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My fingers tap against the steering wheel and I glance at the clock every other minute.

Finally, Ethan’s car comes into view and he pulls into his usual parking spot.

Everything is so rigidly scheduled with him—where he goes, who he sees, how long he’s there, the coffee and food he gets. Unless someone else messes it up, he always seems to plan things in extreme detail.

I know what comes next.

He gets out of the car, grabs his bag from the back, closes the door, checks his pockets, and then locks the car. Next, he’ll check the mail in the lobby before going upstairs.

I won’t be letting him get to the lobby.

I hop out of the car, cold, dead leaves crunching under my boots as I walk over to him.

He doesn’t seem to notice me at first.

“You,” I say, just loudly enough to get his attention.

He looks up, and his eyes widen. He grips his bag tighter. “Dante, what the hell are you—” I don’t let him finish.

“Do you have any idea what you’ve done to me?” I ask him. The blood in my veins already feels too hot, too much, like it might explode out of me at any moment.

“I have donenothingto you. I ran into you, spilled coffee on you, offered to pay for the dry cleaning, and you’ve been stalking me ever since, dude,” Ethan insists with a huff. His face is pink, and it’s only getting darker.

“Wrong,” I say. “You have…you’ve…completely invaded my mind.”

“What?” he asks.

I step closer to him, my fingers twitching. I’m desperate to touch him.

“I can’t stop thinkin’ about you,” I say with a low growl. “The way your skin feels…your eyes. Your pretty little mouth and how it will look stretched out around my dick.” I lift a hand and brush my fingers over his lips. I watch them tremble as his breath catches.

“Y-You’re crazy,” he mumbles, but he doesn’t step back.

“I want you, Ethan,” I tell him.

He sucks in a breath. “You don’t even know me! I-I’m not…I…”

“Oh, shut the fuck up with that. You know whatever you’re about to say is a fucking lie,” I hiss. I grab him by the front of his coat and pull him in. Ethan gasps and drops his bag on the pavement.

“You can pretend all you want, but I see it,” I whisper, my nose so close it’s almost brushing against his.

Ethan places both of his hands on my chest, and I feel his fingers curl against my shirt. “I don’t know what you think you see, but…” He trails off, his breath getting heavier as his eyes dart to my lips.

I put my other hand on his neck, under his jawline. “I feel your pulse racing, baby boy,” I tell him. “I see your face turning pink. I see the way you look at me. It’s not like how you look at Lena, not even fuckin’ close.”

Ethan seems to be at a loss for words. His hands grab my shirt even tighter.

“Is your cock hard? Huh, Ethan?” I ask. “When I touch you like this, do your dick and ass throb?” I pull him closer to me, tighter, and press my nose against his.

“Y-You…don’t know me,” he finally whimpers.

I rub my thumb under his jaw. “I want to know you, Ethan,” I say, my voice husky and quiet. “I wanna know every part of you, inside and out. I need to. I needyou.”

The air between us is hot and heavy. Nothing else exists. I’m simply staring into his beautiful eyes, looking at my own desperate reflection. Our mouths are so close, but I can’t move any closer. I can’t will myself to make that move.

If I do, it could ruin everything.

What if this is really all just a fantasy? A lie I’m telling myself?