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grinned. “I like to keep up with my favorite people. Lucky, huh, or I wouldn’t be here.”
    Shay breathed in slowly. The crazy-making sensation of being watched hadn’t been her imagination. “You’ve been stalking me from the beginning.”
    Instead of showing irritation he continued to smile. “I like to think I was looking after you. You’ve always kept secrets from me, Shay. Like why you change phones every six months. I let you think that was okay because I’d know if you were lying. So, yeah, I knew you left Raleigh three days ago. But, with all the responsibilities of my job, I had to wait until the weekend to follow you. Now we can talk uninterrupted.”
    Feeling violated gave her courage. “We have nothing to say to one another.”
    “That’s not how I figure it.” He flared his coat to place a hand on each hip, his tone the reassuring one she heard him use when dealing with bank customers. “I just can’t leave you thinking that I am some sort of monster. I never meant for things to get out of hand the way they did the night you walked out on me.”
    He made it sound as if his behavior had been no worse than ordering two desserts after a huge meal.
    The tension running between them was familiar, if unwelcome. It made her accusation a stammer. “Y-you raped me.”
    He shrugged. “So, we got a little kinky. Everybody’s trying things these days. I saw those books you’ve been reading. So don’t try to make this about me because you decided you didn’t like it. I even tried to protect you from your mistake. My apology to the police sounded absolutely believable, didn’t it?” His tone of voice practically begged her to toss him a bone of compromise.
    Shay ground her teeth together to keep from giving in to the old impulse to make excuses for his cruelty. He could be a very persuasive man, twisting things just enough to make her doubt herself. Over and over, she’d caved in, only to feel like a fool later after he had gotten his way. But not anymore.
    “Just go away, Eric.”
    Did she see a hint of annoyance before he looked away?
    He took a moment to survey his surroundings, the cabin and then the lake beyond. “Nice place. Have you come here before?”
    Her silence seemed to encourage him. He took a few more steps toward her. “You never mentioned that you could afford to rent a cabin. Why didn’t you tell me, Shay? You know how much I like to get away from the city on the weekends.”
    He glanced around a second time. “Of course, the cabin’s not much. All a temp’s salary can afford. But I like to rough it once in a while.”
    The look he gave her made Shay suck in a breath.
    The sound of a snapping twig caused a sharp jerk of his head toward the woods. “Where’s your dog?”
    For a split second she thought about lying. But he’d realize soon enough that Prince wasn’t here. “Due back from the groomers.” She made herself hold his stare. “Any minute.”
    He hunched his shoulders against her words, a sullen look creeping into his expression. “You got a dog when you know I have allergies. That was thoughtless.”
    “I didn’t—” Shay took a deep breath. No more explanations. No more apologies.
    But she knew she’d shown her vulnerable side as a smile tugged at his mouth. “It’s cooler out here than in the city. Mind if we step inside?”
    Everything in her cried, Don’t let him in . Yet that’s where her phone was, and she needed to get to it.
    A nervous tic jerked the edges of her lips. “No. We don’t need to talk. I’ve heard your apology. Let’s part as … friends.” She turned away, not too quickly so as to seem frightened.
    She stepped up on the porch, refusing to look back over her shoulder for fear she would give her nervousness away. If she could just get inside, she’d be okay.
    The moment her key turned in the lock, he moved behind her much more quickly than she had thought possible, and pushed the door wide.
    Shay leaped away from him. Spying