PROLOGUE
It all started with a single phone call in the dead of night, a dark, sensual voice telling me I was his salvation.
That very soon he was coming for me.
And it changed everything…
CHAPTER1
“In visions of the dark night I have dreamed of joy departed. But a waking dream of life and light hath left me broken hearted.”
—Edgar Allan Poe
Sierra
Electricity crackled in the air, although there was no storm. I was inside my house, a place I thought safe. I should have known better. As my heart raced, I sensed a presence and a terrifying realization settled in.
The dark stranger had found me, a man whose deep, mysterious baritone voice on the other end of the phone had evoked intense, filthy fantasies. For weeks he’d contacted me, never providing a name, his number blocked.
But with every call, I’d been drawn deeper into unearthing feelings I’d never believed could be provoked again.
Excitement.
Hunger.
Need.
Now I had no idea how to face the unknown.
He was my stalker and he’d become the man capable of seducing me.
He was here to make good on his promise of making me his own.
As he moved closer, electricity surged from my heart straight to my core. Just the way it had done during several of his phone calls. The strong connection still didn’t make any sense. No, this wasn’t happening. He wasn’t a long-lost lover. The man was deranged.
“Hello, Sierra. It’s time we got to know each other even more intimately than before.”
His voice drifted from the shadows, the surrounding darkness adding to the terror that swept through me. His sensuous voice had thrilled me during long nights of loneliness. Only this time the tone was entirely different; every syllable was infused with a growl.
One of desire.
One of impatience.
One of fury.
And one of possession.
Just like he’d promised five months ago, and just as he’d warned me again just hours before with a note and a single phone call that he was coming to claim what he believed already belonged to him.
Oh, my God. He’d broken into my house.
He planned on making good on his promises.
My pulse raced as I turned around slowly, trying to control my breathing, the deep resonance of his tone penetrating my eardrums. His scent was overpowering yet alluring, reminding me of my favorite Grenache, the rich raspberry notes mixing with more than a hint of exotic spices. For a few seconds, that’s all I could think about.
And there was no doubt about the identity of the dark stranger. He was the man who’d haunted my dreams for months, invading my privacy. My thoughts. My desires…
Alessandro.