Stranger’s POV
I stood in the shadows behind Wellington & Sons building, my back pressed against the cold wall as I waited for my beautiful Olivia to erge. Or rather, Oliver.
The thought made chuckle softly.
She really was a brave little daredevil. My brilliant, reckless angel, walking into the lion’s den every single day with nothing but prosthetics and pure audacity to protect her. How she managed to maintain this insane charade without getting caught was beyond , but maybe that’s exactly why my attraction to her keeps increasing every day.
She was crazy. I was crazy. We were a match made in heaven - or hell, depending on your perspective.
I checked my watch: 7 PM.
*What the fuck was keeping her?*
Most of the building’s lights had already dimd. The other staffs have retired hours ago. But the executive floors still glowed like beacons in the darkness, and I knew exactly which office held my obsession captive.
Was that bastard Maxwell Wellington keeping her occupied up there? Making her work late while he sat in his ivory tower, probably still nursing the injuries I’d so graciously provided him with?
*Maybe I should teach him so more lessons,* I mused, my fingers unconsciously curling into fists. *This ti it’ll be about letting staff go ho on ti.*
The thought of Maxwell’s hands on her or any other man’s - Alex, Gabriel, - made sothing violent and possessive surge through my chest. I’d already marked my territory once this week. Perhaps it was ti for a more... permanent reminder of who really owned Olivia’s attention.
My phone buzzed insistently in my pocket, but I ignored it. Nothing was more important than this mont, than watching for her to appear.
Another buzz. Then another.
*Fuck off,* I thought irritably, not even bothering to check who was calling. The world could burn to the ground for all I cared. Olivia was the only thing that mattered.
Minutes dragged by with agonizing slowness. I found myself counting heartbeats, asuring ti in the rhythm of my own desperate need to see her face. Even disguised as Oliver, even hidden beneath layers of artificial masculinity, she was the most beautiful thing I’d ever witnessed.
Then, finally - there she was.
*God... she is so beautiful.*
She stepped out of the building, her Oliver disguise still in place, but I could see through it all. The way she moved, the tilt of her head, the unconscious grace in her stride - it was unmistakably my Livy, and the sight of her made my chest tighten with an emotion so intense it was almost painful.
How was it that nobody could figure out she was a woman? Were they all completely fucking blind? Even with the prosthetics, even with the masculine clothing and altered voice, everything about her scread feminine perfection to . The delicate curve of her neck, the way her hips moved despite her best efforts to hide them, the soft fullness of her lips that no amount of contouring could truly disguise.
*Idiots. All of them. They don’t deserve to share the sa air as her.*
She stood on the sidewalk for a mont, looking around with those expressive eyes that haunted my dreams. Even from this distance, I could sense her exhaustion. Had Wellington been cruel today? Had he made her suffer for sins she’d never committed?
The possessive rage that thought triggered was almost overwhelming. If that arrogant prick had so much as raised his voice at her, I would make sure his next "assault" was far more creative than a few blows and punches.
She raised her hand to hail a cab, and I felt my pulse quicken with anticipation. Soon I’d be able to follow her ho, to watch over her, to ensure she arrived safely in her apartnt.
A yellow cab pulled up to the curb, and my breath caught as she approached it. The streetlight caught her face for just a mont, and I saw sothing there - frustration? Sadness? - that made want to sprint across the street and pull her into my arms.
*Soon, mi amor. Soon I’ll make everything better for you.*
She climbed into the cab, and I imdiately moved toward my car, an expensive black Jaguar I’d parked carefully behind the building. I knew her address by heart - hell, I knew everything about her life by heart, obsessing over soone for years would do that to you. I didn’t need to follow too closely. But I would follow nonetheless, because the need to protect her was as essential as breathing.
I slid behind the wheel and started the engine, keeping the cab’s taillights in sight as we rged into traffic. My phone started buzzing again, the sound insistent and annoying.
*Not now. Not when she needs .*
Whoever was calling could wait. Board etings, business ergencies, family obligations - none of it mattered when Olivia was involved. She was my priority, my obsession, my reason for existing, and I would die before I let anyone or anything harm her.
The cab drove through the city streets, past glowing storefronts and busy restaurants where normal people lived their simple, aningless lives. They had no idea that a goddess was traveling among them, disguised and unrecognized, more precious than anything their mundane existence could ever produce.
I followed at a careful distance, my hands gripping the steering wheel as I imagined what I wanted to do to her tonight. It had been too long since I’d touched her, since I’d felt her body respond to mine with that beautiful, helpless surrender. The mory of her gasps, her soft moans, the way she’d begged for more - it was driving insane with need.
*I miss her. I miss touching her and kissing those succulent lips that I can’t stop thinking about.*
Every night I dread of her mouth, of the way she’d tasted like honey and desperation when I’d kissed her in that karaoke room. Every morning I woke up hard and aching, my body demanding what only she could provide. This forced separation was torture, but it was necessary. She wasn’t ready to know the truth yet. She wasn’t ready to understand what we ant to each other.
But soon. Very soon.
The cab turned a corner, and within minutes it was pulling up in front of her apartnt - a little three story apartnt that housed my precious treasure. She didn’t deserve a place like this. What if her neighbors were troubleso people?
*I need to buy her a new house. Imdiately.*
I parked across the street, positioning myself where I could see her apartnt windows but remain hidden in the shadows.
*Fuck.*
I wouldn’t be able to get close tonight. Again.
It had been difficult to arrange a private encounter since our last eting on Monday. She’d been more cautious, more aware of her surroundings, and while I admired her intelligence, it frustrated the hell out of . I needed to touch her, to remind her that she belonged to , but she was making it nearly impossible.
I watched as she climbed the short steps to the front door. My fingers itched to reach out and smooth away the exhaustion I could see in her posture, to carry her upstairs and worship every inch of her beautiful body until she forgot all about every other man.
She disappeared inside the building, and I settled back in my seat to wait. Patience had never been my strong suit, but for Olivia, I would wait forever.
A few minutes later, the light in her bedroom window ca on. My heart rate picked up as I saw her silhouette moving around the room - removing her jacket, running her hands through her hair, beginning the nightly ritual of shedding Oliver’s identity and becoming herself again.
*God, what I wouldn’t give to be in that room with her right now.*
Then another figure entered the fra - taller, more dramatic. Kira, her roommate. I’d done extensive research on everyone in Olivia’s life, and while Kira seed harmless enough, I didn’t like how much influence she had over my angel.
Olivia was pacing now, her movents agitated as she spoke to her friend. Even from this distance, I could see the tension in her body, the way she gestured emphatically as if trying to explain sothing urgent.
*What was she talking about? Was she okay? Did sothing happen at the office?*
The need to know, to understand, to comfort her was overwhelming. Every instinct I possessed scread at to go to her, to demand an explanation for her distress, to eliminate whatever was causing her pain.
*Damn. I wish I could hear every word.*
I made a ntal note - when I next encountered her, I would find a way to plant a listening device in her bag or clothing. Not to invade her privacy, of course, but to ensure her safety. To know when she needed , or when she was in danger.
It wasn’t stalking if it was for her own good. It wasn’t obsession if it was love.
My phone buzzed again, and this ti I glanced at the screen long enough to see seventeen missed calls. Whatever crisis was demanding my attention could wait. Olivia was more important than anything else in my world, and I wasn’t leaving this spot until I was certain she was safe and settled for the night.
The silhouettes in her window continued their animated conversation, and I found myself leaning forward, as if proximity could sohow help decipher their words. Olivia’s body language suggested she was upset about sothing - work, most likely. The way she kept gesturing toward the window, toward the city where Wellington & Sons stood.
*What did he do to you today, mi amor? What fresh hell did that arrogant bastard put you through?*
The conversation in her bedroom seed to be winding down. Kira’s silhouette moved toward what I knew was the door, probably heading to her own room for the night. Olivia remained at the window for a mont longer, and I held my breath, hoping she might look out and sohow sense my presence.
*I’m here, mi amor. I’m always here, watching over you, protecting you, loving you with every breath in my body.*
She moved away from the window, and the light dimd as she prepared for bed. My hands tightened on the steering wheel as I imagined her undressing, removing the bindings and prosthetics that hid her true beauty, becoming the woman she was ant to be.
*Soon,* I promised myself. *Soon I’ll find another opportunity to be alone with her. Soon I’ll remind her that she’s mine, that this connection between us is till eternity.*
My phone buzzed one final ti before falling silent, and I allowed myself a small smile. Whatever ergency had been demanding my attention had apparently resolved itself or been handled by soone else. The world would always find a way to function without , but Olivia - my beautiful, brave, reckless Olivia - she needed in ways she didn’t even understand yet.
I remained parked across from her building until well past midnight, watching her window, promising myself that tomorrow would bring another opportunity to get closer to the woman who owned my soul.
*Sweet dreams, mi amor. Dream of , as I dream of you.*
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