Chapter 1

Genevieve

" He ' s looking at you again, " my roommate Jules leaned into me and whispered.

" I know. I can feel his eyes on me, " I whispered back.

We were in the first semester of the second year of my philosophy degree. Most of the other students I ' d seen before, either around campus or in one of my classes, but this guy looked unfamiliar. If I ' d seen him around, I ' d have remembered.

Even though I tried to ignore his attention, sometimes I couldn ' t help it. He was too handsome to ignore. He was the poster boy for the term "tall, dark, and handsome." He had a pure sex appeal that couldn ' t be denied. There was something about him that drew you in, like he had his own gravitational pull. I wasn ' t the only one who noticed. I don ' t think there was a woman in the class of sixty people who didn ' t sit up and take notice when he entered the room.

But there was something else about him.

Something… Off.

I couldn ' t place it. It was as though I had two parts of myself at war with one another. One side felt the same attraction that all the women here felt, but there was also a side that wanted to run screaming from the room. It was a strange feeling, but not one I was unfamiliar with. I ' d been fighting strange feelings all my life. Some people would call them instincts, but it seemed to me that what others called instincts, I called divine interference. And that ' s why people, including my parents, thought I was crazy.

There were feelings. Strange feelings that came over me signaling danger. Those feelings were always right, and they were coming in loud and clear when I saw the man sitting ten rows above me.

" I vote you go for it, " she whispered back, this time just loud enough to have our professor pause in his speaking to shoot an annoyed look at us. I scrunched down into my seat, avoiding eye contact.

Nope. Not a chance. It didn ' t matter how much I seemed to be drawn to him or that my hormones would go into overdrive every time he looked at me. I intended on listening to the part of me that had kept me alive this long.

The class wrapped up and I slowly stood turning to see he was still sitting in the top row, the chair closest to the aisle that I needed to walk up in order to get out.

" Get moving girl, I wanna get to the cafeteria and grab a snack for the next class."

" Yeah, " I flashed her a hesitant smile. " Of course. " Making my way up the stairs, I attempted to keep my gaze planted to the ground in front of me. I wasn ' t going to look at him. No way. Not going to do it.

" Genevieve," he whispered my name, making my eyes lift to meet his. His eyes were so dark, the iris nearly as black as his pupil. It was trippy as fuck. Yet, it was alluring at the same time. There was a predatory humor in his eyes, accompanied by a smirk on his lips that sent a tremor through me.

What do you want from me? I wanted to scream at him. Clenching my jaw, I ran up the remainder of the stairs, bursting through the doors and into the hallway, my heart pounding in my chest. I had to stop walking, doubling over as I attempted to catch my breath. It took a moment, but I managed to regain my composure and continue walking.

I felt like an idiot.

Maybe I should look into therapy again. I thought I ' d had these feelings – my crazy – under control, but something about him was triggering me.

" What ' s going on? " Placing an arm over my shoulders, Jules looked at me, concern etched in her expression.

" I don ' t know. I just had a small panic attack, I guess. "

The door opened and he stepped out into the hallway. Shooting a quick glance in my direction, he grinned, turned and began making his way down the hallway in the opposite direction that we were going to be heading. Standing silently next to Jules, I watched as he turned a corner and disappeared out of sight. Slowly my pulse returned to normal.

" Do you know him or something? "

I shook my head and laughed. " No, just me being weird, I guess. Sorry if I alarmed you. You know how I am. "

" I do. " Removing her arm from my shoulders she made her way towards the cafeteria with me at her side. " You know, I think you put too much stress on yourself. You don ' t have to be perfect. You should take a night off from studying. Maybe go out with me and the girls tonight? "

" I don ' t know …" Her idea of going out on a Friday night was a crowded bar not too far from the campus. Everyone who wanted to party went there on the weekends, and everyone did. It was loud, crowded, and for me it was sensory overload.

" Girls. " Falling into step on the other side of me was Maya. It was going to be two against one on this issue and I was going to cave, no doubt. " What ' s this I hear about us going out tonight? The Red Light? "

" No, I —"

" We are, " Jules cut me off in mid-protest. " Genevieve has been having a rough day. She needs to unwind and let off some steam. Maybe a nice, hard— "

" Okay, Jules , you win. I ' ll go. You know how bad I do in these situations."

" If you feel it ' s too much, then we come back and get ourselves some Ben & Jerry ' s. Maybe stream a movie or something. At least give it a shot. "

I looked from Jules to Maya and sighed. Growing up I ' d always been the outcast. Middle school was pure hell, and I was always on the hit list of the mean girls. My lack of friends throughout middle and high school made me anxious to please the ones I'd made now that I was in college. I had a couple of amazing friends and lots of acquaintances. I ' d managed to hide my crazy self away and lead a normal life. I couldn ' t let the anxiety within me continue to rule my life or I ' d lose the friends I ' d made.

" Okay, I ' m in. You guys are right. I need to put the books away once in a while and have some fun. " Although books were my escape and version of fun.

" That ' s the spirit!"

I looked at Jules and shrugged. " I was outnumbered. "

Genevieve

The music blared from the overhead speakers, so loud that you could feel the vibrations through the table I was sitting at. Jules and Maya were on the dance floor while I lingered against the wall, using my drink as an excuse to hang back. Maybe a little liquid courage was all that I needed.

Finishing off my second cocktail of the night, I pushed myself off the wall and joined the others on the dance floor. As shy as I was dancing around others, I truly enjoyed getting onto the dance floor and letting the music take control of my body. By the third song, my eyes were closed, and I had a large smile on my face.

As the fast-beat song ended, I felt a hard wall of a body against my back. Yelping, I spun around to come face to face with the guy from my class with eyes as black as night. Immediately, a rush of fear combined with an even more intense desire to be close to him crashed over me. I ' d never felt this type of draw to him before – this was different. Undeniable.

Slipping an arm around my waist, he pulled me tight against him. " I ' m Nero. "

I gulped as I looked up and into his dark eyes. " Genevieve."

" I know. "

My breath hitched in my throat. " How …"

" We ' re in the same class. I sit in the back. "

I knew that. As if my body was working on its own, molding against him, I slipped my hands up his chest, my fingertips caressing the defined muscle under the thin fabric of the black shirt he was wearing.

A smirk crossed his lips. " I would have introduced myself in class today, but you took off too quickly for me."

The fear was still there, in the back of my mind. Nagging at me. Looking around us, I noticed Jules and Maya had taken off, leaving me on my own. No doubt they were watching from the sidelines, hoping I ' d score with the man holding me tight to him as our bodies swayed to the soft, sultry music.

" You look like you ' re scared of me? "

" N-no. " I laughed, but my voice cracked mid-laugh.

He cocked a brow at me. He ' d heard it . " I assure you, you ' re in good hands with me. "

But, I ' m not . I knew as strongly as I knew my next breath was coming.

Yet, the draw to him was so strong, I couldn ' t resist holding tight to him and lowering my face to his neck, pressing against it. My god, he smelled amazing. Like the woods first thing in the morning. I could actually picture it in my mind ' s eye. Him, in the middle of a dewy wooded area, staring at me, beckoning me to him. How was that possible?

The song ended, followed by another song equally as sexy as the last.

His hands lowered down my back and to my ass. Cupping my ass cheeks in his hands, he pulled me tight against his growing erection.

With a gasp I lifted my head, and I looked up into his eyes. " If I ' m in good hands then why do I feel like if I knew what was good for me, then I ' d run as far away from you as possible? " The question wasn ' t me playing coy. No man could look so beautiful, smell so amazing, and not be the devil in disguise. I needed to escape, but I was captivated by his essence, as though invisible hands had wrapped around me and wouldn ' t let go.

" Now, Genevieve, sometimes the best experiences in life come to those who overcome that little nagging voice in the back of their mind and give themselves over to the possibilities."

I wanted to. My entire body seemed to be on fire, my pussy already moist with desire, just from his closeness. But the alarm in my head which was never wrong was blaring.

Run. Escape. Get away! It screamed.

I ' d nearly gotten enough power built up within me to pull away, break whatever hold he had on me, when he lowered his lips to mine. That was the moment that I knew I was lost.