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He scooped her into his arms. “Who said anything about sleeping? I’m going to fuck you until you stop saying that you want me to leave.” His mouth took hers. His tongue thrust inside. He would never get enough of her taste. “And you beg me to stay,” he rasped against her lips.

He found the nearest bedroom. Lowered her onto the bed. Stripped her completely.

And soon she was begging him… Not to stay, but for him to go harder. To take more.

And he took everything.

Chapter Nineteen

Kimber Lang’s heels click-click-clicked down the hallway as she made her way to the administration building’s exit. She shouldn’t have been there so late. Not the plan. She actually hated to stay late. One of her least favorite things to do in the world. Nights were for fun. For bars. For parties. For curling up in her jammies and watching True Crime shows.

Nights were not meant for hours hunched at a computer. But she’d needed to stop by and access just a little bit more data from her office computer so…duty had called.

Lights blazed inside the building. The nightshift security guard would be patrolling the floors, just like Harvey always did.

She’d locked her office door moments before, and her right hand balled tightly around her keys. A year ago, she’d taken a women’s self-defense class, and the instructor had taught her how to hold the keys. You needed to make a fist to shove the sharp edges of the keys between your fisted fingers. The exposed keys turned into a weapon, sort of like having claws come out. And if any attacker came at you, you punched out with your claws. Uh, keys.

As she hurried through the cavernous building and her heels clicked, Kimber made sure to keep her keys at the ready. Not that she actually thought anyone would jump out at her but…

But I’m sure Shelby Carter never thought she’d wake up to find all of her friends murdered, either.

Sometimes, danger just came calling. You had to be ready for it.

Shelby hadn’t remembered her. That much was obvious. There had been no recognition on Shelby’s face when they’d interacted at the DeSoto Dormitory. Not really surprising, though. Shelby had been a senior, and she’d been a freshman when they’d met years ago. Kimber had been a new member of the sorority who was just thrilled to be there. Not like she and Shelby had ever talked or gotten particularly close but…

Margot had been a different story. Margot had been chatty. Margot had actually loved ordering the new girls around. Getting them to run errands for her. Teasing them…

Hazing them.

Her steps quickened. She’d reached the stairs. No sign of Harvey so far. Maybe he was at his desk on the first floor.

She—

The lights behind her shut off.

Kimber whirled.

All of the lights in the hallway behind her had just shut off and that was…weird. Unsettling.

A little shiver chased down Kimber’s spine. She swallowed, and her hold tightened on the keys. “Hello?”

Nothing.

Maybe the lights had gone out due to some kind of electrical problem? At least the lights in the stairwell were still working. She flipped back around and began to descend the stairs. She could see the lights on the first floor below her. So just the second story had gone dark and⁠—

The lights in the stairwell and on the first floor turned off. She missed the next step and her high heel slipped. The stupid heel missed the stair, and Kimber felt herself tumbling forward. “No!” Her scream, but…

There was no stopping the fall. Down, down, down, she went. A stair hit her shoulder. Another her calf. Her stomach. She twisted and turned and heaved and finally landed at the base of the stairs.

Her keys were gone. No longer clutched in her hand. She sprawled there, breath coming in and out. In and out.

No lights were on. Not in the stairway. Not on the first floor. Not anywhere. “H-help!” Kimber cried.

Harvey should be close by. He should hear her. Where in the hell was Harvey when she needed him?

“Help!” Louder.

No response.