Stalking Emily Saving Emily

I’m Not A Monster

LEO

I knew something was wrong the second I walked into the kitchen.

Emily was leaning against the island like the marble was the only thing holding her up. She deleted something from the call log quickly when she heard my voice.

“You okay?” I asked.

Her head snapped up. I saw panic flash across her face before she buried it under a shaky smile.

“Fine. Just… Chloe with more audition details.”

Lies

I crossed the kitchen slowly, crowding her against the island until her back hit the edge. My hands braced on either side of her hips, caging her in.

“Rowan called you, didn’t he?”

Her breath hitched. “How…”

“I have your phone cloned, Emily. Every call lights up on my end. I heard enough.”

The color drained from her face.

I didn’t give her time to spin another lie. I bent, grabbed her thighs, and lifted her onto the island effortlessly.

“You’re going to tell me exactly what he said. But first…”

I kissed her hard. My tongue swept into her mouth and she moaned into the kiss, fisting my hair with her hands and pulling me closer even while she tried to push me away.

I broke the kiss only long enough to take a breath.

“Leo,” she started.

“Yeah,” I answered as she jumped down with her hand still locked around my neck. I watched her go lower, and I realized how short she really was. “Tell me what he said, Em.”

“Shouldn’t you know already?” She placed her hand on her hip and I c****d my head to the side. "Well, since you bugged my phone, which is wrong on so many levels, by the way."

“Well,” I said, matching her energy. “I didn't listen. I wanted to hear it from you.”

“He threatened my family?” I snarled against her throat, biting down hard enough to leave another mark. “Sarah, my sister. And my niece. I am to spy on you for him.”

“What did you tell him,” I demanded, grinding my teeth at the fact that Emily didn't tell me everything. “Did you tell him no. You're not helping him.”

“I’m not,” she broke off with a gasp as I grabbed her wrist with a little more force than I intended. “I’m not helping him. Leo, f**k, I told him no.”

“Good girl,” I growled in her ear. “It’s good you remember who you belong to.”

I believed her. Barely. But my jealousy was a living thing now, twisting in my chest.

“Don’t worry. He won’t touch them,” I promised with a smile. “And you’re not spying for him. We’re going to set a trap. Together.”

Rowan has the nerve to threaten my woman. Maybe my leverage game is back on. But now the stakes are higher. I am no longer willing to lose her in the process.

She searched my face. “You need to stop treating me like property, Leo?”

“I’m not a monster,” I smirked. “Not completely. You are mine. Just as I am yours.”

Her phone buzzed on the floor where it had fallen, cutting off our conversation. She picked it up, and I saw Chloe's name flash briefly with a message.

Emily looked up at me when she was done reading the text. “Tomorrow’s my first official day on set,” she said quietly.

I rested my forehead against hers.

“Okay, I’ll have someone go with you.”

“Oh come on.”

“No.” I shook my head. “They'll be incognito. You won't even notice them. It's for your own safety.”

"For my safety, or for your peace of mind?" She stepped back, putting distance between us that I immediately hated. "Because there's a difference, Leo. You either make me feel protected or feel like a prisoner."

I watched her cross her arms, her chin lifting in that defiant way that used to annoy me. Now it just made me want to kiss her until she softened.

"Rowan knows where you live," I said quietly. "He knows your sister's name. Your niece's school schedule, probably. This isn't about my ego, Emily. This is about keeping you alive."

Her arms dropped. Just slightly.

"Then teach me," she said. "Don't just put a wall of bodyguards around me and hope for the best. Teach me how to protect myself. How to," she swallowed hard. "How to hurt someone if I have to."

I stared at her. This woman. This infuriating, brave, reckless woman.

"You want me to teach you to be dangerous?"

"I want you to teach me to survive." She moved closer again, her palm flattening against my chest, over my heart. "Because if something happens to you while you're busy protecting me, what then? I need to be able to stand on my own and not just be... yours."

The words hit harder than they should have.

"Fine." I covered her hand with mine. "Tomorrow morning. Before the set. I'll show you some things."