Page 42 of Stalk

Ren: Yes. When/where?

I take one more sip of my beer and lock my phone before hopping into the scalding hot shower. My shoulders are tense, but the hot water soothes them, unknotting the tight rocks in my trapeziuses. I let out a long, tired sigh and tilt my head back so the water can wet my hair.

Today was a lot, emotionally.A lot.I knew it would be, and that’s why I’ve been avoiding it. I don’t want to think about it anymore. I can start going through everything we found tomorrow. Tonight, I need to relax and go to sleep so I can wake up fresh.

Honestly, it’s been way too long since I got off. With the stress of my day-to-day life, I haven’t been in the mood. At all. But as the water rolls down my body, unwinding me more and more with each second that passes, my cock stirs. I know my sudden horniness hasn’t come out of the blue—it has something to do with a certain aggravating Italian man—but I don’t really care at the moment.

It’s not my fault he’s attractive. He knows it, too. I can tell by the way he carries himself. He always has his chin up and his shoulders squared. He always dresses like he’s on the cover of a fashion magazine. He never looks disheveled or unkempt—unless he’s inebriated, that is. Mattia puts effort into his appearance. Even if he didn’t, though, he’d still be hot as hell. It’s infuriating, but as I picture him laying out on his hotel bed like he was the other night, my shaft thickens and begs for my touch.

I keep myself waiting. It’s been so long that I want this to last. I squirt some shampoo in my palm and rub my hands together before scrubbing my short locks and massaging my scalp. With my eyes closed, I allow myself to picture what it would be like.

The image of Mattia on his bed from the other night pops up again, but this time I imagine he’s miraculously lost his shirt. That the button and zipper of his pants are open, and a large bulge appears from underneath. With dark waves falling in his sultry eyes, Mattia runs his tongue over his bottom lip and curls a finger toward me, beckoning me forward.

The shampoo runs down my back as I rinse. A moan escapes from deep inside my chest as I finally fist my cock.

In my fantasy, I walk toward Mattia, carefully placing one foot in front of the other. He may be demanding for me to come to him, but I will make him wait as long as I can stand.

“Undress for me.”

Another demand. I do as I’m told, quickly, eagerly this time, until I’m bare and trembling for his touch.

His eyes look me up and down. Mattia pauses when his eyes reach my cock, practically standing at attention for his touch. “Touch yourself.”

I do. It feels good. I need it. But I know it would feel a million times better if he was the one touching me. I pump hard and fast as I pull on my balls with my free hand.

“Stop.”

I do.

Mattia stands up and drops his slacks to the floor. Then, without breaking eye contact, he removes his briefs.He stands inches away from me, but wastes no time in bridging the gap. Our lips collide at the same moment our cocks do. His tongue teases my lips open as his strong hand starts to pump us both.

Electricity.

And just like that, I’m screaming out his name and orgasming harder than I ever have in my life. I continue to work myself until every last drop of me falls to the floor of the shower.

Lightheaded, I lean against the wall as the steam surrounds me.

I hate this. Ihateit. I don’t want to be attracted tohim.To a person who not only is my polar opposite, but a willing killer. And I sure as fuck don’t want to be into someone IknowI could never fucking have.

Unfortunately, I know well enough that desire isn’t something that can fade away in a moment’s notice. I need his help, too. I can’t figure everything out with Catherine and my family alone. My head falls to my hands as I realize this attraction I have might just be fatal.

CHAPTER 17

Mattia

Cinnamon, who I have renamed Cannella, because the name is much prettier in Italian, has begrudgingly grown on me. Sheisa pest. She follows me everywhere I go, and whines when I leave the rental home without her. I have to admit, though, that it’s nice to have a companion. Sure, I have Marco, but it can still be lonely so far away from home. Hell, I’ve even gotten used to the rat dog sleeping at the foot of my bed each night, and I’ve had her for less than a week.

“Sei vizìato,”I tell her from my workstation. Her little eyebrows perk up from where she rests on my bed, but her tail wags playfully. I sigh. “I will take you out in a few minutes,principessa.”

I would have figured myself to be the last person in the world to have a pet. Now, I’m wrapped around Cannella’s little paw, too, and she knows it. I sigh again. This trip to America has been much stranger than I thought it would be.

I rub the area between my eyebrows with my thumb and close my eyes momentarily to take a break from staring at my laptop. I’ve been scouring our database for close to two hours now, and I haven’t found anything on Ren’s parents or his boss.

With a shake of my head, I close my laptop and pick up my phone. I know better than to call Zìa about this. I would only do something that stupid if I had a death wish. Instead, I need to call Giorgia. Not only is she the closest to Zìa seeing as she acts as her assistant, but she is also the one family member I know I can trust, no matter what. Still, I’m hesitant to bring her into whatever mess Ren’s family left behind.

I stand up from my seat and hold my phone.“Andiamo.”Cannella jumps down from the bed immediately and follows me out of my room, down the stairs, and out to the backyard. I’ve already gone to the damn pet store and gotten the little beast a bucket full of toys, so as soon as we step outside, she grabs a ball and drops it at my feet expectantly. I roll my eyes, but obey my little master, bending down to throw it across the small span of grass.

Eventually, I pull a chair from the patio up to the edge of the yard so I can sit while I call Giorgia and play fetch, and then I unlock my phone. Normally, I video call my sister, but because this is about sensitive information, I choose to call her the old fashioned way.

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