Page 19 of Done Waiting

18

THE STALKER

M y brow furrows as I watch her from my motorcycle.

Why is Maddie going into her friend’s apartment with a suitcase and duffle bag?

When she turns, the same backpack she had at the coffee shop is slung on her back.

Elation fills me.

Hmmm. Maybe trouble in paradise, since it looks like she’s staying with her friend?

I watch her the rest of the day, hidden in shadows, using my binoculars to peer through Ashlynn’s windows. I’m glad she lives on the first floor. It makes it easier to see through the windows.

The two of them hang out, talking, laughing, and watching movies. They don’t leave the comfort or safety of the house. At least, not while I watched them.

Exhaustion settled in around midnight. Both girls are asleep on the couch, a movie playing on the television. My eyes are heavy, my head drooping forward. I’ve been so busy lately, and that last cop I captured fought back. After I killed his partner, he realized he was next on the list.

Heading over the mountains, I can barely keep my eyes open. The only thing that helps me stay awake is the knowledge that something is going on with her and Ben.

Parking my motorcycle in the garage once I’m home, I pull out my cell phone and call Jason.

“At least it’s 1:00 a.m. and not a 3:00 a.m. wake-up call.”

Rolling my eyes, I turn off the alarm and step inside my cabin. Locking the door and setting the alarm behind me, I say, “You sleep too much anyway, asshole.”

He immediately protests and I cut him off. “Listen. I need you to do something.”

“I’m all ears.”

“Maddie and her boyfriend, Ben. Seems there’s trouble in paradise. She’s staying at her friend’s house.”

There’s a tense silence as he says nothing. I’m aware of his feelings about my plans for Maddie. He’d much rather I end her than play games with her.

“I need you to see what you can find out.”

He heaves out a long, irritated sigh. “Fine. I’ll see what I can dig up.”

“Thanks, brother.”

“Always, brother.”

T he next day, Maddie doesn’t leave Ashlynn’s house. I watch her from the shadows again, my thirst for her growing. Especially since she seems to be avoiding Ben.

Ever since our conversation inside the coffee shop, she’s impressed me with her wit and intelligence. The banter and sassiness she exhibited made me hard. Her vanilla and honey scent is deeply entrenched inside of me.

I beat off to the fantasies of her inside my head every damn night. Especially after her comment about screaming out my name while she was touching herself. Fuck. I’m hard again.

It’s been hard to focus on my “work.” She plagues my thoughts, popping up at the most inopportune times. She’s a distraction. An obsession.

I keep telling myself it’s part of my plan, but the monster inside me starts screaming that I’m taking this too far. Grabbing my hair, I scream at him to shut the fuck up.

I know what I’m doing .

Sure , my monster says, red eyes glowing. Don’t fuck this up, Jagger.

M addie heads to her car, eyes darting around nervously as she hurries across the parking lot of the bookstore. I watch her, my hands trembling, aching to touch her. I don’t give a fuck about Ben anymore. She’s mine !

She holds the keyless entry in her hand, pressing the button to unlock her doors, as I quietly creep up behind her. When her hand closes around the handle, I grab her, spinning her around. Her eyes are wide and her mouth opens, but I stop her scream by clamping my hand over her mouth.

“Hello, my beautiful baby girl.” Closing my eyes, I lean in, inhaling her scent, her fear mixing in with it, making the sensation headier. “I’ve missed you.”

Her wide eyes stare fearfully back to me, every muscle in her body tense.

Why is she so terrified of me?

We stand beneath the lights, and I can’t take the risk of someone spotting us.

Hoisting her over my shoulder like a sack of potatoes, Maddie’s small fists pound against my back. She shrieks as she flails and kicks, trying to get free, but the sounds she makes are weak from all the effort she’s expending as she fruitlessly fights against me.

“Put me down,” she seethes.

Reaching my truck, I lower her feet to the ground, before pushing her against it. I cage her in with my body, her chest heaving against mine. She opens her mouth to scream, but I cover her mouth.

“Shhh, baby girl. It’s alright.” Reaching up, I gently caress her face, taking in her wide-eyed, scared prey look. “I’m not going to harm you.”

Her eyes dart between mine, seeking reassurance.

“I’m going to remove my hand now. Promise you won’t scream?”

She gives me a subtle nod. Slowly, I move my hand away from her mouth.

“W-what d-do you want?” Her voice quivers, her face pale beneath the dark shadows, the lights in the parking lot providing a dim view of her. I know I scared her as I dragged her into the darkness with me. But after watching her the past few days, I couldn’t resist her allure any longer.

Tears gather in the corner of her eyes, falling down her cheeks. My hands cup her face, wiping them away. “Ultimately, you. But in the short term… I want to make sure you’re okay?”

She looks stunned. Her brow creases as she stares at me. Her tone is defensive, someone who is used to being hurt by others. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

Oh, my feisty baby girl has returned.

“Come on, Maddie. Something’s wrong.” Biting my lip, I stare down into her beautiful face, seeing fear and worry deep within her honey-brown eyes.

Her eyes close as my thumbs lightly caress her skin. She leans into my touch, moving closer to me. I’m not even sure if she’s aware of it.

A strange look crosses her face, her forehead wrinkling, and then her eyes fly open. She starts battling against me, pushing and shoving at me while her body writhes beneath mine. She’s expending a lot of energy. Her struggles are fruitless against me.

She finally realizes and stills.

I chuckle as she breathes heavily. “Are you done?”

Releasing a sigh of defeat, she simply says, “For now.”

“I appreciate your honesty.” Leaning close to her, my lips inches from hers, I watch her reaction. Her gaze locks on mine, her body trembling slightly.

Basking in her reaction to me, I say nothing.

I watch as her lips part, her tongue darting out.

And I’m gone.

“I’ve waited so long for this moment. I know what I said, and I don’t break my promises. Although I don’t know exactly what’s going on between you and Ben, I no longer care. I can’t fucking resist you anymore.” I close my eyes, inhaling her scent.

Opening them, I brush my knuckles lightly against her cheek. “You haunt my dreams. My thoughts are singularly focused on you. No matter what I’m doing…” My jaw clenches. “At the most inopportune times, you plague my mind.”

Heaving in a breath, I slowly release it. “You’re an obsession I can’t control. Maybe you’ll ultimately be my undoing, but I find it hard to give a fuck when you’re this close to me.”

Her breathing is heavy, her eyes hooded from lust as she gazes at me, mesmerized.

“I hunger for you, Maddie. Fucking ache to be near you, to breathe you in. To kiss you.”

She reaches out, gripping my sweatshirt as though she needs to hang onto me to keep from falling. Her tongue darts out, licking her bottom lip again. My eyes drop to it, then lift to hers.

Closing the distance between us, my lips capture hers. The taste of her strawberry lips is heavenly. Her vanilla and honey scent invades my senses. Her petite body trembles beneath mine as she grips my sweatshirt tighter.

I’m flying amongst the stars.

Groaning, I move my mouth against hers, experimenting to see how she responds. Every whimper, moan, and sigh that comes from her is music to my ears as I taste her.

She releases a loud moan, pulling me tighter against her, her hands releasing my sweatshirt to wrap around my neck.

Our lips move frantically together as I press her harder against my truck, my dick throbbing in my jeans. My nerve endings are lit up like a streak of lightning in the sky.

Fuck. Me. I’ve never kissed a woman like this, nor have I ever been kissed like this.

We are animalistic in our need for one another as we cling to each other, devouring, tasting, exploring. I breathe in her exhales, my fingers sliding down her back to her ass. Squeezing it, I playfully bite down on her lip, making her yelp.

Honey eyes fly open, shock in them.

I chuckle, pulling back lightly, her blood on my lip. My tongue comes out, tasting her life essence. “You taste so fucking good.”

“Oh, fuck. That’s hot.” Fingers fist my hoodie, pulling me into her. She slams her lips against mine, her mouth moving against mine, taking what she wants from me.

And I let her because I’d give this fucking woman anything she wants.

Then she returns the favor, biting down on my lip, tasting me.

Goddamn. That’s hotter than hell.

She pulls back slightly, her tongue licking my blood from her bottom lip. “You taste so good.”

“Fuck, baby girl. You’re my undoing.” My hand moves to the back of her neck, my lips capturing hers, losing myself in her decadent mouth. She consumes all my senses. I thought I was obsessed with her before… But now that I’ve tasted her, there’s no coming back from this.

You’re mine, baby girl.

My kiss is demanding and frantic, and I tilt her head. A guttural moan vibrates from my chest as she melts against me.

Loosening the pressure on her, I ease up on the kiss, trying to calm myself before I completely lose control.

“No,” she whispers against my lips. “Please don’t stop.”

Holy shit!

My self-control snaps, my lips punishing against hers as I devour her, unable to get enough of her. My dick is so hard it hurts, aching to be inside her.

She pushes lightly against my chest. I pulled back slightly, confused.

Then she jumps, her legs wrapping around me. She misses the mark because of our height difference, but I catch her, lifting her.

She immediately starts grinding against my cock, her arms around my neck as her mouth slams against mine.

I groan, the sound deep and feral. Squeezing her ass cheeks, I take over, swiveling my hips against hers. She moans and practically melts in my arms as I tease her through her jeans.

When we finally part, our chests heave in unison as we stare at one another.

“Wow,” she whispers, a dazed look in her eyes. Her lips are swollen from my kiss.

“Fucking wow,” I agree, a slow smile spreading.

Mine. She’s all mine.

Phase one of my plan is complete. Now it’s time to move on.

Lowering her to her feet, I wrap my hand around hers. “Let me walk you to your car. I’ll follow you to Ashlynn’s to make sure you get home safely.”

She looks up at me, surprised. Grinning down at her, I say nothing.

It’s all going according to plan.

Maddie unlocks her car, sliding behind the steering wheel. She looks up at me, baffled.

“I’ll be right behind you. But lock the doors.” I wink at her. She nods and I pat the roof, then close her door.

I whistle as I head back to my truck, breathing in the cool October air, and appreciating the darkness.

Following behind her, my heart pounds inside my chest. Fuck, kissing her is unlike anything I’ve ever experienced before . Tingles coursed through my body as she consumed all of me, lighting my body on fire.

I’m in such a daze from thinking about that kiss, I don’t remember the drive to her friend’s apartment. When Maddie jumps out of her car, crosses her arms, and stands there, staring at me, my senses return and I frown.

Pulling up beside her, I raise my eyebrows as she pushes off her car. “I’m getting in.”

Then she proceeded to walk around the front of my truck, open the passenger door, and climb inside.

“You can’t just leave me wanting like that, Jagger.” A scowl is on her delectable lips.

I’d do anything to fucking wipe it off.

Her words sink through my head. “Wanting, huh?” I lean closer, my hand moving to her thigh. “Are you going to beg for me, baby girl?”

Gritting her teeth, her eyes flash.

Once again, she surprises me. “If that’s what it takes to get you to touch me, then yes, I’ll fucking beg.” She points to the floor of my truck. “Do you want me on my knees?”

An image of her naked and on her knees, servicing my dick, makes me growl.

Reaching over, I grab the seatbelt, fastening it around her. “Not yet. Tonight is all about you.”

Leaning back in my seat, I throw my truck in gear, pressing my foot down on the accelerator. “Text your friend. Tell her you’re going to be late.”

Her voice is heavy with desire as she pants, “Where are you taking me?”

“Somewhere we won’t be disturbed.” I turn my head, my eyes locked on hers. “Somewhere you can scream my name as I make you come again and again.”

She whimpers, her hands shaking as she pulls her phone from her pocket. “It’s been a long time since I’ve had an orgasm,” she whispers.

My eyes were on the road, but now my head snaps to hers. “Fuck, baby girl. Trust me, I’ll break your dry spell.”

She shivers in her seat, her fingers moving over her phone. My gaze moves back to the road, heading for a desolate spot in the woods.

“I’ve never had more than one orgasm. And sometimes…” she bites her lip, squirming in her seat.

“Sometimes, what?” My brows raise as I impatiently wait. Rage rolls through me at the thought of anyone giving her an orgasm other than me.

“Sometimes I don’t have one at all. Like maybe…” Swallowing hard, she choked out, “Something’s wrong with me?”

My hand moves to her thigh, my gaze full of promise. “No, baby girl. It’s not you. It’s them.” I give her a wolfish smile. “And I’ll prove it to you in about ten minutes.”

Her thighs clamp together as another adorable whimper comes from her.

“Open those legs for me, Maddie.” My hand slides closer to her hot center, feeling the heat through her jeans as she instantly complies. “I’m gonna touch you.”

Her head falls back against the seat, her legs spreading wider.

“Fuck, you’re so responsive.” My hand cups her pussy through her jeans and she moans, arching her back. I can barely keep my eyes on the road, watching her.

My fingers trail lightly over her, using enough pressure that she feels me, but not quite giving her what she wants. “How long has it been since you’ve had sex, baby girl?”

She bites her lip as her head turns, fearful eyes on mine. “Umm… you won’t get mad at me and stop, right?” Audibly swallowing, her hand shakes as she pushes a strand of hair away from her face. “Because I think I’d die. I’ve fantasized about this too long.”

I’m already shaking my head before the rest of her words penetrate my ears. “Wild horses couldn’t stop me from touching you tonight. The whole fucking world could be on fire and I’d die with my head between your thighs.” I winked at her. “And you’d be coming on my lips, letting me taste heaven on earth before I’m sent to the fiery depths of hell.”

Her hand shoots out, landing on my thigh, fingers curling into it possessively. “Well, if we’re dying tonight, I’m going to hell with you. I’m not letting you escape me that easily.”

“Good. Because I’m never fucking letting you go.” My smile is wicked yet full of promise. “Not even in death.”