Page 6 of Stalker's Valentine

Hairy?

Or smooth skin all over.

“Hey! Earth to Scar!” Olive called, and Rave snickered. I turned and frowned at her.

“What is it?”

“Why are you checking out the old dude?” my rude baby sister asked.

“He’s not old,” I defended and watched Coral’s lips twitch.

“Babe,” she called, her eyes wide likecome on!

“What? He isn’t! I mean, yes, he’s older than me, but the guy’s probably like––“

“Forty,” Olive answered, and my brows bunched while my spine straightened.

“What?”

“He’s forty.” She shrugged, and an ugly feeling washed over me. I had never thought of myself as the jealous kind. Having four sisters and a brother, we all learned to share pretty quickly. Olive being the way she was, I didn’t like the idea of her having hooked up with him.Please don’t tell me they hooked up,I prayed silently to a greater power.

“Don’t give me that look!” She laughed. “I didn’t go there. But don’t you know who that is?” she asked quietly, leaning closer to the table. As if being called towards her, Coral, Raven, and I leaned in, too, so we could hear her speak a little lower.

“Who is he?” Raven asked curiously, and again, I didn’t like the idea of them checking him out.What is wrong with me?

“Quien es?”Who is it?Coral asked, and I tried not to show exactly how anxious I was to find out.

“That’s the oldest Hart brother.”

“He’s Austins brother?” I blurted, unable to hide the shock in my voice.

“Geez, smooth, nerd. Relax! He’s just a guy.” Raven bumped my shoulder, and I rolled my eyes. I knew she was right, but I had a feeling she wasn’t at the same time.

There was something about him. My body had never reacted to anyone like it did to him. I couldn’t stop thinking about him and coming up with scenarios that could never possibly happen. “I just mean, they don’t really look like each other.”

“It is, I promise. I saw him when the guys graduated from college.”

“You sure that’s him?” I asked again, showing way too much interest.

“Oh yeah.” She nodded with enthusiasm. “I don’t remember his name, but that’s him,” Olive shared.

“Did you know they all think they’re cursed?” Coral brought up, and my sisters kept talking, but I ignored the rest of the conversation. I couldn’t focus on what they had to say after that. Not through the buzzing in my ears that felt like it was flowing right through every nerve ending from head to toe.

I wanted nothing more than to turn around and ask if I could buy him a drink. But I was too much of a chicken shit to do that. Especially with my sisters there. Not to mention my brother still behind the bar.

Instead, I kept subtly looking over my shoulder throughout lunch. There were even a couple of times when our gazes connected, but again, I couldn’t read him. He’d look away before I could try.

And when he walked out just before we did? I could have sworn he took my heart with him.

merritt

. . .

I was goingto get arrested.Or fucking committed.

I wasn’t sure which one would be worse, but fuck if I could stop myself from what I was doing.

Not only had I left the brewery without approaching her, but I didn’t leave. No. I waited, sitting in my car, praying and hoping they didn’t leave through the back exit. The sigh of relief when I saw the four women walk out of the front was palpable. My eyes never wavered from the woman who had been haunting my every waking moment. For a week, I had been thinking about her, obsessing over her.

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