I had convinced myself that it was a dream the next morning. Dean Lachlan didn't watch me from my doorway the night before, he hadn't told me to sleep well...he never called me his queen. And for a while, I actually believed it. Then, just as I sat down with Jo and Connor for breakfast, I caught the Dean staring at me, and I knew I couldn't fool myself.

The Dean had done those things. And the way he was watching me told me that he'd do them again.

But why? I just got here, it's not like he was in love with me or anything. Hell, I barely spoke to the man. I thought about it for a moment, picking at my food.

Could it have had something to do with him catching me from falling the day before?

That was when he started acting weird toward me. I shook my head. No, not that...but maybe... maybe it was our conversation afterwards?

"Are you okay, Audrey? You look kinda pale."

I glanced up at Jo, debating on whether or not to bring up Dean Lachlan's visit to our room.

"I'm fine." I lied, deciding it was best to keep the Dean's visit to myself. "I just didn't rest too well last night."

"First time away from home?"

Connor asked after scarfing down some bacon.

"Something like that," another fib. I never really had a home, per se. But I didn't want to discuss that. Not now. Not with people I hardly knew.

Jo and Connor proceeded to discuss where they were from. I was too busy watching the Dean to catch any specifics, but I did find out that Jo was from Texas, and Connor was from Michigan.

"What about you, Audrey?"

I turned to Connor, unsure of what he had asked.

"Yeah, where are you from?"

Jo added, taking a sip of orange juice.

I wasn't really sure how to answer that. Nowhere? Everywhere? I bit my lip, their expectant gazes boring into me, when the Dean provided an escape route.

"Alright, freshmen students. I need you all to come with me. The rest of you may go back to your dorms."

Everyone shuffled to drop off their trays and head where they needed to. I joined Connor and the other freshmen, trying my best to hang as far back as I could. I didn't want the Dean to see me, and yet, I couldn't resist the urge to search for him. As expected, his eyes were locked on to me. When our gazes met, my heart skipped a beat, though I didn't know why.

"Is this everyone?" Dean Lachlan broke his hold over me to quietly count the students in front of him. "Thirty-five, thirty-six, thirty-seven. Okay, that's it. Now the tour can begin."

Turning on his heel, the Dean led us out of the banquet hall and into the lobby. He repeated the speech he had given at the statue yesterday, the one about how his grandfather had founded the university with the notion of a distraction-free learning environment, and how he shared his grandfather's ideology. Then he proceeded to lead us outside, into a chilly autumn morning, still providing some background on the university. I rubbed my bare arms; a futile attempt to stave off the cold, and listened intently to Dean Lachlan.

"...the island holds more than just the university." He went on, looking nowhere in particular. "There is a clinic, staffed with two doctors, a psychiatrist, a dentist, and all the modern medical equipment you would find in any mainland hospital."

His eyes found their way to me again, and when he noticed my shivering, he added, "we also have a bookstore. Besides finding any textbooks you may need, you can also purchase clothes, though we mostly offer sweats and hoodies. Nothing fashionable, but warm, which you'll need during the winter months here."

He arched a white brow at me.

Was he trying to be cute?

No, he didn't seem the type.

Maybe he was trying to give me a heads up without calling attention to my current state.

The thought was a nice one, so I settled with it.

In front of me, Connor rolled back and forth on the balls of his heels, hands shoved into his coat pockets. He glanced over his shoulder at me, turning completely to face me when he noticed what I was wearing. Or rather, what I wasn't wearing.

"God, you must be freezing!" He shrugged out of his coat. "Here, take this."

My teeth were beginning to chatter, but I kindly turned down his offer. I already owed Jo for her help from the day before, I didn't want to be indebted to Connor as well. And besides, I couldn't just take his coat. He needed it.

"I insist," he held it out for me, whispering as the Dean spoke.

I shook my head. "I'm f-fine. R-really."

"You're shaking like a Chihuahua, Audrey."

He was unwavering in his offer.

I glanced at the blue jacket, then back to him, noting that he was wearing a long-sleeved shirt. Finally, I took it, earning a grateful smile from Connor. After I slipped it on I noticed Dean Lachlan watching us, an unreadable expression marring his face.

"Now, let us continue. This way, please." The Dean's tone was flat, mechanical, as were his movements as he turned to finish the tour.

A slight breeze teased my hair, and carried a faint whistle. I slowed my pace, listening to the tune. It sounded sad, but somehow comforting. I wondered where it was coming from. Without hesitation, I followed it, away from my group and the square. Down the steps I had walked up yesterday, the same ones I almost fell on, and through the pretty silver gate. As I passed through the familiar path framed by trees and plants, the whistling got louder. I spotted the dock ahead, and was about to approach it, when something stopped me dead cold.

No, not something. Someone.

A guy. A naked guy.

I slipped behind a fir tree, face hot, and peeked my head out to see if he had noticed me.

He hadn't, thank God!

My heart was pounding. I knew I should've left, should have tried to run and catch up with the group. But I couldn't move. I was completely immobile, frozen in place by the glorious man before me. He ran a towel over his wet hair, quick and rough, before moving on to dry the rest of his body.

Across his shoulders and chest, which looked firm with muscle. Up his thick, ripped arms, and down his rock hard abs.

I begged myself to look away, to give the poor guy some privacy, and I almost succeeded... until I spotted what was resting between his legs.

I nearly collapsed.

It was huge! Slapping him lightly mid-thigh with every move he made, his manhood obviously wasn't affected by the cold. And neither was I. I was hot all over, an odd, delicious twinge resting between my legs. I pressed my thighs together in an attempt to soothe the ache, unaware that the whistling had stopped.

"Enjoying the show?"

I stiffened.

Fuck!

He knew. He knew I was watching him like some kind of freak...like...like...I groaned, unwillingly coming to an unsettling realization.

Like Dean Lachlan had been watching me.

I was too mortified to speak as the man walked up to me, still nude. He flung his towel over his shoulder, ashy-lavender hair still damp despite his efforts to dry it. A hard lump formed in my throat, and I tried desperately to swallow it down.

"You know, voyeurism isn't a trait I hold in high regard." He purred, halting when he stood a foot away from me. "But for you, I'm willing to make an exception."