Page 61 of Texting Dr. Stalker

His message was slightly slower, but I shivered when my phone pinged.

X:Tell you what, Lori?

Ugh, my heart reacted again. That silly skip. That buoyant little bubble.

Who would’ve thought a nickname given to me by Alexander North could make me melt?

Every muscle locked as Alexander exploded in my mind. His trim chest as he appeared in his bedroom in just a towel. The droplets rolling down his lean muscles. The blinding pain in my scalp as Milton yanked me backward by my hair.

Sucking in a breath, I shoved Alexander away and focused entirely on the skull-masked stranger who’d stood like an immortal guardian in my garden last night.

Me:Do you watch me because you’re some closeted vigilante trying to be Batman, or do you watch me because you like me?

This time, his message took a while. I’d probably freaked him out. I didn’t send another one, dragging out whatever nerves he had.

Finally, my phone chirped.

X:I said I’d give you honesty, so…here’s honesty. I’ve watched you for a while. I’ve watched you far more than I should admit. And you’re right, it’s not entirely for the reasons of protecting you.

Me:How long?

X:That I can’t answer.

Me:Have you seen me naked?

His reply was instant, almost a knee-jerk reaction.

X:No! God, no. I wouldn’t. I look away if you ever get close to stripping.

He sent another one.

X:Fuck, I really, really suck at this. I didn’t mean anything by that. Look, I’ll make the decision for both of us and say we should stop this. I’ve probably freaked you the hell out, and I’m sick to death that I even admitted something like that.

He sent a third one before I could reply.

X:I’m sorry. You’re safe. I won’t contact you again. Goodnight, Lori.

My chest pinched at the thought of him following through with that promise. He couldn’t take away something I didn’t even know I needed.

Somehow, he’d made me feel seen without being pitied. Wanted without being terrified. Despite what’d happened, he still found me attractive. But he was gentle enough,humanenough not to take something that didn’t belong to him.

I found that…

God, I’m turned on.

I laughed out loud as I pressed my thighs together and marvelled that I could feel even the inklings of pleasure after Milton.

Yet another cloud dispersed from my soul, leaving me warm and toasty instead of cold and empty.

Stroking my thumbs over the screen, I bit my bottom lip.

I had two ways of playing this.

I could play the victim that I’d become. I could allow the percolating panic in my gut to make him a bad guy and twist every message from honest to creepy. Or…I could be guided by instinct, which said that despite his actions, he was a good guy. After all, what did I know? I’d lived with an asshole and never seen the signs. Could it be possible that I spoke to a saint hidden behind a mask?

Me:I keep saying this but…I truly don’t know what it says about me when I admit…I like that you watch me.

X:You sure you don’t want to hand your phone into the police again?

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