Page 24 of Alexei

She glided through the restaurant with her girlfriends. The woman was fucking glowing. Every single pair of eyes traveled over her curvy body, and I wanted to grab my fork then make my way around the restaurant to gouge their eyeballs out.

Ah fuck it! I’d kill them all. It was probably cleaner.

It wasn’t normal, not that I ever claimed to be normal. This reaction to her was irritating and annoying.

Anger washed over me - at her - for causing such a reaction in me, and at myself for fucking noticing her. I didn’t need this shit. Not today. Not tomorrow. Not ever.

She was a damn inconvenient distraction. Yet, I couldn’t peel my eyes away from her. I couldn’t stop thinking about her either.

The shimmering light pink dress she wore was tiny. Too goddamn short. It barely reached her mid-thighs, showing off her slim legs. Her dark hair was up in a fancy hairdo, exposing the skin on her neck, shoulders, and décolleté. I didn’t need to touch her to know it would be soft.

And now here I was, stalking her.

The pressure in my chest was unfamiliar. From the moment this woman entered my life, my blood ran hotter than ever. My obsession crept up on me, the need to learn every single thing about her clawing at me.

So I dug up everything I could on her.

Twenty years ago, I ensured she got home safe. But since then, I kept my distance. If I lurked in her shadow, I’d attract trouble, so it was for the best. Though I’d check up on her - to ensure she was well and safe. Yes, her brothers took care of her, but I couldn’t rest unless I looked her up every few months. I felt personally responsible for everything that happened to her twenty years ago. For causing her pain.

Now that she was in my world, no information was off limits. I knew every single address Agent Ashford ever lived at, her social security number, names of her friends, how she liked her pasta, her coffee, and what shows she watched. Courtesy of her best friends. Agent Ashford didn’t have a Pinterest account but her friends did. And they kept a board specific for her likes. So sue me, I stalked their Pinterest page.

Unfortunately with every piece of information I learned about her, my obsession somehow tripped into overdrive.

Addicted to coffee.

No social media accounts.

No current relationship.

Two past serious boyfriends.

I might hunt them down and kill them. I was still debating it. Vasili wouldn’t be happy if he got wind of it. He wouldn’t though. I’d make it look like an accident.

And of course, there was the general public's known information.

Sister to the Billionaire Kings.

Daughter to Senator Ashford.

Four brothers.

One proclaimed dead.

Guilt was a bitter pill to swallow.

Just as Vasili kept trying to right his mother's sins, I kept trying to right Ivan’s sins. I felt directly responsible for them.

I sat on the roof of Agent Ashford’s building and watched her run the tenth lap around the outside gym, right alongside her brother. I’d just seen her last night, but the restlessness within me grew with each hour that passed since I’d seen her at the restaurant. I’ve been checking up on her on and off for years. But now that I’ve been in her presence, I didn’t think I could ever let her go again.

Another lap. She was in good shape, and I hated that she did something so simple with someone else. I didn’t give a fuck if he was her brother. Or her girlfriends in the apartment, or that little kid.

I wanted her to laugh only with me. Cry with me. Exercise with me. Eat with me. Breathe with me. And fuck me. Only me.

Heat crawled beneath my skin, though I was unsure whether it was this woman or the hot temperatures of the day.

The humid air of New Orleans was a welcome reprieve after living my teenage years in Siberia. Those cold days and frostbite settled into my bones and stayed there. If you asked me, the fires of hell were better than that freezing fucking hellhole. I’d pick burning over freezing anyday.

I drummed my fingers on my thigh, keeping my hands busy. The need to keep any body part of mine busy was uncharacteristic for me. I could stand still for hours without twitching a muscle. And here I was fidgeting.Fucking fidgeting!