Page 184 of Texting Dr. Stalker

Not gonna happen.

“You!” She shoved both hands against my chest, smearing my black t-shirt with gunk.

I tripped backward and dropped her. Her feet swung down just in time to keep her standing. Tripping away from me, she ripped off her dirty rubber gloves and tossed them onto the grass.

Balling her fists, she hissed, “What thehellare you doing here? How dare you—”

“What the hell amIdoing here? What the hell areyoudoing?” I flung an arm at the decrepit ladder. “That relic is rotten to its core. It could’ve killed you!”

“Don’t be so dramatic. It wouldn’t have killed—”

“How about I finish the job? Seeing as you’re so determined to put yourself at risk!”

“Don’t you dare threaten me—”

“Why?” I stalked into her, seething behind my mask. “If your life means so little to you, then why should I care? Why should I do my best to keep you safe?”

What the fuck are you doing?

This wasn’t me.

I didn’t mean any of this, but…I couldn’t stop.

“I didn’t ask you to keep me safe, you asshole!” She bared her teeth. Peng bounced around with unhappy meows. Neither of us paid him any attention. “You’re the one who appointed yourself my protector!”

“And good thing I did. Otherwise, you’d be in fucking pieces right now!”

“I was already in pieces, you prick!”

“Then you’re welcome! I seem to have done such a bang-up job looking after you that you’re now healed enough to do idiotic things like cripple yourself!”

“I wouldnothave crippled myself!” Her cheeks shot red with rage. “And you lost any right to worry about me the moment you ghosted me! You never showed at the movies. You never even replied!”

“I wouldn’t have had to ghost you if you hadn’t made me want you!”

“Oh, so this ismyfault, is it?” She threw her hands up in the air. “Of course. Go ahead. Be the typical cliché moron blaming a woman for his behavior. His stalking, spying, shadystupidbehaviour!”

Snatching her around the shoulders, I held her tight. “Careful, Lori. Be really fucking careful.”

“Or what? You’ll leave again?”

I panted hard behind my mask, my fingers digging deep. Beneath my fury, bone-breaking gratefulness flooded me. She was still alive, still whole, still mine.

Mine.

She’salwaysbeen mine.

My voice lowered to a growl. “Or I’ll take you into the house and show youexactlyhow furious I am.”

She quaked with a full-body shudder then shoved my hands off her. Her eyes flooded with heat. “No, you won’t. You would never lay a finger on me and that’s the damn problem!”

“I remember laying three fingers on you if I’m not mistaken,” I hissed, uncontrollable lust arcing through me. “And a tongue.”

A wicked glint appeared in her molten stare. “Funny, I remember begging for more and you refusing.”

“You weren’t ready.”

“Don’t tell me what I was or wasn’t, you pompous jerk.”

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