Page 65 of Use Me

I wasn’t going to go back to mine. Rhys had given me a key to his place, but he wouldn’t be there by the time I would arrive home. Most nights after there was a game, he wouldn’t come through the door until after one in the morning. Tonight would be no different.

In the last week I’d been off work—boss’s orders—I hadn’t been alone. When Rhys worked, either Jaime, Kylie, or Colleen would come over and keep me company. I knew Rhys was the one coordinating everything with them, and that made me like him even more. In fact, I was certain I was falling in love with him. Rhys was the most caring, thoughtful, fun-loving man I’d ever met let alone dated, and it wasn’t because he brought me coffee first thing in the morning. Whenever I was with him, he made me laugh, and when he was at work, I missed him.

“You want me to drive you to work?” Rhys asked coming into the bathroom where I was doing my makeup.

“You’d do that for me?” The entire time I was doing my makeup, I was trying to psych myself up about having to walk into parking garages alone. When I got off work, the garage would more than likely be empty because it was after the normal hustle and bustle of working hours.

“Of course. You know my studio is only a few blocks away, but do you think Abby can bring you home?”

“If not, I’ll find a ride.”

“If you can’t, text me. I’ll figure something out.”

I turned to him and wrapped my arms around his neck. “Thank you, but I think I can manage.”

“I’m sure you can, but that doesn’t stop me from worrying about you.”

I kissed his lips softly and stepped back to finish my makeup. “I’ll text you as soon as I’m home.” There was that word again. I liked the way it made me feel to think that Rhys’s condo was my home too.

“Good.” He kissed the side of my head and then started to walk back into the bedroom. “Let me know when you’re ready to roll, Cupcake.”

Rhys pulled his black MazdaSUV into the loading zone in front of my work building. It was snowing lightly, and people were walking the streets, but in just a few hours, the city streets would be bare.

I hesitated before getting out of the car. Maybe I wasn’t ready to go back to work. What if I had another stalker and they were waiting to make their move? After the nightmare with Philip, it was breaking news that I was attacked in my home. Mine and Philip’s names were reported as well as my brother’s since he was the cop involved in the shooting. It felt weird to be the name in the news, but now a week later, the dust has seemed to settle.

Rhys grabbed my hand. “Try not to think about it too much. It’s over. He can’t hurt you.”

I nodded and looked into his electric blue eyes. “I know. It’s just a weird feeling.”

“For me too. We’re getting through this. Together.”

I leaned across the center console and kissed him. “I know.”

“I’ll try to catch your broadcast tonight.”

I smiled and opened the door. “Ditto.”

Everything seemed like any other day. As I made my way toward my desk, people were on the phones or typing away on their computers as though I hadn’t been away for a week.

“Hey, Ashtyn. How are you doing?” Mitch asked as he came out of the break room.

I turned to address him. “Hanging in there.”

“I’m happy you’re back, and I’m glad everything turned out all right for you.”

“Thanks. I’m happy to be back.”

“You got a delivery,” Abby stated, walking up behind me.

My heart stopped, and thoughts of my Monday deliveries from Philip came to mind. “Flowers?”

“Yeah, but they don’t look like your usual ones.”

“What? How’s that?”

She smiled. “Go look.”

Everything the police had told me about the flower deliveries must have been wrong. They’d said they were linked back to Philip, but if I were to get more flowers after his death, then how could that be? Did he have it set up to deliver every week automatically? Were they delivered last week and no one had told me? If that was the case, why would the flower shop still deliver them after the cops looked into the charges from their store? Maybe they didn’t care because money was money and everyone was always trying to make a buck.