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Her head lifts, and my breath hitches as her gaze meets mine. Suffering, loneliness, despair, fear. Those and many more deep-seated emotions whirl around in her depths. I grab the note from the floor, and as I read the text, my blood runs cold.
I miss you, Alisha Alexandra McQueen. See you soon, doll face.
My eyes fly back to hers, and my heart aches to see her struggling and fighting with this demon. I take another step towards her.
"Go away!"
"I'm not going anywhere."
She steps forward, presses her palms against my chest as she tries to push me back. "Are you deaf? Leave!" Her voice is an octave higher as she continues to scream at me. "I don't want you here." Her hands turn into fists, and as she turns her back toward me, her head drops. "I can handle this alone."
"Alisha, it's okay if—"
She spins on her feet, lifts her chin high, and with irises on fire, she stares straight into my eyes while pushing her finger into my pecs. "Don't you say it's okay to cry. Everyone keeps saying that goddamn shit," she exclaims, now pressing her full hand against my rib cage with greater force. "But I will not cry."
I hold my breath as I gaze into her green seas. All the beauty of the universe can't compete with this simple thing I perceive: determination. It transforms her eyes into orbs of the brightest fire, and in them, I read she will fight this to the very last tear she's holding. God, I admire her strength and bravery. I know how it feels to battle them, so I promise myself I'll do everything to help her beat this demon.
"You will be okay."
"How can you say that? After months, my fucking mind still can't forget, Cole. The moment I close my eyes, he's back, staring at me with his malicious gaze. The bastard loved every second of what he did to me. He enjoyed seeing my pain and fear. And now," she says, pointing to the letter, "he's out there watching me, and it’s scaring the shit out of me."
She steps forward, and to my surprise, she rests her forehead gently against my chest. A whirlwind of unknown sensations overtakes me. I want to wrap her in my embrace, but knowing that might trigger her anxiety, I lower my head and whisper, "What can I do to help you?"
After she swallows, she whispers, while digging her fingers into my shirt, "Teach me how to fight. Please. I need to be sure I can beat him next time." Fire blazes through every vein in my body. She believes he'll come back and hurt her.No way in hell. I lean backward and lift her chin until I stare into her eyes.
"I'll help you."
She lets out a long sigh. "Thank you."
"You, are not broken. I'll teach you how to protect yourself so that when he visits you in your dreams, you'll be the one kicking his ass and making him scream in pain. Am I clear?"
A soft smile flashes across her face, when she raises her head, and it's a dazzling sight. Where Samantha's laugh gives me a sense of happiness, this woman's smile radiates through my skin and melts into my soul.
"When do you want to begin your training?"
As she inspects me, I already know her answer.
"Now!" she says.
"Okay, then let's do this, Miss McQueen."
9
ALISHA
Seven in the morning.A frustrated puff leaves my lips as I rest my head against the elevator wall.My mind and body are playing wicked games.
Last night I woke up at 4:02 a.m., and instead of soaking in sweat and screaming in fear, like most nights, I awakened with a wet and throbbing pussy and a brain full of certain pictures from a dream wherein I was training with Cole. In this nightly fantasy, he showed me what to do if an attacker cornered me. Our bodies were close, and his enticing scent surrounded me as I stood with my back against the wall, his hands resting next to my head. Then when our eyes locked, I got the intense urge to kiss him, and, being the impulsive woman I am, I acted upon it by grabbing his face and placing my mouth on his.
A shiver of delight runs over my skin when I remember his reaction. Instead of pushing me away, as I expected him to do, he let out a deep throaty grunt before answering the kiss with a ferocity that set me on fire. His lips were the quintessence of the perfect fit. Pure pleasure ignited when his tongue pressed against my mouth, asking to grant him access. The moment I did... I woke up. This time my high heart rate wasn't caused by fear, but due to an overload of ecstasy coursing through my veins. The rest of the night I couldn't stop thinking about the dream and why the hell this happened.
That imaginary kiss was by far the best I received in my twenty-eight years. I've dated and kissed an entire load of men. Some were horrific kissers, others satisfying, but none had the effect I've experienced in this fantasy. Oh, it was... The soft ring of the elevator followed by the doors opening alerts me to stop daydreaming. Daniel, the concierge, greets me as I step out.
"Good morning, Miss McQueen."
"I told you to call me Alisha."
He laughs, and as he does, the wrinkles around his eyes deepen. Daniel is a hardworking, middle-aged, kind man who oversees the parking, organizes and controls security, and manages maintenance work for the residents in this building. I walk over to him and hand him the box. If I learned one thing from my parents, it was to treat people with respect. Last week I had a pleasant conversation with him after he asked me if everything was going well after I moved in. We had a chat on normal day-to-day things and hit the topic of guilty pleasure food and found out we both have a weak spot for donuts.
