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My eyes went wide. "How do you know about Craig?"
He leaned back on his arms, crossing his legs at the ankles. "I know every step you have made since the moment I let you go two months ago. I know everywhere you've been, every nightmare you've had. I know that when you have a nightmare, Lakewood climbs into bed with you and holds you. I also know that when you have your nightmares, you scream my name. You call for me. You ask for me. I know Lakewood has been sniffing around you for years. I also know that you have started to figure that out. Which is what prompted you to try and find your own place."
I wrapped my arms around myself. "You really have been watching me."
"Even if I weren’t, it would be easy to see. I have nightmares, too. I scream for you when I wake up. But there is no Lakewood in my life to hold me tight. No Lakewood to basically pant after me and offer to rub me where it hurts."
I shook my head in disbelief. "You're insane."
"Yes, about you, a hundred percent. I know all about Craig McIntyre sniffing around you too."
I thought about it. "Come to think of it, I haven't seen Craig since our ill-fated non-date when I got sick. What did you do to him?"
"Craig is a dick. I had to show him that he shouldn't touch what isn't his."
I held my breath and blinked slowly. "What the fuck?"
He gave me his devilish Atticus grin. The one that made me cream my panties.
"You heard me. I reminded him not to touch what isn't his."
"My God, Atticus. What did you do?"
"When he went to the loo, he tried to act as if you were a forgone conclusion.” He shrugged. “I informed him that was a bad idea and that he should cast his gaze… elsewhere."
I tried to think. Had I seen Craig since that night? Yes, the next afternoon, but he'd been wearing sunglasses. And when he saw me coming, he darted and ran away.
"Oh my God, did you beat him up?"
"Yes, I did,” he said matter-of-factly. “I could have done so much worse."
I swallowed hard. "Like what you did to Bronson?"
His gaze stayed on mine levelly, but the edge remained. "Bronson is still walking around and talking. What I did to him was just the tip of the iceberg of what I could have done. Craig, while a dick, didn't harm you in the same way. He just needed a slap on the hand. Bronson deserved everything that he got and more. But I knew you would be unhappy if I killed him, so I didn't."
I stared at him long and hard. The edges of darkness had always been around him, but he was so cold, and calculating, and controlled. Nothing ever took him to the edge. Ever.
Until you.
"And what, you're going to assault every boyfriend I get?"
"There won't be any boyfriends," he said emphatically.
I gave him an exasperated laugh. "You just said you are going to let me choose to come to you."
"And I will,” he agreed. “You just need to realize I'm the only choice."
He was insane. "You recognize that makes you some kind of crazy stalker, right?"
"There you go complimenting me again." And then he pushed off the bed and stalked out without a glance back.
As if he hadn't just told me he was willing to kill for me.
Chapter 21
ATTICUS
I tiptoed around the villa in the morning, careful not to wake Gwen.
