Page 108 of Ruin Me Gently

But honestly, what did I have to lose at this point?

I exhaled sharply.

Lilith

Will I see you again tonight?

Mr Stalker

Absolutely.

Lilith

Can’t wait.

CHAPTER TWENTY SIX

She still hadn’t noticedme. How? I had no fucking clue.

I was right there, plain as day, watching her flit between the shelves, tucking books back into place with that little furrow in her brow that meant she was concentrating.

Something warm and stupid curled in my chest.

It had been four nights of blindfolding her and making her come all over my hand, of watching her fall apart beneath me, wrecked and gasping, clutching at me like I was the only thing tethering her to the Earth.

Four mornings of leaving before she woke up—but making sure she had breakfast waiting, making sure she didn’t open her eyes to an empty space with nothing left behind.

Ilikedthis.

More than I should.

But I couldn’t stay away from her. I’d spent all morning in my office, knee bouncing, fingers drumming against my desk, thoughts tangled up in her, unable to unravel them. She was a drug in my veins, an ache under my skin, something I couldn’t shake no matter how hard I tried.

I needed to get as close as I could.

I wanted to push.

Wanted to see her in the daylight, touch her when the world was still awake, when there weren’t as many shadows to hide in.

But I wasn’t crossing my boundaries any further. Not at all.

I still wouldn’t reveal myself to her. I still wanted to keep her safe.

But this? This was harmless.

Something I thought would make her happy.

Would she be happy? How would she react when she saw me? Would her face light up, a small smile creeping across her lips? Would she roll her eyes, exasperated but amused?Would she scowl, tell me to get lost, pretend she wasn’t at least a little bit pleased to see me?

Whatever it was, I wanted to see it.

Neededto see it.

This was it.

She was walking straight toward me, head down, scanning something on a clipboard, completely unaware. Any second now, she’d look up, spot me standing right—

The little bell at the counter rang, and her head snapped up over her shoulder. “I’ll be right there with you, one sec!”

---