Chapter 17
Lexi
I spend the better part of the day working on my custom computer build. I have to admit I’m pleased with how it’s turning out. This is going to be my best build so far.
Continuously shoving all my terror over possibly being stalked by a serial killer to the back of my mind is my main coping skill right now. I am scared, there’s no doubt about that. It’s just that the situation is so surreal I can’t quite get my head around it. This seems like something that happens in the movies or to other people, not me. A small part of my mind keeps telling me that this can’t be happening. I know it’s denial, but I don’t care. If I just stay in my safe room, everything will be okay.
The thing that’s really been on my mind today is what’s going on between me and Zen. In the beginning, I didn’t think I wanted a boyfriend. After everything I’d been through, a romantic relationship seemed seriously out of reach. Zen just jumped right over all the hurdles to us being together like they weren’t even there.
Suddenly, the impossible dream I never dared to even consider became real.
Then I had to go and have a blowout over his suggestion that my dad was the killer instead of the other guy. It was shocking to hear and so out of left field that I lost my bearings. I should never have left him, especially since being with him is the only place I really want to be. I need to figure out a way to make this right with him.
Zen’s a reasonable man. He’ll eventually come around once he verifies my dad’s prints aren’t on that kill bag. Then I’ll do my best to make things right with him.
Before I know it, hours have gone by, and it’s dark. I’m hungry, but after the weirdness with the last delivery driver, I decide instead to eat a handful of dry cereal and then crash.
I don’t know how long I was sleeping for, but suddenly, I’m awoken by a sharp knock at the door of my safe room. When I get up and stumble to the door, I can see through the peephole that it’s Zen. He looks more upset than ever. I don’t know why that bothers me so much. I guess it’s because it’s my fault for running out on him this morning instead of staying and talking it out like a rational human being.
I unlock the door for him. When he steps through, I finally feel like everything is going to be okay. I open my mouth to apologize, but he wraps me up in his arms and leads me over to the bed.
“Look, Lexi, we’ve got to talk.”
“I know. I’m sorry about this morning. I don’t know what got into me. Something about thinking my father was a killer was just too much. It sent me right over the edge.”
“No, it’s nothing to do with that. We found the man who’s been stalking you. His name is Reggie Murphy. Does that ring any bells?”
I shake my head. “No. I don’t know anyone by that name.”
“He’s probably using an alias.”
“I don’t understand. What’s this about?”
“Someone baited us into a meetup at a rundown apartment complex in town. When we got there, the security office was filled with pictures of you. They were pinned up on the walls, and covering the desk—most of them with their eyes cut or scratched out. We found more evidence left behind in his former apartment.”
I stammer, “You mean someone out there has an obsession with me—possibly a stalker?”
“Yeah, whoever this is, he’s much sicker than we thought at first.” Reaching into his cut, he pulls out some comic books but doesn’t let me see them. “These are full of images of the women from the flash drive. He’s cut out their faces and some naked women from porno magazines and cobbled them together to make a sort of rape-slash-torture porn. He’s got a whole book dedicated to you.”
“Jesus, it sounds like I might be next on his list,” I choke out.
“That’s what we think too. Things are too dangerous for you to stay here, even with my club brothers outside. We think it’d be best if you came to the clubhouse. I know your friends are still there. You can visit with them while we track this fucker down.”
I shove up off his lap and re-pack my bag with clean clothing. “Alright. I never thought something like this would happen to me, you know? It seems surreal.”
“Yeah, I know,” he tells me. “I’m just anxious to get you somewhere safe for now. I can’t stand the thought of that ignorant fucker getting his hands on you.”
“Well, I sure don’t want to end up in his clutches.”
By the time I lock up my house and we hit the road on Zen’s motorcycle, I’m feeling more scared than I’ve ever been before, but also more protected. I’m glad Zen showed up tonight. I don’t deserve his help after the way I freaked out earlier on today, but I’ll gratefully accept it.
Just being able to wrap my arms around him while he takes us on the open road is exhilarating. I know that I’ve said it before, but I really love being on the back of his bike. It’s the one place where I can relax and just be a spectator. I don’t have to worry about anything but hanging on, and I love that. The chill wind rushes over my skin, and I bury my face in his back. It warms me right up. The peace I find with him makes all my fear disappear for a few minutes, letting me just enjoy the moment—something I haven’t been able to do in a very long time.
***
We eventually pull into the parking lot of the clubhouse. Kayla and Cindy come out to greet us with huge smiles and seem thrilled to be staying here. It’s my clue that they don’t truly understand the danger involved. If they did, they’d both be much more worried.
Evan stands guard over his girlfriend, and Kayla seems totally fine with his incessant hovering. We all walk into the clubhouse and grab a table in the back so we can talk.
We give them an update on what’s been going on, because they need to understand the danger of this situation. To be honest, I’m getting tired of talking about it. Cindy is my only real-life friend. I’ve got a bunch of online friends, but Cindy and by extension her sister, are the ones I turn to for companionship and a shoulder to cry on when things go bad. Of course, I try to be there for them as well, because friendship is reciprocal.
When Zen and I retire to our room, I do something I shouldn’t. While he’s in the shower, I have a look at those comic books. The moment I open the top one, I wish I hadn’t. Zen’s right about this person cutting pictures of me and pasting them over every woman’s face. It’s been done haphazardly, he didn’t even try to make it look neat. Not only that, but he’s scratched out most of the eyes and scribbled bruises and cuts on the naked bodies. I snap the book shut and don’t bother looking at the others. I never knew sick stuff like that existed in the world. Now I do, and I feel like my world has changed for the worse.
When Zen comes out of the shower with a towel slung low around his hips, he guesses by my expression what I did. He comes, picks me up, and sits me on his lap.
“Oh, baby. You looked at those fucked-up books that asshole created, didn’t you?”
I rest my cheek on his damp chest. “I don’t know what came over me—curiosity, I guess. Imagining it is one thing, but actually seeing it is another, I wasn’t prepared for how creepy it was. What kind of person thinks to do something like that, and what kind of gratification would they get out of it?”
He holds me tighter and rubs my back soothingly. “I don’t know. Some people are unhinged. Who knows why they do the things they do.”
“I’m a grown woman, I shouldn’t be so affected by seeing stuff like that.”
“Rigs and I are grown men, and we thought that shit was creepy as hell too.”
“I’m glad to hear I wasn’t the only one freaked out by it.” I look up at him, grateful that he understands. “And you always know just what to say to make me feel better.” I wrap my arms around him and burrow deeper into his hug.
Zen says, “Try to shove that awful shit into a little box in the back of your mind and slam the lid shut.”
I tilt my head up to look at him. “That’s a really good idea. The thing is, I already have a bunch of boxes in the back of my mind. I don’t know if I have room for one more.”
“I can always distract you with kisses,” he offers.
“It always comes back to that with us, doesn’t it?”
He smiles down at me. “You mean the mutual attraction? Yeah, it does. I like that we always have that to fall back on. Don’t you?”
“Oh, absolutely. Distracting ourselves from our problems with kissing is way better than medication, therapy, and endless talking.”
He drops a light kiss on the tip of my nose, then claims a long, lingering kiss. I don’t know how long we kiss, but it’s a sweet reprieve from all the really fucked-up shit going on in our lives. Once we start kissing, all I want is more. I slide my arms up around his neck and kiss him back for all I’m worth.
When we pull apart, he murmurs, “Your turn in the shower, baby. I’ll be right here waiting for you when you’re finished.”
Zen’s rough, deep, needy voice does things to me, making me want him with a kind of desperation I never knew was possible. I give him a quick kiss and slide off his lap. Padding my way to his bathroom, I find he’s set out clean towels for me—and a brush, blow dryer, and new toothbrush. Zen is one of the most considerate men I’ve ever met. I’m glad he seems to have forgiven me for running out this morning. I finish my shower in record time and go back out to the bedroom to find Zen sitting naked on the bed, stroking his thick cock.
“You started without me,” I tease.
“I’m just priming myself for you. Want to make sure my cock is good and hard, in case you want to take a ride.”
He says that so seriously I don’t realize he’s joking until I see a slow smile spread across his face. Then I know I’ve been had.
I quickly jump onto the bed and right into his arms. “I’m all kinds of interested. Don’t you ever doubt that.”
Zen slides one hand through my hair and comments, “You blew it all dry. It’s a good look for you.”
I smile up at him, growing fonder of him by the moment. I like the way we relax into each other’s company. I cup his face with my hands, letting my fingers barely touch his shoulder-length hair. “I like a lot of things about you, too.”
“I didn’t think muscles and tattoos were your thing,” he says casually.
“Then you don’t know me very well. I’ve been thinking of getting a tattoo myself.”
His eyes fly open with surprise. “Are you for real right now? I think you’d look amazing with a tattoo.”
“I thought about getting a yin-yang with your name in the yang half.”
His cock jerks hard against my stomach, throbbing like it has a heartbeat of its own.
“You like that idea, don’t you?” I tease.
“Fuck yes, I most certainly do. What man wouldn’t want to see his woman inked with his name? I could get a matching one with your name in the yin space.”
The idea of having matching tattoos with each other’s names lights a warm space in my heart. I know we haven’t known each other for long , but something about this feels right. Maybe it’s because when you know, you know. I promise myself I’m going to stop second-guessing when it comes to Zen. He’s amazing, and I’d be the luckiest woman alive to capture his heart.
He uses my hair to tug me closer, and I go willingly, eager for what he has to give. His fingers find my sweet spot, and he drives me to ever higher peaks of pleasure as his mouth plunders mine like he owns me. Every single thing this man does, I absolutely love—this most especially.
When I lift myself up, he knows what I want, so he helps me onto his cock. Him sitting with his back to the wall and me face- first in his lap is my favorite position because I get to bounce on his thick cock all I want. I like being in the driver’s seat when it comes to sex. Zen’s no slouch—he’s busy helping lift me and thrusting his hips to get just the angle he likes. Sex with Zen is very physical and I can’t get enough of him.
At one point, I throw my head back and let my long black hair hang behind me, putting my body on full display for him. He eats me up with his eyes, and his hands begin roaming over my body. Everywhere he touches, pleasure follows—especially my breasts and pussy.
When I begin to tire, Zen rolls us over and begins to pound into me hard and fast. He pushes me into a hard orgasm and then keeps right on going as my core flutters around his cock. I’m overwhelmed with waves of pleasure that just keep coming to the point I can’t tell where one orgasm stops and another begins. It’s just a huge blur of ecstasy.
After a few more thrusts, Zen finds his own release. I can feel his huge cock pulsating deep within my core as he fills me with his seed. Nothing is better than seeing that sexy snarl on his face when he comes—my mild-mannered computer genius becomes almost feral.
He turns us, and we lie on our sides, his cock still stuffed inside the warm, soft confines of my body. He grabs a blanket and pulls it over us so we can stay wrapped in a warm embrace for a while longer. My brain switches off, and my last coherent thought is how much I want more nights like tonight, with Zen in my arms, in my bed, and in my life.