I snorted. Whatever Finn wanted to do, I’d do with him. I didn’t care whether it was watching movies or playing video games. Hell, I’d even try my hand at algebra if it made him happy.
Sure.
I got up from my camping chair, ready to climb down the fire escape, when I realized an important detail.
I wasn’t supposed to have his address.
Text me your address?
A few seconds later, my phone vibrated again, and I opened the text with Finn’s address. Not that I needed it.
Perfect. I’m in the area right now, so I’ll be there in a minute.
Of course, I waited more than a minute to “officially” arrive at Finn’s place. Actually taking a mere sixty seconds to reach him would’ve been quite the coincidence. No, I was way better at pretending not to watch over him.
I quickly ran over to the café and ordered a coffee and a cup of tea. Coffee for me—and for Finn to sniff—and tea for Finn.
Then I slowly headed over to Finn’s, carefully carrying a paper cup in each hand, letting the heat seep into me. I enjoyed the feeling. It’s not like the cold temperatures outside had me freezing, but I enjoyed feeling warmth, and since my body couldn’t produce warmth itself, I needed outside sources—hot beverages, pocket warmers. Fortunately, there were tons of options.
And if I were lucky, maybe I’d get to enjoy Finn sharing his body heat with me.
Damn, the thought was incredibly enticing. His body against mine, skin on skin, his blood pumping through his veins, his hard cock rubbing against mine, his blood calling for me. He’d tilt his head, bare his throat for me, a clear invitation to…
Fuck.
The edges of my vision started turning red, a surefire way to realize my vampire side wanted to come out. My gums were aching, fangs threatening to elongate.
I took deep, deliberate breaths and slowed down a little. I needed to get myself back in check before I got to Finn’s, or I might jump him, and it was way too early for that. I was only just now accepting that watching him from afar without letting him come into contact with my world wasn’t going to happen.
No matter how much I wanted him—to fuck him, to claim him, to own him—I needed to tread carefully. I’d already spooked him once today; no need to add to his angst.
By the time I reached his apartment building, I’d managed to talk myself down from that need and hunger I’d felt.
I rang for him to open the door and waited for him to buzz me in. It only took him a couple of seconds to do so, and I was on my way to the elevator. For the first time officially, anyway.
Should I tell him I’d gotten him home that night at the club?
No, he’d probably wonder why I needed his address again.
God, keeping up with what I was supposed to know versus what I did know was complicated.
How did real stalkers do this?
Entering the elevator, I hit the button for the fifth floor and waited, looking at myself in the mirrored wall. No red eyes, no fangs visible. I looked utterly human. Weirdly pale, yes, but human.
I grinned at myself.
It’d taken months until I hadn’t flinched whenever I saw my reflection. It was a reflex. I’d been running around with a rather tanned complexion all my life, and then in the blink of an eye, the pigment in my skin had said “Nah, you don’t need me anymore.” My brain had taken a while to catch up to my new normal.
By now, my new look had grown on me. I even liked myself again. The contrast between my dark hair and fair skin was quite striking, and my eyes appeared a lot more intense now.
The elevator stuttered to a halt, and I exited.
Finn was already waiting for me, leaning against his doorframe, a casual grin on his face. But his eyes… The tension around them told me he was afraid, and it didn’t take much to realize that what had him so scared was me.
“Hey,” I said, giving him a hopefully easygoing smile before thrusting the cup of tea in his direction. “I came bearing gifts.”
Finn’s breath hitched, pulse speeding up.
