Chapter 23 #2
My smile turns into a moan as he lines himself up with me and thrusts deep inside.
I cry out, a noise he swallows with another kiss.
He doesn’t take his time, and that’s exactly what I need right now.
This isn’t about making love. This isn’t about seeing how long we can last. This is about displacing fear and rising above the terror caused by an unhinged psychopath.
As I feel my orgasm build, D looks deep into my eyes. His tell me, with everything he has, he will protect me. He will keep me safe. He tells me he will be here for me, for the long haul, no matter what. I see the affection I feel for him mirrored in his stare.
I come undone moments before D does. He rolls over onto his side, bringing me with him.
My legs are still curled around him, his dick still in place inside of me.
We stay like that for several minutes, gently kissing one another, my fingers combing through his hair.
I have an almost uncontrollable urge to tell him I love him, but I fight it.
I need to make sure that’s actually how I feel before just blurting it out.
I’m sure it’s true. I don’t fall quickly for just anyone, but I also don’t want to say anything until I know he feels the same.
I doubt it would chase him away, but nothing is certain.
He’s forty and has never been married. D hasn’t given me any reason to think he’s afraid of commitment, but maybe he’s one of those guys who is afraid of love.
I try to get my mind to switch gears so I think about anything other than the possibility that D may never love me.
It’s ridiculous, and I don’t need another thing to worry about right now.
Besides, everything he’s done for me since the moment he followed me into that bathroom—hell, since the moment he moved three-thousand miles to be with me—has shown me how he feels.
Actions speak louder than words.
“As much as I would love to fall asleep like this tonight, I can’t keep Saylor waiting much longer. Don’t think for a moment she won’t waltz her ass in here to make sure we’re okay.”
“I don’t doubt that for a second,” D laughs. “I wouldn’t put anything past Saylor.”
Slowly, D pulls out of me and rolls off my leg that’s pinned underneath him. Carefully, I hop out of bed and scurry into the bathroom to get cleaned up. After that, I quickly change into a pair of leggings and a t-shirt D bought me.
“As soon as they leave, I’m tearing those off your body.”
“You have a problem, you know that, right?” I giggle.
“And I don’t intend to get help for it anytime soon,” D kisses me. “I’m going to get cleaned up, and I’ll be right out.”
Saylor is sitting on the sofa watching television when I enter the great room. Ren is on a tall ladder at the far side of the room mounting a camera to the wall that looks out over the space.
“Ohh, I get it now,” Saylor winks, taking in my outfit change.
“What? I had to talk to D, and then I wanted to get changed so I was more comfortable.”
“Mmhmm…” Saylor hits me with an eye roll.
Silently, I place my finger to my lips to quiet her. Then I jerk my thumb in Ren’s direction to tell her to knock it off because Ren doesn’t need to know D and I were in the other room having a quickie while he was out here hard at work.
“Anyway … your phone was blowing up while you were getting comfortable.”
I pivot before taking a seat on the sofa to grab my purse off the bar against the wall between the great room and the dining room. Before I collect it, I realize mine and D’s plates are still on the table. Picking them up, I’m stopped by D, who has finished getting dressed.
“I’ll take care of that. Go hang with Saylor.”
“Are you sure? I don’t mind helping.”
“I’m fine, go.” D winks at me.
I flash a smile at him before grabbing my purse and walking back to the sofa.
Thankfully, I’m already sitting when I pull my phone out, because I’m not prepared for what’s waiting for me.
After his letter today, I should have expected it wouldn’t end there, but that doesn’t make this any less terrifying.
212-555-1212
DID YOU GET MY LETTERS CARLEY
212-555-1212
IVE THOUGHT ABOUT YOU IN THAT RED DRESS EVER SINCE I SAW YOU AT THE BAR THE OTHER NIGHT
212-555-1212
DID YOU WEAR IT FOR ME CARLEY
212-555-1212
I CANT WAIT UNTIL WERE ALONE TOGETHER
212-555-1212
THAT BITCH WONT BE ABLE TO INTERRUPT US AGAIN ILL MAKE SURE OF IT
My hands start to shake as I read the messages, causing my phone to clatter to the ground.
“What is it, Carley?” Saylor inquires from her spot next to me.
D speeds out of the kitchen, presumably from hearing my cell phone connecting with the hard marble floor and the echo of Saylor’s concern bouncing off the walls of his penthouse.
I take a deep breath as Saylor picks my phone up off the floor.
“That motherfucker!” she spits, looking at the messages on the screen before handing it over to D.
“What time did he send these?” he wonders.
I see Ren in my peripheral sight climb down from the ladder and join us, worried about what’s happening.
“When you guys were in the other room,” Saylor answers. “It was one right after the other.”
“What’s going on?” Ren questions.
D continues hitting buttons on my phone as Saylor explains to Ren about the letter I received at work today in addition to the text messages. That’s when it hits me.
“Wait a minute,” I state.
Everyone turns their attention toward me.
“He said letters. Plural. Saylor, are you sure I didn’t get anything from him today?”
“I’m positive,” she assures me.
I look up at D then.
“Where is your mailbox?”
“There’s a mailroom in the lobby,” he informs me.
“Get your keys,” I demand, walking to the front door.
D listens to me, and he and I journey down to the lobby to check his mail.
“Good evening, Mr. Anastos.” One of the guys at the security desk nods his head in D’s direction as we pass by.
“Carl,” D acknowledges stiffly.
When we enter the mailroom, thankfully no one else is in there.
D opens his box and pulls out the mail for today.
Shuffling through several envelopes, he stops when his eyes land on what I was expecting to find.
Throwing everything else onto a nearby counter, he tears open the envelope with the same scraggly handwriting that was on the letter back at the office.
There’s no name, only D’s address. I stand next to him as he reads it, scared yet desperately needing to know what it says.
HE WILL NEVER LOVE YOU LIKE I LOVE YOU