Page 9 of Stalked By the Wrestler

"Only the best for you, sweetheart." He grins, pulling me into his massive arms, but I'm still stuck on those photos—the obsessive archive of me on his phone.

"Judy, can we talk about—" His manager starts, but Cedric's arm is a vise around my waist, snatching me back.

"Later," he growls, his voice a deep rumble that has the manager backing off with a raised brow and hands up. Cedric's eyes flash a warning, animalistic, protective.

"Need to go to the restroom," I murmur, extricating myself from his hold. My mind screams for space, for a moment to think without his intense gaze pinning me down.

He turns to his manager, the distraction I need. I slip away, lost in the sea of bodies flooding the arena.

I just need…

I don’t know what I need.

Just that I’m suddenly overwhelmed.

Cedric

"Judy?" The panic rises and thickens my voice as I whirl around.

She's gone—vanished like a wisp of smoke.

I bark at my manager, "Did you see where she went?"

"Thought she was with you, Ced."

"Fuck!" My heart's racing, pounding out a rhythm of dread. I push through the crowd, using my size, my presence, to carve a path through the masses. The city sprawls before me, hiding her, but I'll tear it apart brick by brick if I have to.

"Judy!" I shout, my voice breaking through the night.

Nothing.

I search, hours or minutes—I can't tell—until I turn into an alley and there she is, cornered, fear etched in her eyes as two guys loom over her.

"Hey!" The rage is instant, volcanic. They're touching her, and I feel the beast within unchain. Two punches, swift and brutal, and they're down, unconscious.

"Judy!" I scoop her up, and she clings to me, her body trembling. Her fingers dig into my shoulders, anchoring herself to me.

"Cedric, I..." Her voice trails off, eyes wide and glistening.

"Shh, it's okay. You're safe now," I say, my own relief crashing into me, nearly staggering.

I’m trembling and nearly crumble.

I could have lost her.

Judy

Tears glisten in Cedric's eyes, making the blue of his irises shimmer like the ocean caught in a storm. His breathing is ragged, chest heaving from the fight and the fear of losing me.

And that does something to me. My heart breaks for my huge giant, the fear in his eyes.

"Swear to me, Judy," he says, voice cracking with emotion. "Swear you'll never leave me again."

My heart clenches at the raw vulnerability in his voice. This giant of a man, my Big Ced, broken down to near tears for me. The possessiveness that had once seemed frightening now feels like the most intense declaration of love.

"Never," I whisper, my own voice trembling. "I swear, Cedric. I can't—I won’t ever leave you."

"God, Judy," he breathes out, pulling me closer until there's not a sliver of space between us. "I’m so damn crazy over you. It scares me, how much I need you. You're my life...Without you, I'd die."

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