Page 15 of Stalker's Valentine

Watching was enough to take the edge off, but I was afraid the thread of self-control I was holding on to was starting to fray.

Every night, I told myself that I’d have her soon. That I would approach her. But she stopped showing up at the brewery. Her sisters would still go, but not her.

Soon.The word was starting to irritate me.

I took a step and winced at the hardwood floor that groaned beneath my weight. Scarlett shifted in the couch, turning around without opening her eyes. I should have left. Walked out and figured out another way. She was enjoying the gifts, and the fruit arrangement had looked like it worked like a charm.

I am her secret admirer, and she is the stalker’s Valentine,a voice perked up in the back of my head. But instead of it talking some kind of sense into me, it made me grin.I am her stalker.Obsessed with everything about her. From the beautiful dark hair at the top of her head to the pretty soles of her feet. I was hers.

I stepped closer, too close to my cutie to back away and leave. No way would my body let me. I didn’t stop until I hovered over her. My cock throbbed along with the beat of my heart. Jesus, I’d never been so hard. It would have been easy to take my cock out of my dark jeans and stroke myself right above her. Let my seed fall on her bare thighs. My dick strained, protesting the fact I hadn’t touched myself.Not yet.I knew the moment I touched her, that I had her in my arms, letting go would be impossible.

I kneeled down, reached for the throw blanket I’d had delivered she had set off to the side of the couch, and covered her sweet body with it. She turned, and my heart stopped. Her sleepy eyes opened, and I froze, positive she would jump up and scream bloody murder.

But not my girl. I let my deluded self believe that even in her sleepy state, she knew she belonged with me. That when it came to me, she never had anything to fear. She sighed and smiled before closing her eyes and whispering, “It’s you. It’s always you.”

Oh yeah. It would be me for her, just like it was her for me. Always and forever.

I didn’t move until I made sure she had fallen back asleep. I rose off my hunches and walked out, making sure to lock the door behind me.

scarlett

. . .

I loved my job.

I worked from the privacy of my own home and didn’t have to deal with nosy or meddling coworkers or women with a mean girl complex. Every office I had worked in before had them.The cliques.Being the way I was, I was never a part of them. But with every good comes a bad.

The one drawback of my job was that one day a month, I had to go into the medical office, turn physical copies of things in, and pick up a new stack. Usually, it was in and out.Super easy.But today, because my boss loved the way I worked and the discrepancies I found, he invited me to the quarterly meeting.

When I was finally out of there, I decided I deserved a treat, so I left my car parked at the office and walked down the main street of town. The day was nice even if a little chilly. I felt myself smiling as I looked into the shop windows. Every window was decorated for Valentine’s Day, and even though I wasn’t usually one for the holiday, I found it pretty to look at.Maybe it’s because of your secret admirer?a voice perked up. I was no longer sure it was my sisters pranking me.

I stopped in front of the flower shop, Buds and More. They had a pretty display just outside. Each bouquet was beautiful with brightly colored blooms. But it was one bouquet that called to me more than the others.

I reached for it but stopped myself. I didn’t need any frivolous purchases. And as pretty as the pink roses with succulents around them looked, I didn’t need it. What I needed was coffee.

After talking myself out of the flowers, I headed down to my favorite coffee shop, Pine and Grind. When I walked into the place, I took a deep breath to let the scent of the elixir of life fill my lungs. I smiled. I loved this place. I was lucky I was able to work from home, because I was positive if I had to work at the clinic, I would be at the coffee shop every break and lunchtime.

My eyes drifted up to the menu. There were some new drinks up there, mostly themed for Valentine’s Day. The names of the drinks made me smile, and for some reason, I was tempted to try something new rather than my usual coffee with two sugars and almond milk.

Someone bumped into me, and when I turned, awareness of a familiar chest prickled in the back of my neck. A chest I dreamt of touching.It can’t be, the little voice in my head gasped as I looked up and up to meet the beautiful pale blue, almost gray eyes I thought about daily.

“Sorry,” he apologized, and when our gaze connected, butterflies fluttered in my belly. “It’s you.” His voice was deep and rich. “Hi.” He smiled almost shyly.

“Me?”

“You’re Onyx’ sister, right?” he asked, tilting his head a little bit, his hand holding my elbow.

“What?” My brows bunched, and I couldn’t seem to string two words together.It’s him!

“I’m sorry.” His beautiful lips tipped up and his hand rose, rubbing the back of his neck. “I’ve seen you at the brewery. Your brother and mine––“

“Right,” I blurted. “Umm, right! You’re Austin is brother!” I wasn’t making sense. I shook my head, ignoring how embarrassed I felt. “I’m sorry, I mean Austin is your brother.”

“Yeah.” He smiled. “I’m Merritt.”

“Merritt,” I repeated, probably sounding like a breathy parrot.Merritt.The name suited him perfectly. Masculine and strong. Classic.

“And yours?”

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