Captivated (An Affliction Novel) by Raven Read Free Book Online Page A

behind us.”
    Behind us? He wasn’t looking at me? I felt like such an idiot. There I was thinking he was watching me. Well…I was glad I didn’t wave. Markus and Tanya wouldn’t have ever let that one slide. They would’ve made fun of me forever until I slipped up again.
    “Whatever. He had to have felt that he shoved me.” He lightly pushed Tanya and me away. “I’ll be back.” he moodily said.
    “Wait! Where are you going?” Realization hit me. Markus was going to confront Dean. I pictured my tiny Markus up against the giant Dean. “Wait! Don’t. Just let it go Markus! Please!” I shouted.
      “Stay here!” he demanded and stomped away.
       I listened to him and stayed inside with Tanya but I couldn’t help but worry. I’d neve r seen Markus in a fight, I was betting that he wouldn’t stand a chance against Dean. Wait a minute. Why did I automatically think about a fight? Maybe he just wanted to talk. Markus wasn’t a fighter. Still…I had to go look for myself.
    “I gotta go to the bathroom.” Tanya said. “Are you coming with me?” she asked. Not phased or worried about Markus.
    “No, I should stay here. So someone’s here when Markus comes back.” A good excuse. What I really wanted to do was follow him. I had to make sure he was alright. Tanya headed for the bathroom alone and as soon as she was out of sight, I rushed to the exit. As I pushed the huge door out, someone from the outside was trying to pull it simultaneously. I lost my grip on the handle and as I stumbled forward, I found Dean on the other side, blocking my exit. He looked down at me -motionless– staring at me the way he did that day I dropped the pencil. His eyes shined with pleasure. I looked at the small gap between him and the opening...small, but big enough for me to squeeze through. I mean, really squeeze through.
    “I need to get through.” I stated, trying to keep my composure.
    His eyes locked with mine. And that rapturing gaze was taking me away from what was important right now. After what seemed like an eternity, but what was probably only mere seconds, he tore his gaze away from mine and surveyed the gap between us. When his eyes glared back down at mine, they were dark and smoldering. He raised his arm and leaned his elbow against the door frame. A flirtatious smile formed on his attractive face. I started falling apart at the thought of that smile being for me, then he purposely closed the gap a bit more, shining eyes daring me to squeeze through.
    I blinked with surprise. Now, more than ever, I wanted to squeeze through that gap. I wanted physical contact.
    Determined, I tightened my mouth into a line and knitted my brow. I wanted to look angry and I wanted him to move away before I got sucked out of reality with him. His mischievous smile stayed the same and he kept right in his place. I took a deep breath and began to navigate through him, but it was a tight squeeze; I was literally between a rock and a hard place. The warm smell of amber enveloped me, hot, vibrant waves swept through me. I lifted my shaky hands and placed them on his rib cage to help me push my back against the wall and garner some distance from him. Not a budge. So I lowered my hand and placed it on his oblique. What I intended was to just set my hand there, but I found myself exploring the roped muscles of his core as I put my hand there. My heart hammered beneath my chest. I had to get out of there. Again, I pushed against him to widen the gap at least an inch so I could squeeze through. I looked up at his flirting eyes and popped right out the other side. A victorious smile shone on me as I turned around to face him, the door slowly inched to a close. All I saw were his green enchanting eyes through the darkness. And they were smiling.
    When I finally made it outside, it was like stepping into an outdoor hallway with dividers and dumpsters beside each door. It was quiet, lifeless. I spotted Markus at a distance, getting up from a