Free Naked by Kelly Favor

tossed it in the trash and I found it.”
    “I guess her and her mother aren’t that close,” Elijah said.
    “I guess not. Ever since I found this card, I couldn’t help but look at it. I ended it putting it in my room on my dresser, and every night, I looked at it and pictured myself away from everything, walking on that beach.” Caelyn laughed to herself. “When I got back to the room last night, I knew I was leaving. But I wasn’t sure exactly where to go until I was in the middle of packing and that post card caught my eye again. That’s when I realized.”
    Elijah raised his eyebrows. “That’s quite a story you got there.”
    “Yup.” She nodded, pushing a few strands of hair out of her face.
    “Why not go to the police?”
    She flinched. “I just can’t. His family is wealthy, very connected. I know he mentioned something about relatives who are judges and lawyers. He’s a legacy at Cambridge. I would get torn apart.”
    “He can’t just get away with it,” Elijah said. “I won’t let him.”
    She turned her head and stared at him, shocked. “You won’t let him? What does that mean?”
    He just shrugged. “Don’t worry about what it means.”
    “Elijah, you don’t even know the guy.”
    “I’m pretty sure I know what I need to know.”
    “Please, that’s not going to help anything.”
    Elijah got off the bed and started pacing. “What’s his last name?” he said. He turned and faced her.
    She laughed. “I’m not telling you.”
    “Caelyn, tell me. Seriously.”
    “No, Elijah. You’re starting to freak me out.”
    His whole body looked puffed up, like he was ready to fight there and then. The energy coming off him was incredible. Of course, in some bizarre way, she had to admit it was sexy, too. But she didn’t want Elijah knowing who Jayson was and trying to defend her honor or whatever he had in mind.
    “It’s not fair, what he did to you. The guy is scum, Caelyn.”
    “I know that. But I made my decision. I could have gone to the police and I chose not to. I’m not going to try and let you and your friends take matters into your own hands.”
    “Who said anything about my friends? I’m perfectly capable of tearing that clown apart with my own two hands.”
    She saw in his eyes that he was totally serious. He wasn’t just trying to be a big shot. “Please, you’re not helping me right now. I just told you something that I haven’t told to anyone else on this planet. Can you calm down before I regret saying anything?”
    Slowly, slowly, she saw Elijah regain control over his emotions. It took a visible effort. His shoulders dropped a little, and some of the blood left his face. He took a deep breath and released it. “Fine,” he said. “I guess I have to respect your choice.”
    “Yeah, you do.”
    He sighed. “Well, we’ve got a long day of driving tomorrow and we should get to bed.”
    She nodded. Part of her wanted more. She didn’t even know exactly what that meant, but only that she was unsatisfied in some profound way. He went to the bathroom and took a quick shower, reemerging with damp hair, wearing shorts and a white t-shirt that clung to his still wet body.
    She had turned off the lights, and now there was just the flickering of the TV.
    Caelyn watched as he climbed into the other bed. His muscles flexed and moved as he got under the covers.
    Imagining him climbing into bed with her instead, Caelyn felt a rush of adrenaline and realized that she desperately wanted him to be close to her. Maybe it was her instinct, wanting to feel protected. She didn’t know what it was. She just knew that she needed something more from him.
    But soon, she drifted to sleep.
    Her dreams were something straight from hell. In one nightmare after another, she ran from Jayson, and he was always too fast and too strong and too evil for her. He looked like an alternate version of himself—more demonic than anything. His mouth was always twisted into a grin that was wider than