Page 101 of The Stalker

She snatched up her bathrobe and slung it on swiftly.

“That would help if I didn’t have as good an imagination as I do,” he chuckled.

“Well, try to think about dead puppies or something,” she cringed.

“That’s morbid.” He raised an eyebrow at her.

“I don’t know. I saw it in a movie once.” She shrugged and laughed.

After about thirty seconds, he said, “Okay, let’s go then.”

Tatiana led him back through the pool area amidst stares of intense curiosity, and she was grateful that nobody approached him because she just wanted to get back up to his hotel suite.

As soon as they were back on their floor, she saw that Ethan and Michael had switched out for Daryl and Ross. She nodded at them as she passed, then let Hayden into the suite.

“Come to my room so I can change, then you can have a shower.”

Hayden nodded and followed her. He shut himself in her bathroom again as she stripped off her swimsuit and pulled on a fresh outfit. She retrieved her gun and armed herself, feeling much better as she opened the door to the bathroom to let him out.

“One second,” she told him when he headed toward the door to go to his room. She frowned at the frosted glass of the shower and said to Hayden, “Shut yourself in the shower. I need to use the toilet.”

He raised his eyebrows at her, but nodded and did as he was told. Tatiana quickly grabbed a tampon and used the toilet, on edge the whole time. She could count on one hand the number of times she’d had a real reason to be concerned in a hotel suite like this, and none of those times involved having a pair of bodyguards in the hallway. It didn’t stop her hating this situation, though.

She washed her hands as she called, “Okay, you can come out.”

She led the way to Hayden’s room and stood aside as he entered the bathroom, closing the door behind himself. The shower turned on, and Tatiana stood at the bathroom door, facing away from it and with the door to his room open so she could see into the suite.

Tatiana had been standing there for a minute or so when she heard a groan from inside the bathroom. Immediately, she opened the bathroom door, readying herself to go assist Hayden, and as she did, she heard another groan.

He’s not in trouble, you moron.

Arousal flooded through her as Hayden moaned again, a little louder. She knew she should close the door, but she couldn’t seem to bring herself to do it. When he gasped before groaning again, she was sure that he must know she could hear him.

She fought the strongest urge to strip off her clothes and join him in the shower as she stood and listened to the thing she should not be listening to.

CLOSE THE DOOR, TATI. DO IT NOW.

He gave a long moan and then went silent before she heard the water shutting off. Heat flooded her cheeks, and she quickly closed the bathroom door as quietly as she could. She was still standing there, her brain playing back the sounds of Hayden’s ecstasy when he opened the door to the bathroom. Their gazes caught, and heat flooded to Tatiana’s cheeks.

“Did you enjoy your shower?” she asked before she could stop herself.

Way to go, dumbass.

-

My love,

Something momentous has happened, and I wish that I could tell you about it. Just know that our life together is on the horizon. One more obstacle has been removed. I was concerned that I may not be able to be successful, that everything I have done would be for nothing. That I would be back at square one, as I have been too many times before.

I have hope. Joyous hope that our future will definitely come to fruition. I knew that it was only a matter of time, that I simply needed to be patient, but I can admit now that I was worried.

I didn’t know how I could possibly survive if our future became unobtainable, yanked out of my reach before it began. I think it might have broken me. So knowing that we are still on our path toward happiness gives me immense joy, and I hope that knowing we are going to be together will bring you joy, too.

Beautifully and wonderfully yours.

XOXO

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