Page 33 of Silent Stalker
“I-I have to go. Work emergency.” My phone buzzes with James’s text.
Silas’s fingers trail down my arm, leaving goosebumps in their wake. “At ten at night? Must be important.”
“It is.” I try to step around him, but he shifts, blocking my path.
“Let me drive you.” His voice drops lower, a command rather than an offer. “It’s not safe out there, especially with a killer on the loose.”
My heart pounds against my ribs.
“I can manage?—”
“I insist.” His hand slides to the small of my back, guiding me toward his car. “We wouldn’t want anything happening to Evergreen’s finest forensic psychologist, would we?”
The way he says it makes my skin crawl and burn with desire. I know I should decline, but my body betrays me, and I lean into his touch as we walk to his car.
The leather seat cradles me as I slide into Silas’s Audi. The interior smells of expensive cologne, a scent that brings back flashes of last night and makes my thighs clench.
His hand lands on my leg, fingers digging into the flesh hard enough to make me gasp. Heat pools between my legs in spite of the shock of pain.
“I was hoping for a repeat performance of last night.” His voice drops to that commanding tone that makes my core throb. “The way you begged for me, the marks I left...” His grip tightens.
My breath catches. Part of me wants to give in, to let him take control again. But a nagging voice in my head won’t be silenced.
“So that’s it then?” I manage to keep my voice steady despite his wandering fingers. “You’ve given up on dating me and just want sex now?”
His hand stills on my thigh but doesn’t release its grip. I force myself to meet his gaze, fighting the urge to squirm under the intensity I find there.
“Clara.” The way he says my name sends shivers down my spine. “If I only wanted sex, I wouldn’t have bothered with dinner at Le Blanc. I wouldn’t have spent weeks learning everything about you.”
His words make my stomach flip. Weeks? We only met days ago at the coffee shop.
His thumb traces circles on my inner thigh, each swipe sending sparks of electricity through my body. “I want all of you. Every. Single. Part.” His fingers press into the bruises he left last night, making me whimper. “Including the darkness you try so hard to hide.”
My breath catches in my throat. “What do you mean “weeks”? We just met at the cafe.”
His laugh sends chills down my spine. “Oh, Clara, is that what you think?” His fingers trace up my thigh. “I’ve known you much longer than that. The way you touch yourself late at night while watching those masked men on TikTok. How your breath catches when you read about serial killers.”
My heart pounds against my ribs. “You’ve been watching me?”
“Through your webcam.” His hand slides higher. “The way you arch your back when you’re close. How you bite your lip to keep quiet.”
Heat floods my face, but not from embarrassment. My core throbs with need.
“You should be terrified right now.” His voice drops lower. “But you’re not, are you? Your pupils are dilated. Your breathing’s shallow. You’re wet, aren’t you?”
I squeeze my thighs together, trying to hide my body’s reaction. “I?—”
“Don’t lie.” His fingers dig into my flesh. “You like knowing I’ve been watching. That I know your darkest desires. The ones you’re too afraid to admit out loud.”
A whimper escapes my lips. He’s right. The thought of him watching me, learning my secrets, should horrify me. Instead, it makes my skin tingle with electricity.
“Look me in the eyes and deny it,” his fingers explore my betraying flesh. “Tell me you haven’t dreamed of dancing with the devils you’ve studied so long.”
I can’t form words. Can’t deny the truth in what he’s saying. My hips rock against his hand of their own accord.
“That’s what I thought.” His smile is predatory. “You’ve been waiting for someone to see through your mask. To understand the real you.”
The tip of Silas’s finger teases me, sending sparks of pleasure through my body. I shift in my seat, feeling the constraint of my skirt as I try to move against his touch.