Page 174 of Creep

He placed his hand on my thigh, drawing my attention.

“Why are you frowning?” he asked.

I shook my head. “Just thinking about things I shouldn’t be.”

“Yeah? Anything I can help with?”

I nodded. “Yes. Let’s have fun today.”

He grinned, making my heart do that weird flip-flop thing it only did in his presence. “Fun. I can do that.”

I grabbed his hand and held it in my lap for the rest of the ride there, playing with his fingers and letting his touch soothe me.

Mael finally pulled up to the parking spot of the hiking trail he had taken me to before.

I got out and stretched my muscles, taking in the fresh air. Unlike the first time we came here, the sky was clear blue despite the slight chill around us. We were getting deeper into the fall. It was a surprise the snowfall we had wasn’t as vicious as I knew it could be. I was glad and counted all my small blessings as they came.

Winters in New York were not known for being kind or gentle.

Mael stepped up beside me and held out his hand. I grabbed it and let him lead me up to the trail, our feet crunching on the gravel and a few small patches of ice left by last week’s snow.

My eyes fell to his fit physique. He had on a white sleeveless shirt that showed off his muscular arms, along with the few black tribal line tattoos near his biceps, despite the chilly weather. I could see flashes of the smiling clown face on his pecs through the armholes every time he moved. I let my eyes fall down to the black sweatpants he had on that did amazing things to his butt before moving back up and taking in the full length of his body.

It never ceased to amaze me how he could send a fluttering of butterflies to my insides just from simply existing.

He turned back and looked at me, his blue eyes glinting in amusement. “Enjoy the view, kitten?”

“Absolutely,” I said.

He laughed, the sound sending a wave of happiness through me.

God, but I fucking love you.

I know he heard me whispering it to his back the night I had decided to leave him. It felt like a lifetime ago, and I hadn’t been able to bring myself to admit it again since he found me at the cabin—not to myself, and certainly not to him, but now…

I wanted to tell him.

But there was a small insecure part of me that was afraid he might not say it back.

He had to love me, didn’t he?

Men didn’t usually act as crazy as he did if it wasn’t love.

But I was afraid that while he loved me, he might not recognize that feeling, and it might just freak him out.

I shook my head over my own thoughts. Instead of trying to analyze him, perhaps I should analyze myself. Most would call me crazy for falling in love with my stalker… who also happens to be a hitman.

Mael stopped when we came to an open space with the same fallen log we had sat on the first time we were here. I watched as he took off his backpack and pulled out a couple of sandwiches and water bottles.

I looked around at the quiet stillness of the surrounding space. It was as if the world had pushed the pause button, giving us a chance to breathe properly for the first time.

“You like it here,” I commented when he handed me a sandwich. I unwrapped it and noticed the turkey meat briefly before taking a big bite.

“Yes,” Mael answered. “It’s peaceful.”

I shook my head. “It’s more than that.”

He looked sideways at me before taking a bite of his own sandwich. He didn’t say anything for a few long seconds, just chewed his food. Then, “Remember how I told you they kept Theo and me in a factory before?”

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