The Man Who Claimed Me

Chapter One

Lana knew going home with a stranger after three glasses of champagne was a terrible idea but she still did. She blamed the alcohol. Normally, she was more reserved than this but tonight was different. Maybe it was the champagne, maybe it was the loneliness that had been eating away at her for weeks or maybe it was him.

He hadn't even told her his name, yet she had willingly walked out of the bar behind him without asking a single question. All he had said was that he didn't want to spend the night alone. Surprisingly, neither did she. She just wanted to forget everything waiting for her outside those apartment doors, even if it was only for one night.

Lately, life had been falling apart faster than she could put it back together. Her father’s constant control, the pressure and… the stalker.

It had started with anonymous flowers. Then came the gifts, the texts and the feeling that someone was always watching her. The police had brushed it off. Her father had doubled her security for exactly three days before deciding she was overreacting.

So tonight, she decided she was done thinking about all her problems. One reckless night couldn’t possibly make things any worse.

Could it?

The stranger unlocked the apartment door before pushing it open. “Ladies first.” His calm voice called.

Lana looked at him for a second before stepping inside. She couldn’t hide how nervous she was. The apartment was quiet and minimal. Definitely not what she expected from a man that looked like the stranger.

She slipped off her heels with a relieved sigh. “You know my name but I don’t know yours. Don’t you think I should probably know before I embarrass myself.”

The stranger locked the door behind them and turned towards her. He was insanely beautiful, his dark dilated pupils, his lips, his face. Everything about him screamed dangerous.

“Nicholas.” He finally called after the long silence

Lana smiled. She took a seat by the coach close by while Nicholas unbuttoned his dress shirt. The reality of what she was doing suddenly hit her. She was alone inside a complete stranger’s apartment with a man she had met less than an hour ago. Lana slowly looked back toward the front door. It was locked. For a brief second, she wondered if she should run.

Nicholas noticed. “If you’re having second thoughts,” he said calmly, “the door’s right there.”

She looked at him. “You’d just let me leave?”

He gave a small shrug. “I said I wanted company. Not a hostage.”

Something about that answer eased the knot in her chest a little. Nicholas loosened the last button of his shirt before pulling it off and tossing it over the back of a chair. Lana’s eyes widened. Holy… She quickly looked away. Maybe she had underestimated just how attractive he actually was.

His shoulders were broad. His chest looked like it had been carved from stone, and the black tattoo stretching across his left arm disappeared beneath the waistband of his trousers. He looked dangerous.

“You keep staring.”

“I wasn’t. I was judging your tattoo.”

A corner of his mouth lifted. “Liar.”

Heat crawled into Lana’s cheeks. Great. Five minutes in and she had already embarrassed herself. Nicholas walked past her without another word and disappeared toward the staircase. He stopped halfway up.

“Coming?”

Lana blinked. “Upstairs?”

“That’s usually where bedrooms are.”

She swallowed. Obviously. Her heart started racing again. This was actually happening. She climbed the stairs after him, each step making her question her sanity a little more.

The upstairs was as neat as the rest of the apartment with a king sized bed sitting in the center. Lana remained near the doorway.

Nicholas turned to face her. “You look terrified.”

“I’m thinking.”

“About?”

“Whether I should call an Uber.”

He nodded. “Fair.”

Silence settled between them. Finally, Nicholas walked to the dresser and pulled out an oversized black T-shirt. He tossed it toward her and Lana caught it against her chest. “You can change if you’re uncomfortable.”

Lana stared at the shirt. “Aren’t you moving a little… slowly?”

He frowned. “What?”

“I thought one night stands usually skipped this part.”

Nicholas actually laughed and it was the first genuine emotion she had seen from him all night. “I told you,” he said. “I wanted company.”

“And if I don’t…” His eyes met hers. “…want anything else?”

“Then we sleep.”

Lana didn’t know why that surprised her so much. Maybe because every man she had met recently seemed to want something or sex from her. But Nicholas… he simply sat on the edge of the bed, picked up his phone, and started replying to his messages as though she wasn’t standing there questioning every life decision she had made.

Lana looked down at the oversized shirt in her hands. “Can I take a shower before putting them on?”

“Of course,” Nicholas answered. “Bathroom’s through that door. Use whatever you need.”

Lana nodded. “Thanks.”

She hurried into the bathroom and instinctively locked the door behind her. The room caught her off guard. Everything was spotless. Was there anything about Nicholas that didn’t surprise her? She turned on the shower and stepped beneath the scalding water.

When she finally turned the faucet off, another problem presented itself. Nicholas had only given her a shirt. Lana stared at it for a long moment before letting out a quiet sigh. Was she supposed to put her panties back on?

She decided against it. The shirt was long enough anyway. She pulled it over her head until it rested halfway down her thighs. Although, it swallowed her whole. Her fingers absentmindedly brushed the soft fabric before she lifted the collar to her nose. It smelled warm and comforting. Without realizing it, she inhaled again, then immediately froze. It was embarrassing.

She quickly dropped the collar, ruffled her damp hair with her fingers and looked at herself in the mirror one last time. She wasn’t perfect but she was presentable enough.

Taking one last breath, she unlocked the bathroom door and stepped out. Nicholas had changed. He was now putting on a pair of gray sweatpants that hung low on his waist, and a plain T-shirt. His hair was still damp.

He must have showered too. Nicholas looked up at her as she made her way out. His fingers paused halfway through pulling the blanket over himself. The oversized shirt on Lana hid almost everything, yet somehow it made her look even more tempting. Her damp hair rested over one shoulder, tiny droplets of water still clinging to her bare legs. She was dangerously beautiful and Nicholas found himself staring longer than he should before finally snapping out of it.

“Get on.” He tapped the space beside him.