I’ve got to remind her of all the good stuff, of all the reasons we’re like fire when we connect. Why she fucking consumes my every thought, brings me to my goddamn knees, and lights an inferno inside me… all without even being in the same part of the city.
Grabbing my phone, I shoot her a message.
Theo: Good morning, beautiful. I hope you dreamed of me.
A smile twitches at my lips and my stomach knots in excitement when she looks at her phone that lights up on her dresser.
Her smile starts slow, but it soon increases as she reads my words, her own conversation coming to a grinding halt mid-conversation.
My chest swells, my own smile spreading across my face, knowing I can render her useless with just a few words.
I might have spent my life trying to overpower men bigger, older, and better than me, but I’ve never felt more powerful in my entire life, knowing I have this effect over her.
“Oh… uh… y-yeah. I’m still here,” Emmie says, picking up her phone and reading it again. “Yeah okay. Sure. I’ll talk to you later. Have a good day. Throat punch him for me, yeah?”
I can’t help but bark out a laugh at the image her request conjures up.
She laughs too at whatever is said in return before hanging up and pulling her AirPods from her ears and discarding them on her dresser.
She walks across the room with her phone in her hand, I assume trying to come up with something to send back.
Finally, she starts typing, laughing like a lunatic as she does.
Hellcat: Morning. Sorry, can’t say I remember you featuring in any of my nighttime fantasies. Please try harder next time.
My smile widens. “Such a filthy liar, Hellcat.”
Theo: I’ll work on my modelling skills. Give you something you’re never going to be able to get out of your head.
She lifts her finger to her lips, chewing on her nail as she scrolls up in our chat, much to my delight.
My cock jerks, knowing that she’s standing there lusting after me, remembering just how I feel moving inside her.
The temptation to message again, telling her that I know exactly what she’s thinking, is strong, but I rein myself in because I’m not ready for her to know this little secret yet. I’m not ready to lose this connection to her, because I know she’ll sever it the second she discovers the truth.
Eventually, she pulls her head out of the gutter and begins typing.
Hellcat: I’ll await the results of this with bated breath. Have a good day at school, Theodore. Try not to get into any trouble.
Theo: I’ll do my best, babe. But I can’t make any promises. I’m feeling especially deviant today…
Hellcat: Okay, well… try not to kill anyone then.
Theo: Hopefully that’s a promise I can keep. For today at least.
Her lips part in shock at my words, but really, what else did she expect? She’s more than aware of what I’m capable of, of the things I’ve done in my past.
The dots start bouncing and I wait for her response, but it never comes. She obviously deletes whatever she types and instead throws her phone down on her bed as she walks toward her drawers and starts selecting what she’s going to wear today.
The robe that was covering her falls to the floor, and I’m gifted with the most incredible sight of her naked body.
“Fuck, I miss you,” I breathe, shamelessly getting closer to the screen like a fucking junkie needing his next hit.
My plans for the day were already pretty solid after hearing what she was going to be doing, but seeing all of her, and combining that with the need burning through my muscles to stand in front of her, to see her reactions to my words in person, is too much to deny.
I wait until she’s dressed, and then I reluctantly shut the app down and get ready for school.
13
EMMIE
The second I walked into Mickey’s, I felt like I’d come home. It was strange, but I welcomed it.
There were more than a few Reapers here working out, and knowing they were keeping an eye on me ensured I didn’t look to the door in a panic every time it opened.
Mickey had me doing everything, from organising both the reception and his desk to sorting out his god-awful filing situation on the computer, and replying to some emails that he couldn’t be bothered to deal with, on his behalf.
It’s almost time for my lunch break, and I’m placing an order for cleaning supplies when the main door opens once more.
I don’t immediately look up, needing to finish this first, but the second a violent shiver races down my spine, my eyes fly up as icy claws of fear wrap around me.
They wouldn’t come for you here.
They wouldn’t.
All the air rushes from my lungs when I lock eyes on the person who has just walked in.
“Theo,” I breathe, my eyes feasting on him as longing surges through me.
The last memory I have of him is him walking away after they rescued me, and that hurts more than I’m willing to admit.
He marches right up to the reception desk I’m sitting behind, his face set with determination and his eyes dark with challenge.
Jumping to my feet so that I’m not at such a height disadvantage when he gets to me, I hold his stare steady despite every muscle in my body screaming at me to run.
I already know that he has the power to disarm me, to catch me up in his net and lure me into his web.
“Shouldn’t you be at school trying not to kill someone?” I sass.
“Yeah, I should.” His deep, raspy voice washes over me, making my skin erupt in goosebumps.
Fuck, I’ve missed that voice and the things it does to me.
My hate and lust for this psychotic man collide with such force it makes my head spin as I just stare at him as if he might disappear if I were to blink.
“But I suddenly fancied jumping in a ring and sparring with someone.”
Something twinkles in his eyes and my stomach somersaults, half excited, half livid that Stella opened her big mouth and told him where I was.
“You knew I was here,” I state. There’s no point in asking, I already know the truth.
He shrugs, attempting to look innocent.
I quirk a brow. “Don’t even try to pull that shit with me, Cirillo,” I snap, annoyed with myself that he’s pulled me in with no more than a handful of words.
“Oh come on, you love it,” he says, resting his forearms on the counter and leaning closer.
His addictive, manly scent hits my nose, and I silently curse him out as my mouth waters and my body begs to get closer.
I’m hit with the realisation that this is probably how Mum has felt her entire life about drugs and alcohol. I guess things could be worse. I could be addicted to crack, not a hot as fuck boy with the power to shatter my battered and broken heart all over again.
“I’m busy, I don’t have time for this—”
“Lunch break, Shorty,” Mickey none-too-helpfully calls from his office.
I suck in a sharp breath as an accomplished smile appears on Theo’s lips.
“Come spar with me and I’ll buy you lunch.”