Total pages in book: 192
Estimated words: 189782 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 949(@200wpm)___ 759(@250wpm)___ 633(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 189782 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 949(@200wpm)___ 759(@250wpm)___ 633(@300wpm)
“If the stalker contacted you again, you could catch me in action.” I sigh. “Smart.”
“I’m sorry.”
“I don’t blame you.” I hold out my hand for the phone. “May I?” When she offers it, I ask, “You checked the cameras after you received the threatening call?”
“Yes.” She points to one of the recent recordings. “You were in the shower.”
I press play, watching a video of me jerking off. Unmuting it, I let my groans vibrate from the speaker. The sounds of me moaning her name, over and over, fill the air around us.
She crosses her arms over her chest, a barrier between herself and my obvious feelings for her.
Now she knows.
She knows I’m thinking of her when I pleasure myself.
She knows I’m not the one terrorizing her.
But I’m a threat to her nonetheless.
“I’m not mad.” I disarm all the cameras in the app and hand back her phone. Then I pluck the small recording device from its hiding place.
This explains the changes I noticed in her tonight, why she’s been looking at me so differently.
But it doesn’t solve the stalker problem.
“I’ll increase security.” My fists crack the bones in my fingers. “No one will get to you on the island. You’re safe with me.”
“Thank you. For everything. For helping Leo and Kody, for showing up tonight. It means more than you know.” She squares her shoulders. “I’m sorry for invading your privacy. I’ll remove the cameras immediately.”
“Leave them.”
“What? Why?”
“Even though you can prove to Leo and Kody that I’m not your stalker, they still won’t trust me.”
“I already told them about the call and the video proof that it’s not you.”
“Even so, they’ll continue to follow you everywhere and never take their eyes off you. Maybe the cameras will help them relax and give you space while you’re home.”
“I don’t know if that’s possible.” She laughs. “Giving them access to your privacy isn’t healthy for them. They need to learn to trust you.”
“This will help them do that.”
“At least remove the one in your bedroom.”
“I have nothing to hide, Frankie. But I do fuck my hand in the shower.” I give her the tiny camera. “If you want to watch that, you’ll have to join me.”
“Monty…” She makes a growly kitten sound.
“In the spirit of honesty, it’s my turn to show you something.” I motion for her to follow. At her frown, I soften my voice. “It’s safe. I promise. I won’t proposition you.”
In the walk-in closet, I remove the night-vision goggles from a shoebox at the rear of a shelf and hand them to her.
“What’s this?” Her face pales.
“I’ll show you.”
I lead her to the guest bedroom, through the closet, and into the unlit attic space.
“Power the goggles on.” I show her the button, my insides coiling. “Good. Now put them on.”
“I don’t know about this.” She squints at me in the dark.
“I know you don’t trust me, but—”
“I’m trying.”
She won’t trust me after this, but I want full transparency. No more secrets.
Slowly, she puts on the goggles. After some adjusting, I guide her to the half-moon window. When she peers through it, directly into the bedroom she shares with Leo and Kody, she gasps.
“What is this?” She clutches the windowsill. “Why are you showing me this?”
“The first night you returned, I controlled the thermostat, forced you to open the French doors, and watched you with them.”
Her knees buckle, and she stumbles back, retreating from the horror and shock before her. She rips off the goggles and whirls on me.
I confront the ire in her glare.
I deserve it.
Lowering to my knees, I tilt my head back and let her see every emotion written across my face in the moonlight. Guilt, remorse, love.
She studies my features, looking for deception, and her arms lower to her sides, the goggles dangling from her fingers.
“I’m sorry.” I hold her gaze and wait for the backlash.
“How many times did you watch us?” A blush colors her cheeks, but she pairs it with hot rage.
“Only that night. It was too devastating to repeat.”
“Your knuckles.” She anchors her fists on her hips. “The next morning at breakfast, your hand was busted.”
“I broke the window.” I nod at the glass behind her, which was repaired by Greyson the next day.
“I watched you masturbate in the shower, and you watched me have sex with Leo and Kody.” She blows out a breath, releasing her anger. “God, Monty. We’ve really made a mess of this. Please, stand up.”
“I’m sorry.” I remain on my knees, heart thundering. “It was wrong. I had no right to invade your privacy, especially after everything you’ve been through. I brought you here with the promise of security and safety, and I violated that.”
Her hand moves, but not away. Instead, she rests her fingertips against my stubble and traces the hard lines of my face, her gaze following the movement to the back of my jaw, around the shell of my ear, and down, along my neck, her thumb stroking my bobbing Adam’s apple.