Page 40 of The Invite (The Massacre Ball #1)

Nessa

My heart launches to my throat at rocket speed at Augustus’s husky voice in my ear. While my lungs work overtime to fill them with oxygen that he steals after sneaking up and imprisoning me against the door.

I’m so stupid. Of course he saw me earlier. He’s got sharp eyes, like a hawk that misses nothing, even in darkness.

Augustus is a predator of the night.

Why do I keep forgetting that fact?

I whip around awkwardly because he doesn’t budge an inch to allow me room. In pure Augustus fashion, he invades my personal space like it was never mine to begin with. My pulse thunders when his shrewd gaze darkens warmly upon our eyes locking.

The events of last night flash before my mind. Because of the twisted turn the morning took, they feel like a lifetime away.

But breathing in his spicy cologne, feeling his heart pounding beneath my palm resting on his chest, I’m struggling to keep those memories at bay when they should be the least of my concerns.

Augustus is smart enough to figure out by now that I was in the classroom for the same reason as everyone else.

What I’m shocked by is why he didn’t immediately drag me out to reveal my presenceto the others.

I blink up at him, refusing to utter the first word. In the morning, I had so much to say that I was foaming at the mouth. Now, I’m at a loss.

The need to run away is strong but he’s holding the only escape hostage.

We’re twinning in matching black hoodies. With a pull, he tugs my hood back, causing my messy bun to come undone and my hair to spill around my face in rivulets. His tousled waves fall over his forehead, almost shading one eye and giving him a dangerously sinister look.

It would’ve been seductive if his expression wasn’t so intense and grim.

He presses himself flush against my front, making me tilt my neck even more. I become hyperaware of his bulk, the sinewy muscles, and the undercurrent of erotic tension that pulses between us every time we’re alone.

It’s like I’ve suddenly been shot with a bolt of electricity after walking comatose all day. Instead of increasing my anxiety, his presence soothes it.

It’s so jarring, considering the circumstances and the conversation I heard mere moments ago. I force myself to focus on the pressing issue rather than making sense of my puzzling reactions toward him.

“I didn’t know you took midnight classes, Miss Nessa,” he taunts with a hint of sarcasm.

“Would you let me breathe, please?” I huff in a thick timbre, imploring him to move back.

He doesn’t and his gaze drops to my lips, tracing them with his dark pupils.

“No. I’d rather see you choke.” Dropping his voice, he rasps, “Preferably on my cock. Or around my hand while I fuck you hard.”

I shiver and try pushing him, but fail. “Did you stay back to tell me this?”

My sarcasm is met with the tiniest twitch of his mouth.

“I came to tell you in person but you weren’t home,” he drawls, reaching for a loose strand against my cheek and twirling it between his index finger and thumb. “Where are you staying, Nessa?”

Like I’m ever going to tell him.

“Well, if you were just waiting to make a sexual threat, I think we’re all good,” I say dryly, leaving his question hanging. Pushing at his chest with all my might, I mutter, “So, adios . Yeah?”

His amusement vanishes into thin air and he grabs my wrists to push them against the driver’s side window. Pinning them down, he smoothly switches the topic, and states, “You received the invite too.”

“Yes,” I answer low, no point in denying it.

“You’re one of us.”

“I guess so.”

His eyelids turn into slits, causing my breath to hitch. “Or are you?”

“What do you mean?” I utter warily.

“You could be Anonymous.”

Is he nuts? “That’s impossible.”

“All the signs point to you.” Tilting his head, he recites them one by one.

“New in town, living alone, grudge against students, visiting the crime scene, and eavesdropping on us. Your pastisan extreme contradiction to your behavior. Let’s not forget you were the one who conveniently found the body. Who’s to say you didn’t kill her, hmm?”

“I didn’t murder her!”

“If you are Anonymous, I’d hate to kill you, Miss Nessa,” he threatens, completely disregarding my words. So casually as though we’re discussing everyday news over breakfast.

“Oh, so you weren’t going to kill me otherwise,” I retort flatly.

“I don’t like anyone threatening my sister’s life.”

“I didn’t hurt Amber,” I snap, glaring up at him.

I can’t believe he’s actually accusing me.

“I didn’t even know she wasn’t Capri. There’s no way I could’ve known since I just moved here.

Half the time, you’re attached to my hip like a damn parasite.

Where would I find the time to plot her murder, much less execute it?

Besides, between the two of us, you’re the most likely suspect.

The evidence lies in your nightly proclivities, Mr. Grayson. ”

“What proclivities?” Freeing my wrists, he drags his hands down my sides to my hips and rests them there.

“Stalking people.”

“Not people, just you.”

“Breaking into strangers’ homes.”

“Again, just yours,” he tsks, while he rubs distracting circles around my waist and the top of my ass. “And I’d hardly call us strangers.”

I swallow, grabbing his biceps in an attempt to stop him from trailing his palms lower. The material of my leggings does nothing to contain the warmth of his touch from burrowing into my skin.

“Your perilous fascination with knives. The command with which you use them. You made me stab you. Not once but twice!”

“Which made you come so hard that you passed out,” he finishes with a carnal glint in his dark orbs.

My mouth opens and closes, unable to form a comeback. I lamely settle for grumbling, “Like I said, the signs paint you guilty too.”

“Fair enough.” He drops his hands and steps back, pocketing them.

My brows pull together at the distance he’s created. I burn and feel forlorn.

Does he suffer from multiple personalities? His mood swings will give any woman whiplash.

“I believe you aren’t Anonymous, but that doesn’t mean you’re innocent or trustworthy,” he confesses in a chilling tone.

Regarding me under his lashes, he says, “You aren’t who you say you are, Nessa.

Your history is a well-crafted lie. Because if you really came from a sweet middle-class family, you wouldn’t be in this predicament.

Hell, you wouldn’t even be in this town. ”

I go absolutely still. Every word out of his mouth makes my throat go dry because he’s hit the nail on the head on thefirst try.

It takes everything inside me not to react.

Pretend he isn’t opening a can of venomous snakes waiting to wrap around my body and choke me before delivering the deadly bite.

Augustus’s interest in my past doesn’t bode well for me. Somehow, it’s more terrifying than him stalking and tormenting me. I’m watching my greatest fear come true. The safety of my future hinges on me being a nobody.

Yet becoming Anonymous’s target has put the attention of the worst man on me.

Or maybe it’s vice versa.

I’m struggling withwhat to believe at this point.

“I don’t know why I was chosen, but you couldn’t have missed the mark more when it comes to the reasons you think,” I reply, refusing to show him he’s burrowing under my skin. “All I know is two madmen are after me—you and him.”

He crosses his arms and slants his head. “I don’t think anyone’s insulted me as much or called me as many names as you do.”

I gape at him, speechless. “You seriously have no right to be offended.”

“You know, men hate it too when women tell them how they should feel.”

Unbelievable. No wonder he’s the head of the debate team and has won championships. The man can argue with a wall and come out as the victor.

I silently fume.

“What? Finally run out of insults?” He raises a sardonic brow. I purse my lips. He orders, “Get in the car then.”

I ask the question that’s been itching at the back of my head. “Why didn’t you tell the others about me?”

His demeanor turns icy and he closes the gap. “Get in the car, Nessa.”

“Not with you.”

“Would you prefer I leave you here for the guard to catch you?” Checking his wristwatch, he informs me, “He’s about to arrive at any minute now.”

I glance around the street in trepidation. Though I’ve parked the car in a secluded corner. It can be easily seen if one knows exactly where to look. So, I scurry into the driver’s side.

I’m too busy checking the area to notice Augustus round the hood and settle into the passenger seat before I can lock him out.

Man, he’s fast.

He shuts the door, enclosing us in the compact space. His scent swirls with mine, dominating the air until it’s him I’m inhaling straight into my lungs. The silence is deafening as the little noises from outside can’t penetrate. Every sound in the car becomes heightened tenfold.

The scrape of my foot on the floor of the car. My hips shifting on the luxurious leather of the seat. The sighs falling from my lips as I control my beating heart.

Augustus takes it all in but doesn’t say anything. His eyes burn into my profile, raising the tiny hairs on the back of my neck.

His unpredictability makes me nervous.

I don’t know what he’ll do from one second to thenext.

“Where’s your ride?” I ask, breaking the tension. “Didn’t you come with Maverick?”

He waits until I glance at him to say, “Yes.”

I don’t expect him to answer but he surprises me.

“He’s meeting me at your place.”

So they can both punish me for getting them suspended? I can’t be sure that Augustus will leave me unscathed once we get there. My hand trembles and tightens around the steering wheel as he reads my troubled mind.

“Nobody but me touches you, little prey,” he possessively says. “Now, drive.”

Staying here cooped up inside the car with him in the middle of the woods won’t protect me. With a yielding breath, I turn the ignition. Before I can hit the gas, he stops me with a surprisingly protective command.

“Seat belt, Nessa.”

Shit. It slipped my mind.

Apparently I’m not fast enough because with a sigh, Augustus reaches over and clasps it around my chest himself.

I don’t waste another second in driving down the hill without running into anyone and pull onto the highway.

“What did you think about our plan?” His gravelly voice travels and trickles down my spine in a shiver.

I keep my eyes on the road illuminated by the headlights. “It’s our only option.”

“We could always tell the cops.”

“No,” I say in a panicked breath and immediately regret it. I try covering up the slipup but it’s a last-ditch attempt that will work on anyone but him. “Only because I don’t think they’ll believe it.”

As expected, he catches on my fear like a bloodhound. “Why are you so scared of the cops, Nessa? Had a bad encounter with them? Got arrested for a crime?”

“I just don’t trust them.”

“Why?” he presses.

A fleeting memory rises, causing my foot to accidentally push harder on the gas and speed over the limit.

I don’t let up, becoming stuck.

A strong hand wraps around the steering wheel as my vision blurs. Just before I can plunge into another blackout, Augustus’s calm and measured voice says in my ear, “Slow down.”

I blink several times to clear the haze and ease off the accelerator, slightly embarrassed at my behavior. I half expect Augustus to demand I park on the side of the road and take over driving. After all, it is his car. He’s probably worried I’ll damage it. Hopefully, he has insurance.

It’s not what comes out of his mouth.

“No one’s going to the cops.” His hand skims down my thigh in a soothing caress. “They’re corrupt. I wouldn’t trust them either.”

Nobody knows it better than me.

He remains quiet and pensive for the rest of the ride, keeping his hand resting above my knee. The small gesture holds me together until we arrive at my place safe and sound.

I turn off the engine until the last purr gets swallowed by the night.

He doesn’t pull away as we stare at my unlit porch. His grip slides upward, eliciting a hitch in my breath.

The lust-fueled tension sparks with a vengeance and my breath turns choppy.

Before I can tell him to leave, he commands in a husky note, “Get in the back seat, Nessa.”