He went on to trace my bottom lip, rubbing the pad of his finger against it. I held my breath as his thumb lightly pressed the side of my mouth, dragging down my bottom lip so that my mouth opened a little. He was touching me softly, teasingly, deliberately, and I’d never realized just how sensitive lips were.
I started panting.
I saw the struggle in his eyes before he closed them, as if he needed a moment to gather himself. When he opened them again, they were a little calmer. “I’m sorry,” he murmured. “I just can’t help it.”
Like a cat, he jumped up in one smooth move and pulled me up with him. I blinked, needing a few moments to recover, but he was already opening the door and guiding me inside.
We stopped in front of my bedroom. He turned me to face him, holding my hand in both of his, slowly rubbing my palm. I didn’t think he was even aware of the action. His eyes were looking at our joined hands, a small frown creasing his brows.
I waited for him to speak. After a moment, he said, “I have to say good night right here.”
I studied his face, puzzled. His gaze was intense and troubled.
“You don’t know how much I want to go in there with you.”
My heart skipped a beat.
He looked down, shook his head, and looked back up at me again. “Thank you for a lovely night.” He leaned closer to me, our noses touching. “Sweet dreams.”
Then he walked away.
* * *
The soft glow of the lamplight greeted me as I woke up. I never turned the lights off when I slept. Something bad always happened when I did.
So Caleb was right when he said I slept with the lights on. But how did he know that? I locked my bedroom door every night. It was habit. He couldn’t have come in while I was asleep. Unless he had a key.
Of course he had a key, I thought, mentally duh-ing myself.
But I was a very light sleeper, and I was positive I would have heard the door open if Caleb had decided to come in. Then again, if he’d passed my room, he would have seen the light from under my door.
I squinted to check the time—3:00 a.m. I groaned. I hated 3:00 a.m. It was the time when bad things happened—at least in my experience. But I was feeling really th
irsty and had to drink some water.
I was exhausted and dehydrated from drinking with Kara and Beth the other night, and then going out on that incredible date with Caleb. I was surprised I could still walk.
My eyes were still half closed as I padded to the kitchen. I groped for the lights, but I couldn’t find them.
What the hell?
Still half asleep, I decided to abandon the search for the switch. Opening the fridge, I grabbed Caleb’s carton of orange juice and moved it to its designated bottom shelf. I chuckled, thinking of how much orange juice he drank as I fished out a can of coconut water.
I popped open the top, the sound piercing the silence of the room. It woke me up a little, enough to make my senses adjust to the dark.
There was something in the shadows…watching me.
I narrowed my eyes, trying to make out if anything or anyone was hiding in the darkness.
There was nothing. My mind was clearly playing tricks on me. I turned back to the fridge, intending to close it, and then I heard the sound behind me.
The hair on my arms stood up as fear rushed through my veins, numbing my limbs. The can fell from my hand, and the sound of it hitting the floor broke the maddening silence. It was like the sharp crack of a whip, waking me from my frozen state.
I ran. Ran as fast as I could, but everything was cloaked in darkness and I could barely see anything in front of me.
I could feel the figure’s hate, creeping in the air to smother me. It wanted my pain. It was chasing me now, enjoying the hunt. Its quiet chuckle was pure evil.
I cried out in alarm as I tripped, my palms flattening with my weight as I made contact with the cold floor.