Still, the worry doesn't last long. Jasper is just too freaking handsome, distractingly so. As he drives us to the cinema, I nervously fold my arms in my lap and keep glancing at him out of the corner of my eye.

"I can feel you staring at me, you know. You're not being very sly about it."

"Oh." I flush and look out the window, so he won't notice. "Sorry. I guess I'm just trying to figure out how somebody like you knows someone like Dinah."

"That's your friend, right?"

"Um, yeah." I shoot another doubtful look his way. "How well do you know her?"

"We met at a café," he shrugs.

"Just the one time?"

"She seemed pretty eager to set me up with you." He smirks and this time, it's his turn to glance at me. "Must've thought we'd work well together."

I curse Dinah inwardly for setting me up with someone she barely knows. I mean, this guy could be a psycho, for fuck's sake. Dinah's not worried about me at all, is she?

It almost makes me laugh because I'm not sure whether she's really so confident I'll be able to hold my own. But she has said it a thousand times, and so has Katya. They've told me how strong I am. How proud they are of me for overcoming my past, for moving along everything I've gone through. They know all my dark secrets – the boarding school, the foster homes. They know everything, and they still love and accept me, and I adore them for it.

"So, what are we seeing?" he asks after a moment's pause, as I realize I've been holding up the conversation with my awkward silences.

"Revenge Kill Seven," I reply smoothly. "Have you seen the first six movies?" He barely stifles a laugh and I pout at him. "Oh, don't tell me you're one of those movie snobs."

"Nah. Just not a fan of D-rated horror porn."

"Neither am I." I'm so eager to defend myself.

"Sure, Georgina." My name sounds delicious on his lips, as if it belongs there. He says it with such ease, dark intent dripping from the word.

Fuck. I realize I'm sitting in a puddle of my own juices and my cheeks flare up again. What the hell is this guy doing to me? Why am I responding to him like this? It's like he's holding a magnet that pulls my body against his, an invisible force making me want to press myself up against him, feel his sculpted body hold mine.

I shake my head to get the thought out just as we pull into the parking lot of the cinema. Before I manage to so much as unbuckle, he's opening my door again, and I get out of the car, mumbling a thank you. Something about this Jasper guy unnerves me. Something's off, but I can't quite put my finger on it, and it's not enough – yet – for me to walk out on the date. It's like a delicious current is running through my body when I'm near him, my body running on sheer anticipation.

We walk inside the cinema, and I instantly feel several pairs of eyes on us. I'm sure it's not because of me, especially when I notice two women staring at Jasper hungrily. So, I'm not alone in my thoughts that he's smoking hot... the other women are seeing it too. It almost makes me feel a little smug about being there with him, and I straighten up as we walk to the entrance.

"Wait," Jasper mutters. "Don't you want some snacks?"

"Uh..." I do some quick calculations to see if I can afford it, but I don't want to deprive Jasper of a snack if he wants one, so I find myself nodding wordlessly.

Turns out, I needn't have worried about the money at all – my date picks out several bags of candy and two giant Cokes and smoothly pays for it all before handing me my cup. I fight the smile off my face and follow him into the screening room.

We take our seats at the back, and quickly realize we'll be practically alone in the room. The movie's been playing for a month now, and it seems as if the initial crowd of its fans has already seen it. There are only a few other couples in the theater beside us, and a group of teenagers who are sitting three rows before us.

There's no time to chat, and Jasper hands me a bag of candy wordlessly as the movie starts with a scene that instantly makes me scream.

I forgot just how bloody the Revenge Kill movies are, and I shiver, forgetting about my snacks as the movie unfolds on the screen.

There's a murder in the first five minutes, grisly and terrifying and I put my palm out, splaying out my fingers and looking at the screen through them. Jasper glances at me, smirking at my fear, which only makes me angry. I glare at him before returning my attention to the screen just in time to see a woman getting cut in half.

I let out a shrill scream and Jasper leans in closer, whispering, "You know this was in the trailer for the movie, right?"

"Shut up," I mutter.

We watch the movie for a while longer, and it keeps getting gorier and gorier, making me scoot closer to Jasper without really noticing it. I've jumped in terror at least half a dozen times now, and it seems to amuse Jasper more and more every time.

"You sure you can make it through this?" he whispers in my ear, and I shrug uncertainly.

The movie's scarier than I remember, and I'm shaking like a leaf. But I don't want to admit it to Jasper. I know he'd make fun of me, and I'm stubborn so it would bother me.

My teeth start chattering a little while later and this time, Jasper thankfully doesn't comment. But a moment later, his palm covers my hand on the armrest. I look at him with surprise, but he won't meet my eyes, casually eating candy with his other hand while he begins to gently stroke my hand, never taking his eyes off the screen. His touch sends shivers down my spine and makes goosebumps erupt all over my skin.

I want more.

The realization hits me like a freight train, and I dig my teeth into my bottom lip to get the thought out. I can't let myself want this guy. There's something about him, something a little... off. I don't quite trust him, and my gut feeling tells me I really, really shouldn't. But it's so hard not to let it happen... to resist the magnetic pull between us, the invisible force that's demanding me to ask for more, to beg for him to touch me, feel me, comfort me.

I bite my tongue before the words leave my lips. It's getting hard to focus on the movie. My attention is on Jasper, and I keep glancing at him out of the corner of my eye. I want him. I need him. I want him to make me better.

As if he can read my mind, my date slides our intertwined hands into my lap, casually interlocking his fingers. Under my dress, my legs are bare, and his fingers feel like fire against my burning skin. I want so much more it takes my breath away, but I refuse to admit it to Jasper. Once again, I try to focus on the film, but it's as if he senses that and is determined not to allow it. He begins stroking my hand again, soft, gentle and comforting strokes that instantly make me feel better. He draws circles in the palm of my hand every time something terrifying happens on the screen, and it's the perfect distraction from my pounding heart.

Somewhere around the middle of the movie, Jasper pulls our hands onto his lap. I'm instantly scared, and the feeling grows when I feel something as hard as a rock. I flush, thankful to the dimmed lights of the theater for not giving me away. I hope he won't try to make me touch him... or maybe I hope he does... Fuck.

But Jasper's the perfect gentleman. He keeps silently comforting me with light, sweet touches, and I keep blushing every time I accidentally brush my fingers against his growing bulge. I made him hard. I did that. I made his cock swell with need and desire, and the mere thought turns me on so much I'm nearly panting. I swallow my gasps, but it's hopeless – by the end of the movie, I don't even pretend to know what happened on the screen.