Page 36 of Falling Hard

Chapter 9

Emmie

The family estate was one of the houses that were basically just a rental property that Dad laundered money through, and I personally didn’t like it here. In fact, I always made it clear to Dad that this place scared the shit out of me, which was why I picked to come here. I was so thankful I convinced Critter to come with me now because I couldn’t face being here by myself.

When we arrived, I gave the building a once-over, and it was still as creepy as I remembered it to be.

“Wanna tell me what we are doing here?” Critter asked, getting out of the car.

Because it would be the last place they would look for me. How could Maiden flat-out lie to me like that? How could he keep something so huge from me?

They wanted me to think I was losing my mind. All this time, they didn’t believe me, made me think it was all in my head, but it wasn’t… That thought caused tears of fear to spring to my eyes. I quickly glanced around my surroundings. The one thing about my stalker was he always showed his face. He never hid from me.

When my gaze didn’t find him, I knew he wasn’t around. He hadn’t followed us—that I knew of.

While walking up the stairs of the porch, I wondered briefly what was going to happen when Dad realized I had taken off. I glanced at Critter. He wouldn’t have said anything to Dad, would he? I wasn’t sure. I knew he was trustworthy, but when it came to the MC, the boys’ loyalty was to the club. It always came before their loyalty to anyone else. That was why I had been going to get Critter to drop off me in town, but then thinking of being in this house alone creeped me the fuck out, so I didn’t go through with the plan.

I was unlocking the door when his hands gripped my hips.

I knew immediately I was about to regret was going to happen. Still, I didn’t have it in me to push him away.

It wasn’t like I had feelings for Critter, but his hands on my hips sparked an emotion within me, one that resulted in me turning around and putting my hands to his face.

I went up on my tiptoes and put my lips near his, but it was the confident smirk on his face that brought me crashing to earth.

“Don’t think for a second I’m letting you in my bed,” I whispered against his lips. While smirk spread across my lips, his disappeared from his face.

* * *

I’d walkedinto the bedroom from the bathroom and was getting dressed when I saw a flash of light, like the light from a torch, across the window.What if it was the stalker? Immediately, a cold sweat spread through my body, and I screamed for Critter.

No one should be here.No oneknew of this place.

I was cursing and pacing when Critter walked in and froze on the spot, his eyes moving over me.

“You okay, Emmie?” he asked.

I shook my head as tears began running down my cheeks and muttered, “He’s here. He has followed me.”

“Who is here?”

“The stalker.”

“Emmie, calm down. No one is here.”

I was immediately taken aback because Critter hadn’t told me I was crazy for saying there was a stalker or for even suggesting that I had one. Then it dawned on me that he knew.

“So Dad told everyone but me,” I scoffed. How was it fair that even Critter knew there was a stalker, and I didn’t? Didn’t Dad realized this type of shit just made my paranoia worse! How could I ever trust him again? How could I believe one word that came out of his mouth!

“Emmie, calm down,” Critter repeated as he put his hands on my shoulders. “Come on. Breathe.”

My gaze sharpened on him. “What is with people telling me to breathe? I know how to breathe!” I snapped at him.

“You’re working yourself up.”

“Well, isn’t that how someone normally acts when they find out there is a stalker following them around?”

“As if we are gonna let him get close to you, Emmie. The MC is handling it.”

“Don’t you understand this affects me? It doesn’t affect you guys! I’m the one with a creepy guy always standing outside my window. I’m the one being followed!”

“Sweetheart, nothing is going to happen to you,” he said calmly.

The wordsweetheartimmediately brought more tears to my eyes as I thought about Maiden.

Then in one fluent movement, Critter playfully picked me up and dropped me on the bed, remarking with a smirk on his face that he got me in bed after all.

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