Chapter 11 Seth
Chapter eleven
Seth
Ishould not be confronting my silver fox stalker.
Especially not alone. Fuck, I don’t know why the fuck I’m doing this, but I spotted him enter the bakery, and something in me just snapped.
My feet moved before my mind could protest. I didn’t even tell Oliver what I was doing.
Even though he knows something is up. I guess it could be worse.
I could have waited till the end of my shift to do this, but it’s broad daylight right now.
The guy would have to be stupid to try anything.
Like an idiot, I didn’t alert the police or even tell anyone about what I found recorded on my computer. I don’t know if it’s because I want to get answers myself, or some fucked up kink of mine is yearning for the real-life replay of last night.
He freezes at my words, and I get just enough time to see a bunch of smaller screens on his phone before he shuts it down and turns to face me.
My breath catches when I finally get a better look at him.
From this close, I can see that his hair is that odd mix of dark and light brown, with a healthy dose of gray along the temples.
I’m not usually interested in someone with facial hair, but I’d be happy to have my skin roughed up by that scruff.
His plump lips part in a quiet gasp and I almost give him a cocky grin. But no, I have to be serious. Even though all I want is to feel those lips on me. Would he give me gentle kisses? Or would he ravage my mouth like he’s a starving man?
And don’t get me started on those rich brown eyes of his! Light enough that I see his pupils dilate when he realizes who I am.
What would I have to do to get them to turn amber? Wait, no. Stop! I do not need to think about his eyes changing color. Or wondering what it would be like to have him bite me. I’m not into vampires or marking or any of that.
Damn, the guy is a snack! Too bad he’s a creepy, house-invading stalker!
I lick my suddenly dry lips as he continues to stare at me. “Well?”
He gives me a slow blink before he seems to shake himself out of his trance. “I’m simply enjoying a scone and coffee.”
His voice is deep, with the faintest trace of an accent. And it makes my dick take notice. I fight down a shudder, intent on not dropping to my knees in front of him.
Yeah, this was a really stupid idea. It’s as if my body remembers him, responds to him on a carnal level, even though I was out of it every time we have been together.
“Don’t lie to me. I know you’ve been watching me. Following me. I want to know why? Does it have to do with…?” I trail off when he cocks an eyebrow at me and I realize I’m on the verge of hyperventilating.
I’m warm all over and I can’t tell if it’s because I’m upset, horny, or I’m about to pass out. What would he do if I passed out? Would he tie me up and haul me away somewhere? Would the bakery staff even stop him?
My heart is pounding hard against my ribs, almost as hard as my dick is pushing against the front of my jeans.
“Sit down before you fall down, kid,” he says, pushing the chair across from him away from the table. Shakily, I sit on the proffered chair, staying at the very edge just in case he makes a move to grab me. Instead, he takes a sip of the coffee, a slight grimace puckering his lips.
He lifts one hand, gesturing to the woman behind the counter, who hurries over. I order a water, never taking my eyes off the man across from me. He meets my gaze with a small smile, not a hint of malice in those eyes.
“Answer my question,” I grit out.
“Oh, you are a feisty one. As for your question, yes, I’m following you.” He takes a bite out of the pastry, completely at ease with this impromptu interrogation.
“Why?” He waits to answer until after the waitress delivers my glass of water. I push it out of my way. I’m too nervous to drink anything right now.
“I think you know why, Seth.” I tense up at his use of my name. Yes, I know logically he would have to know my name since he’s been stalking me and breaking into my apartment. But knowing that he knows my name makes it more real, somehow.
“So, my uncle was telling the truth. About his connections?”
“In a way. I’ve been following you to see if you know anything. If he imparted any secrets he shouldn’t have to you.”
My throat is suddenly dry, my tongue feeling like it will stick to the top of my mouth, and I take several large swallows from my water. My heart has picked back up again, and I don’t know why. I wasn’t privy to my uncle’s secrets. Hell, I rarely even saw him before he got arrested.
“No, I don’t know anything like that. Didn’t exactly see him much. What’s your name?” I slam my mouth shut after that unnecessary question slips out.
He smirks at me, taking another sip of coffee. “My name is Frankie. Are you positive that he told you nothing? Because we believe he sent you some form of correspondence.”
I shake my head and then abruptly stop. I did receive a letter months before his arrest, but it was brought to me by my mother.
He’d reached out a few times when I was younger, but I never bothered reading any of his letters.
Not after the first one anyway. So, I put his last letter, with all the other unopened mail from him, in a box I kept at the bottom of my closet.
“You thought of something.”
“Maybe.” I narrow my eyes at him. “Is the rest of my family getting stalked, or am I just special?”
“Oh, you are special indeed, Seth,” he breathes out. “And no, your family is not being followed. We saw no reason to once we looked in on them.”
I spluttered on the mouthful of water. “What the hell does that mean?”
“It means they are safe.”
“And I’m not? You plan to kill me? Even if I don’t know anything. I’ve seen your face after all.”
He snorts, reaching out to brush his fingers against mine. Logic tells me to jerk away from him. Throw my water at his face and run screaming from the bakery. But I don't. I just watch silently as his hand covers mine and stays there.
“I have no plans to kill you. I want to keep you.”
I jerk my gaze to his face and the longing I see in his expression has me sucking in a breath. Slowly, I pull my hand away from him. I don’t know what to think about what he said. Okay, my dick is totally on board with it, but I remind myself not to listen to that head.
I shouldn’t want to be completely at his mercy, but I do. Something tells me I’d be safe there.
There are so many questions I need answers to, but I can barely keep my thoughts straight, much less formulate words.
Who is he? Who does he work for? Why has he been sneaking into my apartment?
I need answers to all those questions, but my heart is pounding hard enough that I’m afraid it’ll break my ribs and my vision is starting to get fuzzy at the edges.
The way he’s looking at me, and the little brushes of his hand against mine.
It’s doing things to my body that I’m not altogether comfortable with. At least not when I’m out in public.
“Thanks, I think? But I need to get back to work. And let me do some digging and see if I can find what you’re looking for.” I stand, and step away from the table, but before I can make my escape, Frankie wraps one fist around my wrist, his grip tight as he yanks me forward.
I yelp in surprise, catching myself against his chest. I’m close enough that I can smell his cologne. It’s subtle, but underneath that, he smells of the forest; musk and earth and that smell that happens right before it rains.
I find myself leaning into him, trying to get more of that scent. I don’t realize how close I’ve gotten until his lips brush the shell of my ear. “You can feel it, Seth. You are mine. I have laid claim to you. If you run, I will chase you. To the ends of the earth. Do you understand?”
My dick throbs at his words and I can’t help the choked moan that comes out of me. Why is this possessiveness so damn attractive? These are threats that he’s uttering, but they sound like sweet promises to me. His breath ghosting over my skin makes me shiver, and I jerk back with a gasp.
He lets me go, but his gaze is still heated, and I would bet a hundred dollars he’s as hard as I am. I take another step back, my mouth suddenly so dry that the act of swallowing is almost painful.
“I’ve got to go. I’ll… I’ll talk to you later.”
I all but run from the bakery, but if I thought I was going to be any safer inside my workplace, I was clearly delusional. Oliver is leaning against the counter, arms crossed over his chest, and a look somewhere between pissed and worried twists his features.
Damn, I was hoping he didn’t see me confront my stalker. Figured he would be busy in the back inventorying the recently delivered merchandise. So, either he came out and saw me through the window, or Millie, one of the other employees working today, told him where I’d gone.
“I’m fine. Everything is—"
“Don’t you dare lie to me, Seth,” Oliver growls out, uncrossing his arms. “What the hell are you doing with him?”
I let out a sigh, dragging one hand through my hair. We aren’t busy, but there are still customers milling around and this isn’t a conversation I want to have right now. “I’m not lying when I say I’m fine.”
“You ran from him because everything is fine?” He gives a disbelieving look at that, eyebrows pinching together as he grimaces.
Yeah, okay, that doesn’t sound believable at all. And I’m really regretting telling him about Frankie stalking me.
“Ugh, fine! I’m attracted to him, and that’s why I ran.
I know that makes zero sense, but it’s really not a big deal.
” I try not to fidget as he mulls over my words.
Yeah, it’s a big fat lie, but I don’t want him asking questions.
I have no idea what Frankie would do if Oliver started sniffing around.
After what feels like hours, Oliver huffs out a breath. “Alright, but if you need help, just let me know. Besides, I thought you were going to turn him over to the cops.”
“I thought so, too, but I need answers, and I won’t get them by involving the cops.” Oliver gives me an incredulous look, but he drops it. For now, anyway.
We get back into our routine, and the hours seem to slip by.
Pretty soon, it’s time for us to clock out.
I take a quick glance at the bakery and am surprised that Frankie is nowhere to be seen.
Did he get bored? Or did he get called away?
He all but confessed to being part of the Mafia, but what does he do for them? Is he some bigwig, or an accountant?
I snort at the thought of my stalker being an accountant. He just doesn’t have that feel about him. He brings to mind more of a patient predator than a number cruncher.
Hell, maybe he’s like an enforcer or something. My gut clenches at that idea. Why is the thought of him inflicting pain on someone such a turn-on? Seriously, how fucked up is my head? Did he drug me or something, because I did not have these sorts of kinks before he started sneaking into my house.
Did I?
I pace my living room, tugging at my hair as the scenarios flood my brain. I should turn him over to the cops. I have enough evidence to put him in jail, Mafia connections bedamned. But at the same time, the things he does to my sleeping body are enticing.
And he’s right. I do feel the connection between us. When I see him on the street, it no longer makes me fly into a panic. When I wake up in the morning, I immediately know if he’s been in my room. Even before the soreness hits me, I feel content. He makes me feel safe. Protected.
Fuck, am I developing Stockholm Syndrome?
It’s creepy and it’s hot as fuck. Even just thinking about it has my dick hard as rock. I palm myself through my jeans, the friction drawing a hiss from me.
This right here is the reason I’m hesitating on calling the cops. My body wants him. Hell, I can’t even get hard unless I’m thinking about him. Porn doesn’t even do it for me anymore. One glance of him through a window, on the other hand, and I’m aching.
Laughter bubbles up from somewhere, and it’s borderline hysterical. Maybe I’m losing my mind? It’s the only thing that makes sense. Why can’t I stop rewatching the recordings and jerking off until my balls are empty, and I’m so hypersensitive it hurts to touch myself.
But it’s still wrong. He’s still a criminal, a very bad man for doing what he’s done. With a groan, I let my dick go and bury my head in my hands. This is so confusing and messed up.
Whatever. I can deal with my borderline existential crisis another time. Logical me knows I should go straight to the cops and let them deal with this. But horny, kink-crazed me wants to know how all this pans out. Which is stupid. Absolutely stupid.
But I’ve already made up my mind. If my silver fox stalker wants to play, I can do that.