After a bit, the voices outside the door drifted away, and I imagined maybe Justin was walking the girl back to her car.
As I started getting sleepy again, Justin reentered the apartment, locking the door behind him. “Fuck me. I think I’ve had enough excitement for a while.” He walked over to me and held out his hand so I could grab it and stand up. “I could use a beer. Want one?”
I shook my head as I moved to the couch, settling in. As Justin came back in the room, he was taking a swig off a bottle of beer. I said, “You were really nice to her.”
“Ha. No, I wasn’t.”
“You told her she was pretty, and you reassured her that there’s nothing wrong with her.”
“Ah, sweetheart, there’s plenty wrong with her. She’s a thousand kinds of fucked up—and I don’t need that shit.”
“I know—but you were nice to her. You didn’t have to be.”
Raising an eyebrow, he took another drink. “Yeah, well, don’t let that info get around, okay?”
For the first time in days, I felt a genuine smile form on my lips. “Your secret’s safe with me.” Grinning again, I patted his leg. “What did you tell her to finally make her go?”
“That’s my secret.”
Hmm. “I wouldn’t mind a sip of your beer, if you don’t mind.”
“Damn, woman, I already offered you one.”
“I can’t drink a whole one. My stomach still feels a little queasy.”
“Fine. Just don’t puke in it.” I refrained from rolling my eyes as I took a sip of beer. Bad idea. My stomach lurched, and I made a face as I handed back the bottle to him. He asked, “You doin’ okay now?”
“I don’t know. I feel kind of…empty.”
He put his right arm around my shoulders and held me to his chest while he finished the beer. Slowly relaxing as I absorbed his warmth, I listened to his steady breathing and the soft thud-thud of his heart. Finally, I said, “I should probably go.”
“You can stay the night.”
“I have to work in the morning.”
“Then let me get dressed.”
“I can drive myself, Justin. I’m okay now.”
“My truck’s over at your place. I have to go with you.”
I shook my head, confused. “What? How?” As he started walking toward his bedroom, I followed him.
“How the hell do you think I stopped you?”
While he opened a drawer and threw a t-shirt on, I sat on the edge of the bed and slipped on my socks and shoes. “I don’t know. I hadn’t given it much thought.”
“After you left here with the gun, I followed you home. I could see it in your eyes, Rascal. I knew you were gonna try something dangerous and stupid. So instead of driving home, I parked my truck around the block from your place and walked to your street. I got in your van and hid in the back.”
“But how? I always lock it.”
Justin laughed as he started tying his boots. “Darlin’, you have faith in me to find you an unregistered gun, but you ask how I could get into your car?” Smiling, I shook my head as he continued. “Turns out it was a good idea for several reasons. Psycho didn’t know I was home, so we caught her red-handed.” Once again, he held out his hand to me. “Ready?”
“Yeah.”
“Want me to drive?”
“I think so. If you don’t mind.”
And so he drove my van to my house. We didn’t talk during the drive but there was nothing uncomfortable about it. Once we got there, Justin came inside with me, doublechecking that I was all right. “Call me if you need anything, Rascal.”
My breath caught in my throat, but I touched his hand. “Would you stay with me?”
Closing the door, he wrapped his arms around me while looking in my eyes. “If you want.”
Nodding, I collapsed into the warmth of his safe embrace.
Chapter Twenty-five
The next morning, my alarm woke me out of a deep sleep. Immediately, I noticed that I felt achy and fatigued, and I swiped to snooze. Then Justin rolled over, draping his arm over my body. Snuggling back against him, I drifted off to sleep once more until, minutes later, the alarm started making a racket again.
This time, I sat up after turning the alarm off and rolled my neck to get the kinks out. I could barely hear Justin when he muttered, “How ya doin’, Rascal?”
“Not feeling so hot. Maybe I’ll feel better after a shower and a cup of coffee.”
“Come here. I’ll help you feel