This is a shit-show.
All I can do is put one foot in front of the other. Left, then right, left, then right. My breathing is ragged and my side stings.
Recognition pricks at my awareness. The feeling of eyes watching me creeps up my spine. I slow down, focusing on that feeling. Shivers skitter across my shoulder. Someone is definitely following me.
Slowly, I turn. There’s no one. No one’s behind me, only the endless expanse of the dark empty road. Well, nearly empty. A dark car sits a few blocks back. The bright headlights distort any view I might have of the driver. But I swear I can feel them watching me.
Spinning back around, I begin to run again. I move slower this time, acutely aware of the creeping sensation of being chased, like a fawn in the forest. I keep my pace steady and even.
And when I turn, I notice that the car has inched forward. They’re following me. Glowing red eyes and sinister notes spring into my mind.
No one knows I’m out here. I didn’t even bring my phone. I’m alone, vulnerable, perfect prey.
My heart skyrockets in my chest. My feet move without me even realizing. I take off as fast as I can run. My arms and legs pump ferociously as I sprint. Behind me, the roar of an engine tells me that my predator has also taken off. My feet barely hit the pavement as I scamper down the street, desperate to get back toward my house. The rumbling engine gets louder and louder as it gets closer and closer. My pulse thunders as I try to flee.
But it’s no use.
“Ali!” a deep voice calls out as the muscle car pulls up next to me.
I shriek and run into the empty lot to my right.
“Ali! It’s just me!” he screams again.
Like a fucking fool, I stop and look over my shoulder. The car is idling in the street next to the sidewalk. It’s a black, two-door Dodge. The paint is so shiny and dark that it reflects the soft glow of the fading streetlights. The car screams aggression and speed. Despite my fear, I find myself admiring the masculine energy radiating off the sleek body of the car.
And then there’s the driver. Gabriel leans across the center console, his tattooed, muscular arms on full display. They are corded with thick veins that bulge beneath the sea of dark ink. He rolled down the passenger window to call out to me. The car suits him—mysterious and masculine.
“Did I scare you, pretty girl?” he asks with a smug smirk that tells me he knows exactly what he did.
With a huff, I walk back toward the purring vehicle. “Why are you following me, Gabriel?”
He laughs, throwing his head back and exposing his bobbing Adam’s apple. His laugh is dark and deep and has my core clenching.
What is it about this man that’s so irresistible?
“I was not following you,” he says between chuckles. “I was leaving my friend’s house and just happened to see you running. Alone. In the dark.” He cocks an eyebrow at me, leveling me with a serious stare. “It’s not safe out here for a beautiful girl like you. There’s plenty of demons lurking in the shadows, Ali. Don’t want one to set his sights on you.”
Glowing red eyes flash across my mind again. Gabriel is right—it’s dangerous out here alone.
“Let me drive you home.”
It’s not a question. And I’m not interested in declining.
He pushes the passenger open and I swiftly slide into the front seat. The dark leather is soft and luxurious. His scent, pine and smoke, fills the car. I relax into the comfort of his smell, his presence, his safety. My earlier guilt is completely forgotten as I realize he’s just here to look after me, to make sure I get home safely. It’ll be a five minute drive back to my house. I can keep my hands to myself and behave for five minutes around him. Right?
Just as I’m convincing myself I will survive this ride without issue, he reaches across me. His hand skims my skin and his warm breath lands on my face. I squirm in my seat but he has me caged in.
“What the fuck are you doing?”
He chuckles before pulling the seatbelt down from above my shoulder. “Safety first, Princess.”
“I can do it myself,” I snark as I shove him away and grab the seatbelt from his hand. When our hands touch, a spark of electricity shoots through me.
Maybe this was a terrible idea.
Gabriel chuckles before sitting back. I click the seatbelt into place and sit stiffly in my seat.
“I live just a few blocks away,” I tell him stiffly. “Over onHudson. If you just—”
