Guardian Of Fate (Fate Series) by L.J. Kentowski Page B

made me want to keep my distance, or the way I'd reacted to him in our previous encounters. I felt much safer with doors, walls, and stairwells between us, but I gave a sigh and buzzed him in anyway.
    A minute later, he was at the door knocking. I opened it, but blocked his entrance. I didn't want to be alone with him in the apartment. After a long appraisal of my attire, and quite possibly what was underneath it from the way his eyes seared into me, he stepped towards me. "Hello, Cassandra," he said slowly. I had to step back to avoid being too close to him. He smiled and stepped around me.
    "Hello, Hunter," I said, irritated, after closing the door and turning towards him. "So, like I said before, Nora had to leave. She probably won't even make it to the restaurant later, so maybe we can do this some other time." I started to fidget under his intense gaze. Why did he have to look at me as if he were trying to see to my very soul?
    He shook his head, tsking me. "I'll go just in case she shows up. I'd hate for her to feel like a third wheel if she's able to make it. What happened, anyway?"
    I moved to the couch, resigned to the fact that he wasn't going to give this up. Sitting down, I grabbed one of the "devil's own" sandals, which I was determined to conquer. "Not sure. She left so quickly that she didn't have time to tell me. She said she'd fill me in later."
    "Has she ever done that before?" he asked, standing next to the couch, looking down at me.
    "What? Left when we had plans? Yeah, plenty of times, but I do it a lot too, so I don't get too upset when it happens. We're kind of the same way like that." I paused for a minute as I thought about what I just said. Could she be... No, that wasn't possible, was it?
    I felt the couch stir beneath me, and I realized that Hunter had come around and sat down at the other end, his distance a little too close for comfort. His eyes were on my chest, which I hadn't realized had become slightly exposed as I leaned over, struggling with the straps of my shoe. I sat up quickly and my shoe fell from my foot.
    I put my hand to my chest, making sure that my dress was back where it should be. I could feel the quick rhythm of my heart beneath it, while my breath kept the same pace. I needed to gain my composure, but his presence was overwhelming me again.
    "Yeah... so... the reservations are for six now at Celestino's. It's one of the best rest... aur... ants..." My voice faded as I watched him reach forward and grab the shoe from the floor in front of me.
    "Well, I guess we better get going then," he said, almost in a whisper, as he held the shoe in his hand and reached for my leg with the other. I drew in a hard breath as his hand slowly slid down my calf, gently raising it up and resting my foot in his lap. My calf burned from his touch and the heat made its way up my thigh settling between my legs. He moved the shoe into his other hand, cupped the back of my ankle, and began to gently guide it onto my foot.
    "What are you?—"
    "At the rate you're going with these, we'll never make it to dinner. However, I'm not opposed to staying here all night and helping you with your accessories." He chuckled as he held my foot tighter when I tried to tug it free. A minute later, he had the straps expertly in place. I quickly withdrew my leg from his lap and put it down on the floor, shocked at how quickly he had mastered the complicated straps.
    "Uh... thanks." I said, reaching for the other shoe.
    He started to reach forward again and I held my hand up to ward him off. "I can manage this one, Hunter!" He seemed to find that rather humorous too, which only fueled my anger more. At this point, all I wanted to do was get the hell out of my apartment. The walls were starting to feel like they were closing in on us, and it seemed I could no longer trust my body to take orders from my mind.
    I fumbled with the shoe, but my fear of him taking over again made me determined, and I managed to work it out