Page 16 of Stolen Summer

With my mind elsewhere and the sheer darkness of the kitchen, I misjudged the location of the table’s edge and whacked my knee on the corner of a chair. I basically walked right into it.

“Son of a bitch,” I hissed, immediately bending down to rub the sore spot and doing my best to breathe through the pain. What was it about injuring yourself that incited an instant burst of anger? I wanted to slam my hand against the wall to release the sudden onslaught of pain and fury.

Squeak.

A floorboard creaked, and I spun, expecting to see a shadow looming in the hallway, and my pulse hammered. No one was there, and I exhaled. You’re being paranoid, Arie. It’s just the wind.

Facing forward, I caught movement from the corner of my eye, but it was too late, and a hand wrapped around my throat.

For the second time this week, my life flashed before my eyes.

Chapter Six

Fear stole my voice, and only a shaky shriek left me as the hand tightening on my throat pushed me against the wall. Not hard but enough to get their point across.

I froze, thinking if I struggled it would make things worse. I wasn’t sure it was the right tactic, but it wasn’t as if I was skilled in being a victim. Or surviving.

My breath returned but came out heavier and quicker.

Through wet strands of dark hair, I lifted my gaze, finding the courage to look at my attacker. He had a foot on me, forcing my neck to crane back, a difficult task with someone’s fingers enclosed around my throat. I swore his grip loosened just to make it easier for me to move.

Familiar sharp cheekbones and a perfectly slanted nose came into focus.

What the?—

I didn’t want to believe it.

“Cole?” I whispered, staring at the face of the man who had driven me home not long ago.

His eyes narrowed as if he didn’t recognize me. Then he blinked, the hardness of his features softening ever so slightly.

“What the fuck are you doing? Why did you attack me? Or is this your MO with girls? You scare the crap out of them for fucks and giggles.” Why was it that whenever I was in his presence, my reactions went from pissing-my-pants fear to pulse-pounding fury in a matter of seconds?

It was maddening.

“It’s shits and giggles,” he corrected, intensifying my blood’s heat.

“Do I look like I care about semantics right now?”

His gaze roamed over my face, lingering on my frowning mouth. Intense. It was the first word that came to mind. Everything about Cole tonight was fierce and serious. The edge of darkness I’d sensed in him seemed bolder and more profound. I could feel the chill of his eyes, my arms prickling with goosebumps, activating my fight-or-flight response as it whispered in my ear telling me I had to get out of this house—that it was a bad idea to be alone with him.

“Shouldn’t I be asking the questions?” he asked, his eyes flinty.

“You have two seconds to unhand me before my knee finds out just how small your dick is.”

The smile curling on his lips didn’t come immediately, but when it did appear, my breath caught, and not entirely because he was gorgeous. Some of the fear I’d first felt when we met in the pool the other night returned. And I again realized how dangerous it was for me to sneak into a stranger’s house. I knew nothing about Cole. Nothing other than his name and he liked to scare the shit out of girls. Or perhaps it was only me he enjoyed making my heart stop and my blood pump with frightful adrenaline.

“Neighbor?” he replied, the inflection in his voice indicating a question. His free hand flipped on the light switch only inches from my head, a soft glow chasing the darkness from the room.

“Don’t tell me you forgot me already?” I retorted. He was crazy, and it reinforced what a bad idea it had been coming back, an argument I’d had with myself last night, and yet here I was, standing in the dark hallway with the lunatic.

Perhaps that spoke more about my character than his.

I couldn’t decide.

Or maybe crazy called to crazy.

“Highly unlike I could forget a face like yours. Especially since you left such a lasting impression, but…it still poses the question…what are you doing here?” he asked, mercifully icy.

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