CHAPTER 81: CHAPTER 81

Olivia’s POV

What was he doing here? Had he followed me in? How did he even get past security? I wondered within me as his intoxicating scent wrapped around me like a drug, making my knees weak despite the fact that I should be terrified.

"How did you get in here?" I asked, my voice barely above a whisper as I trembled against his hold.

The stranger chuckled against my hair, the sound vibrating through his chest and into my back. "What? Aren’t you happy to see me?"

His voice... God, his voice. Even altered and gravelly, it still did things to me that I couldn’t understand. My body betrayed me, melting against him despite the danger, despite the insanity of this situation.

"I... I..." I stammered, my mind struggling to process his presence while my body sang with relief at his touch.

His continuously altered voice meant he was really working hard to prevent me from knowing who he really was. But why? Why was his identity so important to hide when everything else about him called to me like a siren’s song? Was he really that scared of me knowing his true identity?

"Relax, mi amor," he murmured, his arms tightening around me protectively, "I was invited."

My eyes widened in surprise, my breath catching in my throat. "You... you know the Gregory family?"

"Yes," he replied simply, and the casual way he said it made everything worse. "I know them."

A cold realization washed over me. If he knew them, does that mean he also knows...

"Do you also know my boss?" I blurted out.

His body tensed behind me and he became quiet. But that pause told me everything I needed to know. He did know Maxwell.

"You do know him, don’t you?" I breathed. "That’s why you beat him up. You knew exactly who he was when I asked you to help me deal with him."

"It’s because you asked me to," he said quietly. "You wanted him to suffer, so I made sure he did."

My heart clenched at the matter-of-fact way he said it. "Would you really do anything I want you to do?"

"Yes, Livy."

"Then don’t hurt him anymore," I said quickly. "I’ve changed my mind. That one time was enough."

He went very still behind me. "Why?" His voice was filled with confusion. "I’ve been preparing a proper payback for Maxwell - for having you thrown in jail. You should be angry with him right now, not trying to protect him." He paused, and when he spoke again, there was something dangerous in his tone. "Are you falling for him? Do you love him?"

I hesitated, my cheeks burning. "No," I said finally. "It’s just... my best friend now works for his brother, and I wouldn’t want her to be harmed because of something I started."

He chuckled, "I have no problem with Damien. If anything should happen to him, it would be because of something else entirely - not me."

I stilled, a chill running down my spine. "Is... is Damien in trouble?"

But instead of answering, he changed the subject completely. "I don’t like the quality of these masculine clothes you wear," he murmured, his hands tracing down my arms. "If you want to disguise yourself, you should do it properly." His lips brushed against my ear. "I’ve sent you a package to your address. You’ll see it when you get home."

My breath caught. "Why do you keep doing things for me? You helped me at the office. You bailed me out from prison. Now you’re buying me clothes?"

"Because I’ve told you before, Livy - I love you. And I want to see you happy always."

My heart instantly warmed at his words. I really was a lonely soul craving attention.

"Why haven’t you asked me my reason for disguising as a man to work?" I found myself asking, finding it weird that he wasn’t concerned at all.

His chest rumbled with quiet laughter. "Because I love it. The masculine disguise hides your succulent figure and prevents other men from bothering you."

I found myself laughing. He had a great sense of humor.

"God, I love that sound," he breathed against my neck. "Keep doing it. Laugh for me."

I chuckled, and he sighed deeply, inhaling my scent like he was trying to memorize it.

"God... I’ve missed you so much, Livy. Missed holding you, touching you like this. I just want you to be mine forever."

My heart stuttered at the raw longing in his voice. "You know what you have to do if you want to be with me," I whispered.

"Soon," he promised, his voice thick with emotion. "We’ll be together soon."

All this while, his lips had been trailing light kisses along my neck, my ears, every exposed part of my skin he could reach from behind. Each touch sent shivers racing through my body, making it hard to think clearly.

"Be careful," I found myself saying. "My boss is probably looking for you right now. The fact that you entered the company two nights ago without being seen... you should be safe, but still..."

His hands stilled on my shoulders. "Do you care about me already?" he asked softly.

"I’m just looking out for you," I replied, though even I could hear how unconvincing that sounded.

"I love you," he whispered, his voice so tender it made my chest ache. "And I’ll be safe for you. I promise."

"We’ll have to set up a convenient meeting place," he continued after a moment. "Somewhere we can see each other whenever we want. Would you like that?"

"Yes," I breathed, surprising myself with how much I meant it.

Then he asked the question that changed everything.

"Would you be my girlfriend?" His voice was trembling with emotion, more vulnerable than I’d ever heard him. "I promise not to lead you on or break your heart. And I promise to love you forever - even when we get married and start having children, I’ll always be by your side, loving you unconditionally."

His words sent shivers through me down to my toes. The raw sincerity in his voice, the way he spoke of a future together as if it were inevitable and beautiful and real - it made my knees weak.

"I..." I started, then stopped, my mind reeling.

This was insane. I didn’t even know his name. He was dangerous, obsessive, possibly criminal. He’d beaten up my boss, hacked security systems, stalked me for God knows how long.

But the way he held me, the way his voice broke when he spoke of loving me forever... the way my body responded to his touch like he was the missing piece of my soul...

"You’re asking me to be your girlfriend when I don’t even know your name," I whispered, my voice shaking.

"Names don’t matter," he said softly. "What matters is this." His hand moved to rest over my heart, feeling its frantic rhythm. "What matters is the way you fit perfectly in my arms. The way your body responds to mine. The way we’re meant to be together."

Tears pricked at my eyes because part of me - a terrifyingly large part - wanted to say yes. Wanted to throw caution to the wind and dive headfirst into whatever this was. "I’m scared," I admitted in a broken whisper.

"I know, mi amor." His arms tightened around me. "But I’ll never hurt you. I’ll spend every day of my life proving that you can trust me with your heart."

"What about Gabriel? I’m still getting to know him, and..."

"There is no Gabriel," he said with quiet certainty. "There’s only us. Only this. Only what we were always meant to be."

The conviction in his voice made my heart race, and somewhere deep down, I was starting to believe him.

"I need time," I whispered.

"Take all the time you need," he murmured, pressing a soft atop my head. "I’m not going anywhere. I’ll wait for you as long as it takes."

Then I felt him starting to pull away, preparing to disappear into the shadows like he always did. "You have no idea how badly I want to take you right here, right now." He nuzzled my neck. "It’s tearing me apart inside to pull away from you, but I need to go back inside."

"Wait," I said quickly, turning in his arms before he could step back.

In the dim light, I could only make out the sharp line of his jaw, hidden in a dark hoodie as he retreated into the darkness. He was so close, yet so far, and the urge to move closer and pull his face down to mine was almost overwhelming.

"I want to see you again," I breathed. "Soon."

"I’ll find you." he said immediately. "Like I always do."

I nodded, my heart pounding. "Okay."

"And Livy?" His voice was soft and tender. "Think about what I asked you."

Then he was gone, melting back into the shadows like he’d never been there at all.

I stood there for a long moment, looking around me, and wondering how no one had come into this area since I stepped in here.