Page 37 of Dangerously Tempting

But I can’t force her to stick it out with me through this if she doesn’t want to. At the end of the day, it’s her choice.

“I’m sorry. I didn’t even want to believe that it was really happening at first. I thought it was over the top, and more than what she was capable of doing, but I was clearly wrong about that. It wasn’t my intention to hurt or upset you, and I wasn’t trying to keep it a secret, either.

I was just afraid. Afraid that if you knew, it would be over. That her breathing down our necks until I have enough for the cops to actually do something about it would be too much for you. I didn’t want to lose you before I even fully had you.”

She looks at me, her eyes full of sadness, and nods. “I get it. I truly do, but as much as I want to say it’s all okay and just let it go, I can’t. I don’t know how to approach this, and I really just need some time to think.”

“Okay,” I force out, even though it feels like she just sucker punched me straight in the heart. “I’ll give you time, but I need to know that you aren’t just going to shut yourself away from me. This is your choice, of course, but know that I’m not above trying to convince you to stay, and even begging if I have to.”

She huffs out a laugh, rolling her eyes. “I won’t shut you out. We can talk more tomorrow. That should give me time to process everything and get my thoughts straight.”

“Deal.” Her words lift a little weight off my shoulders, but only her actions will show if we’ll truly be okay and make it through this. I push up from the couch, stepping over to press a kiss to her hair. “I’ll be waiting to hear from you, then. Goodnight, Amelia.”

“Goodnight,” she mumbles as I turn and make my way to the door and let myself out.

I try my best not to overthink on the way home, repeatedly reminding myself that she’s going to reach out to me tomorrow. By the time I reach my door and let myself in, I think I may have actually convinced myself that it’s the truth. All I can do now is hope that is the case.

I move into the kitchen pulling my wallet from my pocket and drop it, along with my keys, into the bowl on the counter. I freeze when something that doesn’t belong on my counter catches my eye.

Tucked back against the wall, so I’d miss it if I wasn’t standing right here, is the roll of blueprints that went missing today. I never, ever, under any circumstances bring those home with me, so I know without a doubt that my worries have come to fruition.

That crazy bitch has been in my personal space, breaking in lord only knows how. How many times has she been here? She’s been doing any number of things, on top of it. The hairs on the back of my neck stand up, and for a moment my mind is completely overwhelmed by rage and fear. I grip the edge of the counter, sucking in several shaky breaths as my head spins.

Jesus, what if she’s put cameras in here? Has she been watching me to that extent?

I quickly pull my phone from my pocket and scroll to the number that the officer assigned to my case gave me and hit call. For a moment, I think he’s not going to answer, but then his voice finally floats through the line and I’m able to take a deeper breath.

“Detective Gray, this is Jameson King. I’m sorry to call you so late, but you said if I had any more occurrences to give you a call. There’s been another.”

21

Amelia

Playlist: "Never," Heart

My mind is still spinning about everything, even though I spent most of the night tossing and turning instead of actually sleeping. I understand why he didn’t tell me right away, and I try to keep that in mind as I process my emotions about the situation, but I don’t know that I’m doing the greatest job. When I called and explained everything to Kat, she was pissed at my expense, while also feeling bad for Jameson for having to deal with it all. She knew it was something that I needed to decide for myself, and made sure that I knew as much while she voiced her opinions.

I’m somewhere between feeling betrayed and just… pissed. I’m part of a situation I didn’t even know I was present in because he didn’t give me a heads up. If this chick is as crazy as she’s coming off, there’s no telling what lengths she’s willing to go to, let alone what she’s willing to do to him or me.

I don’t know if I’d have felt differently if he told me sooner, but I guess it doesn’t matter. The fact of the matter is; this situation is chilling.

She’s obviously been watching closely enough to make inconveniences at every turn. I’m not sure what her goal is with these most recent ones, though. The panties and lipstick were obvious, but these things that could have just happened by chance have me confused.

It started with a message to me. A very clear, “Back off, bitch. He’s mine.” But now? It’s like every message is for him. A warning. Almost as if she’s saying, “You haven’t been listening, so let me make this a little bit more obvious for you.”

The one thing that is exceedingly clear to me is that she’s obsessed with Jameson. If what he’s said is true, and I have no reason to believe it wouldn’t be, she latched onto him almost immediately, and claimed him as her own, even though he’s put up clear boundaries.

That doesn’t say anything good about the state of her sanity.

If she’s crazy, do I even want to be a part of this? Jameson is wonderful, hitting so many marks for things I’ve wanted in a man, even revealing some I didn’t know I could want. But is it worth all that? Is he worth the risk? Because, whether either of us is willing to admit it, there is a risk.

Neither one of us truly knows what she’s capable of. Jameson made the mistake of thinking that she was harmless before, but I won’t fall into the same trap of underestimating her. In my eyes, she’s capable of anything.

Maybe we just need to take a break until this all resolves. Would that even work? Will she eventually get bored and just leave him alone, or will it take her getting arrested to make her stop? Would that even stop her, or would she just see it as even more of a challenge?

I huff out a sigh, throwing my arms out across the bed as I starfish out, still not knowing what to do. I feel like I’m being pulled roughly into two different directions again, something that keeps happening when I’m around Jameson.

I startle when my phone starts ringing, rolling over to grab it off the nightstand, I unplug my charging cable then roll back onto the bed. I expect it to be Kat, but when I flip my phone over to check the screen, it’s Jameson’s name I see. My chest tightens, because he clearly said he’d wait for me to call last night. He’s not one to push my boundaries when they make sense, and I don’t think he’d start now, but I still hesitate a moment, staring at his name.

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