4. Lars

4

LARS

I 'd noticed her weeks ago—first in Greece, then in Italy, followed by Portugal, and now in Paris.

And I'd watched her in all the small towns along her journey because I'd stalked her. Followed her around the continent because, when I'd seen her in Athens, I knew she was mine.

She'd been a glimpse in a crowd, but something about her made this dark and primal part of me rise to attention. It was like a hook had been sunk deep into my gut, and there was no fucking way to disengage it.

I followed her to the hostel she'd stayed in. I broke in, riffled through her stuff, and saw she was going to Italy next. I'd cut my work in Greece short to follow her but not before I took a little treasure to keep her close until I could have her with me in the flesh.

And so that was how it started. I followed her, watching her every move, memorizing the routes she took, the things she liked and disliked. The way she walked and even how she smiled transfixed me. I'd been so close to her, right behind her when she didn't even realize it. I let the sweet sound of her voice bury itself deep into my DNA until it was a part of me.

Each day, I got even closer to her. I touched the soft strands of her hair on more than one occasion. The memory had me reaching in my pocket and pulling out the lock of hair I cut off of her just days before. The blue ribbon tied around the silky, strawberry blonde tendril to keep the strands in place was the same color as her eyes.

I smoothed my fingers over it, then brought it to my nose and inhaled deeply. It still smelled faintly of the shampoo she used.

And every night, I envisioned her on her knees and looking up at me, her mouth open, my cock hard and right in front of her face. She'd look at me with such need, wanting me to come all over her or shoot my load down her throat.

It wasn't enough to just watch from a distance, and so, in Paris, I purposely hadn't been as stealthy. I wanted her to see me, to glance in my direction so our eyes could lock. I'd seen the instant confusion on her face when she saw me the last few times during her sightseeing, and I'd gotten so fucking hard because of it.

I needed to be closer—as close as two people could get. Fuck, I wanted us to be fused together.

I only kept her lock of hair with me. The rest of my trinkets, I kept stashed away in my bag in my rental—the room I chose because it was nearly right beside hers. And still, it wasn't close enough.

But fuck, I had a good little collection. I'd taken things—little things she wouldn't notice right away. A pair of her panties, a green barrette I'd seen in her hair once, and a tiny sample bottle of perfume, which I smelled while I wrapped those panties around my cock and jerked off.

Each item I took became a piece of her I could keep close, something to tide me over until the moment I could have all of her.

The time was coming soon when I wouldn't have to wait any longer. I wouldn't have to practice self-control anymore.

But tonight, I'd crossed another line, one that was bringing me closer to Dolly, because I was feeling the itch to have her. The need had grown into something that was eating me alive. I couldn't stand it anymore and needed a little something to satiate the ravenous beast inside me.

I didn't want to scare her, didn't want to start this off with terror. So, I waited until she ran to the bistro up the street to fetch her dinner before I broke into her rental and drugged her bottle of wine. I'd heard her murmuring to herself about the gifted bottle she was saving for her last night in Paris, and I knew how to get in and out so that she wouldn't even realize someone had been there.

The sedative was a low dose and not harmful. She'd sleep soundly all night and wake up with no side effects.

And when it was all said and done, I just waited. I stayed in the shadows right outside her living room window and watched her as she sipped from the glass. She seemed to relax more with each drink, her eyes glossing over after she finished her second glass then heavy halfway through her third.

Her movements became sluggish and uncoordinated, and I felt my blood rush through my veins. The anticipation and excitement in me grew like a primal animal about to take down his prey.

It was clear she felt how fucked up she was, but she was smart enough to stay seated then finally lay down on the couch. I made my move, slipping back over the railing to my own rental before hurrying through the identical living room, out my front door, and over to hers. And then I opened it—with one of the two key cards she'd been given which she thought she misplaced—and stepped inside.

Her eyes, although heavy-lidded, were still open but unfocused on the television before she finally closed them. I was already moving toward her, and when I stopped by the couch, her breathing was deep and slow, the sedative claiming her fully.

God, she was perfect. Her body was slender with long legs and gentle, feminine curves. My hands were shaking the longer I stood there, staring down at her.

I wasn't a good man, not by any stretch of the imagination. I was a recluse. I preferred to be alone. It's why I lived off the grid and why I did what I did for a living.

I'd been labeled many things while growing up. My school claimed I was unsociable and destructive. Professionals diagnosed me with everything from psychopathy to antisocial personality disorder. I didn't abide by any textbook label. I was what I was, and I embraced who I was.

But I wasn't insane, not by my standards nor lawfully. I was clear-thinking, precise with my actions, and focused on my intent.

And then I saw Dolly, and she was the only thing, the only one, I could focus on. She was my obsession, and I let it consume me.

Before I realized what I was doing—the dark beast in me taking control—I was stripping her clothes off. One piece at a time. Revealing her smooth and flawless skin that had me salivating.

My jerk-off fantasies were coming to life at this very moment.

My hands shook as I worked her shirt over her head then slipped her leggings off. I wanted to take her bra and panties off, too, but I stood there instead, taking in all the peachy, freckled skin before me.

She was perfect—just as perfect as I imagined. I reached out and smoothed my hands all over her exposed flesh. She was warm, her skin buttery soft. My fingers neared the edge of her panties, wanting so fucking badly to pull them down so I could see how pretty her pussy was.

But I held back.

Not yet. Not like this.

I had some self-control.

Instead, I lifted her, cradling her against my chest, and buried my face in the long fall of her hair. I inhaled deeply, taking her scent into my lungs and wanting to be branded by her from the inside out.

I carried her to her bed and laid her down, pulling the blankets up to her chest, and I felt my cock throb. I was so fucking hard, my dick pulsing, my balls full and ready to fucking explode.

She was mine. She just didn't know it yet.

I went over to the chair in the corner, dragged it over to her side of the bed, and sat down, my gaze fixed on her as she slept. She was so unaware of the darkness sitting just inches away, the predator who set his sights and fixation on her.

My hands were clenched into fists, and I didn't fight the urge to reach out and touch her. I let my fingers skim over her full, pink lips and pulled her bottom one down before letting it pop back into place when I let go.

This obsession had taken root too deep, and this need was too strong. Dolly was mine, and it would soon enough be time for her to understand that.

I leaned forward and pressed my lips to hers, giving her our first kiss as she slept on because I drugged her. I forced myself not to just fully take her right now. With one swipe of my tongue along her sweet lips, I pulled away and sat back in the chair.

I'd memorized her travel itinerary and made changes to my own to ensure my plan would be carried out without a hiccup. I whispered, "You'll be mine soon, Dolly. So soon I can taste it—and you—on my tongue. When you realize we're meant to be together, nothing will ever be the same for either of us."