Nick paced in front of her, tossing his jacket on the floor, his tight shirt hiding nothing as his muscles bunched beneath the thin material. He was furious and confused and she could see he was trying to find the right words to hurl at her. She sat where she was, waiting. She’d earned this tongue thrashing, and she would take it gracefully.

When minutes passed in silence, Chloe sighed. She rose from the chair. He spun around and seared her with a look. She held her head up and faced him. He seemed surprised. Of course he was―he didn’t actually know anything about her.

“Just tell me what you need to say,” she said. There was strength in her words, though she didn’t know where she was pulling it from. Inside she was a trembling mess, but she was tired of showing the world how weak she was.

“How long did you and your father plan on taking me down?” Nick finally said, his voice controlled even if his eyes were wild. This time she wasn’t able to hide the tremble that racked her frame.

Chloe opened her mouth to answer him. She was prepared to tell him she’d been a part of the takedown from the beginning, but the words wouldn’t come out. She tried again, and her throat remained closed. She couldn’t say what she needed to say.

“What are you talking about?” she finally asked.

His eyes narrowed as he glared at her. He leaned in closer and she was afraid, but more afraid of hurting him than of telling him the truth. She didn’t want him to keep looking at her with such hatred. It was killing her.

He went still as he stared at her. Complete disbelief lit his features as he searched her face. She understood it. She never had been a good liar. But right now fear overrode everything else.

He moved closer to her as if he were trying to analyze her. She could see how very much he wanted to believe her, but there was mistrust in his expression, too. He knew too much to allow her to get away with the lie, but if he wanted it as badly as she did, then she could understand why there was a part of him willing to let it go. That gave her hope, but she didn’t want that hope. It was a lie, and it would come in and get her in the end. How could she ever start over with Nick with a clean slate?

“Please stop, Nick.” The tremble in her tone frustrated her. She wanted to be strong now, emotionless. If only she’d learned that lesson years ago, she wouldn’t have been hurt so many times in her life.

“I can’t seem to stop,” he said. There was confusion in his tone.

“I don’t even know what that means,” she told him as he slowly moved closer to her.

Chloe left her hand out in front of her, as if that could stop him. But there was nothing else she could do. The closer he got, the more vulnerable she felt.

He was slow and steady, making her feel like the zebra being circled by the lion. She wasn’t sure exactly when the attack would happen, but she had no doubt it would. She was certainly the prey. Nick would always be the predator.

“I can’t explain it,” he said with a sigh. “I just can’t seem to keep away from you.” He moved closer.

“Stop!” The word came out forcefully. He paused less than four feet away. He was so close she could smell his natural cologne, see the laugh lines next to his eyes, practically taste his breath. It was too close for her to think straight.

Chloe was stunned when Nick did as she asked, stopping where he was. When his lips turned up into a smile, she felt her mouth dropping open. She didn’t know what to think of this new turn in their crazy night.

“Why are you smiling?” she asked.

If he were yelling and screaming, she would know how to deal with that. With him switching moods so quickly, she was at a loss. His smile grew and then he leapt forward, making her heart thunder.

His arms caged her against the wall, his face leaning down. The look in his eyes was almost wild. Chloe wondered if he’d snapped, if he was about to strangle her. The thought wasn’t so much terrifying as depressing. If she were to die right then and there, would anyone even show up at her funeral? Would she be missed? The thought was too depressing to even think about.

“Because I’m a fool,” he told her, his hot breath rushing across her lips. Her body began to tremble, and she hated them both for the desire that began to flood her, the desire that overrode every other emotion she was dealing with.

His eyes swept her face before narrowing. A chill ran through her. This wasn’t the same man she’d known for the past three weeks―the man whose family adored him. The person boxing her in was a stranger. And damn her, but she still wanted him, still didn’t want him to push her away.

“I don’t like being lied to. I like being used even less,” he said. His words grew more husky. Her heart thundered as she stood motionless against the wall. “I thought you were different, but now I don’t know what to think.”

“What are you doing, Nick?” she asked, hating the fear in her voice.

“I guess none of it matters. We can both be monsters, and we’re still drawn together. I don’t understand it,” he told her, his lips twisted into a smile that didn’t reach his eyes.

“So you think you’ll feel better if you punish me?” she challenged.

That wiped his smile away. He seemed taken aback by her words. His body loosened, and his face relaxed slightly. His mouth opened as if he wanted to say something, and then he closed it again. After a long moment he seemed to regain his footing. He moved closer again.

“Do you want me to back away from you, Chloe? Do you want this to stop?” he challenged. One hand moved to her shoulder, and she was still as he ran his finger down her neck, over the top of her breast, and across her nipple, which instantly responded. There was triumph in his eyes as she gasped.