"Please Nicole, let me protect you."

His words keep repeating unconsciously in my head, as I look out through the window of my temporarily new house. It sounded more like a statement than a question to me, as if he was telling me that he was going to protect me, anyway. I don't know why, but they oddly felt comforting.

I can still picture the hint of hurt that appeared over his face when I held him responsible for what happened last night. I feel sad about saying those awful things to him, yet I don't regret saying them because whatever I said was true, and I meant everything about it. From the day Christopher has entered my life, nothing had been right for me. My life has changed completely with his arrival and I must include that it's not in a simple bad way, but more like a destructive way.

The memories of last night begin to flash in front of me, with terrible thoughts occupying my mind. I remember how I had been attacked near the mall, and then the scene of intruder broking into my house. The moment I saw his figure emerging from the kitchen, I was completely stunned. I didn't know how to tackle the situation, the easiest way of defense seemed to me was to run, and that's what I did. I bolted towards the door before he could get hold of me, and luckily when I came out, Christopher was already stepping out of the car. I feel embarrassed thinking about how shamelessly I jumped into his arms. But in my defense, I must say I was very scared at that time, and it was a reflex of what I went through.

I don't know what these people want from me. Were they trying to kidnap me or worse, kill me? I guess it all has to do something with Christopher. They want something from him and when they got to know that he was living with me; they made me the prime target to get to him. That seems the most possible reason.

As much as I hate saying it but I have to admit that Christopher was the one who saved me both the time. I don't know how he discovered me in that alley at night. I wouldn't doubt his stalking skills considering the efforts he took during an entire year to find me. I guess he was hurt by what I said because he wanted me to thank him for saving my life, but instead of that, I lashed out at him like a bitch.

To be honest, for a tiny second, my heart ached to hear him say that he would be gone forever. Somewhere I felt sad thinking about him leaving. Unknowingly in the past few days, he has grown on me and I couldn't help that. What the fuck you are saying, Nicole? You can't think about him like this. Christopher isn't any good for you, he comes with a big label of danger. You can't think about having any kind of relationship with him. It's better for you if he is gone. Right! It's just a matter of a few days until he finds who are the people behind this, and then he would be gone. My life would be back to normal and I'll forget everything. Nicole, you should be happy about it. I mentally counsel myself, saying that.

I look out of the window and see Christopher talking with two other men. I guess they are the guards Christopher was talking about earlier. Last night when he said that I have to move in here, I wasn't in a state to agree. But when I looked at the desperation in his eyes, I couldn't deny anymore. After all, he said that he would protect me. Hence I agreed to ditch my friend Becky and move in with a mysterious hot mobster. When did I turn so bitchy? Okay, guys, I advise you to never do that. Never ditch your friend for the sake of a sexy criminal. It can result in something extremely dangerous. I mean, who does that?

In the morning I got a call from Becky telling me that she was coming back. How does she always manage to have amazingly bad timing? First, she left me alone when Christopher came, and now when I have moved already under weird circumstances, she is back. Couldn't she have come a day before, I would have told her everything and would have even asked her for help? We would have figured out something together. But no, she just always has to leave me to deal with the devil alone.

For that reason, I had to give her a really lame-ass excuse, don't blame me, it's because of my oh so dumb brain I couldn't get a valid explanation. When she asked me what the fuck made me move out, I told her that a school friend of mine moved in here and she asked me to be her housemate for a few days till she settles here, as she is new here. I said that she needs some help with getting acquainted with everything. Great Nicole! that was one hell shitty excuse. Fuck it!

I know she wasn't convinced with my explanation, so she kept saying to me to come back. Guess what? I am a really bad liar. But finally, after persuading her a lot and ensuring her I would be back in a few days, she agreed to me. Then she asked me for my address and said that she wanted to meet me. I didn't expect that from her, so I had to come up with another excuse. I said that I am not feeling well today and also I have a lot of work to manage here. All this shit reasoning was just to avoid meeting her today.

I don't want her to see Christopher or his men here. It would be highly suspicious if she sees them. But she didn't listen to me again, after a lot of argument she agreed to me on one condition that I would have to meet her tomorrow, she said that she is going for an interview for a new job and she wants me to accompany her. I didn't ask her why she was applying for a new job. Maybe I'll ask her that tomorrow when I will meet her. I accepted and told her that she doesn't have to make efforts to come here, I'll be at my clinic so I'll get to her place. Luckily, she agreed to it with no more questioning.

After Becky, I had to deal with Sam. Sam called me too, checking on me after I abruptly left him and Emily in the middle. I apologized to him and told him that I was fine; He said that he would come to the clinic to meet me, but I told him that I didn't go to work today because I wasn't well. He got very concerned about my health, but I convinced him that there isn't anything to worry about. I told him I would be working tomorrow and said that we can meet then. I also told him to inform Emily that I was fine. It was a tough job making everyone believe that I was doing well, but at last, I was able to do it. Thank god!

I look around and see my bags of clothes kept on the bed. I didn't bring many things, only my clothes and some necessary supplies like cosmetics, toiletries, etc. Christopher showed me my room when we came here, this house looks similar to the one I was living earlier except this has a lighter shade of paint and of course bigger. Anyway, I don't mind because I am not going to live here forever.

I take a look at the room, suddenly I hear a knock on the door but before I can go and open it, I see it clicking open with Christopher coming in the room.

"Why did you knock when you were planning to come in anyway?" I snort at him.

"Just for courtesy' sake. I didn't want to be rude to a lady." I roll my eyes at his words.

"That's so gentlemanly of you," I say sarcastically.

"I just dropped hereby to tell you that I'll be going out. If you need anything, you can tell the guards, okay?" He says ignoring my statement.

I nod at him, and he makes his way back to the door. I want to ask him when he would return as this place is new to me and I don't know anyone here besides him, but then I don't want to sound like a clingy girlfriend. As if reading my mind, Christopher turns around and says.

"Try not to miss me much, I'll be back by the evening." he winks at me and leaves. Fucking piece of a narcissist!

After Christopher leaving the room, I get back to setting up my things. I have nothing else to do as I decided to take a leave today. Probably because of the lack of proper sleep yesterday, I didn't go to work. I place my clothes neatly in the cupboards and adjust everything in order. When I am done with everything I go downstairs to prepare something to eat.

When I get to the kitchen, I find it to be empty. What the fuck? Was Christopher expecting me to live here with no necessities? How am I supposed to make food? Then I remember what Christopher said to me before going. If I need anything I can tell the guards to get it. I think of considering that option, but then I realize I am not in a mood to have a conversation with anyone and especially with Christopher's men. They kind of creep me out.

So I decide to go back to my room. I know that I have a backup, I remember bringing a packet of chocolate chip cookies. I fish it out of my bag and stuff some immediately into my mouth. I moan in satisfaction as they melt in my mouth. They are so fucking tasty. With taking two more cookies, I jump onto the bed. Basically, I can't even keep myself engaged in cooking now, so the only thing that I can do is to compensate for my lack of sleep last night. Taking a brief nap wouldn't do any harm, right? Apart from that, I don't want to stress myself by thinking about my shitty life, so it's better to drown myself into a not-giving-a-shit-about-the-universe sleep.

I wake up feeling groggy. Sitting up on the bed I check my phone, to my surprise I see it's 5:30 in the evening. Holy crap! When did I sleep so much? I see that I have received a text from Sam. I ramble towards the door, still half asleep. Getting down, I go to the couch and make myself comfortable on it. This is so good! When I am about to send a reply to Sam, I hear the front door popping open. I turn around and see Christopher coming in. He eyes me suspiciously as his gaze shifts towards the phone in my hand.

"Who are you chatting with?" He instantly asks.

"Oh, It's Sam," I tell him. For a second I see his jaw tighten hearing Sam's name. He doesn't say anything as he looks at me with his intense eyes. What the fuck is wrong with him? Did I say something to offend him?

"How was your day?" I change the subject, trying to ease the tension.

"Just as usual." He says in an icy voice.

"You don't seem much enthusiastic about it. Didn't have a good day?" I ask.

"There isn't anything like a good day in our business." He says straightly removing his jacket.

"Did you eat?" He asks, turning towards me.

"For your kind information, the kitchen is unfortunately empty."

He looks in the kitchen's direction, and when he turns around, his features soften. "I am really sorry Nicole, I completely forgot about it. You should have asked the guards to get something for you. I have told you that." He says sounding a bit shameful.

"Never mind, I was thinking of ordering takeout, maybe a pizza. What do you say?" I smile at him.

"You can order whatever you want Nicole. I am fine with anything." Saying so he walks towards the stairs making way to his bedroom upstairs. His room is on the right to mine.

"I'll be back in a minute." With that, he vanishes from my view.

Having my phone still in my hand, I dial the number of the nearest restaurant. I order a large pizza with extra four-cheese dips. Oh, come on, who would order a pizza without extra cheese dips? I mean, it's mandatory, right? When I am done ordering I see Christopher already walking towards me. I see that he is wearing a white shirt, unlike the previous blue one he had when he came. He has changed into sweatpants. His hair looks damp, probably due to the shower he has taken. A few bangs falling over his forehead make him look sexier than ever. How is it that he always looks so good? Oh fuck! Did I even check myself after waking up? I regret not doing it when I see Christopher looking this breathtaking. A cocky smirk appears on his face as he catches me staring at me. I immediately turn my attention towards my phone, pretending to be not looking at him. He walks over and plops on the couch beside.

Seeing him sit here, I scoot myself to the farthest corner of the couch, avoiding to have any kind of contact with him. A look of amusement settles on his face as he watches my effort to do that. An awkward silence wraps around in the room, unknowingly making me feel uneasy. Fuck! I definitely need some distraction. I look around and see the remote on the center table. Thank goodness! I immediately grab it and switch on the TV. Maybe this would help us to get away with this awkwardness.

"We can watch a movie until the delivery boy comes," I tell without looking at Christopher. It sounds more like I am talking to myself.

I don't wait for him to approve as I switch through the channels to find something watchable. And then suddenly a particular movie catches my attention. Oh my god! It's Hachi: A dog's tale playing on HBO. I so fucking love that movie. I already feel like crying. I have watched it like a thousand times and I still can't keep my tears in check. It is so painfully beautiful. I know I would be crying like a kid again by the end of the movie.

Seeing that I finally settled for a movie Christopher asks me pointing towards the scream. "What's this?"

What? He doesn't know the movie Hachiko. How is that possible?

"Don't tell me that you haven't watched Hachiko. The story of a loyal dog who waited 9 years for his master after his unfortunate death, at the same station where he left him." I tell him, feeling a bit offended. What? Come on guys, you know how much I love animals.

"My job doesn't permit me to do shitty things such as watching movies on TV." He says in a bored tone.

How dare he? "Oh, so you are saying you don't get time from going around and killing people," I say crossing my arms over my chest, giving him a disgusted look.

"What makes you think that I go around killing people?" He asks in an amused tone, leaning back on the couch.

"Because you are a fucking criminal." I blurt. Opppssssss.

"Who said that I am a fucking criminal?" He turns his face more towards me and arches an eyebrow.

"I don't know about being a criminal, but if you are happy enough to give me a chance, I can prove the adjective you used for me right." His eyes gleaming with mischievousness.

What the heck! Did he just try to talk dirty with me? I look at his smug face in shock. "Urghh...you are so annoying. Stop asking me so many questions and let me watch the movie." I say dismissing whatever he said. Fuck! this is going to be so difficult.

I engage myself with the movie, trying to ignore the presence of Christopher by my side. Soon our pizza arrives too.

As I predicted earlier when the movie ends I am already a crying mess. I lean over the table and grab another slice of pizza. I stuff it in my mouth as tears continue to flow through my eyes like a waterfall.

"Do you realize you are gulping all the slices at once?" I hear Christopher asking.

"Can't you see I am truly devastated by how good this movie was?" I retort immediately.

"I never saw anyone as devastated as you gorge oneself like that." Amusement evidently laced in his tone.

"I tend to eat more when I am sad," I tell him, defending myself in between the hiccups.

I don't know when during my whole sobbing scene, Christopher got closer to me. I realize that now he is sitting right next to me with his arm almost brushing mine. A shiver runs through my body with his proximity, but that still doesn't help me from stop crying. The thing that he does next actually surprises me. He gently puts his arm around me and embraces me into a warm hug. I forget everything and lean forward. Wrapping my arms around his torso, I continue to cry like a baby. I don't know If I am crying because of the movie or it has been a follow up of everything that has happened with me last night.

After a moment, when I see his shirt stained with my tears, I realize what I was doing. Fuck! What the hell? Why did I hug him when I didn't want to have any kind of contact with him? This is so inappropriate. I quickly scramble away from him and wipe my tears. He looks at me with confusion, as if asking me what is wrong.

"Sorry, I guess I should go back to my room," I tell him hesitantly without meeting his gaze. What the fuck I was thinking when I decided to hug him back? I hurry to move out of the couch, trying to get away from Christopher. In a rush to get out, I don't realize when my shirt gets caught in the edge of the lamp that's kept beside the couch. But then, when it's on the verge of falling, I quickly grab it and place it back. But in the process, I find that the lamp edge has torn my shirt from the middle, exposing a little of my stomach. Fuck! How do I always manage to embarrass myself like this? My face literally burns with embarrassment.

Before I can comprehend anything, a strong hand wraps around my arm and spins me to face him. I awkwardly jerk and hit a hard chest. When I look up, I see a pair of grey eyes staring at me. I feel highly intimidated by his stare. His gaze wavers from my eyes to my lips and travels down, finally settling on my exposed stomach. I don't know, but at that moment I am so captivated by his intense eyes that I don't even make an effort to move away from him. He holds my waist gently by one hand as I watch him place his other hand over my stomach. I feel goosebumps erupting over the back of my neck with his touch.

What is he doing? His eyes flicker over my face before an evil smirk settles on his lips. In a swift motion, he rips apart the entire lower half of the shirt from the place where it is torn. I gasp in horror, watching his sudden action. His eyes never leave mine once while he does that. He then unbuttons the lowest button of my remaining shirt with his large hands and holding the two ends of it, he ties them into a knot just below my sternum, making it more like a crop top now. His hands gently brush against my breasts as he does that. I look at him with my open mouth. I feel like I am glued to the ground, unable to make a move with the intensity of his glare. I want to say something, but no words come out of my mouth. He then looks down at my completely exposed stomach, his eyes growing dangerously darker with an undeniable longingness.

He smirks at me and then leans forward slowly. I feel his hot breath fanning on my neck, his lips almost touching my ear as he whispers. "The shorter, the better."