6. Chapter 6

After a solid hour spent plowing the main road down the mountain, then another heading into town and back for supplies, I’m finally pulling both the truck and the Polaris into the garage. Once I finish unloading the Polaris, I crank the garage heater on and turn on the heated floor. I need everything dry and ready to go at a moment’s notice once my tempting little morsel of Christmas fantasies falls victim to her muffin-induced slumber. Did I lace those muffins with something to help Hazel sleep? I sure did. In the mudroom, I set down the grocery bags then slip off my snow boots and shrug out of my layers. The anticipation of tuning in to watch Hazel all day is overwhelming my focus. I’ve waited years to be this close to her again. On my way to the kitchen for a snack, I peek into my office at the myriad of screens all set up with different tiled views of Hazel’s newly-inherited house. My eyes sweep over every square, scanning each one for signs of movement. Nothing yet. She’s still right where I left her. This gives me the perfect opportunity to slip away to warm up cocoa while I wait on my oh-so-tempting-treat to wake up. In the kitchen, I warm up an extra large Christmas mug full of milk, stirring in the powder mixture of my peppermint hot chocolate with a miniature candy cane. I hang the candy cane from the edge of the cup and take a sip.

“Mmmm, so good,” I groan as I return to my office for some screen time. Once I’ve settled into my chair comfortably, I pull up the camera feeds that give me a clear view of Hazel, then isolate them into a repetitive loop stream. I move the window to one of my available monitor screens, letting the stream of her take over the entire screen.

“Don’t worry, little doe, I’m watching. Sleep as long as you need.” I say to the computer screen, my tone much raspier and filled with need than I intended.

I’ve always wondered what it would be like to wake up next to her and, for now, this is the closest I’ll get. Leaning back, I allow the plush leather chair to wrap me in its embrace, taking another swig of cocoa. My eyes drift back to the screen where Hazel sleeps peacefully, and a long sigh escapes me. She moves, moaning softly in her sleep. It sets off my notifications, but I ignore them, too transfixed on the way my dick responded to her sleep-induced moan. My girl is finally waking up and I’m ready to spend the next few hours watching her every move. So long as the weather continues to work in my favor, because if the snowband bulks up as predicted, we may end up snowed in on the mountain. What a shame it would be if we ended up trapped together over the Christmas holiday. Christmas Eve is only a few days away.

The camera alarm sounds again, interrupting my thoughts and alerting me to movement. I’m happy to see the house is as cold as I hoped. The first thing Hazel does is sit up and shiver, her nipples instantly pebbling against her shirt. It’s fucking adorable the way she looks around, confused by the sudden cold. I can tell by the scowl on her face she’s not excited to investigate her chilly awakening. Hazel’s feet swing over the edge of the couch and onto the carpet. I watch as she pulls the blanket around her. The white cotton shirt is making it easy for me to see her perfect tits bouncing beneath them as she trudges around the house. My hand slides against the band of my long underwear to grasp my hard cock. I’m so fucking turned on just watching her. She fumbles around the cabin, completely forgetting all about the thermostat. My greedy hand slides down my hard length once then back up again, until I’m stroking my dick from base to tip rhythmically. I’m more worked up than I intended to be. Either I finish the job here alone, or I take a few deep breaths and regain my composure. Decisions, decisions, I think to myself, loosening my grip and ripping my eyes away from the screen. Why does she have to be so goddamn sexy? I stare up at the ceiling for a minute and inhale deeply before I squeeze my eyes shut and focus on calm, steady breathing. Fuck. Think unhappy thoughts, come on. I giggle. Cum on. I’m ridiculous. It’s working though. I try to think about Tyler. No way can I think about him and still be turned on. I pull up some of the background programming I built to keep tabs on him. A quick glance shows me his card transactions, phone calls, and the tracker on his car is logging locations. This attracts more of my attention and I’m suddenly engrossed in studying everything he’s done in the last twenty-four hours. If I didn’t know any better, I would suspect he’s planning to come after her. That can’t happen. It won’t happen. Hazel belongs with me. Suspicious, I pull up his airline ticket information by extracting his login and signing into his account. He has an active one-way ticket flying into Aspen, Colorado. I’ll definitely be monitoring his emails to watch for a cancellation. What are you up to, Tyler? My jaw twitches from the way I’m angrily clenching it. I’ll have to check on him later—I wasn’t planning on having to take him out. I thought the money and replacement girlfriend were a good deal and when we struck our bargain, so did he.

Now that I’m back in control, it’s time to check in on my girl. My girl. It has such a nice ring to it . I click around, returning to my multi-camera view, delighted to see she’s building herself a fire. There’s a camera mounted to the beams above her, giving me an all-access view down her cleavage. Once the fire is crackling, Hazel wanders into the kitchen. Please eat the muffins. Please, please, please. I silently pray.

Hazel examines the basket of muffins. I’m instantly on edge and antsy, waiting to see if she eats one. My entire focus is on the screen, on pins and needles, waiting to watch this dubious part of my plan play out. She opens the bag, reading the card. Oh sweet victory, she’s pulling out a muffin and placing it on a plate. I’m damn-near fucking giddy watching as she devours it. As soon as she finishes, I glance at my watch, noting the time, then start the stopwatch on my phone. The moment the drugs enter her system, I’ll only have so much time. The fake menus for local restaurants are already prepped and packed in a plastic bag, ready to come with me. Hazel’s going to be hungry after such a long nap. Lucky for her, I’ll be close by to deliver whatever her heart desires.

My attention returns to the screen to watch and wait for the drugs to take effect. There’s no sense in rushing to get ready. This is a simple test run to see how long she stays incapacitated. It’s like a bonus round to scare her, just enough to keep her on edge and cop a feel. Leaving without touching her earlier this morning was torture, especially when she was within arm’s reach—tempting and vulnerable, just waiting to be mine for the taking.

“Calm down, Kane,” I remind myself in a whisper.

I’m not sure what or who I am trying to hide from. I live alone up here at the peak of the mountain in a large mansion. It’s way too big for one person, but that’s what’s so great about this entire situation. If all goes as planned, it can be me and Hazel together forever, with all the time in the world to spend together. She will never have to go back to work. My investments have been good to me. I make so much passive income that I’ll never have to work an actual day the rest of my life. Even if I did suddenly need money, I have all my connections. I can find work easily.

Shit! She’s eating a second muffin. I want to talk to her through the screen and tell her to stop—that she’ll ruin the perfect day I had planned for the two of us—but I don’t need her to know I’m watching her, not yet. My keyboard goes flying across the room, smashing onto the floor and breaking into several pieces as the keys pop off. This isn’t ideal, I want her to stay alive. I’m trying really hard to control myself. Now I’m going to have to spend the better part of my day trapped in the same room as her, monitoring her. It shouldn’t be enough to overdose, but I won’t be taking chances where she is concerned. I guess I won’t mind being inside the house all alone, just the two of us. I practically moan as my dick strains against my pants, reminding me just how badly I want her—how badly I’ve always wanted her. It doesn’t matter. None of it matters. The only thing that matters is that she’s here now and waiting for me. I watch her on the screen eagerly, continuing to get lost in my own thoughts as I wait for her to fall asleep. A little over thirty minutes later, she drops off, the Christmas movie playing in the background. It’s my cue to head out the door and back down the mountain to pay my sweet obsession a visit.