I swallowed, feeling like prey.
Did that make him a predator?
A commotion sounded at the door as a group of girls came in, drawing my attention. I looked away from him for probably a handful of seconds, but by the time I turned my gaze back to the man, he was gone. I searched around the bar for him. He shouldn’t be hard to find, but it was like he had never been there in the first place—as if he had been nothing more than a figment of my imagination.
Something heavy settled in the pit of my stomach that felt a hell of a lot like disappointment.
I shook my head and took another sip of my beer just as another man from across the bar caught my eye. He smiled and made a move to approach me. I turned away before he could, hoping he’d take the hint and leave me alone.
I didn't feel like socializing much, which was why I probably should have stayed home tonight and risked Victoria’s “woe is me” treatment the next day.
It was going to be a long night.
2
MAEL
My girl didn't come homefrom the bar until three o’clock in the morning, and at that point, she was already tipsy.
Naughty girl.
At least she had the good sense to call for a ride home.
Had she known she was mine, she would have never stepped foot inside another man’s car.
Only one good thing came from this though. It allowed me to beat her home.
I stayed where I was, in the small corner of her dark apartment, waiting for my girl to get home.
I watched as she stumbled her way inside, eliciting a small smile from me when she giggled after nearly tumbling to the floor.
Fuck, but she was cute.
And all fucking mine.
I silently followed her as she clumsily made her way to her room. She was completely unaware of the monster behind her. How naïve. But then, she didn’t have to worry. I might be a monster, but I was her monster. I would protect her from everyone and everything in this world that would try to harm her.
I stayed in the shadow as she made her way into the bathroom, making a pathetic attempt to brush her teeth. She happily sang to herself in the middle of it, making the job that much harder for herself.
Once she got somewhat ready, she stripped down to her underwear and moved her way into the bedroom.
I followed behind, no longer bothering to try and hide myself. At this point, she might just convince herself I was nothing more than a figment of her imagination if she happened to catch a glimpse of me.
She stood by the bed in her room, not bothering with the lights. The curtains were opened, letting in the moonlight enough for me to make out the details of her body.
My favorite subject.
And I was nothing if not studious.
I’ve spent weeks studying her body. I recognized every curve, every mole, and every freckle on that body of hers that I owned. Even her scent had been imprinted on my mind. There wouldn’t be a place on God’s green earth where she could hide, and I wouldn’t find her. Not that my girl would ever go anywhere.
No, my Lia was a good girl. And once she met me, she would know what I had known all along. Every molecule in her body was mine. That heart, that soul…mine.
She was going to fall in love with me, obsessively, dependably so.
I would be the very center of her universe, so much so that she wouldn’t know how to survive without me.
It would only be fair.
