“What do you think I’m supposed to do?”
“Babe, I really don’t know, but I think you need to talk to Knight. I think you need to let him care for you. You need to let him in. Maybe there’s a compromise somewhere. He can keep searching for this stalker while you visit Dr. Carzy and get her opinion. That way you’re both giving each other what you need. Best of both worlds, you know?”
I drop onto the edge of the bed, letting out a heavy sigh. “Perhaps you’re right.”
“You should know better by now,” she tells me. “I’m always right.”
Damn.
Blowing out my cheeks, I get back to my feet before scooping my phone and keys off the bedside table. “Suppose I better head home and face the firing squad, then,” I say, already cringing at the scolding Knight is bound to give me for daring to walk out on him.
“Good luck,” Izzy chimes with a smirk, watching as I walk out of the room.
Fifteen minutes later, I bring my car to a stop at the curb outside Knight’s place, and I’ve never been so relieved to find his truck missing from the driveway. “Oh, thank fuck,” I mutter, cutting the engine of my Honda before pushing out of my car.
I stride up the front path to the porch before shoving my key into the lock and letting myself in. And it’s not until the heavydoor slams closed behind me that I realize this is the first time I’ve been alone here since my stalker assaulted me.
What if he’s been watching me, waiting for this exact moment to come finish me off? After all, the last time I saw him, he wasn’t exactly happy with me, and I’m sure revenge has been playing on his mind.
Fuck.
A chill sails down my spine, and I try to shake it off as I head down the hall to the bedroom, my gaze darting from left to right and sweeping every inch of our home. There’s no sign of the stalker, and I let out a shaky breath. I wonder if this is what my life is going to be like from here on out, always searching dark corners and second-guessing myself.
I try to put it behind me as I make my way into the walk-in closet and quickly search for the trashy old sweatpants that will make up one half of my homeless outfit for the night. After finally finding them, I toss them straight out the door to the edge of the bed before searching for my favorite cropped tank with the rip in the fabric. It’s old and stained, but it sure is comfortable.
Mom is going to love it.
Tossing my tank out the door as well, I start digging through my drawer for clean underwear before stripping out of my clothes and dumping them in the dirty washing hamper. I might as well shower while I’m here. I mean, just because I want to look like I don’t give a shit doesn’t mean that I have to smell that way too.
Reaching around my back, I start to unclip my bra as I turn and go to make my way out of the closet when I find a large figure taking up the whole doorway, forcing a piercing scream from the back of my throat.
Terror rips through me, and I immediately drop to my knees in fear when Knight’s voice breaks through my panic. “Whoa,doll. It’s just me,” he says, rushing in to comfort me, dropping to his knees before me.
“Holy shit,” I breathe, dropping my forehead against his chest as I try to calm my racing heart. “What the fuck do you think you’re doing sneaking up on me like that? I thought you were him coming to finish me off.”
“Fuck. I’m sorry, doll. I wasn’t even thinking about that. I was just happy to watch you getting naked.”
I groan and shove against his chest as I get to my feet, trying to ignore how comical it is that even on his knees, he’s almost as tall as I am. “You’re an ass.”
“I’m the ass?” he presses, getting to his feet. “Might I remind you that you walked out on me because you couldn’t handle the fact that I want you to get better.”
My eyes widen, and I spin on my heel, whipping back around to fix him with a piercing stare. “You really want to go there right now?” I demand, not giving a shit that I’m standing here in nothing but a black thong and matching bra. “You know, Izzy had only just convinced me that maybe I should let you in and try to find some kind of compromise, but that’ll never work. I was stupid for thinking I could try and make this work.”
I move to storm out of the closet when Knight’s big hand wraps around my arm, and he yanks me right back against him before pressing me up against the wall. “Where the fuck do you think you’re going?” he demands, his hips keeping me pinned against the wall as his big hand circles my throat. “You’ll leave when I’m fucking through with you.”
I scoff and try to squirm out of his grip, but he’s far too strong. Though it’s different from when I was with my stalker. His grip was bruising and painful, his fingers digging into my skin with malice, whereas with Knight, he’s firm and dominant, but he would lay his life down before ever intentionally hurting me.
“Fuck you,” I spit at him. “I hate you.”
“Oh yeah?” he demands, pressing harder against me, his whole fucking body chiseled out of stone. “Well, I hate you too, princess. You’ve been nothing but a thorn in my side since the moment this started.”
His dark stare is filled with fury, his chest heaving, and despite his harsh words, I know he doesn’t mean them. He’s just pissed off, and getting me all worked up is the only way he’s able to let off that steam. And fuck, it sure as hell works for me too. “And you think being with you is a fucking walk in the park? You’re an asshole with control issues.”
Knight growls and closes his hand tighter around my throat as he leans in, his eyes locked directly on mine. My hand presses against his heaving chest, my fingers scrunching into a tight fist as the tension boils between us. The longer he stares at me, the harder it becomes to remember why I’m so angry at him, and then just as I go to shove him away and hurl some bullshit insult at him, his lips crash down on mine, the tension snapping like an elastic band.
He kisses me as though he can’t get enough, and I meet his urgency with a ferocity of my own. His hand roams over my body, dropping low to my ass before gripping my thigh and hooking it up over his hip. His cock presses against my core, grinding against me and making my eyes roll as we both lose ourselves to the reckless desire pulsing through our veins.
His eyes blaze with a lethal desire that has my pussy clenching with raw need. “Damn it, Morticia, I’m gonna fuck that attitude right out of you.”
