Want Me (Dark Obsession 2)

A light flashed on in the attic space, and Lex glanced over his shoulder. Sophie had followed him inside, and she’d just pulled the cord to turn on that overhead light. As he watched her, Sophie wrapped her arms around her waist, shivering a bit. It was much colder up in that attic, but there sure was plenty of space.

Plenty of room for the jerk to hide.

It infuriated him to think that the perp had been in Sophie’s house all along. Just waiting, biding his time until he waited for the perfect moment to strike.

“I don’t see any sign that someone’s been up here,” Sophie said, her voice sounding a little too sharp.

She was nervous, afraid. She should be. Because if she had a stalker who’d actually been so confident as to go in her house and stay there while she slept…

And then he’d made the move to approach her, with a knife…

Not fucking good. Those kinds of actions spoke of a serious, dangerous obsession. A fixation that would not end well.

He glanced around the space. There were some old boxes up there. They didn’t look disturbed. Nothing really seemed out of place there, at least, not on first glance.

“I don’t think he’s been here,” Sophie said, “and it’s cold, so let’s just—”

“Is that your gown?” Because he’d just seen the small scrap of red silk that lay pooled near another attic door—a second exit. Another small door that only reached up to the middle of the wall. A door that led—where, exactly? To the other side of the brownstone? The side that Sophie had said she was slowly renovating?

Sophie hurried forward. The attic had been floored so he didn’t have to worry about her falling through the ceiling. Before he could stop her, she grabbed that red silk.

Not a gown so much, he realized. It was a very, very sexy piece of lingerie. Sheer in places, lacy in others. Designed to look like pure temptation.

“This shouldn’t be up here,” Sophie said as she balled the lingerie up in her fist. “It shouldn’t.”

It was. “Maybe the bastard from last night wanted a memento to keep with him.” And he’d brought it up there.

Sophie’s body had frozen.

Lex stalked toward her. “You’re sure that wasn’t up here?”

“I bought it last week, okay?” She licked her lips. “The tag is still on it—look.”

And she thrust it at him. The soft fabric filled his hands and, sure enough, a tag was still on it.

Two thoughts pushed through his mind.

You left it because you realized it had never touched Sophie’s sweet skin.

A furious thought, aimed at the perp who’d tried to terrorize her.

And…

Who the hell had she been planning to wear that lace for?

A jealous thought because he could all too easily imagine Sophie wearing something like that—for him.

He shoved the garment into the pocket of his coat and he got his control back. Sophie needed his help—not his lust or his freaking jealousy right then. “Where does that other door lead?”

Frowning, she looked over at the door. “To the second side of the brownstone. I told you, I’m still renovating it, so it’s a work in progress. But I was…I was planning to rent it out before…”

Before she’d been stalked? Or before Daniel Duvato had attacked her? Because now, her safe haven had been invaded twice. Duvato and whoever this joker was…they were destroying what should have been a secure home for Sophie. He hated that.

He tried to be careful as he opened that second door. He wanted to get a team in to search for prints up there. Not the cops, but a team from VJS Protection. Because he was betting the cops hadn’t even bothered to look up there when they’d done their sweep.

When the door opened, he found himself in another closet. He strode out and realized he was in a bedroom, a place that was a mirror opposite of Sophie’s room.

No furniture there. Freshly painted walls. The smell of new carpet.

“Is this side of the house wired for security?” he asked her.

Silence.

“Sophie?”

She was right behind him. “I should have thought about this.” Now anger hummed in her voice. “I hadn’t gotten the workers out to the place since before—before Daniel’s attack. But they were here plenty before that night. It would have been so easy for one of them to find the attic entrance. To get into my space.” She gave a rough, angry shake of her head. “I should have thought of them!”

“So…you’re saying this side isn’t wired for security?” Just to be clear.

Streaks of red flamed on her cheeks. “Not yet, but it will be by the end of the day. And those men—I thought I could trust them because they were Finn’s men.”

Finn? Her voice had softened a bit when she said the man’s name. He didn’t like that softening. “Finn? Does the guy have a last name?”

“Finn Scott. He always vets his people, so I didn’t even consider them.” Her breath expelled in a hard rush. “I should have known better.” It sounded as if she were berating herself.

“Easy,” he told her, trying to make his voice gentle. “This shit isn’t on you, sweetheart.”

Her head whipped up. Right, he’d just called her sweetheart.

Lex cleared his throat and said, “It’s not your fault some sick SOB broke into your house. You can’t do a background check on every single person you meet.”

She blinked.

“This shit isn’t on you,” he told her once more. “It’s on the freak who broke in. And I’ll find him.” He’d get Chance and Dev to interrogate every man who’d been working there. Maybe I’ll do some personal interrogating, too. Particul

arly with Finn. Once he was sure Sophie was safe for the day, he’d question the guy.

Her hands fisted at her sides. “In my house. All this time…right with me?” Her eyes were flashed with a tangle of emotions. “I guess you can never be safe, no matter how hard you try.”

She rushed past him. He could see the painter’s tape then, and the drop cloths that were lining the stairs. She hurried down those stairs. The first floor was definitely still in need of repair. The walls looked as if they were preparing to be primed.

Sophie hurried to the door. She unlocked it, then rushed into the main foyer of the building. The foyer that also led to her home on the right side of the building.

“Sophie!”

But she ran outside, glaring to the left, then to the right. The cold wind sent her hair flying around her face.

He caught her shoulders and spun her around. That was when he realized…she wasn’t glaring. She wasn’t out there because she was furious.

Sophie was…crying?

Oh, the hell, no.

He didn’t like her tears. His chest ached and he found himself pulling her into his arms, crushing her against his chest. And with her against him like that, he was reminded again of how small, how delicate she was.

She fell down the stairs. The bastard had a knife. This wasn’t some story she was spinning, it was the absolute truth. Dev had it all wrong.

“I’ll get him,” Lex promised her. Right then, he might have promised anything to stop her tears. Eyes as beautiful as hers shouldn’t ever be filled with tears. Not her. Never her.

What is happening to me?

Her head tipped back. She stared up at him. Her lips were parted and—

He just lifted her up. Lex held Sophie easily because her weight was nothing to him. And he kissed her right there. Kissed her with her held so tightly against his chest. Kissed her with the salty taste of her tears on her lips.

The kiss started easy. Gentle. Maybe it was even just a touch of comfort.

Then it changed, fast.