When I turn around, Devon is right there.
Too close.
“Maybe you should care,” he says softly, tilting his head. He lifts a strand of my hair and winds it around his fingers, his eyes never leaving my face. “I’ve been watching you. All night. Before that even, when you were with Brandon. You’re a very pretty girl.”
I swat his hand away, anger flaring. “Back off. I’m not interested.”
“But I am.Veryinterested.” He moves into my space, and I take a step back.
Earlier, Beck made my heart race with want.
Now it’s something else entirely.
Fear.
Every instinct in my body screams.
Devon matches my retreat, his eyes sliding over me in open appraisal. “Brandon talked about you,” he says. “Said you’re a firecracker in bed.”
My hands curl into fists. “Yeah? Well, he’s an asshole. There’s a reason I’m not with him anymore.”
“You’re right. He’s trash,” Devon says lightly. “Doesn’t mean he was lying.”
His hand brushes my cheek. Slow. Lingering. I jerk back in revulsion.
He sees my disgust and smiles. Dimple flashing. Cold. Practiced. The look of someone who’s done this before. Who knows how to use charm to take what he wants.
“I should probably check for myself,” he continues. “Don’t you think?”
His hand clamps around my upper arm. Hard enough to hurt.
“Stop.” I twist, trying to pull free. “Let go.”
“Mmm.” He leans forward and murmurs in my ear, “I don’t think I will.”
Panic spikes as he grabs my other arm, holding me still while his nose trails down my cheek. “I want a taste. See how sweet you really are.”
“Fuck off,” I hiss, clawing at his hands. Desperate. Trapped.
Devon only smiles, tightening his grip. “Easy,” he murmurs. “You don’t want to make a fuss.”
The alley door slams open.
“What the hell are you doing?” Beck’s voice slices through the dark, sharp as a blade.
Devon stiffens, but he doesn’t let go.
My head swings toward Beck as he steps into the alley. His eyes take everything in at once—Devon’s hands on my arms, my body pinned, my face white with terror.
Something in Beck snaps.
He doesn’t shout again. He doesn’t warn.
He charges.
Devon barely has time to turn before Beck slams into him, all shoulder and momentum, driving him back into the brick wall with a bone-jarring crack. Devon curses, stunned, but he recovers fast, shoving Beck hard in the chest.
“Get the fuck off me—”
