I could tell Angel didn’t want things to come to this, and I don’t blame her, but what choice do we have?

Either he was in my place, or peeking through a window…

I feel myself getting enraged at her panicked words again.

If the creep’s got eyes on her overnight, there’s no way I’m letting her out of my sight, no way she’s spending another night alone until we figure things out.

I’ll have to sort out another pair of watchful eyes for us since I can’t exactly stay alert twenty-four seven, but for now, I’m not leaving her to freak out alone in her apartment—she’s got work to do and so do I.

I pack a handy bag and head over.

* * *

Angel greets me with a frightened face and a desperate hug, and her fear makes me even angrier at the person behind it.

I’ve never seen her look scared, and I don’t like it one bit.

“Thanks for coming,” she says.

“Of course,” I say, releasing her from the embrace. “Show me.”

She takes me to her computer and brings up the message, and reading the words are somehow worse than hearing her repeat them to me.

Rage boils in my chest.

I can’t wait to get my hands on this SOB.

I whip out my phone, glad I’d already gotten the contact info for Derek’s tech-savvy brother-in-law.

“Aaron, I really need you asap. I’ll make it worth your while.”

“Sure thing, what’s the deal?”

I fill him in and he promises to get right back to me.

He mentions a few possibilities for sniffing out the perpetrator, but my eyes glaze over as my brain fails to process whatever the fuck he’s spouting.

Damn it, there’s a reason I’m having someone else do this—I need a higher level of electronic understanding here, a level beyond mine.

“Who was that?” Angel asks once we disconnect.

“A hacker extraordinaire. He might be able to figure out who’s behind this whole thing sooner than later, so we should finally be able to do something.”

“Is he in the military too?”

“Not really. He apparently enlisted but dropped out. Now, he’s an internet security expert—got into the field after losing a leg in a motorcycle accident. Companies hire him to test their security and he works with P.I’s. A buddy of mine married his sister, and said if I ever needed someone with those sort of skills, that’s the guy to call, so that’s that. Any errands today?”

“Yeah, but just for a few groceries. I thought about something I wanted to make you for dinner tonight and I’m out of a few essentials.”

My chest warms at the thought of her changing whatever plans she might have had to try to please me with another meal.

“Is it that soufflé by any chance? With the ham? I was drooling by the end of that one.”

She pauses and puts one hand akimbo, staring at me.

“Okay, how many of my videos have you watched?” she says.

No use hiding the truth. “All of them.”

Her eyes widen.

This expression hasn’t made it onto her many videos, I suddenly realize.

Her image is controlled, and it pleases me that I have insight into parts of her that her audience might never get.

They don’t even know her real name.

They know that she’s beautiful, that she cooks, and they’re familiar with her smile, but they don’t get to be this close to her palpable warmth.

They don’t get to hold her in their arms...

“I’ve got to say, I did not figure a guy like you to be a part of my potential audience.”

“Well, I missed you,” I say before I can stop it, so I just decide to go with it. “Your channel was a way to see you again, to hear you. It was nice seeing you live your dream too—I remember you talking about wanting to work on your own terms, figuring out a way to use your Communication degree without going any of the usual routes. And you did it!”

“Yeah, Leonard kept trying to give me a reality check and convince me it was best to get a real job like everyone else.”

“Leonard rarely knows what he’s talking about or what the hell he’s doing.”

She looks startled by my declaration.

Guess I did sound a bit harsh.

“I mean, I’ve known the guy since junior high, and we were pretty close once. Who better than me to see his idiocy over the years. For god’s sake, he let you go!”

She seems surprised again, her eyes widening even more. It even feels like she has retreated emotionally a bit.

Fuck, I’ve gone too far again.

I realize I need to have a better handle on this situation—me being emotional and making declarations is not going to help me keep her safe.

I need to calm the fuck down.

“Anyway, I already showered so we can head right out to the grocery store,” she says casually, getting us back on track.

She’s good; it’s as if I hadn’t just pretty much told her how I feel about her.

Her face is back to normal but I can feel the turmoil underneath her calm composure.

I pull myself together, reluctantly withdrawing from indulging in her company and we prepare to head out.

* * *

Once we arrive at the store, it seems she has recovered from my emotional outbursts earlier.

She keeps trying to engage me in conversation, but I remain silent and aloof on the outside, reminding her I’m not there to be her ‘buddy-guard.’

She seems to accept the cold professionalism for a moment, but not long after, she tries to engage me again.

I give her a look to zip it.

When we return to her apartment, I clear the unit before letting her go in, then she goes straight to her computer.

“Do you check them all every day?” I ask when I see open up tabs for Facebook and Instagram.

“Oh, you’re talking to me now?” she says.

“You know I have to…”

“Yeah, yeah. And yes—I flip through each day. It’s part of my job.”

“But what’s so urgent? Why not every two days or every Tuesday and Thursday?”

“Fans like to be engaged, and sometimes, companies offer me products or other opportunities. Can’t sleep on anything—in the time it takes to ignore a legit offer, someone else could have said yes, and I don’t want to miss an opportunity. And I actually do like interacting with most people.”

“And no doubt, some of them end up feeling like they know you, like you’re friends. The lines get blurred and suddenly they’re confusing surface interactions for deeper relationships.”

“Like you?”

Ouch.

“Shit, I’m sorry, James. I didn’t actually mean that.”

“What did you mean then?”

“I’m just...this whole thing is confusing, that’s all.”

I silently nudge her to clarify, pinning her with my stare.

“Like…well, do you remember that wedding? About a year ago? Some high school friend of yours and Leonard’s?”

I nod curtly. How the hell could I forget?

“Well, when you and I danced, for a moment, it felt like… like we were...” She shakes her head, looking frustrated. “Never mind.”

I step closer to her. “Like we were what?”

Her mouth moves, like a fish out of water and then she shakes her head again. “Like we were a couple then. It felt... This is stupid. And dangerous. We can’t talk about things like that—we’re friends. Or chummy acquaintances. And now you’re sort of working for me. Plus, you’re my ex’s friend! We can’t go there.”

She turns away.

I have to say, it’s satisfying to watch her sort of lose it for a chance.

She’s making no sense but too much sense at the same time.

I know what she’s trying to avoid saying while she’s floundering, trying hard not say it.

Now we’re kind of even.

And now that we’ve gotten our emotional outburst out of the way, what’s next?

“Anyway, I was just saying things get confusing in close quarters. I’m a bit concerned about this arrangement.”

“You shouldn’t be. I’m not gonna slide into bed next to you at night.”

“But do you have feelings for me? Honestly, James. Kiara said she noticed...”

“Yes, Angel. I have for a while,” I say quietly. “What else do you want to know?”

She looks unnerved by my eye contact. Or maybe my quick admission.

“Let’s just deal with it, get it all out in the open, right?” I say.

She nods slowly, still looking concerned. But it’s tinged with arousal.

“Your turn. Are you attracted to me?” I ask gently.

Again, she nods slowly, seeming unable to speak.

I suddenly realize what a dangerous moment this is; perhaps she saw it coming long before me.

I step forward and she leaps from her chair to put distance between us, taking a step back.

“I think you’re the most beautiful woman I’ve ever seen, so forgive me if I stare sometimes,” I say with another step forward, holding my hands behind my back in what could have been an assuring gesture had my entire being not been on fire.

I don’t doubt she can feel the heat.

She steps back again and I step forward, keeping the distance between us consistent.

There’s been a hole in my life since your departure from it, I hold myself back from saying.

“I value your friendship, Angel,” I say as I reach my hands out to her, pulling back my aggressive energy in hopes of no longer scaring her away.

She gives me her hands, letting me know I’ve succeeded.

“After this whole thing is over, I don’t want you disappearing on me again,” I tell her. “Promise me you’ll keep in touch, that you won’t leave me to watch your videos as the only way to see you.”

Her chest is rising and falling rapidly, but it seems she found her voice again.

“Deal,” she says hoarsely.

Her nipples are poking through her shirt and I suppress the urge to flick my thumb over them.

“You can’t look at me like that,” she says, her hands twitching in my grip as if one part of her is telling her to pull away but she can’t quite commit to the action.

“Like what?” I say, dragging my eyes back to her beautiful face.

My voice sounds thick, even to my own ears, and I can easily guess why that is, though most of the blood has left my brain for my dick.

She still looks frightened.

The next step I take pushes her into a wall as she backs up.

“What about Leonard?” she squeezes out, practically panting.

“What about him?” I say before pulling her body to mine then lowering my head to kiss her.

I tug on her lips, then slip my tongue inside her, exploring her warm mouth.

Fuck, I didn’t mean to, but I couldn’t stop myself, and the longer she lets our mouths acquaint themselves, the more I feel my control slipping away.

My dick gets harder and harder while I grip her tighter.

I better stop this before...

She moans against me as our tongues dance, giving in fully to my embrace, and my remaining control snaps.