Instead of responding, he gave a small smirk and stared.
His hair, the color a rich mahogany with golden highlights shining under the sun, had been shaved above the ears and fell over one side of his face, pulling my attention to the skin around his left eye.
A delicate, silver tattoo of loops and swirls curved around the outside slash of his dark eyebrow, the design dipping to a stop underneath the corner.
I swallowed a nervous laugh. His uncanny stare gave me the distinct feeling he could see into my soul. A sudden urge pushed me to escape. Quickly.
“Well, thanks for the save.” I shrugged and turned on my heel, stepping away.
“I didn’tsaveyou,” he hissed, his smooth voice low and dangerous. “I just didn’t want to be knocked over. You should pay attention to where you’re going.”
What a jerk.
“Sorry for the inconvenience.” Giving him a frown from over my shoulder, I continued marching toward the campus library. “Guessyoushouldn’t walk so close to exits.”Jackass.It took a herculean effort to keep that last word in my head.
“Defiance. The first step to true freedom.”
His voice didn’t recede. In fact, it moved closer, so I quickened my pace. Sexual assaults on campus happened all the time. Even though it was the afternoon and students milled about the parking lot and sidewalks, I’d be a fool to let down my guard.
“Phoebe.”
That one word slithered from his lips and stopped me in my tracks.
With a quick pivot, I met his stare head on, unable to close my mouth.
His face was a mask of calm, but a muscle in his jaw twitched and jumped.
“How do you know my name?” Somehow, him knowing who I was ramped up my internal stalker alarm. I narrowed my eyelids and crossed my arms over my chest, discreetly snaking a hand into my purse’s side pocket where I kept a small canister of mace.
Only twenty feet behind me, the library beckoned with its safe interior.
“I-I’ve seen you around.” He dipped his chin, and his lips curved into a half-grin, the movement giving his somber face the hint of a boyish twinkle. “I’m Cain.” He darted a glance to the building then lowered his head as a couple passed, his longer bangs sweeping across his face and hiding it from view.
Running his name through my mind, I didn’t recognize him from any of my classes. Cain wasn’t a common name around here, so I was pretty sure I’d have remembered meeting him. I let my eyes wander over his face again.He’s quite stunning in a peculiar way.
Something about him seemed strange, off-balance.
I don’t know if it was the way he carried himself, full of quiet confidence, or the mild accent, but he exuded intensity and discipline.
My senses heightened, stiffening my muscles for fight-or-flight.
“Did you need something?” Glancing at my phone, I hoped he’d get the hint. “Because I’m going to be late for work.”
He sidled closer, leaving a few inches between our bodies.
I squeezed the small metal mace container and held my breath, my gaze roaming his face. He kept his shoulders loose, and a tiny grin shifted a corner of his mouth upward. He had a harsh beauty to his cheekbones, and the rest of his face, lean and chiseled with hard angles, wasn’t quite what most women would call handsome, yet the more I stared at it, the more intrigued I became with the ruggedness.
Focus, Phoebe.
Dropping his eyelids, he tilted his head and pursed his lips, clucking his tongue. “That’s not the question circling in your mind since we met.”
I frowned.Question?Oh, I’d asked him if he needed something.I debated whether I should answer or spray him in the face and run. Normally, my instincts were sharp, but at that moment, they were just as confused as my brain. I didn’t know whether I wanted to move away or step closer.
He smelled of dark cologne, clean sheets, and seduction. Desire heated my blood and settled in my belly, its pull alluring and dangerous.
His uncanny glance, like a circling predator caging prey to study its reaction, squashed my desire and adrenaline pulsed within.
His pupils dilated, the contrast of dark and light mesmerizing yet startling. For some strange reason, I was sure if I stared too long, I’d get lost in such a gaze. And wasn’t that how some predators trapped their victims?
