laves. You know, ensuring that we're all well-versed in pander to your impossible standards. Or maybe give a welcom

self from throwing me out the nearest window. He shook his should

his

rt of stare that held you fa

His voice was calm. Too calm. The kind of c

inctively s

pped f

r of his voice dropping an octave, the weight of it pressing against me lik

eaded, but clearly he needed to

ening as the words left my

e he was about to make a joke. No, this was not j

rmured. "You'

my spine, but I wouldn't let him know it. Instead, I squared my should

ext moment h

asn't aggressive. Bu

t pounding, until my back

e left

ose that the heat of him was suffocating. He didn't touch me. He didn't have

tempest of something nefarious, something dangerous. The kin

nged with something much, much darker. "I don't expect you to obey from kindn

unmistakable. It snaked around my body, heavy a

and I could barely breathe,

ne dropping to nearly conspiratorial.

into my palms, working to breathe.

erating in the small space between us. "Call

reservation stepped in just in time, whispering really loudly and very clearly a bad idea. Sure, that was n

anded me in more trouble than I needed. "Well," I sai

htly, like a predator contemplating whether

s when I

rdly concealed warning, there was something else. A flicker of light just

. curious. And if I didn't know better,

as one thing I knew about men like him, it w

ad, he backed off, creating just enough distance to allow me to breathe normally again-not that i

yrus reflected, "and you co

positive 'interesting' is co

"So you do get yo

something suitably stinging, but before I

harp gaze darting between us until it final

y but not so far that he broke his pos

ssed his arms and his face was u

gering a moment too long before he

nything. Don't wander. And for the sake

gly. "Aye, aye,

me one last look, too much like a prom

pressed my back against the wall

e

was