“You already know my name.”
* * *
“I can drive myself home,” I insisted, twenty minutes later, staring at Nicolas in alarm. He had walked me to my car andwas now holding out his hand, eyebrows raised—demanding my keys.
“Absolutely not,” Nicolas said flatly, his lips pursed into an even, disapproving line. “You can barely keep your eyes open. It’s a small wonder you haven’t been involved in an accident before now. I will drive you home.”
“You could be a crazy person. Or a murderer,” I protested. “I’m not giving you my car keys.”
“If you were in any danger from me, I wouldn’t be asking you so nicely,” Nicolas said, seeming more bemused by my words than he had any right to be. “I would just take what I wanted. As you’ve already done.”
His gaze drifted to my lips, which felt swollen and thoroughly kissed. His meaning was impossible to mistake.
Naturally, my traitorous body chose that moment to yawn.
Exhaustion swept through me, making reality seem oddly dreamlike and distant—even though I should have been hyperaware of him, this strange man I had just made out with who was now insisting I hand him my keys and get into a car with him.
“I’ll call a taxi,” I said, bracing my hand against the hood of the car so I wouldn’t sway on my feet. I avoided his gaze. “Or use a rideshare app.”
“You’d rather get into a car with a stranger?” Nicolas demanded. “Explain to me how that makes sense.”
“You are a stranger.”
He snorted. “Yes, but I have a vested interest in your welfare.” Then he paused, seeming almost startled at his own words again. He frowned, speaking as if to himself, and added, “Hmmm. That’s true, isn’t it? How very odd.”
“Yeah,” I said with a sharp nod, unable to peel my gaze away from his. “It’s pretty weird.”
“I have no wish to harm you, Dr. De La Cruz.” His pale blue eyes locked with mine, and I knew he meant every word. “I wish only to see you to safety.”
“Holy shit, I can’t believe I’m doing this,” I muttered. But I couldn’t muster the appropriate sense of danger. It made zero sense, but I felt as though I knew him—as though I had been waiting for him my entire life.
I held my keys out and dropped them into his palm.
“Excellent choice, Doctor,” he said, nodding approvingly. “I will see you home safely. You have my word.”
All the tension drained out of me, and I couldn’t help but instinctively believe him. It wasn’t rational, but reality had already taken a hard left turn. The only thing to do now was to go with it.
I made my way to the passenger-side door and pulled it open. Then I got into the car and fastened my seat belt. Nicolasdid the same, but with a dark chuckle that made zero sense. He put the car in motion and began driving.
I stared at him, suddenly feeling more alert. “You’ve been following me.”
Nicolas frowned, glancing over at me quickly, as if to assess my reaction. “Yes.”
I let out a long breath, feeling—insanely—more curious than alarmed. “Why?”
“You knew my real name,” he said, keeping his attention focused on navigating us out of the parking garage. “You recognized me, but I didn’t recognize you. I thought you were dangerous.”
“That can’t be true, can it?” I demanded, shaking my head. “Stuff like this doesn’t happen.”
He snorted. “And yet, here we are.”
“I’m having a hard time wrapping my head around this.”
“You and me both. I’m assuming you’re some kind of psychic.” He paused, frowning at me. “You’ve been dreaming of me for years.”
Alarm flooded through me. How could he possibly know that?
Unless…
