Page 15 of The Invite
Tucking her hair behind her ear, she nods and ambles out. I assume everyone has filed out until I glance up and lock eyes with Augustus. Thick, corded arms casually stretched out, hands steepled and resting on the desk, he sits quietly.
I swallow, stomach hollowing out, and push past dry lips, “Class is over.”
Pushing back from his chair, he stands to his full and intimidating height. Notebook pinned underneath his right arm, he strolls down the steps from the second to last row.
The closer he comes, the more I want to run away.
Despite knowing he’s younger than me, he scares me. Downright petrifies me to my bones. Even the strong and wide wooden desk doesn’t seem like a good buffer against him. I’ve already experienced his strength and what he’s capable of.
I watch him exhaling a calming breath as he walks toward the exit.
But instead of leaving, he shuts the door and twists the lock with a resounding click. I jerk in fear, down to the tip of my toes, seeing my only escape being taken hostage.
My knees buckle when he faces me.
Regarding me like I’m a deer caught in the headlights.
All I can think is… I’m trapped in with my sinister monster.
Will I escape unscathed this time?
CHAPTER – 5
Nessa
“What are you doing?” I demand, finding my voice.
It sadly comes out in a tremor.
Suddenly, I don’t feel like a teacher anymore. I become the helpless girl I was last night. The events of yesterday crash in my mind like a movie reel. Hiding behind a tree, dashing and getting caught, the mind fuck and sinful touches. All of it repeats and plays in a loop. Especially being saved by the angry girl that showed up.
A detail that completely slipped my mind during this whole traumatic ordeal.
She sounded upset and betrayed and strangely, unafraid. How is that possible? Instead of calling the cops or running for the hills, she yelled and confronted them. Not because she wanted to help me, but because she was jealous.
How preposterous and confusing.
A rich, spicy, and cedarwood scent wafts my nostrils, yanking me out of my stupor. I blink and jolt backward against the unforgiving desk when I find myself staring into midnight-colored and fathomless eyes.
How is he so stealthy?
Up close,too close, he’s gorgeous and deadly. His even breaths tease the top of my head, ruffling the short hair and ghosting over my forehead to the top of my lips. I mistakenly lick the corner of my mouth and his laser-sharp focus zooms in on the tiny movement.
He steps closer, invading my personal space.
Like it’s his to conquer and violate.
In his head, he probably believes he has every right.
Devil. Predator. Hunter. Psychopath. Insane.
He’s a combination of all the worst qualities to have. Worse, he wears them like a second skin. Even worse, he unmasks that side in front of me. During our class, he behaved ordinarily, withdrawn and bored as he scrawled in his notebook.
The switch in his personality is concerning and disturbing.
“It was you,” I accuse, when he stays quiet and towering over my frame. “You and your friend, Maverick.”
“Yes.”
