Ryder’s POV

I shut the exam room door behind us. The stranger stood in the middle of the room. He watched me again. Same fixed stare. Same sharp focus. I felt the weight of it.

“Tell me your name,” I said.

He shook his head once. “No.”

His voice was rough. Quiet. Certain. He did not look away. His eyes tracked every move I made. When I breathed in, he noticed. When I shifted my weight, he noticed. His gaze followed the rise of my chest, the tension in my shoulders, even the small movements of my throat when I swallowed.

I tried to ignore it. I tried to stay...