Page 108 of Necessary Evil

“Should have called then.”

“Yeah,” Lucy agreed.

“I understand why you didn’t.”

“You don’t have to stay on the line with me.” She poured herself another bourbon with trembling hands.

“We don’t have to talk,” he said. “But I’m not going anywhere.”

“Thank you,” she whispered, and sipped her drink.

The bourbon hit her stomach in a fiery path that almost caused her to throw up. But the burn spread through her quickly, and soon she stopped shaking. “Liquid courage,” she muttered after another sip let her stare at the spider with loathing instead of fear.

“Take it easy on that stuff,” he said. “I want you sober for our conversation.”

“Do I have to be?”

“You can get drunk after.”

“After what?”

His chuckle filled her ear and tickled down her spine as if he was standing right behind her. She needed him. Needed his solid presence behind her. She didn’t want to do this without him anymore.

She heard the Harley’s pipes through the open balcony door.

“I’m pulling up now.”

Lucy went to her front door and opened it. He came off the bike in one fluid motion, and she leaned against the doorframe for support. Damn, he was handsome. He had on faded jeans and his black motorcycle jacket. He stowed his helmet but kept on his mirrored sunglasses. His sensuous mouth was in a firm unsmiling line. Slicking back the errant hairs that were in his face, Evan pulled out the elastic in his hair and resmoothed his hair into a new ponytail as he jogged up the stairs.

She stepped back as he came into the apartment.

“Where is it?”

Lucy pointed to the sliding glass door.

Evan grabbed a paper towel and stalked toward the spiderweb.

“Wait,” she said. “Don’t kill it.”

He cocked his head at her. “What do you want me to do instead?”

“Just close the door and make sure the spider can’t get in.”

To his credit, he didn’t say anything or look at her like she was crazy. Lucy felt like a wrung-out dishrag, and as soon as he slid the balcony door closed, sealing the spider and the web outside, she sank to the couch.

“You must be so sick of my shit right now,” she said.

He continued to stare out the glass doors, his large body blocking her from seeing the spider or the web. “Not even close.”

“I’m so ashamed that I can’t even look at a spider without freaking out.”

“I’m not,” he said. “It got you to call me.”

“I’m sorry you came all the way out here just for that.”

“I came out here for you, Lucy. I told you I would always protect you.”

She gave a teary laugh. “Even from non-poisonous spiders?”