Page 5 of Marked by my Stalker (Inked and Possessive. Rugged Mountain Ink #1)

Kera

“Okay, I’m thinking you need at least three days of full rest. I’m talking about nothing but cartons of ice cream, reruns of the Golden Girls, and warm blankets.

Doctor’s orders.” I hand Penny a cup of tea from the microwave and lean back onto her bed with her, staring up at the stains on the ceiling.

I have no idea what they’re from, but it’s turned all brown, and the plaster is starting to peel.

College dorm rooms should really be nicer. We’re paying decent money to stay here.

“I’ll be fine,” Penny sighs, rolling toward me with closed eyes. She’s the kind of pretty that sneaks up on you. The kind that you can’t explain. The kind that looks good after a twelve-hour shift and two days with no sleep. “I’ve got two more shifts and then I’m done for ten whole hours.”

“Don’t you have a test halfway through that?”

“Two tests and three classes, but it’s not work.

So…” She sighs as she talks, and I swear no one would believe she’s only twenty years old.

The girl is carrying the weight of the world on her shoulders.

“We always talk about me being tired, though. You were going to give me details about last night, remember?”

“Oh.” I blow out a breath and consider where to start. “Yeah, last night was weird. Brick got talking to this other girl, and I don’t know, I ended up leaving and Jack walked me home.”

Her brows narrow. “Okay, fuck Brick. Also, who’s Jack?”

I consider telling her that Jack is some sophomore she doesn’t know to avoid further harassment, but I figure she needs a little entertainment in her life. “Jack is the C-lot stalker.”

Her eyes widen and her mouth drops open. “Wait, you… he walked you home? Like you guys talked, or he walked you home from a distance like always?”

“We talked.” I bite back a grin, thinking about last night and the plans we have for this afternoon. “He’s not that bad.”

Her eyebrows shoot up like rockets. “Oh, my Lord. You like him!”

“No, I’m with Brick. The walk with Jack was… just a walk. A nice walk.”

She narrows her eyes and twists her spoon around in the tea. “Wait… but Brick was flirting with some other girl, wasn’t he? Girl, come on. Dump the drama and take the hot, older guy out for a few rides. Have fun while you still can.”

“Yeah, not happening. He was friends with my dad. They did some military stuff back in the day.”

She blinks, quiet for half a beat, then leans forward with a grin that means trouble. “So, what I’m hearing is, Brick’s a walking red flag, Jack’s emotionally repressed with a hero complex, and you,” she nods toward me, “are definitely catching feelings for someone you shouldn’t.”

“Whatever.” I roll up from the mattress and redirect my attention to my closet. There’s about a zillion things stuffed into this little square of storage, but I have absolutely nothing to wear.

I opt for a pair of black leggings and a long sweater with a pumpkin sewn into the front. “Does this make me look like a child?”

“Depends, you wearing pig tails too? Where are you going?”

My cheeks blaze with heat. “Oh, I’m going to the mountains today.”

Penny stares at me with a long pause, her hand threading through her hair as a grin creeps up onto her face. “You’re going with Jack, aren’t you?”

“What? No.” I tear off the sweater. “This is awful.”

“You’re lying.” She stands from the bed and grabs the sweater off the floor, handing it toward me. “Maybe he likes wholesome, seasonally appropriate sweaters.”

I freeze for half a second, fingers caught in the sleeve of the cozy fabric. “It’s not like that. I told you, he was friends with my dad. We’re just… he’s taking me to the mountains to shoot pictures today.”

“Sure. I guess that’s why you’re acting like you swallowed a sparkler?”

“What?” I shoot her a glare. “If I’m acting like that, it’s because my boyfriend hasn’t answered his phone all morning.”

Penny lifts her eyebrow, her expression sliding from amused to unconvinced as she glides back into bed. “Yup,” she hums, pulling the covers up. “And that, my dear, is how emotionally repressed hero complexes win.”

I groan. “Don’t you have sleep to catch up on?”

She sighs against the pillow for dramatic flair. “Yes, I do, but nothing I could dream about will be as entertaining as this.”

“Very mature.”

“You’re welcome.” She winks. “Text me when he confesses something, or more likely, refuses to admit anything and just stares off into the wilderness like he’s reliving his tragic past.”

I throw a pillow at her, smiling. I then pick up the dreadfully cozy sweater, sigh, and pull it on anyway.

If today is awkward as hell, at least I’ll be comfortable. At least that’s what I tell myself as I slip out the door and leave my heckling friend to some well-deserved sleep.

It’s noon, but the hallways are quiet this time of day. Most students are in class or still sleeping off the night before. Around three, life starts picking up again.

I round the corner, pulling my sweater sleeves down to my palms, and that’s when I see him.

Brick.

He’s stepping out of a room I’ve never seen him in. His gray shirt is crumpled in his fist like it offended him, his hair a chaotic mess, his head tilted down, his posture slumped.

Is he actually capable of guilt?

He sees me, freezes for half a breath, then tries to play it cool, but it’s too late. I stand there, sweater tight around me.

“Kera.” He sighs and straightens as though that’s going to throw me off the scent. “What are you doing here?”

“ Here? You mean, the girls’ C-wing? Where I live?”

“Oh, yeah.” His head tilts to the side like an idiot lizard who’s trying to figure how to outsmart a hawk. “That’s right. C-wing. You do live here, don’t you? I, ugh, I was just here to get some homework.”

He’s usually much better at lying, so I’m a little embarrassed for him.

“Brick, we’re done.” I say the words impulsively then turn away. My head pounds, my stomach churns, and I know I’ve just disappointed my mother, but right now, none of that matters.

I need out of this building right now!

I jog down the back stairs, desperate to get away, but footsteps echo behind me, his voice howling out like a ghost I can’t get rid of. “Kera! Wait!”

I ignore his pleas and move faster, one foot in front of the other as I pass security, push out the double doors, and step into the fresh air where I see Jack waiting in his pickup truck.

He’s got one arm hanging out the window, fingers drumming the frame like he’s scoring the soundtrack of my meltdown. He sees me and straightens up, brushing his hair back. No smile, just those eyes that always seem to know exactly where I’m at.

Brick bursts out of the building behind me. “Fucking hell,” he groans with a laugh in his throat. “Blaming me for some bullshit while you’re out getting slutty with the C-lot stalker? Weren’t you two together last night too?”

My cheeks blaze red, and I swear I’m seeing spots. I’ve done everything for this kid. Everything. I gave him trust he didn’t earn, I laughed at his stupid jokes, and I cared for him when he had that flu last semester. I’m talking homemade soup and back rubs every single day.

I knew he was slime, but I never thought he’d go so far as to cheat on me. Hell, he’s probably been doing this all along. I know I’ve seen him with that girl from last night more than once.

Jack opens the truck door and steps out, his gaze hard on Brick as he steps forward. “Do we have a problem?”

“No, old man. What about you? You like creeping on young girls?”

My throat tightens.

Jack doesn’t flinch, doesn’t even blink. He steps toward Brick, slow and steady.

“I said,” Jack repeats, voice low enough to make the air colder, “do we have a problem?”

Brick scoffs, but it’s all bark. “No, man, but you should know… the bitch doesn’t put out.

She’s saving it up like she’s fucking gold.

” His voice contorts when he says the words, like I’m a joke, like I’m a freak, like that’s the reason he went and slept with that other girl.

My stomach churns with a rage filled embarrassment I’ve never felt before.

I glare toward him, but I only see his face for a fraction of a second before Jack has him pinned up against the back wall of the building. “You apologize right the fuck now.”

“No,” Brick laughs. “What are you gonna do, punch me? A grown fuckin’ man punching some kid on campus, with security tw—” Jack lands a solid punch against Brick’s jaw then drops his hand and glances back at me. “Get in the truck.”

I could feel bad for Brick, but there’s a sick sort of thrill that rolls over me instead. I’m pretty sure that means I could use some therapy, but I opt for Jack’s truck instead.

He lands his hand on the small of my back as he guides me inside, the scent of pine and dark musk surrounding him as he helps me.

I should feel shame, anger, sadness that Brick slept with that other girl. We were together for eight months. But the truth is, I knew our relationship wasn’t meant to be. And now… I feel free.

I glance toward Jack as he settles up into the driver’s seat of the truck.

His knuckles are already bruising, and the silence between us feels like it’s holding its breath.

He shifts into gear, one hand on the wheel, the other resting lightly on the console, close enough to touch if I wanted to…

which I don’t. I don’t, but that doesn’t mean I don’t notice how big and calloused they are.

How steady they look amidst the chaos left behind.

How the ink wraps around his knuckles and onto the back of his hand.

I flick my gaze up and stare straight ahead as the truck pulls out of the lot, my heartbeat syncing with the hum of the engine.

I catch myself watching the way his forearm flexes as he turns the wheel, and the way his jaw tightens when the road curves sharply.

It’s not just that he’s steady, it’s that I feel steadier with him.

I have since our conversation last night.

It was like for the first time in forever someone actually heard me.

God, I need to stop whatever these thoughts are. He’s just a guy. A hot, older guy who’s got all his shit together, who stood up for me, who listens when I talk.

Turns out, that’s what I’m into.

No! That’s not what I’m into! It can’t be what I’m into!

My phone buzzes in my pocket and I pull it out, stomach clenched, half expecting Penny to text with fresh drama about the scene on campus from earlier, but it’s my mom with a barrage of pictures.

“Everything okay?” Jack glances toward me then back at the winding road.

“Yeah, it’s my mom. She’s going through old pictures today so I’m getting them in droves.” I pull one up of my dad and I when I was first born and flash it toward Jack, thinking maybe he’d like a hit of nostalgia, but I’m wrong.

He nods and groans low as though he’s not interested in the picture. Further proof that he’s not interested in me. A reminder that it’s silly that I’m into him.

It’s for the best. I’m not sure what kind of psychopath looks at pictures of her dead father while lusting after his buddy, anyway. Jack is clearly dodging a bullet with me.

“Yeah,” I continue, desperate for deflection, “I’m not sure why she does this. It’s so hard to think about my dad. Pictures just make it worse.”

I click off the message and glance at Jack, attempting to keep my gaze on his face, instead of his muscles, but it’s no help. The man is attractive. “Thanks for everything back there. I’m sure you didn’t have that on your bingo card today.”

He laughs under his breath. “Nope. Sure didn’t, but happy to help.”

And then… silence. Silence for what seems like forever.

Maybe he doesn’t want to talk anymore. Maybe he’s annoyed about this whole trip now. Maybe spending time with me feels like a chore to him. I mean, technically it is a chore to him.

I drag in a heavy breath and focus my gaze on the way the light filters through the pines.

I can’t lust over some man my dad called a friend.

I can’t get caught up in the way his voice dips when he talks or what his laugh feels like in my chest. I can’t think about the way my heart stumbles every time he glances my way or how it tightens when his hand nearly brushes mine.

None of that matters. I’m here to take pictures. That’s all. It has to be.