Now You’re Mine: A Dark Stalker Romance (Possessing Her Book 2)
Now You’re Mine: Chapter 9

I start to breathe easier once I have Calista behind the locked door of my penthouse.

Although I’m not sure the ache in my chest will ever subside, not after seeing her lying motionless in a pool of her own blood. I thought my worst nightmare brought to life was finding my mother’s lifeless body, but that pales in comparison to Calista being in her place.

The visual is etched into my mind like a scar, ugly and permanent. I can’t stop the shudder that runs through me. The show of weakness grates on my nerves, but it’s a physical response to my need for her.

She frowns at me. “Are you okay?”

With someone threatening her, I’m far from okay. I’m close to losing my fucking mind.

I meet her gaze, exuding a fictitious calm to keep her unaware of the thoughts torturing me. “I’m fine. Did you get enough to eat?”

She nods at the plate in front of her, still half-full. “Yes, thank you for dinner.”

“You’re welcome.”

Silence descends on the room while the tension between us crescendos, the strains of yearning vibrating along my skin like a plucked violin string. I drum my fingers on the table to rid myself of the urge to touch her. It’s pointless.

“I know you slept at the hospital, but it’s getting late,” I say. “Do you want to go to bed now?”

“Yes.” Despite her blank expression, her voice holds a weariness that only exacerbates my desire to hold her. “I think I need to lie down,” she says, “even if I don’t fall asleep right away.”

“Do you need another dose of your pain meds?”

She shakes her head. “My shoulder doesn’t hurt at all.”

I rise from my seat, flicking my gaze from her unfinished meal to the dark circles under her eyes. Despite her dramatic ordeal and obvious exhaustion, Calista sits with her back straight and her chin held high. My admiration for her fortitude swells.

As I turn to assist her, the scent of her fills my senses, reminding me of this morning when the smell of her pussy coated my fingers. She looks up at me, her hazel eyes studying me intently. In that tiny pause, I detect the hesitation that rises before she places her hand in mine, nervousness simmering beneath the surface of her skin.

She’s right to worry. It’s going to take everything I have not to fuck her tonight.

After pulling Calista to her feet, I immediately release her to avoid doing something I might regret. Actually, I wouldn’t regret kissing her, but if her behavior is any indication, she’d take exception to it.

This is going to be a long fucking night.

This woman doesn’t understand the hold she has on me. One glance, one touch, and I’d be on my knees for her. The realization is disturbing.

Calista runs her palms down her thighs and I stay silent, giving her time to compose herself. When she finally meets my gaze, she offers me a weak smile that wobbles on her lips. My fingers twitch with the need to soothe her, and I fist them at my sides.

With a curt nod, I gesture toward the hallway. “I’ll escort you to your room.”

“Thank you.”

She walks beside me as I guide her by resting my hand on the small of her back. It’s not enough to satiate my hunger. Each step is a dance, an opportunity for me to follow her lead.

Or for her to submit to mine.

Once we reach the guest room door, she stops, turning to face me. I do the same, the weight of my indecision bearing down on my shoulders. I should give Calista time away from me like she requested, but my need to be close to her, to reassure myself that she’s safe, is a physical ache.

“Goodnight, Hayden.”

I open my mouth to command her to walk to my room just as she opens the door to the guest room and steps inside. Now I’m the one who’s hesitating. If my behavior didn’t shock me, I might find my reluctance to take what I want amusing.

My palm slaps against the wood to prevent her from shutting the door. Calista blinks up at me in surprise, but her expression morphs into a frown when I stride up to her.

“What’s wrong?” she asks, her voice tinged with suspicion.

“Considering what happened to you, I doubt I’ll be able to sleep tonight. But I’ll be damned if I’m alone in my bed. Not when the woman who embodies my deepest desires is under my roof.”

She drops her gaze. Not before I catch the flicker of uncertainty in her eyes. “It’s been a rough day…”

“You think I don’t know that? Something inside me fucking died when I saw you lying there, covered in blood.” I reach for Calista, taking her face between my hands and forcing her to look up at me. “I don’t think you realize what that did to me, how it’s still killing me.”

Her eyes widen, surprise mixing with the vulnerability that she’s been hiding from me. Now that I’ve seen it, I won’t let it go. If there’s a possibility that she wants me near, I’m going to pursue it until she can’t deny it any longer.

For both our sakes.

And my sanity.

At this moment, we’re suspended in time, the outside world ceasing to exist. The words between us, both spoken and silent, hang in the air like a breeze, thin and easy to dismiss. I suck in a deep breath as if to trap them before releasing them to Calista.

In the form of a kiss.

I tell her of my adoration, my loyalty, and my willingness to sacrifice anything for her. All without uttering a single word. It’s a declaration that goes beyond sound, transcending the realm of spoken language.

She’s quick to respond to my touch, shivering when I angle her head to deepen the kiss. The taste of her lips, the warmth of her skin against my hands, and the feel of her body flush with mine all collide inside me. They ignite a blaze of emotion that smolders deep within.

Both the dark and the light emotions.

Craving, sexual desire, and excitement are there, urging me to take Calista right here and now, to satiate my need for both her body and the woman herself. But these are the emotions that I’ve lived by for too long, the darkness that threatens to swallow me whole.

Awe, appreciation, and caring battle my other instincts with their light and purity, waging a war that could end with us healed—if I don’t destroy them first.

My hunger for Calista, the starvation of both body and soul, rushes through me. I dominate her with my lips and my tongue while holding her prisoner to my desire. She moans softly and I’m quick to swallow the sound, the proof that I’m not alone in my desperation.

The kiss turns ravenous. I slide my fingers from her face to tangle them in her hair, anchoring her to me until the walls she erected tumble at my feet. Her response to me is fluid, a subtle shifting of her body as she melts into me, her thighs cradling my cock.

Calista doesn’t realize she’s offering the sweetest gift by yielding to me.

I rip my mouth from hers. She gazes up at me, her lips swollen and her eyes sparkling. I scrutinize her features, searching for any signs of regret, or worse, disgust.

“Calista,” I rasp. Her name is an inquiry, a prayer, and a demand all in one.

“Hayden.”

In the simple exchange of names and in the intensity of the emotions we share, I sense something profound. And real.

She rises on her toes to sweep her lips across mine in a whisper of raw honesty, a reflection of the passion and acceptance she has for me. It might not be forgiveness, but it’s more than I hoped for tonight.

I want Calista at a level that’s deeper than physical intimacy. Something I refuse to name but know exists.

And how much I need it.

Our breaths merge in the space between us, and my pulse raps at an unsteady cadence, echoing with the significance of this moment. The openness in her eyes mirrors my own, creating a sense of unity and connection I’ve never experienced before.

I press my forehead to hers. “I need you.”

“You have me.”

“I won’t be gentle.”

She strokes my cheek with trembling fingers, her touch grounding me while exposing her trepidation. “I know.”

Sᴇarch the FindNovel.net website on Gøøglᴇ to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.