Page 24 of Melt for Me (The Last Snow of the Season 1)

"Milly."

At the sound of his voice, doubt starts eating away at my brain. What if he's with someone now? A man like him wouldn't want for company. What if I'm wrong and no one is trying to break in? What if I come off looking like the sad, sorry, little girl he accused me of being?

"Milly? Milly? Are you alright?"

I hang up and focus on listening for any sound that something might be wrong. If I hear something I'll call...not Jag. I'll call the police, which I'm aware Jag is a member of but I won't call him specifically.

My phone scares the fuck out of me when it vibrates across the floor where I'm hunkered down. I think about going under my bed but that seems stupid and would be the first place an intruder would look. I grab up the phone and without thinking answer it.

"Milly?! Are you alright, baby?"

I hang up and push the phone away from me. I don't want him calling me baby just because he feels sorry for me. I listen and pray. Instead of hearing silence, I hear what sounds like chairs being overturned in the dining room. Tears spring to my eyes and I reach for my phone again with cold, numb hands. I have it just within my grasp when the front door sounds like it is being kicked in. I scream a little and try to jump up to run and find another hiding place. One that’s not as obvious as between my bed and the wall.

Before I can make my noodle legs work, I hear Jag shouting my name. "Milly? Milly where are you? Milly?"

Before I can answer he is at my door kicking it in too. "Milly! Baby, are you alright?!"

He's picking me up, my arms wrap around him without any hesitation. He looks me over, his hands running up and down everywhere. "Milly, baby, talk to me."

"I'm sorry." I didn't realize I was crying until just now. And shaking. Not until Jag runs his thumb across my cheek to get rid of the tears coursing down my face.

"For what?"

"I shouldn't have called you. I shouldn't have bothered you. I though...I thought someone was breaking in."

God, I'm such a fool. Until he takes my face in between his hands and brings my eyes up to look into his. "Someone did break in."

It's only then that I hear the sirens screaming from outside and more shouting. "Police!"

"In here." He reaches for his badge, but he doesn't have to. Standing in the door is none other than Mark with two uniformed officers.

"Jag? What the hell are you doing here?"

"Same thing you are."

"I got a call from dispatch saying a detective needed backup."

"I'm that detective."

Mark finally looks over at me. "Well, hell. Rumer’s not going to be happy about this. She was already worried about everyone because of the murder."

He's still with Rumer. That's...sweet. Maybe at least one of us fell in love during our getaway. Jag brings my face back to look at his, "I need you to sit right here, baby, and don't move. Can you do that for me?"

I give him a nod and then the two men walk out, leaving one of the uniformed officers behind but just outside the door. It takes them less than thirty minutes to come back but Rani’s there within minutes beating them back into the room. I fall into her arms and start bawling. I'm not sure what I'm more upset about, the break-in, the phone call I didn't make, or the fact that I'm wearing a t-shirt that I stole from Jag at the cabin and now I've been caught in it.

"Are you alright?

I don't answer because I'm not sure. I don't think I am. I'm not sure if I will ever be alright again. This whole weekend changed me. I'll never be the same.

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