Page 41 of No Mercy In Red

She shrieked, covering her eyes, “Oh my god Max, give a girl a heads up that you’re boning before I come over.”

She peaked through her fingers, dropping her hand whilst staring at Connor. Her mouth twitching up with silent approval.

“This Mr sexy stalker?” She asked.

“Oh my fucking god Lara get out!” I yelled, throwing a pillow at her.

She cackled, exiting the bedroom, closing the door behind her. “I have wine bitch, hurry up and get out here.” She shouted.

“Mr sexy stalker?” Connor asked, a smirk creeping across his mouth.

“Shut it.” I responded, shoving at him before climbing out of bed.

I threw on one of his t-shirts that I had stolen—it hanging baggy around my thighs—and put on a pair of shorts, padding out of the bedroom to Lara. I kept their introduction short, not daring to let her too close, in case she found out just how crazy this man I had fallen in love with was. Connor padded out of the room behind me, wearing grey sweats and his zip up hoodie, which he left wide open, revealing him shirtless beneath. Lara eyed him appreciatively, trailing her eyes up and down his body.

“Excuse you, slut. Eyes back in your head, he’s mine.” I grinned, “Lara, Connor. Connor, Lara.”

I knew Lara was protective, but my god, the way she had grilled him. I wanted the floor to swallow me up where I stood. Especially when she threatened to murder him if he hurt me.

“And just so you know, I might be short, but I pack a mean punch.” Lara said, showing him her fist.

He laughed at her, patting her on the head before coming over to place a kiss on my cheek. “I’ll leave you and lunatic... I mean Lara, to it. I’ll see you later, sweetheart.”

Me and Lara spent the rest of the evening having our usual takeout and gossip marathon, both swigging our own bottles of wine. Life felt insanely good, but good never lasted forever.

Over a span of a few weeks, the office had more than the occasional police appearance at work, which me set on edge. Yet still, nobody approached me. The one cop that was tall, with dark hair, seemed intent on watching me though, a little too closely for comfort. I played the part, the quiet nobody that just did her job and went home. I filed away dismissed case after dismissed case, not daring to take any with me, not daring to try another kill with eyes so close. I couldn’t risk it, despite the guilt eating at me that I was letting my father down. But I was being safe for him, keeping his legacy guarded. It seemed though, that each appearance also set Connor on edge, and I couldn’t figure out why. Was he scared I was going to be murdered? It had been weeks of us practically living in each others’ pockets, except from when he would vanish in the middle of the night, yet I hardly knew anything about him outside of the small parts he allowed me to see. He claimed I was his, but my mind constantly questioned whether I was just still a fun little game to him, until his next prey came along.

I was curled up on the sofa with Connor, a Marvel movie playing in the background, his hand idly playing with my hair when my thoughtswere interrupted by Lara knocking loudly on my apartment door before obnoxiously swinging it open with a thud.

“Okay, bitch, birthday girl reporting for duty! Tonight, we are going out, we’re getting drunk, and if you’re lucky, maybe I’ll share my birthday boy with you.”

I rolled my eyes, laughter bubbling up easily despite my anxiety. “Ew, no thanks. I’m good.”

Connor cleared his throat, “You know I don’t share what’s mine, Lara.” He glared at her.

Lara blushed, “Whoops, didnt know you were here. Sorry stalker, I was only joking.” She rolled her eyes at him, “but seriously Max, let’s have fun tonight! You’ve been way too stressed lately.”

I raised a brow at her. “And you’re acting like you haven’t had sex in months. Didn’t you get laid literally last weekend?” I asked, pushing up and away from Connor. He grabbed my waist, pulling me back down to him as a giggle escaped my lips

She shrugged, eyes sparkling. “Ugh, get a room,” she joked, “And also, birthday sex hits different.”

I snorted, shaking my head. “You have no shame.”

“And you have no fun. You’re becoming such a grandma, I thought this new boyfriend of yours would loosen you up.” She angled her head to Connor.

The blush instantly crept across my face. We still hadn’t put a title on anything, even though he had claimed me, we never spoke much more on where it left us.

I hesitated, swallowing hard. “He’s not my boyfriend.”

I felt Connor stiffen slightly next to me, but he didn’t say anything.

Lara crossed her arms, eyebrows raised knowingly. “You mean the guy that you’ve spent every waking moment with for weeks? The guy who put that pretty fucking collar around your neck like he owns you? Sure, Max.”

Connor smirked beside me, my fingers brushing instinctively against the necklace, warmth blooming beneath my cheeks. I couldn’t deny that it felt good to belong to someone, to belong to him. But I couldn’t shake the nagging feeling that something was going on, that he was keeping something from me.

Connor cleared his throat, placing a kiss against my temple. “I’m taking this as my cue to leave.” He leant close to my ear, whispering gently, but with a tone that sent a shiver down my spine, “Be a good girl when you’re out Maxine, remember who you belong to.” He pushed away, giving Lara a smile, “Happy birthday slut tits, enjoy your birthday dick.”

She flipped him off laughing, “Enjoy your evening alone you fucking loser.”

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