I glance at the screen, expecting to see Vera’s name and instead I see a number and a message.
It’s Jake. Got a new number. Did you block me? You’d better not have.
Where are you?
Where are you?
In rapid succession, text boxes fill her screen, all from him. They’re coming in too fast for me to catch each one but the last one is written in all caps and it has me growling. How dare he call her a whore and demand to know where she is. I press the text, but I need her passcode to access the phone. The facial recognition won’t work while she’s asleep. I know this because Blaine was worried overnight guests might be able to hack his phone and we spent some time trying it out.
I rake a hand through my hair, willing myself not to attempt crushing her phone with the other. This ex-boyfriend is an issue. This isn’t a few phone calls. This is straight-up harassment.
“What are you doing?”
Sterling is frowning up at me while she rubs her eyes with one hand.
“Why do you have my phone?”
It buzzes in my hand again and I hold it out to her. “It’s the jerk.”
She pales, her lips twisting. “I blocked his texts.”
“Looks like he got a new number.” I snap, even though my anger isn’t directed at her. I take a deep breath. “I’m sorry, but how long has this been going on?”
Sterling sits up, pulling the sheets up to her chin. Jesus. It’s not like she’s naked or anything. I didn’t trust myself to undress her and not end up kissing her awake, so I put her to bed the way I found her. Fully dressed and tempting as hell, even though it’s just jeans and a shirt.
“You don’t need to worry about it, Tanner.”
“I think I do, Sterling. Why would you put up with a guy who talks to you like this?” I gesture at the phone. “This is crazy shit.” I brace my hands on the smooth curved wood of the footboard recognizing the irony of calling another man who’s obsessed with her crazy.
At least I know I’d never harass her. Not like the jerk.
When I think of her as mine, I want to cherish her, protect her, worship her.
This guy wants to control and from what I saw, it’s scary as hell.
She flips the sheets off and gets out of bed, her eyes darting around until she sees her bag. She looks at it, then back at me. “Where did you sleep?” Her gaze dips to my bare chest and open jeans.
“Not with you.” It sounds too weird to tell her I watched her practically all night.
She gathers her hair and pulls it over her shoulder. “I’m sorry I fell asleep.”
“It’s not a big deal. But those texts are.” I point to her phone. “Have you told your parents?”
“God, no.” She bends over, rummaging in her bag, her round ass drawing me like a magnet. I adjust my cock, trying to get myself under control. She glances over her shoulder and catches me with my hand on my crotch. She straightens slowly, licking her lips and there’s no way I can stay here, in proximity to her lush body and a bed.
I turn and head out of the bedroom, grabbing my own phone from the hall table. Within minutes there’s a knock on the door and Hamish walks in, following a server with a tray containing a long-neck coffee pot, fresh fruit and Greek yoghurt. I wave him out to the balcony.
“Anything else, boss?” Hamish looks towards the door of the room where I left Sterling.
I should tell him to take Sterling back to her own room. I shake my head. “No, that’s it.”
I head out to the balcony and pour myself a steaming cup of coffee while I watch a few early boats out on the water.
“He wasn’t always like this. Jake, I mean.”
I turn, and jesus, she’s standing there in a plush, white robe, her hair damp, looking for all the world like a fantasy come to life. My fantasy, with her face bare, a tanned leg peeking out from the front of the robe, as she sits and nods at the coffee. I hand her cup and she waves off my offer of the little pot of cream, holding her robe closed at her neck while she breathes in the steam. “Thank you.”
I nod and move over to one of the loungers where I stretch out, pretending I don’t see the way her eyes caress my bare chest.
