2
EASTON
Iwatch her squeeze her green eyes shut, bracing for an impact that isn't coming. She thinks she’s the hunter. For months, I’ve watched her shadow my every move, tracking her little investigation with a possessive amusement. I let Stella think she was slick. I let her think she was the one closing the net, simply because keeping her under the illusion of control was the easiest way to keep her exactly where I wanted her: right on my radar.
But the game ends tonight. The second her boots stepped across the threshold of my inner sanctuary, the thin thread of my control snapped completely.
Years of training and well-honed instincts roar to life with a primal fury that demands absolute possession. It was one thing to track her digital footprint and monitor her through a screen, but in person… Goddamn, Stella is more than intoxicating. She’s… addictive. An angel. A goddess. No, more like a valkyrie.
In a fraction of a second, I close the distance between us. Before she can even draw another ragged breath, I trap her body securely against the wall, pinning her with my weight.
She opens her eyes, and the sheer defiance burning in those vivid green depths hits me like a physical blow. I was right. Thisis no angel. She’s a warrior. I look down at her, taking in every single detail, from the flush on her cheeks to the fierce tilt of her chin. Stella has been through a lot in her twenty-three years. It’s written all over her face and embedded deep in her soul. She’s a fighter, and I have to respect that.
Then there’s her gorgeous, lush curves pressed tightly against my chest. Jesus, I want to save her, protect her, yell at her for being reckless, and also fuck her right up against the server wall she was about to break into.
Something inside my soul violently clicks into place.Mine.The realization hits me with the force of a freight train. She’s the one. I hardly even know what that means, only that I won’t be able to take a full breath again if she’s not by my side. I don't care that I barely know her name; my soul recognizes hers instantly. As I stare down at Stella,myStella, I’m already mentally sizing her ring finger, picturing the exact diamond that will bind her to me permanently.
"You're done running, sweetheart," I rumble, a dark, low growl vibrating deep in my chest. "You aren't leaving my sight until this danger is completely handled."And when it’s all done, you’ll be by my side forever as my wife and the mother of my children.
Stella bristles instantly, her eyes flashing with pure fire. "Let go of me! I don't need your protection, and I damn sure don't need your permission. Back off!"
“No can do.” I wrap an arm around her shoulder, my massive hand resting on her upper arm as I pull her into my side. Stella squirms and stomps on my foot, but my steel-toed boots are no match for hers.
I love Stella’s fight and fire, but right now, she’s a target, and I’m the only thing standing between her and a bullet.
“Are you kidnapping me? I’m a reporter, you know!”
“I know.”
This makes her falter slightly, allowing me to take a few long strides without her fighting me tooth and nail. When the shock of my confession wears off, Stella digs her heels in and goes completely stiff, trying to halt my movements.
“People will know I’m missing,” she informs me as I practically lift her off the ground and drag her toward the safety of my vehicle.
“I’m not the one trying to hurt you.”
“All evidence points to the contrary,” she sasses, giving me a scathing look. I can’t wait to kiss her anger away and watch it melt into pleasure. But that will have to wait.
“You don’t have the full story yet, my little reporter.”
She sucks in a breath and knocks into me with her shoulder. “Don’t belittle me,” she threatens. “And for the record, I most certainly am notyours.”
“Agree to disagree,” I say with a shrug. The look on her face is one of shock, annoyance, and confusion.
We’re approaching my SUV when a sudden movement in the peripheral shadows catches my eye. I stiffen, shifting my body to shield hers entirely.
Beside me, Stella tenses. The fight drains out of her for a split second as she stares into the darkness. She sees it, too. The reality of the threat finally sinks in, shaking her up enough that she stops resisting and climbs into the passenger seat without another word.
I pull away from the curb, pushing the engine as I take her to the most secure fortress I know: my home.
Stella is quiet for most of the ride, just silently looking out the window while I take a winding path back home to ensure we’re not being followed. Every once in a while, she sighs heavily, as if she thought of a way to escape but then realized it wouldn’t work. Soon, she won’t be trying to run away. At least, I hope. Now that Stella is in my life, I can’t let her go.
By the time I pull into the driveway, some of her defiant sass has returned. She glares at the high security gates and the concrete walls. "What is this, your private dungeon?"
A grim smirk touches my lips. I’m incredibly relieved to see her fire returning. I rather enjoy her quick wit and sharp tongue; it pairs beautifully with the tempest raging in my chest.
"Something like that," I murmur, getting out and opening her door.
I haul Stella inside, but the moment we reach the guest bedroom, she starts fighting me all over again. “This is unacceptable. You can’t just… just… this can’t be happening,” she yells, throwing her hands against my chest. "You’re just going to keep me in this room? You can't just lock me away!"
