Page 4 of The Hitman’s Obsession

But a simple lie won’t do. He’ll want confirmation, and if Annie’s death doesn’t show up on the news, he’ll send someone to check her body. And when he sees she’s not dead, that I’ve lied to him—well, we’ll both be fucked.

I watch her lying there. Soaked panties, soft, silky thighs, plump tits. Her body rises and falls with each heavy breath she takes. I’ve fucked women over the years. No reason to live my life as a priest when I’m the furthest thing from it.

But when I think about sex with Annie, possessive thoughts begin to consume me. This girl is more than just a sleeve for my cock. I’d treat her differently. I’d please her. I’d pleasure her. I’d give it to her so hard and so good that she’d never forget me.

But that can’t happen. I’m a bad man. A killer. An innocent like her has no place in my life…

…The least I can do is warn her.

That’s it. That’s all I’m gonna do. Warn her, then get out of here.

Eyes on her, I strip my rifle down and pack it into my gray duffle bag. Annie is still lying there on her bed, her back arched, pussy dripping as if begging for my cock. Temptation rises within me. My mind goes back to the idea that she might be fantasizing about another man, and I fly into a rage.

“Fuck!” I snap, hoisting my bag over my shoulder. I take the stairs and exit out the front, cross the street, and stare up at her window. From this angle, I can’t see in. I can’t see her. And it’s like I’ve lost something. Like a hole has formed in my chest.

I quickly scale the fire escape of her building. As my hands grip the steel bars, the irony is not lost on me. Twenty minutes ago, I was ready to kill this woman. Now I’m breaking into her apartment because I can’t stand the thought of someone hurting her.

That’s it. I’ve lost my mind.

When I reach her window, everything slows down. There she is. Only a few feet away. And not seen through my scope. She twists slightly on her bed, and I start salivating.

I’m just gonna warn her. That’s it.

I slide the window open carefully. She’s already going to freak out when she sees me. No need to terrify her.

As I slide into her room, the sweetest of scents hits my nose. A mixture of everything girly: perfume, shampoo, soap, scented candles. And beneath all that, the pheromones that light my primal instincts on fire. Her pussy.

The floor creaks beneath me, and Annie turns. This close, her beauty is even more devastating. For a second, I forget why I’m here. But when she sees me, her eyes go wide, and she rockets to her feet like she’s going to run.

I leap in front of her, blocking the door.

“Wait,” I say. “I’m not here to hurt you.”

Her face is tight, and her eyes are wide, but as she looks me over, something changes. Her lips part, and a soft red floods her cheeks. Is she blushing? Her gaze moves over my shoulders, lingers on my chest, then drifts down to my hands. And that’s when the realization hits me.

It can’t be…she wants me too.

Oh, fuck.

2

ANNIE

I’m shaking. There’s a strange man standing in my bedroom.

He’s enormous, at least a foot taller than me, with linebacker shoulders and a jaw that looks like it was carved from granite. He’s dressed in all black, but I can tell he’s built from ropes of muscle. And despite his flat expression, there’s something severe about him.

Compared to the boys my age, he looks like a warrior. Salt and pepper gray by his temples, rough hands, and something so masculine about him that I can’t put into words.

My God, he’s like a man out of one of my books…

The skin at the corner of his left eye twitches. He’s staring at me like I’m the dangerous one in the room. My heart pounds like a drum as I stand in front of him, wearing nothing but my soaked panties and a vintage T-shirt. Born to Read, Forced to Work. God, why couldn’t I be wearing my Tom Petty one?

A sharp gasp hits me as a thought enters my mind.

Did he just see what I was doing?

But almost in response, this man—whoever he is—drags his eyes across my body and licks his lower lip. Yeah, he saw me. He definitely saw me.