“It’s too early.”
“Says who?”
I shrug. “People.”
“Fuck people.” He steps closer to me, and his eyes capture mine with an intensity I’ll probably never get used to. “Do you love me?”
Do I?
I was lost the two weeks he stayed away from me.
How would I feel if he left me right now?
I’d probably cry myself to death. I won’t recover quickly. I’ll miss him terribly. I’d be lost all over again.
“Yes,” I whisper.
“Why?”
“I’m happy whenever you’re near. I feel safe with you.” I pause as I dig deeper, my gaze remaining locked with his. “I feel you in my soul.”
When he keeps quiet, I say, “Sorry, I’m probably weirding you out.” I turn off the faucets and step out of the shower.
I reach for a towel on the warming rack, and then Carson takes hold of my hips, and he presses a kiss to my shoulder. “I want to hear it.”
I turn to face him. My gaze drifts over his features, and seeing that he’s not uncomfortable at all, I say, “I love you.”
He leans down and captures my mouth in another tender kiss, and then I get a slap on the ass before he reaches for a towel.
“So…” I start to dry myself, “Are you into BDSM stuff?”
Carson chuckles, and his mouth curves up into a devilish grin. “Would you be okay with it?”
“If I get a safe word,” I reply with more bravery than I feel.
“Stars?” he asks.
I begin to nod. “Stars sounds good.”
He chuckles again, and wrapping his hand around the back of my neck, he tugs me closer and presses a kiss to my forehead. “I’m not into BDSM.”
I let out a relieved breath as I follow him out of the bathroom. Carson heads into his walk-in closet, and I follow after him. I glance over all the pairs of black cargo pants, the black shirts, and coats that hang on the left side. On the right are normal-ish clothes, meaning all the grays and whites.
“You don’t like color,” I comment as I glance over the collection of watches, bracelets, and rings that are held on a stand that’s situated in the middle of the closet.
“Color makes you stand out,” he answers while pulling on a pair of cargo pants.
“Well, I hate to break it to you…” I take the shirt he holds out to me and shrug it on, “but you will stand out no matter what you wear.”
“I managed to follow you for five weeks without you knowing,” he reminds me.
“Wait? Five?”
Carson puts on a shirt, then he takes hold of my hand and pulls me out of the closet. “I followed you home the first night we met.”
I tug against his hold so he’ll stop walking. “Really?”
He nods, his eyes sharpening on my face as he checks for my reaction.
“Why didn’t you just walk me home like a normal guy?”
“Because I’m not normal.”
Oh, my introvert.
“That’s one of the reasons I fell for you.”
Chapter 13
CARSON
Reaching the bar, I lean against a wall and cross my arms over my chest to wait for Hailey.
My thoughts turn to the past three days. We’ve spent every second together except for when she had to be at work.
I now know every inch of her body.
I’ve heard her whimper, moan, and scream my name.
I’ve seen the love in her eyes while I came inside her.
I’ve held her while she slept.
And still, it’s not enough.
It will never be enough.
I close my eyes at the thought that I have to tell her who I really am. My whole being revolts against the idea.
I’ll lose her.
I can’t.
Fuck.
With the threat of an attack from the Albanians, I know I’m running out of time. I can feel it. It’s like a storm brewing on the horizon.
My head snaps toward the bar, and a second later, Hailey comes out.
“Hey, handsome,” she smiles at me.
“Hey,” I murmur as I push away from the wall. I wrap my arms around her and press a quick kiss to her mouth. “How was work?”
“Same as yesterday.” She wraps her arm around my waist, and I keep mine around her shoulders as we begin to walk home.
My eyes keep scouring our surroundings, my body on high alert.
Hailey tilts her head back and looks up at the stars. “Don’t you think it’s beautiful here?”
“Hmm.” My gaze turns to her face. “But it’s nothing compared to you.”
She lets out a chuckle and snuggles against my side, placing her other hand on my abs.
“It feels like a dream.”
“What?” I ask, tucking my free hand in my pocket.
“Us.”
The alarm sounds from my phone, and my entire body goes ice cold. Yanking the device out, the air rushes from my lungs.
Alexei.
“What’s wrong?” Hailey asks. I pull free from her, and grabbing her hand, I begin to run, dragging her behind me.
“Carson!” Hailey shrieks, but I don’t have time to explain things to her.