Page 106 of The Contract

Because whoever it is, they’re not just inside. Now, they’re right on the other side of that door.

I grip the dollar-store hairspray like it’s fucking Excalibur.

God, this is it.

This is how I die.

Half-naked in Dante’s oversized shirt.

A virgin until the bitter end.

Well…sort of.

CHAPTER 34

Zver

There’s nothing I hate more than having my me-time interrupted.

Especially when it involves indulging in some truly depraved stalker shit.

I ignore the buzz and focus.

My fixation: her.

It’s always her.

There’s an art to slipping into someone’s world without leaving a footprint.

Gliding seamlessly through the fabric of their life.

It’s an icy breath skimming her neck—fleeting, easy to dismiss.

But tonight?

She felt me.

That sharp, green stare hunted the shadows, stubborn and suspicious. Instinct clawed at the base of her skull, warning her she wasn’t alone.

Knowing I was there.

But knowing and believing are two different beasts, and she wasn’t ready for the latter.

So I nudged her closer. A flicker. A tease. A step into the light.

And the most exquisite part?

I know Riley Mullvain better than she knows herself.

My Zapretnaya.

Even with the blinds drawn, her curiosity scratched at the glass like a starved cat.

Her pulse, a frantic flutter beneath fragile skin, breath fogging the window in short, jagged bursts.

Those delicate fingers twitching helplessly, aching for just one more peek.

One brief, delicious second.

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