Chapter 1 #2
Oh, shit. That comment didn’t land how I expected.
“Lily! Are you there? What’s happening?”
The psycho’s gaze flicks briefly to where my friend’s anxious voice floats from the car. “Lily,” he repeats, his breath soft against my skin. “Keep those pretty lips closed and get back into your car.”
He called me pretty.
When the pad of his finger strokes the side of my mouth, I’m too stunned to react.
His warning plays on my mind as he takes a second swipe at my lip before pulling away.
He smells of cedar and musk, but there’s another scent in the air.
Ghirardelli chocolate. Shit. I had a smudge of chocolate around my mouth the whole time I was screaming at him. Ground eat me up.
I want to tell him to go to hell, if only to save face, but he opens his mouth at the same time I do.
It’s another warning. He told me to be quiet so I roll my eyes before turning my back on him.
I’m holding my breath, and it’s only when I hear his footsteps receding that I turn to watch his retreating form.
My psycho has the kind of physique that would intimidate anyone, including the driver who’d just been shouting at me.
A twenty-eight-year-old woman of average height and build wouldn’t stand a chance against him.
I should have stayed in my car. And I would have done if I hadn’t assumed I was confronting some gross office jerk.
I should get back in the Audi, but I’m entranced by the sight of the man in the sharp suit.
He doesn’t look surprised when he turns to catch me staring.
And not just staring. Practically drooling.
He holds my gaze as he puts his finger in his mouth and slowly sucks clean the smudge of chocolate he’d wiped from my lips.
Muscles tighten in my core, and I let out a groan. “Oh, fuck.”
“Lily! Answer me now, or I’m calling the cops!” Kaitlyn screeches.
I’m still staring at my psycho, and I swear I can see the beginnings of a grin on the motherfucker’s face. This is the man who had the audacity to silence me, and now I’m panting like some mad, horny bitch. Which I’m not. Absolutely not.
I hate not having the last word, so I correct the situation immediately. “Asshole!”
His head drops so I can’t see his expression as he opens his car door. As he’s about to slip behind the wheel, he pulls his suit jacket to the side, giving me a glimpse of the gun holstered at his hip. He doesn’t look back to check my reaction, but the reveal was clearly for me.
“Oh, fuck, fuck, fuck,” I mutter as I climb into my car, slam the door and hit the locks.
“Lily, is that you?” Kaitlyn asks. “Are you OK?”
I press a hand to my chest to take some of the strain my thumping heart is placing on my ribs. “I’m good,” I croak out. “Just give me a minute.”
The SUV pulls away, but I don’t turn my car’s engine straight away.
My hands are shaking, and I’m wiping them on my slacks as the driver behind me pulls out to overtake me.
He swerves back into our lane, and other cars fill the growing gap.
Only when the SUV is a safe distance away, do I drive on.
It’s going to be fine. I’m fine. It was just a random meeting, and I’m never going to see my psycho again.
The traffic is free-flowing as I drive further out of the city.
I live on the west side of Chicago, and by the time I approach my exit, I’ve finished my call with Kaitlyn as well as my chocolate bar.
I’d like to say I’ve also put my little confrontation on the expressway out of my mind, but for reasons I won’t admit, replaying the moment I came face to face with a dark and dangerous stranger is far more appealing than having to think about Connor.
My tongue explores the corner of my mouth where he’d wiped away the melted chocolate. I can still feel the intensity of his stare as he sucked his finger clean. Heat coils and muscles clench at the memory.
As I take the fast-approaching exit, I sense a dark shape behind me, but when I flick my gaze to my rearview mirror, I find the road behind me clear.
I blink to clear my vision, and that’s all the time it takes for a black car to cut in front of me.
I let out a cry as I hit the brakes, tires squealing as I’m forced to a stop by a motherfucking SUV.
It's him. I know it’s him, but how the hell did he approach from behind?
I’ve been looking out for that SUV for miles, and I know I didn’t overtake him.
My breath comes out in gasps as my mind races.
He has a gun. And he made some comment about dragging me into his car. Is that why he’s forced me to stop?
Horns blare as drivers swerve around us on the exit ramp. I can’t do anything while my way forward is blocked by the SUV. I keep my hands curled around the steering wheel, my knuckles turning white as I wait. And wait some more.
“Oh, shit,” I whisper as the driver’s door swings open and the man of my darkest fantasies makes his second appearance of the day.
Oblivious to the chaos he’s causing, he tosses and catches his car keys in his hand as he walks towards me, and he walks with a swagger.
I shake my head, but only a fraction because he’s staring right at me.
I can’t read his expression, and wouldn’t know if he wanted to kill, kiss or kidnap me.
Whatever his intention, the fear twisting my stomach isn’t quite enough to quell the effect he’s having on my lower belly.
Thankfully, I’m not so far gone that I don’t double check that the doors are locked.
As he reaches the front of my Audi, I dare to hold his cold gaze, and he cocks an eyebrow. His keys jangle as he tosses them into the air again, but this time, he misses the catch.
“Ha!” I shout before I have the good sense to hold my tongue.
The SUV driver tips his head at me in silent warning before stooping out of sight. Once he’s retrieved his keys, he comes along side and rests his arm on the roof. Leaning over to peer through the window, he gestures for me to roll it down.
I hesitate. Lowering my window will make me vulnerable, but this asshole isn’t going to move unless I give him the chance to say whatever it is he has to say. My cheeks flush. What if he asks me out on a date? Should I accept?
The motor hums as the window slides down. I stop it halfway just to be safe.
“Anything to say to me, Lily?” he asks.
A gasp escapes my lips. “You cut me off, again. Are you expecting an apology?”
His lips flatten. Not quite a smile, but this isn’t a face that’s used to smiling. “No, I was expecting more verbal abuse.”
He pauses in anticipation, but I say nothing. I’m not falling for his trap.
“I’m glad to see you’ve taken my advice to heart.”
My jaw drops. “Wait. Was this some sort of test?” I seethe. “Are you fu–” I clamp my mouth shut. He has a gun, Lily. Shut up.
“Good girl,” he says softly with a slight nod of approval. “But next time, don’t lower your window just because someone asks you to. Let’s not have this conversation again.”
And with that, he straightens up and starts walking back to his car. My jaw aches as I grind on my molars, and choke back all the expletives I want to hurl in his direction. The heat that had been building in my core transforms into acid in my stomach. A familiar red mist descends.
Lowering my window all the way down, I poke my head out. “You’re still a fucking asshole!” I yell at him.
He pauses mid step, and I don’t take my eyes off him as I quickly raise my window again.
His shoulders sag as if he’s releasing a sigh, and then he continues on his way.
He doesn’t look back this time as he gets into his car, and if he watches me through his rearview mirror, I can’t tell because the windows are blacked out.
In a repeat of earlier, I don’t immediately pull away when he drives off, and when I do make it off the exit ramp, I choose the opposite direction to the SUV.
I don’t head for home, but drive around for another half hour.
Light fades, and when every other car starts to look like a black SUV in the dark, I pray that I never see the stranger again unless it’s in one of my many fantasies.
Real life shit like this is too damn dangerous.