Chapter 25
Chapter twenty-five
Luna
“Don’t even fucking say it.” Maren points at me as I curl up on the porch swing, tablet balanced on my knees, and my second cup of coffee in my hand.
The wooden stairs groan under her stomping feet, and I bite back a laugh at the sight of her, banana walnut oatmeal splattered across her shirt and smeared on her forehead like war paint.
“Ricky get you again?”
The chuckle escapes despite my best efforts.
For the last month, they’ve been locked in a battle of wills over the oatmeal we feed him and Zorro twice a week to regulate their digestion.
And she loses every single time. Zorro eats it without issue, but Ricky makes it his mission to get more on Maren than into his belly.
“I’m done. D. O. N. E. Done.” She flings the front door open. “You’re on oatmeal duty from now on.”
“I told you not to give him the bowl,” I call after her retreating form. “One spoonful at a time, remember?”
Her grumbled curses drift down from upstairs, but I’m still laughing as I follow her inside. I shouldn’t because he’s launched his breakfast at me plenty of times too.
After a night of fractured sleep, dreams jerking me awake every hour, I’m dragging this morning. Every time I closed my eyes, I saw my watcher standing in the shadows of my room. But when I woke, heart racing and pulse throbbing between my legs, the room was empty.
I put my mug in the dishwasher and check the clock on the wall. I have five minutes until Damien arrives with his security team, so I swap my slippers for Skechers, trying to ignore the flutter in my stomach.
The shower turns on upstairs. Maren keeps half of her wardrobe here for situations like this. Next time I’m in Estes, I need to pick up her favorite chocolate-covered Bavarian pretzels from the Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory as a small peace offering for everything she puts up with here.
My watcher didn’t come last night. The realization sits in my chest like a stone, heavy and wrong. I should be relieved. I am relieved.
So why am I disappointed?
Shadow and I both felt his eyes on us before bed. But then nothing. Maybe now that he got what he wanted, there’s no reason to come back. Except I don’t believe that. He said he’d be back. He’s not finished with me. This feels like a pause, not an ending.
My stomach twists. I should be celebrating his absence.
He’s a stalker, a serial killer, who’s fixated on me for reasons I don’t understand.
Fear should be the only thing I feel. But my traitorous body remembers his hands and his mouth, the way he coaxed pleasure from places I didn’t know existed.
Pleasure so intense it bordered on pain. Heat creeps up my neck at the memory.
And the primal fear of both him and Damien chasing and hunting me in my dreams had me waking up flushed and aroused. I couldn’t get my hand in my panties fast enough, but the orgasm was weak and unfulfilling compared to what he did to me.
I step back onto the porch as a large, black pickup truck pulls up the driveway, followed by two matching vans with “Wolfe Technologies” emblazoned on their sides. My pulse kicks up a notch when Damien steps out of the truck, and I have to grip the porch railing to steady myself.
Gone is yesterday’s polished businessman. Dark jeans cling to his powerful legs, and a charcoal sweater stretches across his broad shoulders. This version of him looks untamed and dangerous in a way that makes breathing require conscious effort.
He opens the passenger door and lifts out a gorgeous pit bull with a muscular build and a distinctive blue-gray coat. And is that a pink bow around her neck? He sets her on the ground, and her ears perk up as she takes in her surroundings, her tail wagging.
The contrast should be jarring, but it isn’t. If anything, seeing him with this rescue dog makes him more attractive. Those silver streaks at his temples catch the morning light as he directs his crew, and I have to swallow back the drool pooling in my mouth.
Maren’s right. Older men are my kryptonite, and Damien checks every box on that fantasy list. Confident, intelligent, and with just enough silver to suggest experience without fragility.
He’s in his mid-forties, so it’s premature gray, but those salt-and-pepper strands would feel perfect wrapped around my fingers while his head moves between my—
Jesus Christ.
I’ve never been this horny in my life. Maybe my hormones are out of whack. I should probably get blood work done.
“Right on time.” I hope my voice doesn’t betray the direction of my thoughts. My hands smooth down my shirt, and I hate that I still need the turtleneck to hide the bite mark on my collarbone. Each step toward him takes concentration to appear normal. “You brought a friend!”
“I value punctuality.” He hefts two heavy equipment cases from his truck bed as if they weigh nothing. “This is Athena. I didn’t want to leave her home alone all day. I hope that’s okay.”
“Of course.” I drop to one knee, extending my hand toward her. “Hey there, beautiful girl.” She sniffs my fingers before leaning into my touch, her tail picking up speed as I scratch behind her ears. Scars mar her face, but her eyes are bright, open, and trusting.
“She’s gorgeous.” I look up at Damien. “What’s her story?”
Anger flickers across his features, there and gone so quickly I almost miss it. “I rescued her from a dogfighting ring. Took some time to help her trust again, but she’s come a long way.”
Pain twists in my soul thinking about what this sweet girl survived. “Fucking bastards.” I run my hands along Athena’s scarred but powerful shoulders. “How could anyone hurt something so beautiful?”
“They can’t anymore.”
I look up at the venom in his tone, but his expression is impassive.
Athena seems to have decided I’m acceptable, pressing her head against my thigh with a soft whuff of contentment.
“She likes you.”
“The feeling’s mutual.”
I stand ready to offer help with his equipment when the front door of the house bangs open. Maren bounds out, dressed in clean scrubs, her wet hair twisted into a messy ponytail.
She skids to a stop when she sees Damien, me, and Athena by the truck, and the sly smile that spreads across her face makes me want to throttle her.
“Well, well, well…” She draws out each word like she’s savoring it. “If it isn’t Mr. Tall, Dark, and Mysterious. And he brought backup.” She bends down, offering her hand to Athena. “Hello there, gorgeous.”
Athena greets Maren with just as much enthusiasm.
“Ms. Rodriguez.” Damien gives her a slight nod, his expression unreadable.
“Maren, don’t you have something to do?” My voice carries a warning she’s immune to after fifteen years of friendship.
“Sure. I’ll leave you three to it. It’s kinda hot out here, anyway.” She chuckles under her breath as she walks away.
As soon as she’s behind Damien, she starts fanning her face, mouthing “so hot” at me. I shoot her my most vicious glare. The one that has zero effect on her.
When she’s gone, Damien looks down at me with a smirk that says he missed nothing. “Is your friend okay? She looks a little flustered.”
“Nothing another cold shower won’t fix. So, where do you need to start?”
“How about your office? That’s where we should set up the hub. Unless you want it in your house.”
“My office is fine. Need help?”
“I’ve got it. Though if you could get the door…”
I watch the graceful way he carries the weight as he passes me, Athena trotting along beside him. He smells different today, his cologne stronger, though not overpowering, the vanilla and amber scent making that spot below my belly button clench.
I lead him toward my office, trying to keep my thoughts professional. Ricky goes scurrying across the treatment area, Tate hot on his tail.
“That raccoon is a bit of a troublemaker, isn’t he?” Damien’s lips quirk. Athena’s ears perk forward with interest, but she stays at his side.
“You have no idea.” I push open my office door. “So you said the installation will take two days?”
He sets his equipment case on my desk, while Athena settles onto the floor nearby. “Yes. Today I’ll focus on getting the hub set up, the system in your home, and the perimeter cameras.”
“Is the house a priority?”
“Given recent events, your personal spaces are of utmost importance.”
I nod, trying not to stare at the way his sweater stretches across his broad chest. “I have a few animals to check on, but I’ll be in and out.
Maren or one of the interns can also help if you need anything.
Just ask. And don’t worry about Athena. She’s welcome to roam around. Most of our animals are used to dogs.”
“I prefer to work uninterrupted.” His tone isn’t rude, more matter-of-fact. “But I’ll find you if questions arise. And Athena will stay with me.”
“Fair enough.” I hesitate at the door. “There’s coffee in the kitchen if you want. Second door on the left. And there’s a water bowl in there for Athena too.”
The ghost of a smile touches his lips.
“Thank you.”
Throughout the day, I find myself inventing reasons to pass by my office.
I tell myself it’s professional curiosity, but the truth is I’m drawn to watching him work.
Damien’s movements are economical and practiced as he drills, wires, and programs, surprising for someone of his wealth and status.
I find myself mesmerized by the flex of muscles in his forearms as he installs mounting brackets and the slight furrow of concentration between his brows.
Athena proves the perfect companion, staying out of his way but alert to his every movement.
During one pass, I’m so distracted by my thoughts that I nearly collide with him as I round the corner, arms full of charts.
“Sorry!” The word bursts out as his hands come up to steady me, gripping my upper arms.