Me: Keep talking like that and we won’t.
I take my plate to the kitchen, dump the microwave container in the trash and put the plate in the dishwasher. I walk to the bedroom and set the phone on the dresser as I start removing my jewelry so I can take a shower. My phone pings as I’m closing my jewelry box.
Unknown: Oh, we’re definitely going to meet. It’s inevitable.
Me: And how can you be so sure? You seem rather cocky and too self-assured for my taste.
Unknown: Because you’re mine.
I just make it to the sink in the bathroom when I freeze. What? I have to read the message two more times before I realize my eyes aren’t playing tricks on me, and I’m actually seeing what I thought I saw. I don’t even know how to process his last message. I know nothing of this man, and he’s already laying claim to me? Someone he’s never even met? Who does that? I read romance novels, and the whole alpha male persona has always been my favorite. But do men really do that in real life? And would I want a man to lay claim to me, especially this one?
Warning bells start going off in my head. This could turn out either way. With my abused body chopped up dead somewhere in the woods, or me with the type of man I’ve read about. A man that every girl secretly wishes she had. Am I stupid for even entertaining the thought that this could be a good thing? Again, I berate myself for letting a complete stranger get to me.
I continue to stand frozen on the spot, trying to form a reply. I must have been standing there several minutes because my phone alerts me of a new message.
Unknown: Have I scared you?
Pulling in a deep breath, I answer honestly.
Me: Quite frankly, yes.
Unknown: Don’t be scared, Poppy. Being mine is something you’ll find very enjoyable.
Me: How in the hell am I supposed to know that? And who claims a complete stranger? We don’t live in the dark ages anymore.
Unknown: You’ll see soon enough how pleasurable it can be. And to answer your other question, I do. The very second my eyes first landed on you.
Me: You’re certifiably crazy. Wait. Do you live in the crazy house? Did you steal one of the orderly’s phones?
I’m only half-joking at this point.
Unknown: Not very funny. I can assure you, I am very sound of mind.
“That’s debatable,” I mutter to myself.
I ask him one question I’ve been curious about since this morning.
Me: Why now?
There’s no need to elaborate. He knows what I’m asking, and he proves me right with his answer.
Unknown: Because my control is wearing thin. I’ve waited long enough, and the time has finally come to make my intentions known.
Once again, his words knock the wind out of me. How in the hell can a virtual stranger cause my body to go haywire? This man has me on my toes. I have no clue what he’ll say next, or what effect his words will have on my body. I accused him of being the crazy one, but now it appears that I am. This stranger has me so intrigued, I’m completely disregarding every single warning I should take into consideration.
Unknown: Enjoy your shower. Have a good night, beautiful Poppy. Sweet dreams.
I drop my phone on the sink, my mind reeling with too many thoughts. With my hands resting on the basin, I pick my head up and look in the mirror. I’m not surprised to see my face is flushed. This unknown man, in an extremely short amount of time, has me feeling things I never would have thought I could feel… from a stranger, no less. I’m not sure I like it, but it’s also not something I can ignore. The thought c
rosses my mind that I could stop all this. I could tell him… shit, I don’t even know what to call him. I could tell Mr. AE that I don’t want to have anything to do with him. Call this whole thing off and put him from my mind. I could refuse the flower deliveries and ignore his texts. However, I don’t take him for the type to simply give up.
I release my grip on the sink and walk back out to my bedroom when a thought enters my head, causing my body to seize.
How in the hell did he know I was taking a shower?
Chapter Five
Poppy