Page 37 of Stalk

I snort. “I just—I annoy myself, too, is all.”

One second, I’m sitting upright beside him, and the next thing I know, he’s shoving my shoulder with an impressive amount of strength for someone so drunk, and I’m falling off the bed.

“Ow! What the fuck?” I yell from the floor. My elbows sting from using them to support my fall, and I know for sure I’ll have some mean carpet burn.

Mattia howls with laughter from the bed. “You deserved it.”

I stand back up, but don’t sit back down this time. “You know you’re a total dick, right?”

His laughter stops, and he grins at me devilishly, his brown eyes playful. My cock stirs from the way he stares, like a wolf calculating when to attack. It doesn’t help that his shirt has ridden up, exposing a few inches of his tan stomach, showing off a dark dusting of hair. My mouth waters, and I have to force myself to keep breathing.

“I am a dick, but you make me this way.” I can barely make out the words from how thick his accent is right now. He points to a notepad on the bedside table. “Write down the names of your mother and your father, then hand me my phone from the dining table so I can have Marco take you home.”

With that, he shuts his eyes and sighs happily, then lays down fully atop the made bed. I kind of want to tickle him or disturb him in some way, because the audacity of this guy is unreal. Instead, I do what he says. I write down the information for him, then bring him his phone. I have to shove his shoulder a little to wake him up, then force the phone in his hand.

Mattia struggles to unlock his phone, but finally manages, then calls Marco. They have a short conversation in Italian, then he hangs up and tosses his phone off to the side.

“Marco will meet you outside of my room. I will research your parents. I suggest you do the same,” he says with a yawn.

I blink at him. “Then what?”

“Then, we discuss what we find. I will be in touch.”

Just like that, his mouth opens and he starts to breathe heavily, somehow already fast asleep. As though it’s as simple as flipping off a switch for him. I stare at him in awe. I hate thathe’s even more painfully beautiful when asleep. He irritates me. I don’t like him, yet I do. I want to cuss him out but I also want him to fuck me. My face burns as a fantasy comes to life in my head.Fuck.My dick hardens painfully in my jeans. I cup myself, unable to stop.

But then there’s a knock on the door, and I remember Marco is going to take me home. It’s not a good idea for him to know where I live, I realize. I’ll give him the address for the Burdick House and walk from there, I guess.

I take one last look at Mattia, then leave. While he’s asleep tonight, I’ll be awake, too busy mulling over our conversations to have the simple pleasure of rest.

CHAPTER 15

Mattia

Iwake up much later than I should the next morning with a hangover from the depths of hell. We’re supposed to move into our rental house today, and I should have been up hours ago, stalking my next hit.

But here I am, in the same position I fell asleep in last night right before Ren left, with a thunderous headache and nausea rolling through me in violent waves. My phone rings beside me, and I answer it with a rough groan, my throat dry and a little painful.

“Ciao?”

“Buongiorno, bella addormentata!”Marco greets with a snicker.

“Vaffanculo.”

“Heh. Verrò a prenderti tra quindici minuti.”

Great.I have fifteen minutes to get my ass up and get all my shit together so we can go to the new place. I hang up the phone and toss it back to the side, screaming internally and cursing myself out for overdoing it last night.

Ren probably thinks I’m a drunkanda dick now. Only one of those things is true, and I shouldn’t care what they think of me, anyway. I only drank as much as I did because listening to him—themwas stressing me the fuck out. How could Rennotlook into all of this before I brought it up? I know they aren’t stupid, but they sure as fuck act stupid sometimes from what I can tell.

I force myself up onto my elbows. Moving is painful, but I have to get up. My body feels like it’s been crumpled up like a piece of trash and thrown into the street only to be run over by a nasty dump truck.

Even though I was drunk, I remember the important parts of last night, at least. I also pleasantly recall pushing Ren off of the bed and them getting all pissy about it, and that makes me grin wider than I probably should. They should count themselves lucky I didn’t fuck with them more than that.

I move slower than usual, but manage to get my ass up, take some Advil, wash up and brush my teeth, and then pack. I make sure to grab the names of Ren’s parents from the notepad on the bedside table, and tuck it away for safekeeping in my kill bag so I can research them later when we’re settled in the new place. I’ve just finished packing up all my shit and putting my shoes on when Marco knocks on the door.

“Sto arrivando!”I bark.

I grab my shit and walk to the door, feeling lightheaded. As soon as the door is open, Marco is there, grinning at me from ear to ear.

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