Page 32 of Chalk Outline

It makes me want to bite it.

After a few more drags of smoke, I toss it into the ashtray on the nearby table and pick up the rose I got her. An early birthday gift. I’m not good at giving these, but I figured she’d appreciate something... exceptional, because she is exceptional to me.

The door is wide open when I reach her room, but Winona isn’t there. I inch closer to her made bed. Her fluffy blanket is the first thing I touch. Pressing my hands against it, I inhale her essence into my fractured soul.

The room smells like her. Her personality shines through every little figurine or accessory she chooses to display on her bookshelves, the sketches she tapes to the walls, and even the pumpkin and skeleton plushie on her nightstand.

I lift my hand and place the rose there instead. The deep shades of red make it look almost black, accentuated by the light gray faux fur.

I slide my phone out of my back pocket, pick up her sketchbook from the bed, and take pictures of its contents to look at later.

I’m just an admirer of her work.

I turn around to look at her desk, expecting to be wowed by another sketch, yet it’s empty, except for a pile of sticky notes and a pen. I grab them and write:

I see you. You’re my favorite silence and my favorite noise. I’m just good at keeping everything bottled up inside, but it’s time you knew.

I quickly step out of her room and jog downstairs. Her laughter lingers from the kitchen, and I pause for a moment,committing it to memory, letting it register deep inside my soul, before I walk to the security room.

The room is dark, and only one monitor works. Romina requested to shut them down for today, and if Winona dares to go out of the house without me, the guards will text me immediately.

She won’t.

Neither of us would admit it, but we’re too attached at this point—it’s been nearly three years since I became her bodyguard.

After sitting here for two hours, watching her bake with Koy, I clock out.

My eyes snap to the door just as the handle twists. I know it’s the Little Demon, so I quietly sneak behind the door as she comes in and heads straight to the desk to leave a note for me.

She moves through this room with her quiet, tiny steps. Her shallow breaths turn into panting as her mind starts calculating just how wrong it is to step in here, under her grandma’s nose, while trying to stay in Koy’s good graces so he won’t snitch on us.

She’s treading dangerous waters. But she doesn’t care. She sneaks in here anyway just to leave me another note, just to be wrapped in my world again, in my presence.

We shouldn’t do this.

We keep going back and forth with this game.

Just as she’s about to step out the door, I grab her wrist and tug her back. She gasps. Her body bumps into mine as I close and lock the door to keep anyone from interrupting us. Startled, she steps back, hitting her back against the door when she realizes I’m here, watching her every move like a hawk.

The light from the monitor is enough to cast a faint glow on us.

“Looking for trouble?” I ask, lifting her chin gently with my thumb and index finger.

A small giggle escapes her.

“Maybe you want to be punished like the woman in the book you gave me last week. That was a nice read, by the way. Learned a lot.” I let my words trail off.

I smirk as the expression in her eyes shifts, the black pupils swallowing the blues and greens of her irises. I bet she is wet for me right now just thinking about it, knowing damn right why she gave it to me in the first place. She wants me to do all those things to her—depraved, unspeakable things to my Little Demon.

Her hand comes up to brush the stray strands of hair hanging over my forehead.

“Do you want to get caught?”

Her gaze flicks from the few strands of hair on my forehead to my eyes. “Maybe… I’m bored anyway. I’m caged in here all the time, and I’m not allowed to fraternize.”

I smirk, dropping my gaze just in time to see her cross her legs silently and squeeze her thighs tightly.

“Am I making you wet again?”