“Dylan?”

“Reese! Someone’s in my shop! I heard a loud crash and ran downstairs and---”

“Where are you? Are you safe?” His voice is filled with worry and I can tell he’s on the move. Oh God, please be at your place and not far from me.

“I’m in my bathroom. They broke the window and I saw someone.” I hear commotion, a lot of commotion through the phone as I crawl into my bathtub and close the shower curtain. Like that’s going to do any good if they decide to break into the bathroom. This is so horror movie cliché I almost roll my eyes at myself. “Please, I need you.” I cry, dropping my head between my knees and letting myself sob.

“Stay in there. Don’t come out no matter what you hear. GOD DAMN IT. SHIT.” Echoes of footsteps ring through the phone and he’s out of breath but his curse words keep flying. “I’m on my way. Call the police.”

“NO. Please don’t make me hang up.” I’m crying, shaking with fear and my words are broken and strained. I hear the sound of a car starting.

“Fuck. Move the fuck out of the way!” Car horns and another string of cuss words come through the phone as I clutch it tightly. “Love, you have to call the police. I’m almost there. I won’t let anything happen to you, I promise. Just hang up and call them and then call me back okay?”

“Okay, okay. Please hurry.”

“I am.”

I quickly hang up and dial 911, rapidly telling them the situation and giving them my location. They tell me that the police are on their way and to stay where I am. That’s not going to be a problem. I have zero intention of moving from this spot until I hear Reese on the other side of the door, even though I haven’t heard a noise coming from below me since the sound of the window breaking. I hang up and dial him again.

“I’m here. Don’t open the door until I get up there, okay?”

“Okay, but stay on the phone with me.” I hear his heavy breathing and the sound of glass crunching and cracking. God please don’t let that person still be here. If I hear Reese getting into a struggle with someone there’s no way in hell I’m staying in this bathroom, I don’t care what the consequences are. I will claw the fucker’s eyes out if he puts his hands on Reese. I hear footsteps outside the door and hold my breath.

“Dylan?”

I drop my phone and crawl out of the tub, scrambling for the lock and swinging the door open. I don’t even register his appearance before I jump into his arms and cling to him. “Oh my God, I was so scared.” I’m holding onto him like I haven’t seen him in years, my body completely glued to his. “Is he still here?”

His arms wrap me up and he breathes into my hair, his chest heaving against mine. “Dylan.” I moan softly at the sound of my name. “It’s okay, I’ve got you. I didn’t see anyone but your front window is completely smashed to shit.” He carries me away from the bathroom and into my bedroom area.

I’m shaking against his body and tighten my grip. “Jesus Christ. Why would someone break into my bakery? Do you think they wanted treats?” I hear a small muffled laugh escape his lips that are pressed into my hair. My tears are streaming down my face as he places me on my feet in front of my dresser. I look him over and take in his appearance. Hair a right mess, no doubt from the rough treatment of his hands as he drove over here, clenched jaw, and prominent crease in his brow. His green eyes are burning into mine and even though they’re filled with worry, they still carry the same intensity as always.

“Here, you need to put on pants before the police get here. They’re going to want to ask you questions.” He starts rifling through my drawers and I see him taking out several pairs of pants, tops, and panties.

“Umm, do I need to put on layers?” I wipe underneath my eyes and finally stop my tears. Now that Reese is here, I’m no longer scared and the only emotion running through me right now is elated joy from the sheer sight of him.

“No, but you’re not staying here tonight so you need to pack some clothes. I’m taking you home with me.” He glances over at me as he closes my drawers.

“Okay,” I reply, picking up a pair of jeans and sliding them up my legs.

“Really? You’re not going to try and tell me that you could just stay at Juls’ house, or that you’re not breaking the no sleepover rule again? You’re just going to say okay?” He looks utterly shocked and I almost laugh. Jesus, am I that defiant?

“Yes, I’m not always so argumentative.” The sound of police sirens flow up the stairs and I quickly grab a bra and put it on, keeping his T-shirt on in the process.

He notices it and smiles a bit as he places my things in a nearby duffle bag. “Do you need anything else?”

I take a quick look around the room. “Umm, I guess just my bathroom stuff.” I scurry in there and grab my toothbrush, hairbrush, face wash, moisturizer, phone off the shower floor, and conditioner because I’m more than happy to use his shampoo and body wash, spinning to see him standing in the doorway. He’s studying me, eyes narrowed in on the collection in my hands. “What? I’m a girl and I can’t take another shower at your place without conditioner. We can’t all have gorgeous no product necessary hair like you.” His lips curl up as I drop the goodies into my duffle and follow him down the stairs.

After talking to the police and giving them my very vague description of the hooded figure standing outside my shop, they ask me if I know of anyone who might have possibly wanted to hurt my business or me personally. My eyes quickly flicked to Reese who clenched his jaw before giving them his ex-receptionist name and information. He told them about the package I received and claimed that she became unstable after he stopped seeing her. I had assumed the figure I saw standing outside was a man because of the dark hoodie covering their face, but I guess it could have just as easily been a woman. I’m assured that my insurance will cover the damage, which luckily was only to one of my windows. No damage was done to the inside of the shop which I was extremely grateful for. The police found a brick that was used to break the glass that had slid underneath my consultation table and were going to dust it for prints. I would only have to remain closed for one day for the window to get repaired so that wasn’t too bad. It could have been a lot worse. Way worse.

As we drive in silence to his building, the night I just endured is the last thing on my mind. Right now, with my duffle bag packed full of clothes sitting behind me in the back seat, the only thing on my mind is that I’ll be having another sleepover with Reese. And I can’t help but tense in my seat at the anticipation of it.

Eighteen

He’s quiet, too quiet as he walks into his condo and places my bag on the floor next to the couch. He hasn’t said two words to me since we left the bakery and it’s making my skin crawl. I plop down onto the couch and kick my shoes off, bringing them underneath my body as I hear him banging around in the kitchen.

“Here.” He hands me a bottled water and I take it, seeing him walk around the couch and sit on the far end, way the hell away from me. He begins flipping through the channels and stops on some basketball game that I couldn’t care less about. What the fuck is this? He comes to my rescue and I know damn well I heard him call me love which means he can’t hate me, asks me, no, tells me that I’m coming to spend the night with him, and now he’s barely acknowledging that I’m even here. I turn my head and stare at him and his perfect profile as it remains impassive but interested in the game he’s watching. He’s in running shorts and a navy blue T-shirt that has some emblem on the front that I can’t make out. Several long minutes go by as his eyes remain on the television, not once flicking towards me. Jesus, is this how it’s going to be all night? Fine then. If I’m sleeping over, I’m at least going to get comfortable. I stand up and quickly shimmy out of my jeans, tossing them on top of my duffle and reach up and slip my T-shirt off. Turning around so I know he can see me, I drop it on the couch and remove my bra. I make quick eye contact with him as I slip my bra down my arms, his eyes lingering briefly, really fucking briefly on my chest before flicking back towards the game. I grunt and grab his t-shirt and slip it back on before I snatch the remote out of his hands and turn the television off.