She won’t get it until she wakes up, but I’m hoping she’ll respond. I can be patient when I need to be, and I can already tell she’ll be worth the wait. After making sure my phone is still on silent, I tuck it back in my pocket and make my way slowly out of the living room. The hallway is dark, barely lit by the streetlamp outside, but there’s enough illumination for me to make my way to the stairway without issue.
I see her purse hanging on a hook near the front door beside her coat, and there’s a small hallway cabinet stands next to it. Quietly, I pry open the drawer of the cabinet and I see a notepad, pen, and six keys on a ring. Pulling out the keys while making sure not to let them jangle, I walk over to Violet’s front door and test each one until I find the correct one. Carefully, I slide it off the loop and pocket it, before replacing the rest of keys where I found them and shutting the drawer.
Slowly, I turn and look up the dark stairway, and take a deep breath before ascending, taking care to test each step for creaks before I put my weight on them. If Violet wakes up and finds me here, then this will have all been for nothing, and my plans will be ruined before they’ve had time to bear any fruit.
The back of my neck is hot, and my breaths are deep and controlled. I mustn’t lose my composure, but my pretty flower is so close now. Her mouthwatering lavender and honeysuckle scent is heavier up here, but it’s not overpowering, it only entices me further. Inhaling, I draw it in and hold my breath until my lungs are burning before slowly exhaling.
It’s darker up here, there’s no filtering light from outside to guide my way forward, so I withdraw my phone from my pocket and turn the torch onto its lowest setting before proceeding. The first door I look behind yields only a bathroom, but curiosity sends me wandering inside. The medicine cabinet carries the bare minimum: painkillers, band aids, spare toothbrushes, and other little necessities. There’s very little of interest, although I pop the lids of her shampoo and body wash to have a smell of what scents she likes to bathe in. Finding nothing more to look at beyond a small cabinet that contains feminine products and more bathroom essentials, I leave the bathroom.
I’ve saved the best for last, and finally I’m standing in front of Violet’s closed bedroom door. Swallowing the nervous lump that forms in my throat, I turn off my phone torch, grasp the handle, and push the door open. A wave of Violet’s floral scent hits me full in the face and the rush is almost dizzying. I hold my breath to clear my head, and the heavy thump of my heart seems irritatingly loud in the quiet darkness.
Soft, even breaths reach my ears, and my hands itch to touch the woman sleeping in a state of peaceful bliss, unknowing of what kind of monster is lurking in the darkness mere feet away from her. Need brings me forward, and I inch closer to her until I can feel a stirring of the air and catch a faint whiff of peppermint toothpaste. She’s so close now—I’m sure if I were to reach out in front of me, my hands would caress her sleeping form.
I shakily exhale as I clench and unclench my hands at my sides. I so badly want to touch her. The thrill of being so close while she’s completely unaware of my presence sends a pulse of adrenaline and desire surging through me. My entire body stiffens when she murmurs in her sleep, and the sound of bedding moving as she shifts smothers my sharply exhaled breath. I can feel her, the heat pouring off her skin as it radiates toward me. My blood is burning, my hands are shaking, and every part of me is fighting to control the fierce ache in my cock.
Licking my lips, I move forward until my knees lightly hit the edge of her bed. I extend out my hand and lower it gently until my fingers brush against a soft blanket. Heart racing, I trace the outline of her body in the dark, moving along the bed with my fingers caressing her gentle curves over the top of the bedcover. I want so much to rip it off her and touch her properly, but it would be too risky.
Warm skin connects with my fingertips, and I suck in a breath before my hands continue to travel upward. Violet shivers in her sleep, probably sensing my feather-light touch. I stroke along her skin, which is as silky as the petals of a freshly bloomed flower. Hair tickles the back of my hand, and I run my fingers through her soft locks until I brush against her jaw line. When her lips part at my touch and she breathes out against my skin, I can barely suppress my groan.
I’m so fucking hard it’s painful, and if I don’t get out of here, then I’m going to throw caution to the wind and claim her. I need to take the edge off—I need to do something because I’m not sure whether I’d simply fuck her or be tempted to kill her outright if I was to succumb to my fantasies, right here and now.
Chapter Four
Zach
The cold air against my hot and sweaty face clears the fog in my head. I’m not sure how I managed to get out of there without waking Violet or doing something stupid, but somehow, I managed to avoid both. I’m standing in her back garden, gulping down lungfuls of clean, unscented oxygen. It’s lighter out here, and I can see the faint outlines of nearly barren flower beds and a small shed. My cock is throbbing,
