I didn’t have time to spend on figuring out why she mattered so much, how she’d gotten under my skin like this.
I could only worry that it would get worse before it got better.
What if I stayed so distracted, needing to check on her, that it pulled me from something important for the family?
What if I get sloppy with her hogging my thoughts and made a mistake?
This has gone on too long.
It wasn’t sustainable, keeping her in the periphery of my life and unsure about whether she’d ever fit in it. Irritated with my obsession and loathing how I’d let myself get into a stalemate like this with how she lured me to want to be closer, I knew this was it.
Two months had gone by already. If I didn’t make a move and go for her, I had to insert more distance and time apart from her so I could wean myself off this interest.
But not tonight.
I was already here, parking near her apartment building.
If my guess was correct, she was already home from her shift.
Still, I had to appease this draw to her. I got out of my car and walked down the sidewalk toward the entrance to her building. Staying on the opposite side of the street, sticking with the shadows, I truly adopted the role of being her stalker. A creep in the darkness, always watching.
Are you up there?
I leaned against the wall, hiding under the darkness from the steps to this building and stared up at the windows that might be hers.
Are you asleep?
I imagined her in bed, naked and relaxed.
Do you dream of me too?
My dick would get hard any second now as I entertained myself with one of my favorite fantasies, the ones of sneaking into her room and surprising her with my touch to wake her up.
Do you?—
The sound of footsteps rushing close jarred me from my forbidden thoughts about her.
Down the sidewalk, a woman walked quickly. Carrying a small child, she hid her face from me. With her short, curvy body, she seemed to struggle running. That power walk was likely all she could do, holding that young boy or girl. A hood blocked the child’s hair from my sight. The brown and white striped pajamas under the black coat weren’t giving me clues.
But I didn’t need any.
I’d recognize her long, chestnut hair anywhere. I’d stared at her so many times that I’d committed the contour of her sexy figure to memory.
Natalie?
Alarmed with this change in her routine, I furrowed my brow and watched her come closer. Half worried that I was imagining her, I waited for her to pass me on the rushed way to her building.
What the hell are you doing out here?
Who are you carrying?
Why aren’t you safe at home this late?
She had to have left work not that long ago with the bar just closing. That meant she should’ve walked home by now. Not be on the sidewalk looking scared as she tried to run with a child in her arms.
The closer she came, the more details filled in. Her green eyes full of fear. Her jacket with the rip near her elbow. The worn shoes that she had on every night. Swinging with her quick gait, the small, simple purse was looped to her shoulder.
It was her, all right, but nothing made sense about her being out here like this, with a child. Nothing was right about the two masked men chasing after her, either.
