Chapter Two
Mateo
The Scent Of Fate
I wait patiently on the concrete steps that lead to Harlow’s apartment building. For the better part of three weeks, I have stalked her, obsessed over her, and finally found my way into her life, besides merely following her like a lost puppy.
The Oracle told me many years ago that I would find my consort in the least expected place. Not that her vague words gave me any sense of peace. That is, until I was in the frozen food section of the local supermarket trying to find Scarlet her favorite brand of Rocky Road ice cream.
The scent of freshly baked chocolate cookies wrapped around me and locked into my soul.
I would laugh if someone else said those words out loud, but there they are.
I stared at the woman beside me and wanted nothing more than to grab her and whisk her away, but I couldn’t.
I have no idea how to explain any of this madness.
Because, in truth, this is utter insanity.
My entire existence is something I have no words to explain.
The scent hits me once more as I sit here waiting for her, even though she is nowhere in sight. My nerves are frayed as I wait, my patience quickly waning. And then I see her.
I am hit with her beauty once again, as I am every time I watch her.
Dark hair that flows down her back and olive-toned skin thanks to her Hispanic heritage.
She is still dressed in her work clothes, a slate-gray pencil skirt and a pale blue button-up shirt.
I wonder for the millionth time what she hides beneath her perfectly professional exterior.
“Mateo,” she says as I stand, a hint of trepidation coating her words.
I can smell the fear clinging to her with an underlying odor I find familiar but can’t place.
“That’s me,” I say with a smile, slinging my backpack onto my shoulder.
“Thank God,” she mumbles. “I’m so grateful you are willing to help me with this after hours.”
“It’s not a problem. I love my job.”
I do love my work, but at this moment, I am grateful to be a tech guy.
Harlow walks in front of me as we enter the building, climbing the stairs to her second-floor apartment.
The material of her skirt pulls tight across the juicy globes of her ass, and I can’t help but stare.
It takes every ounce of control I have learned in my two hundred-odd years not to lean forward and take a fucking bite.
Once on the landing, she fumbles inside her purse for her keys. I smile, imagining pulling the set I have from my back pocket. I’m sure she would lose her fucking mind knowing that I have been inside her home. Not to mention the security cameras I have placed all over so I can keep an eye on her.
“Hold this,” she murmurs, pressing what seems to be a half-eaten cookie into my hand. “Here they are.”
Quickly, she unlocks the door and leads us inside.
Dumping her purse on a small table beside the door, she kicks off her high heels and scrunches her toes on the thick entryway carpet.
Every move she makes and every breath that she exhales has me transfixed.
Suddenly, I understand why Kyson is such a softie when it comes to Scarlet.
I would do anything this woman asks of me.
“Here is my setup,” she says, leading me to a corner of her living room where she has her computer and printer arranged. “I don’t know what I did, but nothing works anymore.”
Once more, I have to fight my smile. She didn’t do anything. I did. After weeks of stalking and pining, I snuck in and uploaded a virus to her PC. Nothing damaging, just something small to throw everything out of whack. And then I waited for her to seek technical help.
It was by no means as easy as I thought it would be.
We have been communicating online for the better part of a week, her trust issues keeping her from just telling me to come over and fix it.
But now that I am here, I fully intend to milk the situation for all that it’s worth.
A simple two-minute fix is going to take me over an hour. Simply so that I can be around her.
Sitting down in the chair she uses, I start to power everything up while she watches.
“Can I get you something to drink?” she asks, her breath fanning over me.
I can’t help my reaction. Every muscle in my body goes tight from being this close to her. My fangs have already distended, and I know that I need to be careful or I will scare the ever-loving shit out of her.
“Water would be great,” I say, never turning to look at her.
With a huff, she leaves. I listen as she pads across the apartment to her kitchen.
My muscles relax, and I allow myself to get lost in the task at hand.
A moment later, her hand lands on my shoulder, and we repeat the entire process all over again.
How the hell am I supposed to woo this stunning creature if I basically have a damn convulsion every time she touches me?
She removes her hand, and I want to scream, but I remain quiet, clicking at random keys on the keyboard.
“Is it a terrible mess?”
“Not really,” I reply. “But it seems you may have picked up a virus somewhere. Once I get it going, I’ll check your antivirus and firewall so this doesn't happen again.”
“Will you be able to recover the data?” She sounds nervous again, and I assume it's because she has work-related documents on here. From my snooping, I haven’t found a single personal thing on her PC.
“Yes, Harlow.” I roll her name around my mouth. “Everything should still be here. But I will show you how to do a proper backup so you don’t have this issue in the future.”
“Thank you, Mateo. You just saved my ass.”
An ass I want to take a bite out of.