I woke up in Jericho's arms with a heavy bladder. I frown and just as I am about to get up to go to the bathroom Jericho tightens his grip around me and says, "Don't leave me, I love you." My heart stopped for a second then it started beating so fast I thought I was having a heart attack. My gaze shot up to his face. He was in a deep sleep.

"Jericho," I whispered. He didn't budge. I swallowed hard. What am I to make of that? Love? We barely even know each other. Was someone like him even capable of love? "Oh God." I didn't bother whispering. I removed his arms from around my frame and darted off the bed. Jericho woke up then.

"What happened?" he asked sitting up in my bed, rubbing his hands down his face.

"Something I'm pretty sure you're gonna regret," I shared pacing my bedroom floor back and forth. I take a look at him and sigh. Even in the mornings he looked good. Hair a mess and shirtless revealing his chiseled arms and chest and those rock hard abs. Some scratches were on his shoulders and back, courtesy of me. Then the memory of what we did last night after we ate salad bombarded me.

"Oh, you mean when I told you 'I love you'." That right there broke my train of thought. Jericho was looking at me strangely. He said those words so casually as if it wasn't a big deal. "I'm crazy about you. Will you marry me? You just never know I could drop dead tomorrow." His eyes grew intense and I knew without a doubt he was serious.

I fainted...

****************************

"Marry you?! Are you out of your mind?!" I shouted as Jericho and I paced my living room.

"Well... Yeah, sort of," he answered.

"We barely now each other!"

"I know everything about you," Jericho mumbled. He wasn't looking at me as those words passed his lips. As a matter of fact he looked as if he was spaced out for a moment. A thought instantly crossed my mind...

"Have you been stalking me?!" With him you just never know. He was gazing at me now, expression unreadable, vibrant crystal-grey eyes measuring.

"Yes," Jericho answered, warily, after a moment of silence. "I have for the past year. I fell in love with you long before we even "officially" met." Those words hung in the air and I didn't know rather to be flattered or just creeped out...

I furrowed my brows. "Jericho, why would you reveal your identity to me? That was very risky don't you think."

He went silent for a moment. "Relationships don't thrive on secrets, Mona. Secrets are like cancer it slowly kills the relationship. Yes, I could have pursued you without you knowing what I really was, but I wanted you to accept me for what and who I am. Yes, I took a huge risk on you. Now, I'm asking you to do the same for me. Take a risk on me, Mona." This was happening way too fast. Falling hard and fast for him was not a part of the plan. Jericho was standing before me now. He grabbed my hand and placed it over his heart. "When I first saw you I knew off-hand you were something special. I would be stupid to allow someone like you to slip away and let some other prick take you."

Sometimes, it's hard to believe this man was "Death Trap", a serial killer. I was in love with a psychopath. So what does that make me...? Why did the most perfect guy for me have to come in a psychotic package? This was unfair. I pulled into the parking lot at work and let out a great big sigh, turning off the engine of my car. After a week of dating I already had a marriage proposal. This was crazy. I burst out laughing. Within just one week I had fallen in love with a serial killer. Maybe I needed to get evaluated to see if I was psychotic. The sad thing about it is I was actually considering his proposal. 'Seize the moment, you just never know today could be your last here on earth' daddy use to say all the time when I would procrastinate about something I wanted to do. I know there's no happy ending with him, but I wanted a happy present. I got out of the car, frowning, ready to distract myself with work.

"Mona Simmons," a soft voice called. I spun around to see a pretty blonde with huge sunglasses adorning her face. It actually wasn't an uncommon thing for strangers to approach me on the streets. I'm a reporter after all. People approached me with stories they wanted to be investigated all the time.

"May I ask who you are," I replied. She bites her lower lip, debating something.

"You don't know me-

"I don't suspect I do."

"I'm Carla. Do you know Jericho?"

I narrowed my eyes. "May I ask why?"

"As long as you don't tell him I have approached you."

I didn't acknowledge I knew him by replying. She gazed around quickly making sure we weren't being watched. "I'm his brother's widow." My curiosity peaked. "If you want to know more give me a call and we could talk." She handed me her number. When I grabbed a hold of the paper she held onto it for a moment. "Please, Ms. Simmons, don't tell him I approached you." A single tear ran down her cheek, but she quickly wiped it away, turned on her heel and left. I watched the woman's retreating back.

What the hell am I in for?