Chapter 12: A man possessed

Rick's POV

I never meant to keep my distance from her. I never meant to have feelings for her either.

For the last three days since we last spent time together at her place, she’s been completely consuming my mind—but my world is too dangerous for her. I’ve ridden my bike to her apartment every single night, parking across the street in the shadows, but I never called her attention. I was satisfied by just looking up at her window, watching her silhouette against the glass until the lights went off.

I’m a man possessed.

The recent attack from the rival community crossed a line that was never meant to be crossed. No matter how hard I try to keep things under wraps, there’s a huge chance that anyone around me—anyone I hold dear—is going to be put in danger. That’s the only reason I’ve been keeping my distance from Samantha. I don't want her asking questions that could pull her into the crossfire.

I definitely didn't expect to see her in my building tonight.

Thank goodness for the cameras around. I got to see her the second she crossed the threshold, her image fully displayed on the flat-screen TV on my office wall.

She looked so fucking irresistible in that dress. The sheer, agonizing visual of her made all the stress and tension I’d been carrying all week pool directly in my groin.

God help me. I’m completely at her mercy.

"Don Pedro won't know what hit him," Louis said, his heavy footsteps echoing as he walked into my office. "We’ve got men stationed at the north border, and the minute his trucks roll through, we take them off the board."

"What? Right... Don Pedro," I stuttered, my eyes refusing to leave the monitor.

Louis paused, the rustle of his leather jacket cutting through the quiet room. 

"Are you okay, boss? You don't look so good."

"I'm fine," I snapped, trying to force the gravel back into my voice. I leaned heavily against the edge of my desk, rubbing a hand over my face. "Give me a minute. I need some time to think."

Louis looked at me, then followed my gaze toward the monitor. A knowing, dangerous look crossed his face, but he knew better than to comment on the woman currently rewriting my rules. 

"Alright, boss. I'll let the guys downstairs know we wait on your signal."

The heavy mahogany door clicked shut behind him, leaving me alone with the hum of the electronic screens.

Down on the floor, Samantha was practically glowing under the neon lights.

"You're way too good for me, and way too irresistible at the same fucking time," I muttered to the empty room.

My chest tightened as I watched her order drinks with her friend. Every guy she passed was tracking the dangerously high hemline of that emerald silk, and my hands balled into tight fists, the urge to go down there and break a few jaws clawing at my throat.

And then suddenly, she tilted her head back and looked straight up into my office window.

My heart skipped a beat. Goodness gracious, what this woman does to me. Even through a digital screen, it felt like her gaze was pinning me down, stripping away the ruthless boss until I was just a man begging for her attention.

"Is she going to come up here?" I muttered to myself, my breath catching in my throat as I watched her take a nervous sip of her drink.

I watched her laugh and have drinks with her friend, her beautiful smile lighting up the dim corner of the booth. 

A few minutes later, the two of them slid out of the seats and headed straight toward the crowded dance floor.

I’d never seen a woman look so sexy and powerful at the same fucking time.

The club lights caught the rich emerald of her dress as she moved, her hips swaying perfectly to the heavy beat. Her hair was like something out of a fairytale, bouncing around her shoulders in soft, perfect waves. Even from behind the glass, my mind tried to fill in the blanks, wondering what sweet, intoxicating scent she was wearing tonight.

Between the visual of her moving like that and the sheer ache of wanting her, I was hard already.

Fucking hell.

After what felt like an eternity of torture, Samantha leaned in and whispered something into Chloe’s ear. They both giggled, exchanging a knowing look before they finally stepped off the dance floor. My chest tightened as they started walking directly toward the stairs.

She paused for a split second, her eyes lifting to look into my dark office window one more time. But she didn't come up to my door. Instead, the two of them turned the corner, heading straight toward the tattoo shop at the end of the hall.

"Interesting." A low, dark chuckle rumbled in my throat as I watched the door swing closed behind them.