Page 49 of The Stalker

Fuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuck. Stop. Don’t think about it. Go shower. DON’T masturbate.

Tatiana had to work hard to shut down her train of thought as she made her way to her bathroom. She stripped and showered in piping hot water, desperately trying to stop herself from thinking dirty thoughts about Hayden.

For the first time in the history of her business, Tatiana considered whether or not she should break the contract. She’d never done it before. Clients had broken it, but she hadn’t. Tatiana switched off the water, got out of the shower, and wrapped a towel around herself. She walked into her bedroom and sat on the bed, staring out the windows at Chicago below her.

Hayden hadn’t left for the tour yet. She could help him find someone else to keep him safe. Could she do it in two days? Possibly. The thought of leaving him in the care of someone else made her sad, though. They had plans to watch Casino Royale together. She wanted to read the rest of the Bond series and discuss the books with Hayden.

More importantly, who did she even trust to keep him safe, if not her?

Nobody. You don’t trust anybody, Tatiana. That’s why you need to keep it professional. He needs you.

There were people she trusted, of course. Professionals as good as she was. But the thought of leaving Hayden’s safety in the hands of someone else was beyond terrifying. She couldn’t do it because breaking the contract meant she would no longer have any power to keep him safe.

She just needed to remember that he was a client. Maybe they were becoming friends—she smiled as she thought of the hours they’d spent in his library, reading and talking. Okay, yes, they were becoming friends. But for the sake of his safety, she needed to focus and maintain her professionalism with him.

He was a client.

He had a boyfriend.

If you can’t remember that, then you’d be better off breaking the contract today.

She could remember that, and she would. With that sobering thought, she dried herself off and got dressed to check out the tour bus. She pulled on a pair of jeans and grinned to herself as she got out a t-shirt she’d bought specifically for this contract. She put on the t-shirt, then a black leather jacket, and went to knock on Hayden’s door.

“Are you decent?” she called out.

“Yup,” he called back.

She unlocked his door and opened it to see him sitting on the sofa by the window reading his book, and she smiled at him. “I should’ve known.”

“Am I that predictable?” Hayden laughed.

“Pretty much, you bookworm,” she teased him.

“Meanwhile, you only ever seem to read in the library,” he said as he stood and walked toward her.

Tatiana shrugged. “It’s the only place you’re safe.”

He’d gotten dressed into a pair of jeans and a tight gray t-shirt that showed off his muscles, but he hadn’t put a jacket on yet. Having a t-shirt on versus being topless at breakfast did nothing for her brain’s ability to find him sexually attractive.

But you’re focusing on being professional.

She reminded herself of her recent promise to remain focused on the contract.

He stopped in front of her, so close that she had to tilt her head to look up at him, and his woody, aromatic scent invaded her senses.

“It must be weird to never be able to relax. You think about a thousand things that don’t occur to me unless you mention them,” he said.

“I’m used to it. It’s how my brain is wired now. I don’t think I could shut it off if I tried.”

He nodded at her, then frowned for a second before he burst into laughter. “What the fuck are you wearing?”

Tatiana grinned, grabbed a side of her jacket in each hand, and held it open to display her shirt. “You like?”

“Very nice, but why are you wearing a Games We Play t-shirt?”

“I thought it would be super appropriate, considering we’re going to look at your tour bus. Also, it’s a very cool album cover.”

He looked her over from head to toe, then grinned wickedly at her. He pulled his shirt off over his head, and Tatiana only just managed not to gasp when he did. He balled it up and tossed it into a hamper as he walked away from her and into his closet.

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