AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Against Andre's advice and my better judgment, my fingers couldn’t resist fondling a springy coil of her hair, testing the texture of it in its natural state. Incredibly soft, it stretched out for several inches. Cherise didn't go loco on me, so that was a plus.
"Shrinkage is real for women, too," she quipped.
I loved that her hair was so versatile. Never sure what I'd get next with her, I hooked her eyes with mine. "Sorry about not giving a warning, but I didn't want you struggling to get in. I know I'm not supposed to touch your hair, but it's fascinating."
Grinning, she reached out to caress my jaw with one hand. "A struggle was definitely about to occur in these heels. Touching my hair in its natural state is fine. It's when I've sat for over an hour to get it straightened that makes it off-limits."
I understood. "If I sat that long for a hairdo, I wouldn't take the chance of anyone messing it up either."
"Exactly." Stabilizing my chin with two fingers, she compressed her lips tenderly to mine then backed off before I could get any more into it. That didn't stop the organ in my briefs from standing at attention.
"Shit," I huffed in not quite so loose any more camo pants.
Cherise snuck a glance down at my growing problem. "Good morning to you too." Then, grinned in at me deviously. "We should go. I have good news. My business landlord knows about my situation and put a rush on the alarm and door buzzer installation for this morning."
"That is good news.” Circling the truck, I got in. “I was close to buying out your schedule to keep you in one place until Chad's dealt with."
"Don't waste your money like that. We may need somewhere to lay a trap for him. We'll keep narrowing down his ways to harass me until he's caught, gives up, or gets run over by a bus. Whichever happens first." He'll probably meet a bullet of mine first.
I kept that graphic possibility private and got us on the way. "Laying a trap for him, there is a good idea. I'll talk with Andre more about it. How'd you sleep?"
She smirked. "Like a brick until I got cold. Someone left and took their heat with them. Don't talk to Andre without me, although I'm sure you already have this morning. How was the walk of shame?"
I smirked right back at her. "It was fabulous. I wouldn't mind doing it again sometime."
"How about tonight then? I don't open on Sunday." How about I wasn't going to let her out the bed all day if she cooperated?
"I will—" The truck’s ringtone for my phone intercepted my reply. Andre was on the line. That bad feeling that left Cherise's bed with me came back. "Hold that thought, sweetheart. Andre, what's up?"
"Same ole, same ole," he relayed cynically. "Your boy Chad made another deposit at the office in the last few hours."
Cherise’s breathing picked up. She reached for my hand that was stretching out for her at the same time. She grasped it, balling all ten fingers around mine tightly. "What did he leave this time, Andre?"
"A box big enough to fit an adult cat in comfortably. I haven't touched it, waiting on you guys and the cops. Hopefully, they can dust for prints to tie Chad's ass to this new package. I'm getting tired of this bastard already. I can only imagine what you're going through, Cherise."
"I wished I only had to imagine it too. Being a target is getting aggravating ."
I moved our joined hands to my lap, trying to be closer to her while driving. "Describe the package, Andre."
"It’s a small, brown box with no writing on the sides, at least. There’s one round of clear packing tape around the middle for quick opening, I guess. An average size, white envelope is laying on top of it addressed to Cherise. I’m pretty sure there’s a weird smell coming from it, but I can’t be sure with the construction going on next door.”
"No red bow?" she interrogated him, leaning forward as if she didn't want to miss a word.
"Not that I can see, Cherise. Is that part of the stalking?"
“Yes,” she stated plainly.
“Then, he’s probably escalating. I’m sure we can attribute that to you and Tobin’s steamy kiss at the carnival last night. Chad will see that as Tobin encroaching on his territory. You can bet he’s heated about that, and this little gift is to let you know it. The letter he left is not going to be anything nice either.”
Gripping my fingers even tighter communicated Cherise’s worry. I wanted to haul her closer badly and make her forget about Chad. For just a moment today, she was trouble-free. My aim was to make her days happy throughout from now on.
“How far away are you guys?” Andre inquired.
“Three blocks,” I chimed in. “I saw a black BMW ride by the condo just before Cherise came out. I’ve seen Chad’s truck, so it stands to reason he’d change up vehicles. Keep an eye out, Andre. If he saw me last night, he likely saw you too. Today, we’re going to have a long talk about catching this bastard. Cherise offered up her office for that operation.”
“Operation Fuck Chad Up. I like it. I’m in,” Andre asserted. The smooth stop of a car on his end resonated in the background. “I have company, guys. Get here as soon as you can. Later—”
“Don’t hang up, Andre,” Cherise leveled at him. “I want to hear what’s going on.”
