.” He helped her step into the hot water. It was perfect. She sank until her shoulders were hidden beneath the surface. “Your apartment is all white.”

Was he blushing, or was it the steamy bathroom? “Yeah, I was hoping this wasn’t going to be a permanent place for me.” He dipped his hand into the water, skimming her thigh. “Thanks to you, it’s not going to be.”

Thanks to her? “I…I need you to do me a favor.”

Lazy fingertips grazed her thigh again, making her want to turn on her side to face him, but she didn’t. That would make her big hip stick out of the water, and she just wasn’t ready for that right now.

“Anything,” he said while making tiny strokes along her skin.