Page 64 of In the Danger Zone
My hands were trembling as I moved far away from Evan. As far as I could manage in the small bathroom, anyway. It suddenly felt tinier than it really was. It felt hot, too. Like I was gonna pass out right then and there. I felt a horrible sensation in my stomach. It was terror. Something bad was going to happen. Just like it did before. I could sense it.
“Hey,” Evan said softly, putting the pink bottle down on the counter. “Are you okay?”
I stayed quiet. I couldn’t speak. Even if I tried, there was no way I’d be able to string a sentence together.
Evan took a step towards me and I let out an embarrassing whimper.
“Baby,” Evan said, a little bit of hurt present in his usual confident voice.
“I’m… I’m s-sorry,” I said, my voice rushed. My eyes were shut. It was easier if I couldn’t see his face. “I’m… I’m… D-Don’t hurt m-me. I m-mean… I didn’t m-m-mean…”
“I would never hurt you.” There was so much concern in Evan’s words it was almost overwhelming. “I wouldn’t do that ever.”
“Y-You just… You s-scared me,” I admitted, my face hot as shame took over. “I didn’t m-mean to m-make you m-mad or… I didn’t…”
“Daisy. Baby. You did nothing wrong.”
I finally opened up my eyes. Evan’s eyebrows were furrowed and his lips were pressed together. He was so big, his powerful form towering right over me. There was a gentleness in his voice and a warm look in his eyes, but my nerves were still present. The nerves and the fear and the worry. It was like I was right back in high school. All alone.
“I’m s-sorry,” I said, my voice horrifyingly shaky. I couldn’t get a hold of myself. Not when my heart wouldn’t stop racing.
“Can I hold you?” Evan asked softly. “Please? Is that okay?”
My lips trembled a little, but I still managed to speak up. “Yeah.”
Evan moved over to me. He took slow, easy steps. I felt a little pathetic, like he had to baby me. I had been doing so good since my parents forced me into home schooling. There were no threats there and I had managed to getsomeconfidence. It had been an opportunity to take care of myself, and it had worked. Sort of. But then college started and then the threat of Asher was back in my life.
“I just wanna hold you, baby.” Evan moved in a little closer. “I don’t wanna hurt you. I’d hurt myself before I even thought about hurting you.”
“E-Evan…” I let out. He was being too nice, too kind, too perfect. Evan could have done so much better than me.
“Come here.” Evan held his arms out for me. Those big, strong arms that had been around me just minutes ago. Where I felt safe and warm. Where I felt like none of my pain or past could hurt me like it used to.
I closed the gap, falling right into Evan’s arms. He moved so gingerly, circling his arms around me in a slow motion. But once I was secure, once I was right there against his chest, he gave me a squeeze that I so badly needed. The fear would probably never leave me. I’d be hung up on what happened to me for the rest of my life. As much as I tried to fight it, it’d always be there.
“I’m s-sorry,” I said, letting my eyes well up with tears. “I’m sorry I’m b-being like this. It’s so p-pathetic. I’m sorry.”
“Shh, sweetheart.” Evan hushed. “You don’t have to be sorry. And you don’t have to be embarrassed. Never feel like that around me. Ever.”
“It’s just… I t-thought you… You looked like you were g-gonna…” I mumbled into his chest.
“What, baby?”
I took in a deep, shaky breath. “I t-thought you were gonna hit m-me.”
Evan tensed up, pulling away from me just slightly so he could look down at me. He kept his hands on my arms, his thumbs rubbing at my skin. “Why would you think I was gonna hit you? I’d never hit you. Why would you think that?”
My eyes were wet with tears as I blinked up at him. “B-Because that’s what h-he used to do.”
Evan’s eyes flashed with darkness. “Who?”
It took every bit of strength to say the name. “A-Asher.”
Evan’s breathing seemed to stop. His thumbs stopped moving against my skin as his jaw tightened. That darkness in his eyes just grew. It doubled. It tripled. I wondered if that was what his opponents saw when he was out there on the ice, barrelling towards them – all six foot four of him.
“I’m gonna kill him,” Evan finally said, breaking the silence. He let go of me and turned around, storming back into my bedroom.
My eyes widened as I moved after him. “You c-can’t.”
