If I left now…
The number of beers I’ve had doesn’t factor at all into my decision as I storm toward my bedroom, shed the clothes I’ve been wearing all day and throw myself under the shower.
I’m done in only minutes, and less than a quarter of an hour later, I’m in the lift heading toward the underground garage with the keys to my Ferrari locked in my hand and my mind firmly set on my prize.
The overhead lights flicker to life when I push the door open and step inside the vast space that currently only houses mine and Daemon’s vehicle collection.
My car lights up as I get closer, and before I’ve even thought through the process of starting her up, I’m waiting for the gates to open and pressing my foot on the accelerator toward the destination I’ve already plugged into the GPS.
* * *
It only takes me an hour to get to her location, and when I’m confident I’m in the right place, I abandon my baby in a dark layby and stiffly climb out.
My tense muscles refuse to relax as I move, my heart thundering in my chest so hard my hands are shaking in my need to get to her.
Fuck. This is wrong.
All of this is fucked up beyond belief.
I shouldn’t be here.
I shouldn’t be fucking stalking her like a fucking loser.
I really don’t think that’s what Dad had in mind when he agreed to all of this. But one thing he might just have been right about was how badly I want her.
Because fuck.
My balls ache, my cock strains against the loose fabric of the sweats I’m wearing, and my nails dig into my palms with my need to feel her writhing body beneath me.
Mum’s always warned me that I have an obsessive personality like my father. I didn’t see it as a kid. Hell, I didn’t understand it.
I don’t think I ever have until this very moment.
A twig snaps beneath my foot and I look back at my car, knowing that I should get back in, drive home and pretend that none of this ever happened.
That I never set up cameras in her room one night when she was sleeping soundly. That I ensured I could track her no matter where she goes so that I can always find her, whether she’s in danger or even if she’s just running from a deranged psycho—me. And I certainly shouldn’t have just rolled over and accepted the fate that those above us decided for us.
She should be more than a job. She is more than a job. I can admit that to myself. But she is a job nonetheless, and my father, the boss, expects me to deliver.
It’s what he raised me for. What he trained me for.
Being a soldier, being made, embracing my heritage, focusing on my future, my legacy… that was my first real obsession. Well, after Lego and football. But even still. It has nothing on my need for her. The unfiltered, irrational, dangerous obsession I have for the woman who may or may not be lying to all of us. Who may be a threat to our empire. A woman who could bring me to my fucking knees if I’m not very, very careful around her.
A cabin comes into view through the trees. Soft outside lights illuminate it in the darkness, and as I get closer, I realise that some of that light is actually coming from inside.
My steps falter a little at the thought of everyone still being awake inside.
After stopping behind a tree to allow my app to pinpoint her location a little more precisely, I head toward the cabin, or more specifically, the open window at the very end of the huge wooden building.
My need for her far outweighs the risk of being caught, so without a second thought, I haul myself up and into the dark room to find exactly what I hoped: her sleeping form in the middle of the giant bed.