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One side of his lips tilts and he comes toward me. I force myself to stay rooted in place this time.
“I thought it was obvious, but I guess you’re not that bright. I want to know why the hell you’ve gone to so much trouble to hide who you are,Abigail.” Goosebumps break out over my skin when he says my name that way, and I want to ask him to stop, but I don’t. I don’t say anything as he closes the distance between us so that the opening of his suit jacket grazes my chest, and I have to lean my head back to keep eye contact. “Is it because you don’t want me to know who you are, or is it someone else you’re hiding from?”
I say nothing. My throat is closed up, and my heart beats out of my chest. That woody cologne gathers around me until I nearly suffocate. I can’t breathe around this man, let alone think about a lie to give him.
What if he figures out the truth? Would he give me up, just to spite me?
“I—” I clear my throat and suck in a breath, more of Colter’s scent fogging my mind. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.” That’s the best I can manage, and I pray it’s enough. Pray that he’ll give up on this and leave, even if it means he’ll be back later. Maybe Zeke and I won’t wait until spring break to leave after all.
“Of course you don’t,” Colter says, his eyes dipping from my face to my chest. His hands, boxing me in, move to rest against my sides. I lean back farther on the counter as if that will help me get away from him. His fingertips graze underneath my top, and the skin at my sides burns from it.
I suddenly feel like I can’t breathe again, but this time I don’t think it’s from his overpowering presence. It’s the tension that fills the kitchen.
“You’re freezing up again.”
I take in a breath and focus on Colter’s gaze, realizing he’s now looking me in the eye again. The look he gives me is similar to the one from the other night. The one that gave away the kind of man he is, the depravity that lies beneath. If I hadn’t seen it before, I’d question whether he wanted to fuck me or kill me.
And yet, I slept with him anyway.
There’s an unmistakable curiosity to his expression as well. His brow is furrowed, and his lips are pulled in a thin line. I stare at his lips for what feels like too long before I return to his eyes.
“Don’t you have something better to do…” I swallow and stand up straighter, forcing myself closer to him, too close for my liking. “... than breaking into my apartment looking for who the hell knows what.”
“Bothered by having your privacy invaded? I can understand the sentiment.”
“Bothered byyou,Colter. You and your obsession with thinking I’m some sort of spy. I don’t even know you, let alone care about anything having to do with you. Seriously,” I push against his chest to no avail. “Leave me the fuck alone.”
I brace for violence, rage, something to show me I’m nothing to him. That I’m nothing toanyone. Standing up to a powerful man is a lesson in futility I learned a long time ago. It’s better to run from them than expect them not to take a cheap shot. My spine shivers at the memories that flow through my brain, but I do my best to tighten my muscles so it doesn’t show. With the way Colter’s eyes move to the slight tremble in my shoulders, I don’t think it works.
Colter’s hands move from my sides, and I stiffen. Here it comes.
He pushes himself back from the counter and stands a foot in front of me, casually placing his hands in his pockets as if the tension in the room isn’t here. As if everything he does isn’t a silent threat to me.
I lock my stare on his eyes and wait, my guard not going down.
“There are people counting on my election, people who care about it a hell of a lot more than me. People who wouldn’t think twice about getting rid of someone standing in the way.” Despite his casual stance, his tone is serious. Almost worried even. “Don’t be stupid for long. I’m not the worst person you could be dealing with. If you have anything to tell me, you know where I live.”
His eyes run up and down me, but instead of hungry, they’re unreadable. He meets my gaze again and frowns. Then he walks away, his large frame disappearing through the kitchen entryway. The sound of the deadbolt turning and the door opening and closing comes a few moments later.
I unclench fists I didn’t realize I’d been clenching and raise my shaking hands up to my face. The knots in my stomach twist tight, and I bite my lip through the pain. I glance around the kitchen while a million things run through my mind. Where will we go now? How much time do we have? Will they look for us, or will they find out that I’m no threat to them before they even try? I don’t know, but it’s clear I don’t have a lot of time to wait and find out.
We aren’t safe here.
