Page 109 of Jaked

Still, I'd hidden long enough. It was time for me to confront this head-on. I pushed away from the closet wall. But when I turned, my head bumped those stupid metal hangers. They clattered, first against each other, and then onto the tile floor.

The metallic noise sounded way too huge in the small space. My heart thudded, and I held myself absolutely still. I tried to listen. I heard nothing from the neighboring room – no voices, no footsteps. Desperate to be out of there fast, I took a long step forward, forgetting to watch where I was going.

Suddenly, something hard smacked me in the face. The floor. I was lying face-first across it. Near my feet, that stupid bench was lying on its side. Damn it.

I had barely begun to push myself up when I heard footsteps. They stopped just outside the master bedroom door. Recalling the lock, I breathed a ragged sigh of relief.

"Luna?" Jake called. The doorknob rattled. "Shit," he muttered. A moment later, he called out, "You okay?"

Oh God, how embarrassing. Before I could answer, he called out again. "Luna? Baby? Say something, alright?"

I groaned, not in pain, but in humiliation. "Um, yeah," I called. "I'm okay. I just, uh, I tripped. That's all."

The doorknob rattled again. "Sure you're okay?" he called. "Let me in, alright?"

Soon, I heard Bishop's voice. "Here. Lemme get it."

Oh God.Hewas out there too? Muttering, I pushed myself off the floor and stood on shaky legs. Aside from my dignity, I wasn't hurt, or at least I didn't think so. I'd barely gotten to my feet when I heard the doorknob turn.

Crap.

A split-second later, I heard the bedroom door fly open and slam against the doorstop or whatever. Before I could react, Jake burst into the bathroom, wearing long black running pants and no shirt. He stopped short and peered into spacious area. Finally, he spotted me standing in his closet.

I suddenly recalled that I was wearing his clothes – clothes that I'd borrowed without his permission.

He plunged toward me. "Baby, are you okay?"

"Uh, yeah," I said, giving him a shaky smile. "Just, uh, borrowing your clothes." With an unsteady laugh, I flicked my hand toward the bench. "I think that bench jumped out in front of me."

"You say the word," he said. "I'll fucking burn it."

I couldn’t help but laugh, for real this time. It was the second time in twenty-four hours that he'd mentioned burning something because of me. "First the dress," I said, "now this? What are you a pyro or something?"

From somewhere outside the master bedroom, I heard Bishop's voice, loud and clear. "Hey Jake," he called. "Know what you should do?"

Jake made a sound of annoyance. He turned called out through clenched teeth, "What?"

"Ask how long she was listening to us."

Damn it.