“You’re a natural. I’ll give you that much,” he mused in my ear, his breath cascading down my neck. “But not the face, Princess. That’s just cruel.”
I drove my heel down on the top of his foot, but it didn’t seem to do any good as he turned me around again. My back suddenly met with the wall. The psycho pinned my hands above my head, holding me there with just one arm as his body pressed up against mine.
Before I could find the will to scream, he covered my mouth with his free hand. “I wouldn’t recommend it,” he warned. It wasn’t a threat. More like a helpful suggestion, given that nobody else could apparently see him. I’d only look all the more stupid, especially after my display upstairs.
Still wrestling against him, I managed to bite down on one of his fingers.
He retracted his hand glaringly, but a grin quickly replaced the flicker of pain. “I’m a fan of biting, Princess, but it has its time and place. This isn’t it.”
“You call me ‘Princess’ again, and I’ll do a lot worse than bite you.”
“Well, I appreciate the vigor. You’re going to need it, but not against me.”
“Says the psychopath assaulting me,” I sneered, writhing uselessly about in his hold. For a guy with arms thinner than a rake, he sure had some muscles…somewhere.
He finally seemed to recognize how truly scared I was, because he loosened his grip. “I think we’ve gotten off on the wrong foot here.”
More like he chopped off the entire freaking leg!
“You don’t need to be afraid of me. If anything, I can help.”
“I highly doubt that, on both counts. All you’ve proven is that I’m going crazy,” I jeered.
The teasing nature that seemed to be a staple in his personality dissipated as his features darkened. “Deluding yourself into believing that none of this is happening to you won’t change the fact that it is. And I, more than anyone, can assure you that willful ignorance here is only going to get you killed.”
My body fell rigid against his frame.
“How do you think you survived the crash? You heard what happened to Blaine. Is there even a smidgen of you that believes you walked away unharmed by pure providence?”
He drew in closer, and heat rushed over me. But not in a bad way.
If that wasn’t a clear indicator that something was really wrong with me… Sure, the guy was attractive, but he was also cra-cra beyond description.
Curiosity clawed at my insides, begging me to ask him the questions swirling in my head, but I couldn’t bring myself to do it. Indulging in his lunacy didn’t seem like the smartest move.
“Ms. Montgomery?”
My head snapped to the right, seeing Vice Principal Wallace coming towards us from the offices at the end of the hall. The magician peered down at me with that teasing grin of his plastered to his face as he slowly retracted from me, leaving me frozen up against the wall with my arms still raised over my head. I immediately dropped them, imagining just how idiotic I must have looked. By Mr. Wallace’s expression, pretty stupid seemed like a safe assumption.
The rotund man stopped halfway down the hall and knocked on one of the doors. Dr. Fritz, the school psychologist, stepped out from what I now realized was her office as the two whispered to each other.
“Uh-oh, looks like somebody’s in trouble.” My stalker winced, but it was more sarcastic than concerned.
“Ms. Montgomery, if you’d please,” beckoned Vice Principal Wallace.
Crap.
I pushed myself off the wall to head toward the office, but Reese cut in front of me, blocking my way. He reached into his back pocket and fetched out a worn leather wallet, removing a business card. Against my will, I couldn’t take my eyes off his mouth as he placed the paper between his lips, using both his hands to tuck the wallet back into place and remove something else from inside his jacket.
A smug grin tugged at his delicious lips as he grabbed the card again, palming it as he scribbled something down on the blank backside with what I saw was an old-fashioned fountain pen. “I have the distinct feeling you’ll be in touch,” he whispered impishly.
In your dreams, I wanted to sneer. But Mr. Wallace and Dr. Fritz were still just down the hall, and they continued eying me strangely as I managed to steal a look over the magician’s shoulder. The distraction caught me off guard, and I gasped at the hand that grabbed at the front of my jeans. I looked down, realizing Reese just tucked the business card in the front pocket.
He winked, and I forced myself forward, trying to head around him.
Bad idea.
He was the one in control here, and my little act of defiance seemed to spark deeper amusement in him, because he took a step back and positioned himself in front of me once more. His brows piqued in challenge.