Page 104 of Love Me Stalk Me
Because youbelongto me.
Because no one treats my woman like that.
Because if you were mine, you'd never doubt your worth for even a second.
Because I see the way you flinch when someone comments on your body, the way you hesitate before you eat, the way you try to make yourself smaller when you should be taking up all the space you want.
I swallow the words.
I'm pushing things too far, too fast.
Instead, I just shrug and say, "You deserve better. That's all."
Her eyes betray her disappointment, and I tuck that away for later.
"You're really not going to take a shirt?" she asks, narrowing her eyes.
"I've dealt with worse."
She groans. "You're such a guy."
I chuckle, pushing off the counter. "No. I'm a man. Let's go."
We step outside into the March air, and yeah, it's cold. The wind coming off the Hudson River cuts through me, but I refuse to show it. Not fucking unbearable, but enough that I feel her eyes on me.
Judging.
She crosses her arms, watching me with a knowing look. Her breath forms small puffs in the chilly air.
"Go ahead. Say it."
She shakes her head. "No, no. You're right. You're so tough. Somanly. Not cold atall."
I laugh. "Exactly."
She huffs a sigh and unlocks her car. I get in the passenger seat, watching her as she starts the engine. Izzy's car is nice, but not insane. A Lexus RX, sleek and polished, comfortable, practical, and just luxurious enough to feel expensive without screaming I have way too much money and no personality.
She starts the engine, pulls out of the apartment complex, and within ten seconds, I realize something.
Izzy actually does have a flaw.
And that flaw is driving.
Holy shit.
I grip the handrail, trying to look unbothered, but internally I am questioning every single one of my life choices that led me to this moment.
She accelerates way too fast, and then—with absolutely no warning—she slams the brakes, sending me lurching forward like we just hit a landmine. The seatbelt locks, cutting into my bare chest.
Then, as if to really drive the point home, she cuts off a guy in a Toyota without so much as a glance. The other driver lays on his horn, the sound blaring through the morning traffic.
"Izzy."
"What?" she says, completely unfazed.
"You almost killed that guy."
She waves a hand. "He'll be fine."
