Chapter 25 #2
Heat spreads from where he touches me, racing up to my shoulders and down to my fingertips. The same sensation as yesterday. I lift my eyes to his face, searching for some sign he feels it too.
There’s only careful neutrality in his gaze. “No harm done.” He releases me, stepping back to a professional distance that feels both disappointing and relieving. “I was heading to my truck for additional hardware.”
“Right.” I clutch the folders tighter against my chest as I move to the side. “How’s it going? The installation?”
“Efficiently.” He glances at his watch. “We’re a little ahead of schedule, so I should get to the main building connections today.”
“That’s… good.”
Apparently, I’ve lost the ability to speak like a normal person.
He excuses himself, and I take a moment to catch my breath before giving Athena a treat from my pocket. The pull I feel toward him is powerful and confusing. I just met the man yesterday, for Christ’s sake.
I shake it off and go about my way. The next thing I know, I’ve completed my evening rounds and darkness has fallen.
I’m tired and looking forward to a hot shower before calling Shadow in from his run.
As I walk toward the house, I’m surprised to see Damien’s black pickup still here and the lights on in the living room.
The front door stands ajar, spilling warm light onto my porch. I push it open. “Hello?”
“In the kitchen.” Damien’s voice drifts from the back of the house.
He’s standing in front of an open panel on my kitchen wall, tools spread across the table. His sleeves are pushed up, revealing forearms corded with muscle and covered in tattoos I can’t quite make out as he connects wires to my new security system.
Athena lies nearby, watching him work, while Sage has claimed her favorite perch on the dog’s back, the same way she does with Shadow.
“You’re still here.” I lean against the doorframe, thinking about how right they both look in the space.
Where the hell did that come from?
He glances over his shoulder, those penetrating eyes finding mine. “Just finishing up. We got most of the system installed today. All the interior sensors in your house and the sanctuary buildings.”
“It’s past eight. You don’t have to work these hours.”
Damien straightens, turning to face me. “I do my best work at night.”
Okay. That’s an odd thing to say.
I move around the island, stepping closer, and his eyes track my movements.
“Is that the main control panel?”
“No, that’s beside the front door. This is a secondary panel. There’s also one in your bedroom, so you can arm or disarm the system from upstairs.” He gestures for me to join him. “Let me show you how it works.”
His arm is almost touching mine as he explains the system, and I’m too distracted by his proximity to understand any of it. Heat radiates from his body, and that vanilla-amber scent makes my head swim. He turns his head to look down at me, and my breath catches.
“Luna?”
My name rolls off his tongue like he’s tasting it, drawing out each syllable.
“Yes?” The word escapes on a breathy exhale I didn’t mean to release.
His eyes drop to my mouth, and the heat in his gaze makes my nipples tighten, but then he steps back, clearing his throat. His professional mask slides back into place. It’s a bit unnerving how easily he does that, almost as if he’s two separate people.
“If you have any problems with anything, or if anything doesn’t work to your satisfaction, call me directly. You have my numbers. Call anytime. Day or night.”
“Thank you, Damien. For everything.”
“We’ll finish with the exterior cameras and motion sensors tomorrow.” He packs up his tools. “I won’t be here. I have business at my Denver office, but my team will complete the installation. Once everything’s finished, I’ll stop by to ensure it’s all working properly.”
Athena rises when he lifts his equipment case, stretching in that leisurely way dogs do. Sage meows in protest at losing her warm perch.
“She’s such a good girl.” I crouch to give her another pet before scooping Sage into my arms. I follow them down the hall to the front door.
“Hey, if you ever need to board her when you go out of town, I’d be happy to have her stay here.
We’re set up for it, and she seems to get along well with everyone. ”
His mouth curves, not quite a smile but close, and the transformation is breathtaking. He looks younger. Softer. “That’s kind of you. I’ll keep that in mind.”
He hesitates at the door, looking back at me with an expression I can’t quite read. The air between us feels charged, full of unspoken possibilities.
“Lock up behind me. And stay safe, Luna.”
My thoughts are in disarray, and my nerves are frazzled as I lock up and set the alarm. I’m glad I have the security system because, as the night goes on, I’m more convinced than ever that what happened with my watcher was complete insanity.
It can’t happen again.
I’m playing Russian roulette with my life. It doesn’t matter how drawn I am to him or how wet I get just thinking about what he did to me. I’m asking to get murdered.
I have to stop this. But how?
He’s fixated on me. That’s what creepy stalkers do. They obsess and watch and stalk until they finally knock you unconscious and take you to their murder lair and cut you into little pieces.
Okay, so maybe I’m being a little dramatic.
But probably not.
Now, I’m attracted to Damien. His quiet intensity draws me in, a silent pull that feels both exciting and unnerving. Maybe I’m in such a constant state of arousal that I’m attracted to everyone. Soon, I’ll have the hots for Maren.
Knowing her, she’d probably like it.
I jump in the shower and let the water wash away my lingering unease, feeling safer knowing that I have a security system. But I should have told Maren about my watcher. Someone should know in case I vanish or my body turns up dead, wrapped in plastic.
What will I do if he comes tonight? At least the new system will keep him out. If he tries to break in, Damien’s company will be alerted, and they’ll call the sheriff. But will they make it here before he murders me? Or I have an aneurysm and end up in a coma from orgasming too hard.
I slip into an oversized t-shirt. A knot of fear tightens my stomach because I know with chilling certainty that nothing will stop him the next time he comes for me. Security system or not.
Against my better judgment, I look out my window for a long time before I crawl into bed, exhausted yet too wired to sleep. He’s not out there tonight. His gaze is absent. I don’t feel the familiar prickle on my skin that always comes when he’s watching me.
I grab my phone from the nightstand, debating whether I should call Maren and confess. Maybe I should have asked her to stay tonight.
No. I don’t know my watcher’s true intentions with me yet, and I can’t bear to put her in danger.
My mind drifts to Damien again, replaying his expressions, the restrained hunger in his eyes when he looked at me. It reminds me too much of my watcher.
The coincidence nags at me, but I push the thought away. It’s too far-fetched. I’m just connecting them because of the wolf, or Wolfe, aspect. Damien Wolfe is a billionaire. He’s not a masked stalker, creeping around the woods of Colorado and taking women against their will.
He’s too refined, distinguished, and rich. My watcher is rough, almost savage. They’re complete opposites, except in how my body reacts to them.
As my consciousness fades and sleep claims me, the weight of disappointment settles, like a heavy blanket in the night’s stillness, because, even though I don’t want him to, once again, my watcher doesn’t show.
Something jolts me from sleep. I bolt upright in bed, my heart hammering against my ribs.
What was that?
I strain, listening for whatever woke me. The house is quiet. Too quiet. At the foot of my bed, Sage, Willow, and Juniper sleep undisturbed, curled together in a pile of fur, while Shadow snores in his bed in the corner.
I look around my room, and nothing is amiss. But something isn’t right.
I glance at the keypad next to the door. Damien insisted I have one installed in the bedroom. A solid red light signals that the system is armed.
So why does the back of my neck itch?
The creaking of the hardwood floor in the hallway outside my door sends ice flooding my veins.
Someone’s in the house. It can only be one person.
I throw back the covers and slide out of bed. Shadow doesn’t stir, which is odd. He should be freaking out if a stranger is inside the house.
I love him, but my wolf is really starting to disappoint me.
The keypad still glows red, which means no one breached any doors or windows. Damien’s system is supposed to be breachproof.
I edge toward my closet, opening it just enough to reach inside for the baseball bat I keep there. The one I should start setting beside the bed at night. The smooth wood feels reassuring in my grip as I tighten my fingers around it.
I pause at my bedroom door, listening.
Nothing.
The house is silent again.
Steeling myself, I turn the knob and step into the hallway, bat raised and ready. My pulse throbs in my throat as I scan the darkness, but there’s no one there. The hallway stretches empty before me, moonlight filtering through the window at the far end, casting long shadows on the floor.
Still gripping the bat, I make my way to the gun cabinet. If my watcher is in the house again, I’m going to shoot him. And I won’t miss this time.
When the door swings open, my stomach plummets.
The shotgun is gone.
“No, no, no.”
I search the cabinet with frantic hands, as if the weapon might materialize if I look hard enough. But it’s not there.
He took it. How did he know the combination to my gun cabinet?
I back away, clutching the bat tighter, and hurry back to my bedroom. I need my phone. I’m calling Karen and putting an end to this insanity.
When I reach my nightstand, my phone isn’t there.
What the hell?
Shadow still hasn’t stirred in his bed, which makes no sense. He should be going crazy right now. The cats remain unbothered as well.
What the hell is happening to my animals? Am I dreaming? I pinch myself. Nope, not dreaming.
My heart hammers so hard I can hear the blood rushing in my ears. He’s in my house again, and he’s taken my grandfather’s shotgun and my phone.
What the actual fuck!
How did he get past my security system?
I take a deep breath, trying to steady my nerves, but it doesn’t stop my arms from shaking. Clutching the bat with both hands, I move toward the bedroom door again. If he’s here, I need to confront him. I need to end this game, whatever it is.
I close the door behind me because I won’t take the chance that he’ll shoot Shadow if he comes to my rescue.
The stairs creak beneath my weight as I descend them, one at a time. My muscles are coiled tight, ready to swing if necessary. The living room below is dark, but I can make out the familiar shadowy shapes of my furniture.
I freeze as I reach the bottom step.
He’s lounging in the chair beside the window, like he owns the place. The silver wolf mask catches the moonlight streaming in the front window, making his visible mouth seem even more dangerous when it curves into an infuriating smirk.
My grandfather’s shotgun lies in his lap.
“Looking for this?”