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“I’m not so sure about that.” Beau stood and walked into my kitchen. “Care if I make a pot of coffee?”

“I guess not.” How long did he plan on staying here?

“Give me a minute, Carly. I need caffeine for the rest of this conversation.”

The rest? What more did he have to say?

Once Beau returned with his coffee and sipped it black, he sat beside me again. “I want you to think about this man you’ve seen. All three times. His height. Bone structure. The way he moves. His walk. Everything about his presence. Even his tone of voice.”

“Okay.”

I tried to picture the stranger on all three occasions. He had a leaner build than Beau, not nearly as bulky. Still, he had muscle on his body. About an inch or two shorter than Beau, too. I only heard him speak once, so no comparison there. I thought of his confident walk. The way he stood each time I met him. The menacing way he seemed to lean forward. Ready to hunt.

I shot to my feet. “No.”

“Carly.”

“It can’t be. It’s not possible.”

“I think it is,” Beau replied softly.

“It’s the same guy,” I replied. “All three times.” How the fuck did I miss that?

“Yes, I believe so. He’s become infatuated with you somehow.”

“I don’t understand. I’m not from this area. I’ve never been to New York.”

Beau shrugged. “He found you. I don’t know how or why. It doesn’t matter. The result is the same.”

The result? “What the hell does that mean?”

“You’re in danger. His motivation is unclear. But I think he wants you.”

“As a victim?” I gasped.

“Or a plaything.”

My hand flew to my chest as I started panicking. My vision tunneled. I couldn’t take deep enough breaths. Spots danced before my eyes. The air seemed to grow stiff and thin.

“Carly.”

I could see Beau standing in front of me, but he didn’t penetrate the thick fog of fear surrounding me. I was drowning in it. Nearly catatonic.

“Carly!”

My knees buckled.

“Carly.” Strong hands pulled me into a warm embrace. Heat surrounded me.

I was so fucking cold.

Someone tilted my chin up. Calloused palms held my face with reverence. Then masculine, soft lips pressed to my mouth. I think I moaned.

The contact seemed to shatter the weird hold over me. I gasped and broke the kiss, shoving away from Beau. He stared into my eyes with a flash of longing and desire. It disappeared so fast I wondered if I imagined it.

“Not sorry, babe. I had to bring you back. You panicked again.”

I didn’t tell him I preferred his second attempt to thwart my panic more than the first. “Uh, okay.”