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That deep, sexy voice.

Except…this isn’t him.

A crash of disappointment before a wave of euphoria hits me, as I’m reminded of how flawed I am for wanting the monster so desperately. The one who threatens. The one who kills.

His hands grip my waist and I sway into him, toppling over on my heels I clearly can’t handle wearing at the moment.

I look up and press my hand into his abdomen, petting him with my fingers as I stare daringly into his eyes. Just as I suspect, his abs are rock hard and his shirt is soft.

So soft…

His body is delicious.

“Yeah. So?” I breathe, the waves hitting me at full force now. The flickering lights make it seem like I’m in outer space. Even if I wanted to fear this man, I don’t think it’s physically possible right now.

His chest rises and falls as he takes in my sorry state. “You need water. Come with me.”

I yank my hand away. “I’m not going anywhere with you.”

Oh, the lies I tell myself. I’d follow this man into the depths of hell right now if he asked me to.

He grabs my hand softly, the calluses of his hand teasing my soft skin. His softness lasts for only a moment before I fall into his muscled body and all the memories come flashing back again.

His warmth and breath mingled with mine. The soft whispers. The deviant threats.

I run my hand through my hair.

Something tugs at my gut, my intuition spiking.

This isn’t him…

This is not the same man who snuck into my room at night. Nothing about him is familiar, other than the voice.

The voice…the same voice as when we were studying. Tears prick the backs of my eyes as confusion settles in.

He runs his thumb softly over my brow and leans into my ear so I can hear him. “I wasn’t asking, Summer.” The moment of intensity is over. I part my lips to say something, but I have no words as he pulls me into the crowd.

I stumble behind him as he effortlessly weaves through people, and they move out of his way as if he’s liquid. He keeps his grip firm on my hand as he pulls me through the hordes of masks and half-naked bodies dancing and grinding.

People bump into me from every angle, so he wraps his arm around my lower back and pulls me through, as if protecting me, keeping me close.

I clutch onto him as if he’s my saviour.

Everyone here is high, I realize. Just as messed up as I am following my stalker.

Except him. He doesn’t seem messed up at all. At least not with the help of any substance. He’s got that down all on his own.

He leads me to a bucket of ice near the side of the room and grabs a bottle of water, then leads me to another hallway. He corners me, presses me into the back of the room where I can’t see anyone and no one can see me. I’m pretty sure there is a couple fucking somewhere close to us. A girl moans over the music.

He moves in close, his lips teasing my ear. “Drink this,” he orders. “The whole thing.”

I glare at him but down the entire bottle, closing my eyes and enjoying the cool liquid in my throat. When I finish, I lean my head back against the wall, enjoying the reverberations of the music while he merely watches me through the darkness.

The tension between us is blistering hot. My heart rate jolts with every moment that passes, mirroring the beat of the music pounding around me.

I suck in a breath as he reaches out and plays with a lock of my white hair and moves his hands to my hip bone. His fingers are like fire as he runs his thumb over the bit of skin I have showing on my hip, and heat swells between my legs as I open them slightly for him. Like he is going to touch me down there.

He’s holding back. Not touching me the way I think he wants to.