I freeze, then relax when he doesn’t turn toward me.
I linger for a few more minutes before I step back.
That’s enough for tonight.
Even though I’m desperate for more.
I slip through the yard, back through the woods, and to my motorcycle.
A smile curls my lips as I start it and head for home.
Watching Drew only makes me want him even more. But I’m too methodical to be rash and ruin everything. As much as I want to crawl in bed beside him, doing so would only make him scream, waking up Ivy and Sebastian.
As I pass Sebastian’s house from the street, I blow a kiss at it, picturing Drew tossing and turning, wondering if I’m still out there.
Watching and waiting.
Soon, Drew.
You won't even realize I stopped lurking outside.
One day, I'll simply become part of your life.
9
DREW
Monday mornings are supposedto feel normal. Routine. Predictable. Safe.
But this one doesn’t.
I woke up already thinking about Violet. Wondering what she’s doing. If she’s thought about me at all since I met her Saturday night.
Which is ridiculous. I barely know her. We had one conversation. One night at a loud, crowded bar.
Yet her smile hit me harder than it should have.
She’s inside my head. Under my skin. Haunting me.
Dramatic, I know.
But also accurate.
I scrub a hand over my face as I head toward the kitchen, trying to shake it off.
Coffee first. Then I’ll think like a rational human being again. Maybe.
The kitchen is alive with activity when I walk in. Sebastian is at the counter, scrolling through his phone like he runs the world from it—which, honestly, he probably does. Ivy is perched on astool, typing at an alarming speed on her laptop. Mr. Pickles sits in the middle of the kitchen floor like he owns the place.
Which… he does. We all just pay the mortgage.
I step over him carefully, not wanting to endure his wrath.
He eyes my pants leg.
“Don’t,” I mutter.
He flicks his tail, a challenge brimming in his eyes.
