The loud sound of the engine roaring to a halt beside where my car parked strangely annoyed me. Usually, not many things annoy me but this time, everything ached in my damn body by my frozen posture and the smell of my car's seats which I once loved (precisely before I had even tasted a slightest bit of Talia's divine intoxication) slowly started to strangle me so I was fucking exhausted! I was frustrated but it was way beyond some random motorcycle and I knew that.

Never thought I'd work inside my car in a basement because of a woman. But she's not just a woman and that's the problem. Talia was in my condo, sleeping peacefully as I brought her here after she got drunk because she didn't have her keys on her and Nichole didn't answer my calls. My place was large so she isn't intruding my space but her presence alone was overwhelming me. I wanted to watch her relaxed features, devoid of worries when she sleeps just like I did when I was really stressed and it always calmed me down...except for now. Now when I give into my temptations and look at her, I only hear the taunts of how I am getting weak because I am willing to go to any extent to coax that same expression of peace into her forever. Whenever I smell the sweet scent of vanilla and lilacs, I am only reminded of how I'm accustomed and deeply addicted to it that it blinds every sense of rationality in my brain and keeps me wanting more.

With every word, smile, laugh, pout and even the goddamn cute as hell snore, she's slowly wrapping me around her fingers by poisoning me with everything that is her and I am drinking every bit of it like a man thirsty. This feeling is chaotic. Like something breaking every time she is near me and I don't know if it's for the good or bad. All I know is that I didn't ask any of this in my life.

So I push it all away and focus on finding him. The man who...stalked Talia. The bitter truth of everything he has done to her lingers around my brain but I try not to think about it because if I did, I would no longer be sane. And besides, I'm saving all my anger for him and him only. The pictures of all the ways I have planned to play with him licks the edge of my desires but flash them away to focus on the screen. Vincent Rodger's whole pathetic life is what that's on the screen and I'm not gonna waste any bit of it.

"He's at a bar!!!" Daniel, a 'friend' who was on the call with me and helping me track Vincent finally spoke.

"Of course the fucker is in a bar at 6 A.M!!!" I say with a sigh.

"We-"

"What was that?"

I swiveled my head to the source of the loud bang reverberating through the whole basement.

'What's with the loud noises today?' I muttered under my breath, completely exhausted.

When I didn't see anyone or anything, I got out of my car to inspect, despite my body's protests. One step forward, I find a tiny figure lurking in the corner, trying to blend in with the wall being a part of her shadow but she couldn't. I could recognize the petite silhouette anywhere and everywhere.

"What are you doing there, lil' spider?" I asked with a smirk, leaning all my weight against the wall in front of Talia.

She stepped into view with grunt followed by a reply, "I...I was just searching for my earrings! Yes!!!"

I arched a brow and touched her earlobe where hung the earring.

"Oh! There it is!!! Silly me!" She continued her bluff.

"Talia, don't lie and just tell me why you're here instead of my room..."

She hesitated a bit and then she caught on to my exhaustion so she said, almost like a whisper, "I was embarrassed so I tried to sneak out...". After a few seconds when I thought she was done, she continued, "Look, I have never slept in someone else's house, in fact, I haven't even been drunk enough to do that! So, I don't know how it works but I'm sorry for all your inconvenience!" She finally finished in one breath.

'Inconvenience'?
"You are so adorable!"

"Huh?" She asked as a tint of pink traveled from her neck to all the up to her cheeks.

"Did you fall?" I asked instead.

"Oh! Yes but it was nothing! I'll look for any wounds when I get back to my house!"

"Oh, you're not going back..."

"What?"

"You are staying at my apartment for the foreseeable future."

"What! No!!!" She said, slightly raising her voice.

"Yes, you are."

"And why do you think that?" She asked, crossing her arms in a challenging gesture.

"Because...Vincent is still roaming around knowing your exact address." As soon as those words left my lips, her while body tightened at the comprehension of who I was talking about.

"Yeah but everyone is trying to catch him and he's not gonna come back again..."

"How do you know that?"

"Because I haven't seen him ever since that incident!!!"

"Yeah. And I'd like to keep it that way." I said with an edge of harshness as I was losing my patience.

"You don't need to do anything! I have security!!!"

I scoffed and said, "Yeah, as if two surveillance cameras are enough!"

"I have Nichole!!!"

"Your friend isn't home half of the time." I gritted out, my jaw clenching as my vision slowly darkened.

Talia lightly flinched noticing the sudden change in my features but didn't budge.

"I can install more cameras..." she argued taking a small step back and bumping her back into the wall.

I slowly walked forward pinning her with a dark glare.
When I say I would go to any extent to keep her safe, I fucking mean it. I don't care if scaring her into agreeing is the only way.

"You and I both know that installing some cameras won't be enough so when I ask you to stay with me..." Lowering my head, I said, "You. Stay. With. Me. Understand?"

She gulped but didn't say anything so I stood there waiting until my phone rang and I left in search for Vincent Rodgers.

☆★~~~~~~~♡♡♡~~~~~~☆★

A/n

I'M BACK!!!!! So sorry I didn't update any of my stories from nearly a month but I think I am going to start writing again!!! Life has been tough and I had no inspiration and I thought it was a writer's block but it might be more than that... Oh well! I am back now and that is all that matters so I hope you enjoy this chapter!!!

Toodles my lovelies!