Page 57 of The Torment of Two

“Yeah, uh, that. But also the text from this morning.”

He jerks to a stop and comes to stand right in front of me. “What text?”

I pull my phone out and show it to him. His jaw clenches and his gray eyes gleam with anger.

“It’s that cop. It has to be.”

“Sloane says it’s normal to patrol up there. I think the stalker was just following me and saw the cop with us.”

He tears his gaze from mine to scan the parking lot. When he doesn’t see an immediate threat, his eyes are back on mine. I’m pulled into his arms for a tight, quick hug that does wonders to soothe my erratically beating heart.

“We need to be more aware of our surroundings,” he murmurs, kissing my head. “This guy’s gotten the upper hand too many times. If I ever catch him, I’ll…” He trails off, letting his warning hang in the air.

“You’ll bore him to death talking about the original flooring of an entertainment hall built in the early nineteen hundreds?”

He pulls away, smirking at me. “For most people, it’s torture. You’re just a weirdo who likes it. You have a Victorian kink.”

I give him a playful shove. “I do not. Okay, maybe I do. I keep wondering where Alexander and Edgar had their sordid affair. Was it in the quiet, secluded attic? Or did they boldly make love on Alexander’s desk with the drapes open?”

His chuckle warms me to my core. “We’re not including this”—he waggles a finger at me—“in our project. This is factual, not fiction.”

He brings my hands up so he can admire my nail art and then surprises me when he kisses one of the knuckles. “It’s going to be hard keeping my hands off you during class.”

“I won’t complain if you can’t,” I say with a teasing grin.

The smile on his face falters and he releases my hands. “I know, but we can’t. There are people, including Mr. Pederson, who know my dads. Sorry.”

I can’t help but shiver from his tone. Reality is a harsh reminder that our fun, steamy romance is something we must keep secret. His dads could truly be crushed by this news and my parents would have a fit if they knew who I was seeing.

To his credit, Two doesn’t dart ahead of me but walks by my side, even remembering to open the door for me. Sometimes he does romantic stuff, and other times he takes off in his vehicle with my legs still dangling out the car door. He’s multidimensional like that.

Once in class, he gets into an animated conversation with Mr. Pederson about Cedarwood Mansion updates. I note that he glosses over the fact there haven’t been any real updates because all his free time has been spent with me and our project.

I check my phone and there aren’t any new strange texts, nor are there any stalker messages on my socials. In my email, I find several new offers for collaborations with brands, including one that pays a whopping fifteen grand if I’ll go on a hiking trip with them and do a live showcasing their survival gear.

Um, no.

Some people should actually look at my overall aesthetic before contacting me. Beauty and hair products, yes. Survival gear, no.

Unless it’s some ploy by my stalker.

My blood runs cold.

Would this guy try and get me alone in the woods?

Maybe I’m just overanalyzing everything.

Rather than keep it to myself, I take a screenshot and text it to Sloane. She gives me her work email and asks for me to forward it to her. I have another email from the dean of PMU, Dr. Skeller, talking about an event coming up soon that they’ll be accepting applicants for. My skin continues to prickle and I hate that this stalker has me paranoid about school emails too.

I have Sloane on this and Two will protect me when we’re together.

I’m tired of being made to feel uneasy and afraid.

Hopefully, soon, I’ll learn how not to let this stuff affect me.

At least Two’s a great distraction.

As he strides over to our table, he flashes me a hot, secretive grin that makes my insides melt.

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