My body bounced off the wall, and my feet slipped from underneath me. I winced and was preparing for the inevitable crash landing when strong hands gripped my shoulders.

Heart dropping into my stomach, I forced my eyes to look straight ahead and found myself staring at a chest.

The gray polo shirt was molded to muscle, and I shook my head to clear it. It didn’t help. I couldn’t get over the way the muscles curved and tensed, and something inside meyanked.

Between the hard chest and the run-in, my blood calmed to a jolt.

I knew people could be strong, but I hadn’t realized running into someone this fit would feel like hitting a wall. Like, what the hell? I ran my fingertips over the muscles, reveling in the heat and smoothness, then froze. Two snickers sounded from Muscular Chest’s side.

Oh my God.

My face burned, and I dropped my hand like I’d touched something hot.

In fairness, I had. This chest alone had jumbled my thoughts. I needed space and air.

Fast.

I took a step back and stumbled all over again, but the hands were still on my shoulders, keeping me upright.

“Uh … thanks.” I jerked my head up, hoping to pull myself together, but when I locked eyes with the brick wall and his scent invaded my senses, my thoughts vanished entirely, and my mouth dropped open.

He was more than handsome but gorgeous didn’t sound manly enough—because this guy was all man. He had at least six inches on me, and his black hair hung into his crystal-blue eyes, emphasizing their color. I wanted to get lost in them, and his amber-sandalwood scent made me want to rub myself all over him.

Which would make this situation even more embarrassing; otherwise, I wouldn’t have restrained myself.

His eyes warmed as he looked me over, but then he sniffed. His jaw clenched, and his full lips mashed together in a grimace. “Do you think you can stand without falling now?”

I was used to getting that look from almost everyone I met, but it cut deeper coming from him. Seeing the warmth vanish from his eyes hurt, which was preposterous. I didn’t even know him.

“Man, I think you broke her.” The guy on my right chuckled. “I swear she’s got drool puddling in the corner of her mouth.”

That snapped me out of my stupor. I looked at his friend, who was almost as hot as Sexy Chest. His friend’s milk-chocolate-brown eyes danced with mirth as he ran a hand over brown scruff that was a shade darker than his short hair. His dark skin crinkled around his eyes—further proof that he was trying to hide a smile.

“Leave her alone, Kevin.” The man with lighter-brown skin on the other side of Sexy Chest scoffed. “She’s scared.” He stepped toward me, his shaggy, curly hair ruffling in the breeze.“She was running.” His honey-brown eyes seemed warmer than the others, but his body was stiff, giving off clear stay-back vibes. He lifted his head to scan the area behind me. “It looked like something was chasing her.”

These three were the sexiest guys I’d ever seen, and I’d proven that neither my mouth nor my balance was stable, but I despised being talked about as if I weren’t standing right here. I had to say something. “I saw a deer.”

Kevin laughed, not hiding his amusement anymore. “And you thought it was chasing you?”

“What? No!” Deer weren’t aggressive toward humans. Even non animal people knew that, so I was still speaking nonsense. “I meant, I…” How did I salvage this? At least I wasn’t exposing myself as a freak…sorta. “I wanted to take a picture, but I forgot my phone.”

As if there were a higher being that hated me, my phone dinged in my pocket.

“I believe we all found it.” Sexy Chest’s deep, husky voice rumbled.

My damn traitorous eyes glanced back at him, and my breath caught at the suspicion etched into every line of his face. He dropped his hands from my shoulders, and I noticed a detailed wolf tattoo peeking from under the sleeve of his shirt. The olive tone of his skin gave it more definition, making it appear almost lifelike.

I looked over my shoulder, wondering if I could catch a glimpse of whatever had been following me.

The nicer guy followed my gaze. “Judging by your expression, I’m assuming you aren’t searching for a deer.”

“Nick, come on.” Kevin snorted. “She can’t walk, she was gawking at Dante, and she can barely put together a coherent sentence. She probably bumped into a tree and thought it was someone grabbing her.”

And here was when the teasing began. My blood jolted, and my mouth went dry. I needed to get away from them before I had an epic meltdown… again. “It felt like I was being watched.” I shrugged, staring at the mulchy ground. “I’m sure it was nothing… just me being paranoid.”

“Why don’t you go to your room, and the three of us can check out the area?” Dante said, a little bit of the warmth springing back into his eyes.

Part of me snapped to attention, ready to follow his suggestion, which irritated me. Why in the world would I want to obey someone I’d just met? But there was something about him that I couldn’t explain.

I lifted my chin. “I appreciate the sentiment, but I’m sure it was nothing. And if something was chasing me, I’d hate for you to go out there and have something happen. I couldn’t live with you all getting hurt because of me.”

Dante scowled, and his eyes narrowed as he stepped back into my space. For a moment, I swore his blue eyes glowed, but Nick punched him in the shoulder.

“We’ll be fine, pigeon.” Kevin shoved his hands into his khaki pants pockets and smirked. “Besides, Dante eats birds in his sleep.”

Pigeon. Sigh. It was the equivalent of being called chicken, though most people didn’t realize that. Unfortunately, Kevin might be smarter than he seemed.

I hated what these people stood for. They were the type who bullied and berated people for being different. Hell, Kevin was already doing that with me even when it was clear I’d been scared.

I could either stand here and let them ridicule me or get my shit together and meet my roommate like I should have done already. The latter would let me hold on to a smidge of dignity. At least they were willing to search the woods in case something was off. That had to count for something.

I settled on saying, “Don’t hurt the deer if you see her.”

“Her?” Kevin arched his brow. “Did you name her too? Let me guess, Bambi? Thumper? Flower?”

Dante cut his eyes to his friend, and after a few seconds, Kevin huffed and lowered his head slightly.

Here I’d thought weird things only happened around me. Something strange was going on between them.

Well, the last thing I needed was to learn more about it. I had enough freak inside me to last a lifetime without adding glowing eyes and people talking through expressions without looking at each other.

“No, but if you meet up with her, ask her what it is and let me know.” The words had popped out before I processed my response. I couldn’t stand smart-asses. “Unlike people here, I don’t limit names to Disney movies.”

“Hey.” Kevin sneered. “I can come up with more—”