Monster In The Shadows: A stand-alone dark romance, page 7
My heart pounds harder, and I have to force myself to stay calm.
“Did you see anyone?” I ask, trying to keep my tone even.
She shakes her head and bites her lip.
“Did anyone follow you here?”
She shrugs. “I didn’t see anyone. It’s weird, but it was just a feeling. There are times when I feel like someone is watching me and it doesn’t bother me. It almost makes me feel intrigued and curious. But today, it wasn’t that. It was fear and unease. I didn’t feel safe.”
I nod. I’m hoping she feels calm when I’m watching her, but I would like to stop watching and just have her with me.
“I’m making your first rule now,” I tell her.
She stares at me intently, waiting for me to go on.
“You are not allowed to go anywhere alone. If I’m not with you, and you feel like you’re being watched, you call me immediately.”
She nods, and her gaze falls to the table. “I don’t like this. I’ve lived on my own for a few years since my mom passed, and I never felt scared like this. Why me?”
“You’re special.” I move closer to her, placing my hand on her cheek and tilting her face to look at me. “Anyone with eyes can see that. I told you already I want to protect you, but that means you have to listen to everything I say. If you disobey, shit will hit the fan, and you aren’t the only one who will end up dead. This city isn’t as safe as you think it is. But you are mine, and anyone who touches you is a dead man.”
“Why do you want me? I already told you I’m not sleeping with you, and I mean that. I will not be changing my stance.”
I smile. I hope that that will change, but even if it doesn’t, my attraction to her will stay the same.
“Something inside you calls to me,” I tell her, and she leans into my touch. “I want you to move in with me.”
She shakes her head, pushing my hand away, and straightens her spine. “No.”
The waitress brings our food, and Paige lifts an eyebrow at me.
“I can’t order for myself?”
I shrug. “I already told you, you eat what I feed you. Do you not like what I picked?”
She studies the food and shakes her head. “No, this looks good. It’s just weird.”
“I want to take care of you,” I tell her, putting my hand over hers, getting addicted to touching her. “What I want from you isn’t just obedience, but that is a large part of it. I want to treat you like a queen. I want you to have the world, and I want to be the man who provides it for you. That’s why I want you to move in with me.”
“No. I like my independence.”
I run my hand over my face, her resistance pissing me off slightly. I knew this would be her response, but after hearing about her feeling like someone was watching her, I need her to move in now. I can’t be distracted worrying about her.
“You are mine, and you’ll do as you’re told,” I tell her, expecting her to cower, but she doesn’t.
She stares me down and raises her brow. “I agreed to be yours, but we already discussed that I could live on my own. I don’t see any reason why that should have to change.”
“You said someone was watching you. You aren’t safe,” I bite out.
“Watching and touching are two different things. If I start to feel like my life is in danger, I’ll move in with you.”
“Your life is in danger,” I tell her, forcing myself not to yell.
“You said you’ll keep me safe. Are you not capable of that?” she asks.
I lean in close to her. “I am capable of more than you realize.”
Her breath hitches, and goosebumps break out across her skin.
“Ask nicely, and you can continue to live on your own, but you’d better listen to absolutely everything else I say,” I hiss.
“You want me to beg?”
I smirk and nod. She glares at me, and for a moment, I think that she isn’t going to do it.
“Please, may I live on my own?” she finally huffs out, her jaw slightly clenched.
I smile. “Unless I deem it unsafe, you may continue to live on your own. I will have my tech guy install an alarm system in your house tomorrow. You have to set it every night.”
She rolls her eyes and nods.
“I will start driving you to school,” I tell her.
She shakes her head. Before she can protest, I put my hand up to silence her.
“No. You will stop disobeying. I told you that you would do as you are told, and you are going to start now. I am driving you to school and the library, no questions asked.”
“What are you going to do if I don’t obey?” she asks, the sass in her voice strong.
“Do you really want to find out?”
She takes a shaky breath and shakes her head.
“Good girl. Now, I also want to have dinner with you four days a week, and I would like you to sleep over on Saturday nights. You will have your own room and are able to go there anytime you want. I want you to make us dinner on Saturday nights. The other nights, I will take you out or order in. Whatever you want.”
She stares at me for a minute. “And I don’t have a choice in the matter?”
I shake my head.
She sighs. “Maybe I’ll just let them kill me. This sounds like a lot of work. How do you even know I can cook? What if I poison you?”
I laugh. I’m not going to tell her I’ve been watching her every day for months, my mouth watering over the amazing aromas that come from her kitchen when she opens her windows.
“Let’s just say you look like the cooking type.”
“Looks can be deceiving,” she mumbles.
We finish our meal with small conversation, neither of us fully opening up. I want her to tell me everything about her, to trust me with her secrets, but she is a give and take person. If I ask her too many questions, she’s going to want those same answers from me, and I’m not willing to give them to her yet. I probably never will be.
“Thank you for coming. I’m looking forward to getting to know you,” I tell Paige after walking her to her car.
I kiss her cheek and let my lips linger on her skin. I feel her take a deep breath before placing her hands on my chest. She wants to push me away, but she pauses for a moment, taking in my hard muscles.
“The evening was a lot better than I thought it would be,” she admits, her hands still on my chest.
“This doesn’t have to be a bad thing, Paige.”
She nods, not looking in my eyes.
“I am going to follow you home and make sure you get in safely,” I tell her.
I can tell she wants to fight me, but she finally sighs and pushes me away.
“This is fucking annoying,” she mumbles getting into her car.
I’m going to have to teach her better manners, but I love the way she doesn’t back down. As much as I want her to do what I say, I love that the fire in her comes out. She won’t be easily broken, and that’s a necessity in my life.
I wouldn’t wish this life on anyone, but she’s in it now, and hopefully that fire will keep her alive if I fail to do so.
I wave at Donovan, then stomp into my house and slam the door with fire coursing through my veins. My jaw hurts from clenching it so much tonight. I start walking away before letting out a huff, returning to the door, and locking it.
“Cocksucker,” I hiss as I make my way to my kitchen.
“Who the fuck does he think he is?” I yell to no one.
Opening the fridge, I grab my bottle of wine and slam the door closed. I’m beyond frustrated. I’m going to need this whole bottle to calm me down.
I know I agreed to be his, but I didn’t think that I was going to be turned into a fucking slave. Thank God I won the argument about moving in with him. That is never going to happen. I can fucking see it now.
“I’ve laid off my cook and maid and you must do everything,” he’d say in his grumpy voice. “If you aren’t perfect, I’ll punish you.”
A shiver runs down my spine. What kind of punishment would he give me anyway? Should I push the envelope and find out? I wasn’t even punished as a child. My mom had a very soft style of parenting, and it worked well on me. She would just guilt me instead of punishing.
I can still hear her voice in my head.
“Mija, do you want to make your mother cry? When you do bad things, it makes me cry.”
I pour the wine into a glass and let myself fall on the couch. I wish she was here. I could talk to her about anything. But would she be in danger if she was?
Laying my head back, I close my eyes.
“Mom, I need you right now,” I say aloud, hoping that wherever she is, she can hear me. “I got myself into a mess, and I don’t know what to do. All I ever wanted to do was help people, like you. And now that helping has gotten me into trouble. I miss your hugs, and the way you would pet my hair and give me advice. I could really use some of that advice right now.”
A tear slips down my cheek, and I feel my body shiver.
“You always had a way of making me see things in a new light. But how do I see this in a new light? I’ve sold myself to someone who says he can protect me, when he’s the reason I’m in this mess in the first place. And the even crazier part is, I trust him immensely. I don’t even know why. He should terrify me; he killed a man in front of me. But he doesn’t. I think underneath his cold, hard exterior, there is a man who cares. Why else would he want me? I know that sounds insane.
“Maybe I am insane, Mama. I mean, he could just be a psycho who is going to kill me anyway and this could all just be a sick game to him. But I don’t feel like that’s the case. You always told me to trust my gut, but sometimes I feel like my gut is broken. My gut told me to help this guy, and now my life is completely flipped upside-down. All I ever wanted was a quiet life helping people. Now, I don’t know what it’s going to be like.”
I take a large gulp of my wine, and I feel a breeze, but my windows are closed.
The smell of lavender wafts over me, just like the perfume Mama used to wear, and an instant calmness rushes over my body.
There is more to life than quiet, and sometimes the people with the hardest shells have the softest centers. Sometimes those who give the most pain have been hurt the most themselves.
The words fill my head, but no one spoke them. I take a deep breath and know it’s my mom talking to me.
“I love you, Mama,” I whisper.
Finishing my glass of wine, I head to my bedroom. I pray that everything works out, but the life I knew is gone. Ready or not, I have to prepare myself for this world I’ve found myself thrust into.
Knock, knock, knock.
I roll around in my bed, trying to get comfortable again.
Knock, knock, knock.
“What the fuck?” I ask the empty room, throwing my legs over the edge of the bed.
Who the hell knocks on someone’s door at—I glance at my clock—eight in the morning? Don’t they know people like to sleep? I have to work an evening shift tonight, and I’m supposed to be sleeping in.
I stretch and let out a big yawn.
Knock, knock, knock.
“I’m fucking coming!” I yell, knowing they probably won’t hear me.
Grabbing my robe off the hook, I pull it on and drag my tired ass to the door.
“What the fuck do you want?” I ask Donovan when I open the door.
Because of course it’s Donovan. Who else would be knocking on my door at this ungodly hour?
“Morning,” he says with a smile.
“I’m not a morning person, so unless you want to get stabbed again, you’d better have a good fucking reason for being here before eleven.”
He laughs, and I want to punch his perfect face. A jawline like that should be illegal anyway.
“My tech guy will be here in about fifteen minutes to install your security system. I told you yesterday we would be stopping by for that.”
I sigh and start walking toward my kitchen, letting Donovan follow me, because I need coffee for this bullshit.
“You did say that, but you didn’t say it would be at such an ungodly hour.”
“Paige, it’s eight. I’ve been up for hours already. Actually, I’ve finished all of my work for the day already.”
I pause with my hand on the coffee pot and turn to stare at him.
“What the fuck is wrong with you? Are you even human? Who the hell gets up so fucking early if they don’t have a job they need to get to?”
I pause for a moment, realizing I don’t even know what he does for work. I know he kills people, but he has to have another job, doesn’t he?
“What is your job?” I ask before turning my attention back to making coffee.
“I’m a website designer,” he says with a chuckle. “I also do a bunch of online marketing for people. People hire me because they’re too lazy or stupid to do their own. I like to get all my work done in the morning so I have the rest of the day to do other things.”
I nod, staring at the coffee while it brews. “Does it pay well?”
“Not as good as my other job, but it pays the bills, so to speak.”
This is my life now. Just talking about his “other” job like it’s no big deal. I don’t know the full depth of that job—and I’m not sure I want to know—but I do know he does stuff that is definitely not legal.
The coffee pot beeps, and I do a little dance, which makes Donovan laugh.
“Coffee makes me happy, and happy me dances. Not happy me stabs people. So shut up.”
I pour the liquid gold into my favorite cup that says, “Back the fuck up, sprinkle tits. Today is not the day. I will shank you with my horn,” and it has a picture of an angry unicorn on it.
“Nice cup,” he remarks.
I glare at him as I take a sip. “I see now why you got stabbed.”
He grins and shakes his head. A knock at the door draws our attention, and he walks to get it. I don’t even care anymore, because I have coffee and the world is almost right again.
“What are you doing here?” Leanne asks from the foyer.
I almost drop my coffee. What the hell is up with everyone coming over to my house so early in the morning?
“Paige, get your brown ass out here. You have some ‘splainin’ to do!” she shouts.
I slowly walk over to the door, dragging my feet as much as possible.
“Was Don your date?” she asks way too cheerfully.
“How are you so chipper in the morning? And why are you here? You know I have an evening shift tonight; I’m supposed to still be sleeping,” I tell her and take another sip of my coffee.
This is way too much shit to deal with this early in the morning.
“I told you it wasn’t a date,” I remind her, then pause for a moment. “Wait, how do you know Donovan?”
She makes a face.
“Actually, I forgot about your evening shift. Sorry. But he’s the guy who saved me!” she exclaims, pushing her way into my house.
I follow and sit down on the couch. Donovan doesn’t seem like the kind of guy who would just help a random girl stranded on the side of the road.
“Seriously, I would be dead if it wasn’t for him,” she says.
Donovan smiles smugly. I shoot him my best death glare, but that just makes his smile grow wider.
“I think it’s great that you’re dating him,” she continues. “I wanted to set you two up, but Don said he doesn’t do blind dates. Looks like the universe wanted you two together.”
I roll my eyes. “Like I said, not dating.”
“Then why is he at your house so early, and you’re not dressed yet?” She turns her attention to Donovan. “But you are. Were you just leaving? Did you guys have a good time? Did you use protection?”
I throw a pillow at her, which makes her whine.
“No, no, no!” I yell. “We went for dinner as friends. I told him I don’t have a security system, and he insisted that I get one, which is why he is here right now. Just a friend helping a friend.”
“See, he’s the nicest guy ever,” Leanne gushes.
I have to force myself not to roll my eyes. Can you hurt your eyes from rolling them too much? That might happen to me with these two. What if I go blind?
She may think he’s a nice guy, but she doesn’t know the real him. He’s a control freak and a murderer.
“How did you two meet, anyway?” she asks.
I pause, not having a good answer. Because no way in hell am I telling her the truth. That’s way too dangerous.
“We bumped into each other at the grocery store,” Donovan fills the silence. “I accidently hit her with my cart and made her drop all her stuff. I wanted to pay for it all because I felt like an ass, but she wouldn’t let me. So I asked her out instead. As you can tell, she shot me down. But when I said we could get to know each other as friends, she finally agreed.”
He finishes with a wink at me, and I roll my eyes. Yep, most likely going to go blind one day.
“Oh, my God. That’s like the sweetest story ever,” Leanne says with fucking hearts in her eyes. “I can’t wait to tell that story at your wedding.”
“We aren’t fucking dating!” I yell.
There’s another knock at the door, and I run. I don’t care who the hell it is. I need out of this conversation.
“Um, is Don here?” a scrawny-looking guy asks.
“You must be the tech guy who’s here to install my new security system.”
He nods and grabs the back of his neck. I giggle at his shyness.
“Don, your tech guy is here!” I yell, letting the guy with glasses in.
“You don’t even know Kyle. Don’t let strangers into your house,” Donovan hisses when he meets us in the hallway. “Remember, she’s mine.” He turns to glare at Kyle. “Why don’t you go back to Leanne? Kyle and I will be busy for a while.”
I walk back to my living room. Fuck, he’s possessive.
“I’m so happy for you,” Leanne says when I enter the kitchen.
I pour myself another cup of coffee. One is not going to do it today. Why can’t she get through her head that we aren’t dating? Why does she even want this to happen? She doesn’t know the real him. I don’t even know the real him.
