Chapter 6

Alexis

I wake up with a renewed sense of confidence the morning after Jacob and I have sex. Even though I was followed yesterday, I don’t think I should let that deter me. Statistically, the chances of me being followed again are fairly low. So when I roll out of bed, I decide I’m going to go out and explore again. I think I’m going to stay closer to Jacob’s apartment this time, though.

Like yesterday, there’s coffee and breakfast waiting for me in the kitchen. I smell bacon and something sugary sweet. Jacob greets me with a kiss, catching me off guard in the best way. Then, while butterflies flutter in my stomach, he leads me to my seat.

“I thought we could see a movie today,” Jacob says as he settles into the chair next to me.

“Actually, I was going to explore the block on my own for a little,” I say, preparing myself for pushback from him.

Surprisingly, he just hums and says, “Well, if that’s what you want to do, I can occupy myself here. Just be safe.”

I search his face for any signs of objection, but don’t find any. In fact, he seems almost suspiciously relaxed. Considering how insistent he was on coming with me yesterday, this complete 180 throws me off. Someone followed me, proving that he was right to be worried. Yet, for some reason, he doesn’t care if I go out by myself.

“I will,” I reply as a flurry of thoughts run through my head.

Now that I think about it, the man who was stalking me yesterday had the same build as Jacob. If Jacob was wearing a baggy jacket and a hat, he’d probably look exactly like that man. I know it’s crazy, but I have a strange, sinking feeling that Jacob was the person following me.

“You okay?” he asks, pulling me out of my thoughts.

“Yeah,” I say, shaking my head in an attempt to clear it.

“You seemed like you were somewhere else.”

“I’m just a little tired,” I say, forcing normalcy into my voice as I pick up my coffee mug. “I need this.”

“Well, there’s more where that came from,” he assures me.

We don’t talk much more while we finish our respective meals. It seems like Jacob believes that I’m just tired. If only he knew I suspect him of being my stalker. I wonder if it would upset him to know that this is where my brain’s at.

When our plates are cleared, Jacob takes them to the sink. I finish getting ready, deciding to leave my camera in favor of being more aware of my surroundings this time. I’m going to wait outside his apartment for a few minutes to see if he follows me, then I’ll go on my way.

My stepbrother can’t be stalking me, though. That’s insane.

Still, as soon as I get my shoes on and kiss him goodbye, I leave the apartment and walk down the hallway so I won’t be visible through the peephole.

After two minutes of waiting in the sparsely-decorated space, I start to feel bad for assuming he’s the one who was trailing me. Maybe he let me leave on my own because he trusts my judgment. I did make my way home unscathed.

I’m about to leave and go out exploring when I hear a door opening. I freeze in place, my eyes locked on Jacob’s apartment. I pray that I’m wrong, that he isn’t about to walk into the hallway. Unfortunately, my worst fears are confirmed when he walks out wearing a giant hooded sweatshirt. The hood is pulled over his head, and the bill of a baseball cap sticks out.

I’m frozen in place, unsure of what to say or do. It isn’t until he turns around and sees me that I ask, “What are you doing?”

“I’m going out,” he says after a long pause. “I was going to see that movie I was talking about earlier.”

I know he’s lying to me. He looks like a deer caught in the headlights. I refuse to let him off the hook and demand, “Were you going to follow me?”

Jacob sighs, pushing the hood down and pulling the hat from his head so he can see me properly. “I was.”

For some reason, instead of feeling disgusted and terrified, I’m more interested in his thought process. I’m bothered by it – obviously, I’m bothered by it – but an odd sense of relief washes over me now that I know it wasn’t a stranger stalking me. I’m filled with morbid curiosity.

“Why?”

“At first, I just wanted to make sure you were safe,” Jacob says.

“So you thought you’d do that by stalking me?” I ask, ignoring the rush I get at saying the words out loud.

“I guess,” he replies, not trying to defend himself.

“So you saw that I was fine on my own,” I say indignantly.

“I did,” he confirms.

“So why didn’t you just turn around and go home?”

“Honestly?” he asks, waiting for me to nod before continuing. “I liked watching you. It turned me on.”

I feel like all of the air is sucked out of my lungs at his admission. When he says it out loud, I realize that I feel the same way. I’m too stunned to speak, and Jacob seems to take my silence as a bad thing.

“You have to understand that that isn’t how it started,” he says as he walks toward me. “At first, I had to make sure you were safe. I needed to protect you and make sure no one else stole you away from me. You’re so gorgeous, Alexis. Anyone could have come up to you and asked you out, and I couldn’t let that happen.”

“Really?” I ask, aware of how shallow my breaths have become.

“Yes, Alexis,” he says, stopping in front of me, the way he says my name sending shivers down my spine. “I can’t let anything happen to you.”

“I think that turns me on, too,” I whisper without thinking, my eyes falling closed as the words leave my mouth.

“Say that again,” Jacob says, his voice ragged.

“It turns me on, too,” I say again, more confidently this time. When he doesn’t say anything else, I add, “I like the idea of you following me. I want to be yours to protect.”

The silence that falls over us is electric.