Page 4 of My Ruthless Neighbor

“Whoa!” I whip my head up to the man who’s still cradling me in his arms. I freeze when his dark brown eyes meet mine.

With his smooth pale skin, sharp cheekbones, and jet-black hair, he looks like the CEO of South Korean dramas I sometimes watch.

His chiseled jawline draws my attention. My mouth goes dry at the sharp angles of his jaw. As I keep staring, a muscle jump in it.

Holy shitballs! That was hot.

“Are you hitting on me right now? Seriously?”

My eyes shoot up at his deep voice. The man stares down at me. Or more like glowering. His words finally register and I realize that I must have said that out loud.

My unguarded compliment must’ve offended him. But rather than being a gentleman, he just went ahead and insulted me. Beside us, someone snickers. And just like that, my blood boils.

I struggle in his hold and he straightens. I am a tall girl. And still, this man’s chin grazes my forehead. I regret wearing the two-inches boots. I should’ve chosen heels.

The man in the dark suit keeps staring at me. His intense eyes latch onto mine. I force myself to maintain eye contact.

You can’t intimidate me, Mister. I convey with an arched brow.

He tilts his head ever so slightly. Like he is trying to read me. I scoff inwardly. You can try, Mr. Cold and Handsome. But you will never succeed.

I tip my chin up. Only few inches separate us. That’s when something terrible happens. His scent floods my nose. It sends a shockwave through my system.

For a second, my lids fall shut as I inhale his cologne. The woodsy smell with a hint of spice makes me lean closer to him.

Why the hell does a nice, sexy cologne makes a man more attractive than he already is? It’s so not fair!

Slowly, I open my eyes, and there he is. Still surrounding me, his stance confident and powerful. Dare I say a bit arrogant? As if he owns this damn building.

My gaze strays and falls on a person a few feet behind the suit. Not just any person. Raleigh. Fuck!

He can’t see me here. He will ask a thousand and one questions if he catches me here. He would be sad that I didn’t contact him before coming here. And knowing how protective he is, he would dig for more information. And knowing myself, I would vomit all of my worries. I don’t want that.

Before I could scan the area for a possible hiding place, strong fingers grip my chin. The hot arrogant man lifts my chin and stares into my eyes. “Who are you?”

“Huh?”

His dark gaze falls to my lips before asking, “What’s your name?”

I flinch at his clipped tone. Damn, this man. From the intense spark in his eyes, it looks as if he is seconds away from kissing me silly but that tone…. his question was curt. As if he can’t tolerate my presence. He didn’t just ask my name. He demanded it.

“I think I asked you something.” His deep timber and that authoritative tone make me grind my molars. The need to take him down a peg overtakes me. “Do you mind?”

“Excuse me?” A hint of annoyance rings in his voice. It pisses me off even more.

I sigh. “Dude, I know it’s hard but you really have to let me go. I have places to be.”

A burst of choked laughter from behind snaps him out of his thoughts and he looks down.

Realization dawns on his face. Yes. He still has his arms around my waist. He snatches his hands back as if he is burned. The action rubs me the wrong way.

“Asshole,” I murmur under my breath.

“What did you say?” I hear him ask as I look around frantically for an escape. Without thinking, I choose a direction and slip away.

“Hey! Who the hell are you?” The man calls out but I don’t stop until I turn into the hallway.

“You would never know.”

---