Chasing Her: A Stalker Romance (Dark Love Series Book 3) Read online

  Kat T. Masen

  Chasing Her

  A Stalker Romance

  The Dark Love Series Book 3

  Kat T. Masen

  Copyright 2020 Kat T. Masen

  All Rights Reserved

  This book is a work of fiction. Any references to real events, real people, and real places are used fictitiously. Other names, characters, places, and incidents are products of the author’s imagination and any resemblance to persons, living or dead, actual events, organizations or places is entirely coincidental.

  All rights are reserved. This book is intended for the purchaser of this e-book ONLY. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, graphic, electronic, or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, taping, or by any information storage retrieval system, without the express written permission of the author. All songs, song titles, and lyrics contained in this book are the property of the respective songwriters and copyright holders.

  Disclaimer: The material in this book contains graphic language and sexual content and is intended for mature audiences, ages 18 and older.

  Editing by Nicki at Swish Design & Editing

  Proofing by Kay at Swish Design & Editing

  Book design by Swish Design & Editing

  Cover design by Outlined with Love Designs

  Cover Image Copyright 2020

  First Edition 2020

  All Rights Reserved

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  I hear his words echo in my head.

  The voice telling me to leave her alone.

  The threat to end my life should I dare go near her.

  Julian Baker had it all. Stunning good looks, wealth, intelligence, and the girl. To everyone around him, he was Mr. Perfect.

  Fate was never on his side, and much like a domino effect, his life starts to spiral out of control. Behind the mask lies a broken man, haunted by his tragic past. In a bid to forget, he finds himself desperately trying to hold on to someone who’s equally unattainable, Charlotte Edwards.

  In a last-ditch effort to save himself, Julian reaches out for help, but the universe has other plans when someone completely unexpected walks into his life, and an unlikely friendship is formed.

  His enemy’s sister—Adriana Evans.

  Blurb

  Table of Contents

  Prologue

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Chapter Six

  Chapter Seven

  Chapter Eight

  Chapter Nine

  Chapter Ten

  Chapter Eleven

  Chapter Twelve

  Chapter Thirteen

  Chapter Fourteen

  Chapter Fifteen

  Chapter Sixteen

  Chapter Seventeen

  Chapter Eighteen

  Chapter Nineteen

  Chapter Twenty

  Chapter Twenty-One

  Chapter Twenty-Two

  Epilogue

  Other Books by Kat T. Masen

  Connect With Me Online

  About The Author

  She stumbled along the path, her body grazing against mine as she chattered incessantly about the football game she just left.

  I stayed on guard, knowing she wasn’t capable of walking much farther in her intoxicated state. She linked her arm with mine, and it took a hell of a lot of restraint not to let the feeling of her touch cloud my judgment.

  Even in the dark night, she was beautiful. I had been mesmerized by her since sixth grade, the way her smile made her whole face light up, showcasing her cute dimples, to her chocolate-brown locks which flowed down her back.

  But she only ever saw me as the loser who lived next door.

  “Julian, do you think I’m the prettiest girl in school?” She giggled, the stale stench of beer on her breath.

  Of course, she knew she was the prettiest girl in school, and it being our senior year, she knew she’d be crowned homecoming queen. I had no doubt she deserved the title, I just didn’t understand why she belittled herself by hanging out with the football team. They were a bunch of brainless jocks, and all they wanted was to play football, get drunk, and boast about their sexual conquests. Chelsea was one of them.

  “C’mon, Chelsea, you know you are.” My voice was timid. I wasn’t exactly comfortable around girls, and what did I know about expressing my feelings?

  She let out a laugh. “I bet you’ve dreamed about me and probably jerked off all over your sheets.”

  I felt the heat rise into my cheeks, almost certain I was blushing. Like I said, I wasn’t comfortable around girls and fairly sure I might have been the only virgin in my senior class. What made it awkward was that I had thought of her, like every night, when I went to bed and attempted to go to sleep. I couldn’t control the sexual desire I felt toward her. I had no idea what it meant, but of late, it had been almost every night.

  I didn’t answer her. Thankfully, we’d arrived at her house. I knew her parents were heavy sleepers, which is how she got away with sneaking out every night.

  “I don’t want to go home. C’mon, Julian, let’s have fun,” she whined.

  “Chelsea, we have finals tomorrow. You need to sleep.”

  Without warning, she pulled my body, flush with hers. I was so close I could pick up the scent of her shampoo, vanilla something.

  “I’ve got it covered. Let’s take your mom’s car out… maybe you could take me out to Willow’s Peak?”

  I stirred slightly at the thought. Willow’s Peak was a notorious make-out spot. You didn’t go there unless you were going to get laid, hence, why I hadn’t been. I couldn’t help but feel nervous. If there was any girl I should lose my virginity to, shouldn’t it be with the girl I was hopelessly in love with?

  We drove up to the peak which wasn’t far from my house. On the ride over, Chelsea fiddled with the radio settling on The Cardigans ‘Lovefool.’ Belting out the lyrics, she sang loudly, tossing her hair around lost in the moment.

  As I parked the car, the nerves kicked in, and a thousand thoughts ran through my head. What the hell do I do? What if I do it wrong?

  She fumbled with her seat belt, giggling to herself as she attempted to unbuckle it. I couldn’t look her way, and instead, I stared out the window into the dark sky, pretending to be fascinated by the starry night when really, I was having a panic attack. She climbed into the back seat and motioned for me to follow her.

  Shit. This was it.

  I followed her lead because I had no idea what to do. Why didn’t I watch porn or something instead of reading back issues of Playboy? Breathe. I can do this. Just don’t blow your load too early.

  Climbing over my lap, she gently rubbed herself against me, my hard-on unavoidable with this pile of nerves I was feeling.

  “Relax,” she whispered.

  She slid her hand into my boxers until her fingers were placed firmly around my dick. I yelped at the sensation. It wasn’t what I expected—it was even better.

  Reaching into her bra, she pulled out a condom.

  God, why didn’t I pay more attention in sex ed?

  I don’t know how she got it on as I was caught up in my own embarrassment. She shifted her body again until I felt a warm sensation spread over my shaft, and like a butterfly effect, it began to spread throughout my body reaching all the parts of me I never knew existed.

  With slow motion, she began riding me, slowly grinding unti
l her movements picked up. The feeling was consuming me. I didn’t want to tell her this was my first time, although I suspected she knew by my lack of confidence.

  “Julian, I want you to remember your first time. I know how much you want me… now you have me forever engrained in your memory as the first girl who made you feel this way.”

  Her words echoed in my head. She’d forever be the first girl that made me feel this way, and I had no doubt in this very moment that I wanted her to be the last.

  Somehow, I found my confidence and placed my hands on her face, the affection stopping her movements as I stared into her eyes. I only saw this beautiful girl, the one who had tortured me with her perfect body, the one who would throw rocks at my window to wake me up so she could ask for my English notes, not realizing how sheer her nightie was. The girl with the most enchanting honey brown eyes I had ever seen.

  “Chelsea… I love you.”

  It rolled off my tongue, and something in her eyes, the way they reflected back at me, told me I was the first to ever say those words to her.

  “You l-love m-me?” she stuttered.

  I nodded, moving my lips toward hers. She allowed me to kiss her, stroking my tongue with her own. It was enough for me to feel the sensation coming on like a wave of intensity and the unknown pleasure becoming part of me. The climb was greater, and with her lips pressed against mine, the feeling spread throughout me, barreling into a beautiful finish.

  My breathing was uneven as I tried desperately to suck in air to control myself. Holy shit, I just had sex! I wanted to yell from the rooftops, a smirk permanently fixed on my face. I just had sex with the girl I love!

  Pulling herself off, she collapsed beside me. As the windows fogged up, she opened the door, and we both climbed out for air, welcoming the cool breeze.

  “You said you love me.” Chelsea grinned. God, she was so gorgeous.

  “I did.” I smiled back, pulling her into me.

  With her in my embrace, she wrapped her arms around my waist then grabbed the keys from my pocket.

  “What are you doing?”

  “What does it look like I’m doing?”

  There was a thrill in her voice that was Chelsea, always pushing the limits. Even when we were in elementary school, she’d dare me to pull pranks on our neighbors for the fun of it. She never grasped the meaning of consequences, and her parents had always been oblivious to her wild side.

  “Chelsea, c’mon, my mom will kill me. And besides, you don’t have your license.”

  “Julian, you love me, right? So, trust me.” She started the engine, the roar drumming through the isolated area surrounding us, then closed the door behind her. “Look, let me just test the car out… to the lake and back.”

  I could see the lake in the distance—it wasn’t far. It was late at night, and no one else was around. Chelsea couldn’t do anything wrong. She blew me a kiss and reversed the car, driving past me. I watched the tail lights as they drove away, the music turned up loud. I laughed, seeing the shadow of her head bopping away until, in a split second, the car hit a giant rock and spun out of control. The car tumbled over fast, and I ran, trying to stop it, but the speed outdid me and smashed against the large willow tree.

  I ran for my life, my chest hurting, and the panic rising. I screamed for help, knowing the smoke from the car was troublesome. Only a few more feet, and I could pull her out of the wreckage. A few more feet…

  Until the sound of the explosion threw me back, and the flames engulfed the car.

  I screamed her name into the night.

  She was gone.

  I gaze at the ceiling where the fan spins out of control, and my eyes flicker, unable to focus. The moans intensify, I hear them, loud, almost piercing. A slight stir awakens me. I stiffen, not wanting to fall back into the morbid place my mind is calling home.

  But I am weak.

  The feeling starts to build, and I hear her call my name like a purr from a wild animal, a carnivore circling its prey. I feel her stroking me, the sensations feel wrong, but they’re all I have now. The control, I’m losing it.

  Just one more time.

  I see her face.

  And I explode.

  It rips through me, powerful and destructive all in one fleeting moment, forcing me to grip the headboard, my knuckles turning white, and every muscle in my body tensing from the ferocity.

  I’m done.

  Satisfied, she pulls away, running her tongue from the edge of her mouth along her stained lips. Her chestnut hair falls over her shoulders, and she quickly sweeps it away, exposing her naked torso. I stare because it’s nice, but it’s not beautiful, and it’s not her.

  I can see in her eyes that she wants more of me, a part of me I don’t want to give, simply can’t give. She wants my soul. She wants to own me.

  “What’s wrong, buttercup?” she hums as she leans over to the nightstand and pulls a cigarette out of her purse.

  I hate smokers. It’s a nasty habit and a serious turn-off, but one she argued as a non-negotiable if I want to fuck her.

  “Don’t light that in here.”

  “C’mon, give a girl a break. I blow ya dick that hard, I deserve a fucking medal,” she gloats.

  As she attempts to light the cigarette, I pull it out of her hands and throw it in the trash can beside my bedside table. Angrily, she huffs and folds her arms. Her tits are pushed up, the silicone looking about ready to explode from the force.

  “I’m really over this, Julian. What the fuck do you want, huh? One minute you’re ignoring my calls, and the next, you’re begging me to fly here so you can screw my brains out.”

  The answer is simple—I want Charlie.

  And Roxy isn’t her, no matter how much I try to change her. Her hair may look the same, but it lacks the shine, the floral smell, the way it softly falls, allowing you to run your hands through it.

  “I’m hopping in the shower. Please be gone when I’m done.”

  “Are you fucking out of your mind?” she shrieks, grabbing my arm and pulling me back to her. “First, you make me dye my hair, then you send me to Lex’s place to fuck him, again. It’s not my fault that backfired in your face! Does she fucking wear the same perfume and clothes you buy for me? I’m not a fucking fool, Julian. I look exactly like her. I’m just waiting for the moment when you scream her name during sex and not mine.”

  It almost happened, or should I say I’ve had to bite my tongue every time.

  “Roxy. Leave. Now.”

  “Gladly. Don’t go fucking calling me again to fulfill your sick and twisted fantasies.”

  Roxy grabs her clothes and quickly puts them on. Fully dressed, she heads for the door but stops to face me. “I’d watch my back if I were you. If Lex Edwards gets wind of this, you’re dead fucking meat. I wouldn’t mess with him anymore… or his wife.” Roxy slams the door behind her, leaving me to bask in my own pity.

  She’s right. I have been lucky not to be caught out by him.

  I was playing with fire, knives in hand, standing at the edge of the tallest building, and with one gust of wind, dead. If Lex knew what I’ve done, what I do, you might as well pay your respects now.

  But I’m not that stupid.

  And I’m always one step ahead of him.

  Bowing my head, I sit at the edge of the bed, trying once again to figure out where I went wrong and how the fuck I let myself get to where I am now.

  Charlie is the one, the only woman who makes me forget Chelsea ever existed. I knew it the moment I laid eyes on her that day at the gym. Sure, there were similarities, uncanny similarities, but only physical ones.

  She’s perfect in every way, unbelievably beautiful and sexy, not to mention intelligent, witty, and knows exactly what she wants in life. And she is the most amazing fuck I’ve ever experienced.

  I know women like her don’t just fall into your lap. Most of the time, they get loose nuts in their head or are bitten by the marriage and baby bug. I’ve had my share of clingers
, but Charlie is nothing like those women.

  Everyone warned me she was too good to be true, so I proposed to her after a few short months. Why the fuck not? She satisfied every desire of mine and gave me hope of a future without the nightmares which continue to plague me since Chelsea’s death.

  When she said ‘yes,’ I couldn’t have been more ecstatic. Turns out, marriage and starting a family isn’t so bad if you’ve got the perfect woman by your side.

  I wanted her—all of her—the entire package. She’d be my happily ever after, and most importantly, Chelsea’s ghost no longer haunted me.

  But with anything good comes the bad, and I still remember the moment she withdrew—if only I knew why.

  “Gorgeous, you’re tense. Bad day at work?”

  Charlie’s shoulders stiffened. She normally enjoyed when I massaged her. In fact, it always led to me taking her from behind, pulling on her hair and whispering profanities in her ear just the way she liked it.

  “Yeah, something like that,” she mumbled.

  She turned around to face me, her eyes looked pained. Something was weighing heavily on her mind, but it wasn’t my style to push someone if they didn’t want to talk.

  I moved my hand toward the back of her neck, and with a slight force, I pulled her into me. There was resistance at first until her tongue circled mine, and she moaned slightly. It was my cue to take what was mine, but she pulled away, out of breath, apologizing that she needed to clear her head. She stood up from the couch and searched for her purse, stopping only for a moment to lean down and kiss me goodbye.

  I clutched her arm. “Are we okay?” I asked, not that I had anything to worry about, she was my fiancée, after all. Charlie accepted my ring and wore it proudly on her finger. She’d soon become Mrs. Baker.

  “Julian, we’re more than okay. In fact, we’re perfect.”

  We were perfect.

  Until the day he walked back into Charlie’s life.

  Deep down, I knew there was more to Charlie than she had let on. Yeah, okay, we all have a past. I wasn’t one to pry, and I didn’t want her prying into my life, either. She didn’t need to know about Chelsea, nor the fact that the only girl I ever loved, the girl I gave my everything to, was burned to a crisp right before my eyes. She especially didn’t need to know that nightmares haunted me every night and only stopped the night she first slept beside me.