It’s a compulsion at this point, and yeah, I know exactly what I am, but I don’t care. I need this.
My thumb swipes across the screen until the feed to her apartment loads, and I drop onto the edge of the bed, sinking back into the pillows as my body finally relaxes.
My eyes are glued to her figure, watching as she curls up on the couch in the same spot she always goes when she wants to disappear from the world.
She has no idea how fucking pretty she looks when she forgets anyone’s watching.
Her hair is down tonight—long and red, falling over her shoulder in waves and trailing down her back like fire. I want to reach through the screen and touch it. I want to feel the silk of it between my fingers, wrap it around my fist, and pull her close.
I recognize the cover of the book in her hand from here. I saw her with it the other night and made a note of it, then downloaded the damn thing myself the second I got home.
Three guys. One girl. A “why choose,” or whatever the hell they call it.
She can swallow every line in that book, get off to as many hands and mouths as she wants, but it lives and dies in her head. I won’t share her, not anymore.
I reach for my other phone—the one I actually use to talk, not the one I use to break into places I’m not meant to—and I fire off a message, eyes never leaving her on the screen.
You want company, pretty girl?
She grabs her phone, frowning, confusion flashing across her face before she stands up and disappears out of frame.
That’s not very polite, baby. I’m hurt.
SHANNEN: What do you want?
You. Obviously.
SHANNEN: You’d have a better chance with my father’s corpse. Now leave me alone. I’m waiting on someone.
Who’s the lucky bastard? Did you tell him to bring flowers or just skip ahead to the body bag?
The screen stays still. She doesn’t reply. She just leaves me there, staring at the space she was in, like I’m supposed to take the hint and fuck off. That’s when the amusement drains out of me because now I can’t tell whether she’s playing with me or if I’m about to have to do something she really isn’t going to appreciate.
I find her again on the feed and watch as she picks up herphone when my first message hits. Then the second, and the third. I watch her read them. I observe the way her eyes flick across the screen and how her mouth twitches just enough to piss me off before she sets it down like I’m not even worth a reply.
She ignores everything I send after that.
Every. Single. Message.
A knock on the door pulls her attention. She stands, smooths down her clothes, and fluffs her hair like she’s trying to make an impression. If I didn’t know any better, I’d say she was getting ready for a date.
Which is absolutely not fucking happening.
I’m already sitting up, my muscles coiled, ready to haul ass to her apartment, but then I hear a familiar voice through the feed.
“You look hot. You know I was only joking about scissoring, right?”
Lianna.
Meeting her is going to be… interesting.
Fuck it.
Might as well get it over with now.
Chapter 7
Shannen
