Page 2 of Forbidden Bond

“Nothing. I’m good,” I immediately reply.

“So, you want me to just leave you here? On the side of the road in the middle of the night?”

“As opposed to what?” I find myself asking.

“I could give you a ride,” he suggests. “I’ve got a super comfortable car, pretty fast too.”

“No thanks.”

He tilts his head to the side, those brown eyes peering into mine. “I don’t get it. What damsel in distress doesn’t want saving?”

My eyes narrow. “I’m not a damsel in distress. My friend’s coming to pick me up.”

There’s no way I’m getting into a car with a stranger.

“Alright,” the man agrees. He crosses his arms over his chest and moves to lean against my car. “Let’s wait for this friend together, shall we? Once he gets here, I’ll leave.”

Warning signals flash in my head. There’s no reason a total stranger would want to wait beside me when I’m alone in the middle of the night.

“Actually, I would prefer it if you left. I’ll be fine on my own.”

He doesn’t say anything for several seconds, he just watches me with an amused expression on his face.

“You think I’m a serial killer, don’t you? What is it? Is it my devilishly handsome looks? I’ve heard serial killers tend to be good-looking,” he muses.

I have.. no idea what to say to that.

“Don’t worry, beautiful. I promise I won’t kill you,” he says.

“There are far worse things you could do to me than kill me,” I mutter.

“I promise I won’t do any of the things you’ve probably conjured in that pretty head of yours.”

I sigh. “Could you please go? You’re being really nice, but I don’t feel comfortable with you here.”

He peers at me again, studying me. “You want me to leave?”

“Yes.” I nod.

“Like go, go?” he presses.

Does he have hearing problems?

“Yes, I do. Please go.”

“Alright, fine,” he finally says, pushing off my car. “Since you’ve refused my aid, I’ll leave, princess. Hopefully your Prince Charming gets here quickly. And I really hope you don’t run into an actual serial killer.”

Would he just go?

“I’m going to leave now,” he announces. He doesn’t take one step away. “Really, I’ve got a party to attend on campus and I should get going.”

He’s obviously stalling, waiting to see if I’ll change my mind. It’s too bad I’m an incredibly stubborn person.

“Drive safely,” I say, waving him off.

He smiles. The smile doesn’t feel genuine, but it feels like his. Like the kind of smile he instinctively gives people.

“Careful out here, princess. A lot worse things than me go bump in the night out here.”