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Nathan
My body hummed. Energy shooting out from where Lark held my hand. I could feel it traveling along my skin. Awakening parts of me I didn’t know existed.
Her fingers were warm and soft intertwined with mine. I hated when people touched me, but with her, I wanted to reach out and take more. I wanted to have her body pressed to mine. See if she was as soft everywhere else.
I yearned to know what her body would feel like under my palm. What her voice would sound like when I stroked her. How would touching her make me feel?
Would I hate it? Would it be like this or better?
My gaze bore into hers. What was she doing to me? Why her? Why didn’t I want it to stop?
She was fucking up my routine. My life. Making a home in my mind until all I thought about was her.
She was a fixation.
Fixations were difficult for people like me. They took over our lives. Consumed us. But I knew even for someone with my conditions, I wasn’t normal.
Normal people didn’t spy on their obsessions. They didn’t kill for them. They didn’t want to lock them away.
It was dangerous for Lark to capture my attention.
18
Lark
“You need to create a password for this, too.” I was distracted as I did what he said, still feeling cold from his slight rejection.
It wasn’t really a rejection. This fascination was all in my head. He was just helping me with a problem because I’d saved his life. He admitted his attraction, but acting on it would be wrong. A terrible idea, considering who he was.
“You access the cameras here.” He showed me how to pull up the different camera angles. How to arm the system using my phone or the front door keypad. He walked me through setting timers, alerts, and the various other settings.
“Stay at home as much as possible, but if you want to leave, call me.”
A chuckle escaped. “You’re not going to drop your life to come take me to the grocery store.”
His head snapped to me. His gaze was intense, locking me in place. The laugh died on my lips. “I will.”
I swallowed, getting lost in his stare. My skin prickled with awareness. Butterflies erupted in my belly.
“What about my classes?” My mouth went dry, thinking he’d leave me alone for them. I was safe there. He didn’t need to do this. “I teach at the university.”
His lip twitched because he already knew that. “I’ll be there.”
This was insane. He didn’t know me. He owed me nothing. But the idea of having him around made the butterflies collide, desire bursting through me.
“Nathan, you don’t have to do this. I can—.”
He cut me off. His fingers gripping my forearm. “I want to do it.”
Why?
The question lingered my tongue, but fear kept me from asking it. I longed to be more than an obligation. More than a debt repaid. I was worried it might crush me if I knew the truth.
He went back to showing me the features of my new security system. By the time he was done, we’d finished our coffee, and I was feeling more exhausted than before. All this talk of my safety was making me nervous. My leg tapped on the bar stool as restless energy hummed through my blood.
I hated relying on other people. I preferred being in charge. Being in my element where I was confident in what I was doing.
Nathan stood, putting the tools back in his bag. My eyes caught the motion as he rubbed his side where his injury was. I latched onto the distraction.
