His eyes stayed on me, tracing the lines of my body. I swallowed hard, pressing my arm tighter across my chest, but it only made me more aware of how exposed I was, how my bare skin prickled under the weight of his stare.

“Close the door,” I whispered, my voice shaky, but not in the way I expected.

His hand, still holding my purse, tightened around it. Slowly, he stepped inside and nudged the door shut behind him. The soft click of the lock sliding into place made my stomach flip.

He set ...