Page 25 of Wretched Soul
“Do you want me to stalk you, Slayer?”
I have to think about that for a moment. As much as I’d love this man to simply ask me out on a date, this notion of not knowing when he might show up, or what he might do, turns me on in ways I know it shouldn’t. Stalking is bad. But damn, this man is asking my permission.
I narrow my eyes at him. “Maybe I’ll stalk you back,” I reply. It sounds like the perfect retort, but what do I know about stalking? I can’t begin to imagine how he managed to find me here, unless this is just another one of those absurd coincidences.
Shade stares at me for the longest time. And then he does something I haven’t seen him do yet. He smiles. “Do you know something? I think you’re more than capable of getting to me.”
His comment makes my heart swell. It’s been a while since someone believed in me. Even Kaitlyn had her doubts about my plan on Saturday night. My eyes sparkle with mischief at the reminder. “If I can get into an exclusive nightclub without an invitation. who knows where I’ll show up next?” I dig my fingernails into his heated skin. “Watch your back, Shade.”
“I’ll consider myself warned,” he says, taking a step back.
My fingers slip from his shirt as he moves further away from me. My beautiful psycho is about to turn on his heels, but his smile has transformed into a smirk.
“Let the chase begin, Miss Kendrick,” he says. And then he steps out of the aisle, and out of sight.
I stare after him in disbelief. What have I just done? Why didn’t I just drag him back to my apartment and rip his clothes off? But no, that would be far too direct and to the point. Instead, I’ve entered a game I’m not qualified to play. He knows my name, what car I drive, where I shop and apparently my cell number. The only thing I know about Shade is that he may be a friend of the Moncriefs, and he sometimes likes to visit their nightclub. And I still don’t know his damn name!
Needing to get something from this encounter, I grab my shopping cart and head to the front of the store. Shade didn’t have a basket so I presume he’s made a quick exit. I have a view across the parking lot, and I search for a familiar figure. Then I remember something else I know about him - he drives a black SUV. And there just happens to be the exact same car pulling out of the lot. That has to be him. He knows how to move fast.
Just not with me, apparently.
I squint to get a glimpse of his license plate, but it’s no good. He’s too far away, and it’s not as if I’d know what to do with the information. I bet Shade would know. He’d use it to find out my full name, my date of birth, and where I lived. Ah, that explains how Simon and the limo driver had my details. Damn you, Shade. This isn’t going to be a fair fight.
I’m carrying my groceries to my car, my pumps scraping across the ground when my pace slows. Shade admitted he likes watching me. That makes me the bait. I don’t need to chase him at all. I just have to let him come to me.
As I step out of the elevator, another square of chocolate dissolves on my tongue. I could have devoured the entire bar on my way home from the store, but I’m trying to pace myself.I drop my bag of groceries on the floor next to my front door and search for my keys. I have to take the candy out of my coat pocket first, and oops, there goes another square of chocolate.
My eyes flutter as my head tips back and I groan loudly. Even my favorite chocolate bar doesn’t normally taste this good, but after my run in with the stalker I’ve invited to hunt me down, all of my senses are heightened.
“Are you going to share any of that?” someone whispers from behind me.
Correction. Every sense except my hearing has been heightened.
As I spin around, I fumble and drop my keys. Shade’s reflexes are ridiculously fast and he catches them. The chocolate bar remains safe in my clutches, and as I catch my breath, I hold it up. “Do you want some?”
Shade steps closer and I tip back my head. He ignores the proffered chocolate as his gaze moves from my eyes to my lips.
“Yes, Lily. I want some,” he says, hooking his fingers under my chin while his thumb swipes across my lips. His touch isn’t gentle. It’s demanding.
I know what he’s going to do and I tense every muscle to stop myself melting as quickly as the chocolate that left the smear on my lips. Shade takes that smear and sucks it off his thumb. Saliva glistens on his lips when he’s done.
“I missed the taste of you, Slayer.”
My knees go weak, but what kind of adversary would I be if I let him win the first match without a challenge. “Why are you here?” I ask, forcing myself to keep my head in the game. “If this is meant to be a chase, it’s been a very short one.”
“Oh, the chase is still on,” he says slowly. He puts his hands in his pockets and rocks back on his heels. “But it struck me that if we’re serious about this competition, we need to be absolutely clear about what I win.”
I’ve calmed my racing heart enough to enjoy our verbal sparring. “I assumed I was the prize.” I say, tilting my head.
He tilts his head to the opposite side, our noses no longer on a collision course, and our mouths perfectly lined up in the event that they should come into contact.
“Oh, you are. And I get to fuck youeverytime I catch you. Is that OK with you, Lily?”
Heat pools. Panties dampen. He really needed to ask? I try to play it cool. “First we need to talk about what my prize is going to be when I catch you, Shade.”
“You get to fuck me too,” he says in a voice so low it sends vibrations right to my core.
Despite myself, my brow furrows. I should keep quiet, I really should. But I’m an accountant, and something doesn’t add up. “It’s hardly a competition if we’re both after the same thing. And given that you clearly know where I live, it doesn’t make for much of a chase either.”
