Page 28 of Tempted By Sin

I don’t tend to look behind me when I know he’s there because I don’t want to be part of whatever game he’s playing. But today, a buzz hums in my veins, desperate for answers. It’s killing me that I have no idea who this man is, what his name is, or why he’s stalking me. The string holding my sanity and rational thoughts together is a thin thread.

If I don’t say something now, this could go on forever. And I don’t want that. I don’t want to be his prey every night. I don’t want to sit around and wait for him to make the first move.

I’m tired of this goddamn game.

At that moment, the string snaps in half.

With a huff, I whirl around with so much power a rush of air whips around me. He stops walking, his hands shoved deep into his pockets. Even in the darkness of the concealed alleyway, the blue in his irises is stark, sending an icy chill down my spine.

For once, he has a jacket over his shoulders, unlike every other time I’ve seen him in nothing but a T-shirt and jeans. The shadows lining the alleyway make it hard to get a good look at his features, but I can make out the shape of his mouth and see his blue eyes glowing as they stare back at me.

If I didn’t know any better, I would assume he was a stranger who happened to be going the same direction as me to get to his car. But I know better. Behind his casual outfit and unassuming stance, I know the intensity lurking in the depths of his eyes. A darkness licks at his sides that should have me running as fast as I can in the opposite direction. He’s a monster hiding in plain sight.

But I don’t run. Not in the opposite direction, at least.

Like a crazy person with a death wish, I clutch my handbag against my side and march toward him, my jaw ticking with determination and the need to get some goddamn answers.

His eyes hold my gaze as he watches me stalk toward him. He makes no move to leave or hide the fact that I caught him watching me. If anything, I see the corner of his mouth turn up in a smirk that has my vision blurring red at the corners.

Who the hell does this guy think he is?

“You,” I start, barely containing the rage simmering beneath my skin. “Who the hell are you, and why are you following me?”

I stop in front of him, adrenaline igniting the blood in my veins as if I am high on drugs, and crane my neck back slightly to look him in the eye. The amused smirk he wears doesn’t waver as he glances down at me, his large mass as still as a statue. I’m by no means trying to intimidate him, which would be impossible given his size, but I’m not leaving until I learn why he’s doing this.

A deep chuckle rumbles in his chest. “Was that supposed to scare me?”

I frown, my teeth gritting together painfully. The fucking audacity of this guy. “If you don’t tell me your name, I will scream.”

The smirk touching his lips deepens. “Don’t tempt me, little bird. Hearing you scream is like music to my ears. It would be better if it were my name tumbling from that pretty mouth of yours.”

“That’s a little difficult when I don’t fucking know what it is.”

Frustration gnaws at my side. Not only because of his stubborn ass making it difficult to get any sliver of information out of him, but because his words have gone straight to my core like a raging fire.

What the fuck is wrong with me? This man kidnapped me and held me captive. I should be afraid of him, not turned on.

“Ace.”

“Ace?” I repeat, my heart thumping harshly at the base of my throat. “That’s your name?”

He nods, his tongue darting out to glide over his bottom lip. “Happy now, little bird?”

I fold my arms over my chest, holding his gaze. “It still doesn’t answer my question of why you’re following me.”

“Do you really want to know?”

“Yes,” I reply, my frustration growing. It’s like pulling teeth with this guy. “Why have you been stalking me since I was rescued?”

Ace steps forward, his body now inches away from mine. Light streams out from one of the windows in the building beside us, casting his features in a soft glow, nearly knocking the air from my lungs.

I haven’t seen his face since the day I ripped off his mask, desperate to see the man behind my kidnapping. Back then, I couldn’t deny how devastatingly handsome he was. But now, standing toe to toe with him in the darkness of the alleyway, those same feelings of attraction I felt at that moment come rushing back to me like a tidal wave.

My heart slams into my ribcage as he tilts his head to the side, his gaze roaming over the details of my face. “Because I want to, little bird. Ever since the night I took you to that cabin, I haven’t been the same. I tried to tell myself it was nothing, that I would lose interest and move on, but the more I spent time with you, the more I realized I couldn’t stay away from you even if I tried.”

My eyes widen. “Wh-what?”

Ace straightens his spine. “Your innocent eyes drove me fucking crazy. To the point they were all I could see when I closed my eyes. It made me wonder if your body was as innocent, but when you were all but begging me to fuck you with those same eyes, I realized you were anything but innocent.”

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