Page 56 of Shattered By the Currents

He rose too, and when his gaze lowered to her mouth, her throat almost closed.

She stumbled back. “I should…I mean…I need to shower.”

Then she moved, almost ran upstairs, sure she heard subtle laughter behind her.

She showered in the hall bathroom and made the water cold. It did nothing, absolutely nothing, to cool her off.

The second she was dressed, she raced downstairs to see Connor at the door. He held a napkin with a piece of peanut butter toast and a to-go cup. Oh, and he was shirtless. The icing on the cake.

She cleared her throat. “One night on the couch together and you’re making me coffee and breakfast to go?”

“Imagine what comes aftertwonights.”

She chuckled and unlocked her car, a bit of the ease fading as her conversation with Rob about the tracking device played over in her mind.

Connor popped the cup and toast into the car before rising. “I need you to do something for me.”

“That sounds ominous.”

“If Nathaniel comes by, you call me. I can be there in five minutes.”

She swallowed hard at the memory of him shoving her. The flash of pain in her skull when her head had collided with the building. The rage in his eyes. “I’ll be more prepared next time. I wasn’t expecting him to push me. I?—”

“Raven.” He stepped closer, curving an arm around her waist. “I need you to tell me you’ll call me.”

“I’ll call you.”

“Good.”

Her phone rang, and any lightheartedness or ease from that morning drained right out of her at the sight of the name on the screen.

“Xander,” Connor read quietly, before looking at her. “Why the hell is your ex calling you?”

“I don’t know.” She locked her screen.

“Does he call often?”

“No.” At least that wasn’t a lie. Why was he calling now though? “I should go.”

There was no smile on Connor’s face as he nodded.

She slid behind the wheel. It wasn’t until she was driving that she hit Xander’s name on her phone.

He answered immediately. “Hey, Rave.”

“You put a tracking device on my car?”

He laughed like it was a joke. “You found that, huh?”

“Why?”

“I want to know where you are, sweetheart.”

“Don’t call me that. And you know where I am. I told you I was coming here. That was never a secret.”

“I know. But you can lie.”

This timeshelaughed. The sound was almost manic. “Ican lie? There was one liar in our relationship and it sure as hell wasn’t me. Why are you even calling?”