Total pages in book: 194
Estimated words: 187754 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 939(@200wpm)___ 751(@250wpm)___ 626(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 187754 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 939(@200wpm)___ 751(@250wpm)___ 626(@300wpm)
My mouth falls open, and it draws his attention to my lips.
Khalil stares at them for so long that my heart tries to wring free the forbidden want like a dirty wet rag in my chest.
I lick my lips, and it feels like it’s on purpose. It feels like I’m daring him to kiss me.
Khalil’s pupils dilate, and he leans a little closer.
He’s going to kiss me.
Oh, God. Please don’t kiss me.
I don’t think my tenuous alliance with my own sanity can handle that right now. Khalil kissed me that night in the den, but a part of me craves to know what it will be like when it’s for any other reason than to hurt me. Khalil seems like he’d be in a league of his own.
They all do.
I don’t want him to kiss me.
I don’t want to want it.
My thoughts boil over, and I make a sound that seems to snap him out of it. He shoves away from me with a similar sound of disgust, though his voice is rougher, and I feel it vibrate all the way down to my…
No.
This is bad.
It’s wrong.
Wanting to kiss him feels like a worse violation than Khalil forcing me to.
“If you’re finished, let’s go,” he orders sharply.
“Where?” I haven’t quite caught my breath from the kiss that didn’t happen, so I’m panting and holding my chest.
Instead of answering, he gives me a look. I roll my eyes as I stand to follow him like his eager new puppy that he’s house training.
What’s sad is that I’m not that far off the mark.
Khalil leads me into the kitchen to one of the furnaces they have all around the house. The flat top tells me this one doubles as a stove, and suddenly, it feels as if I’ve been transported to the nineteenth century. I stare blankly as he points out the small woodpile of logs, twigs, bark, and sticks in a basket next to it. He then goes through the motions of showing me how to light the fire and feed it.
He does a much better job at it than Tyler, who remembered very little from his Boy Scout days.
Either Khalil doesn’t notice I’ve tuned him out or doesn’t care as he leads me to the pantry next. It’s mostly dry foods and nonperishables like beans, nuts, and grains.
Not a bag of chips in sight.
Khalil wasn’t lying when he said they stored enough food for the winter. Spring is only weeks away, and yet it looks like they have enough to survive two winters hunkered down. I’d be impressed if I wasn’t panicking at the thought of being stuck up here that long. Hadn’t they said the winter season lasts longer up here? I was sure they’d have to go into town sooner or later, but it was clear I was wro—
“Aurelia!”
“Aah!” I startle when Khalil barks my name, and I realize I was rooted to the spot while he had already moved on. His ungodly gorgeous face is twisted with irritation on the other side of the island as he waits for me to join him. “Sorry. Gosh. Next time, try whistling or patting your leg,” I suggest as I walk over to stand at his side like a good little pet.
Khalil doesn’t even try to deny that it’s exactly what I am.
AURELIA
After showing me where everything is in the kitchen, Khalil gives me a tour of the rest of the cabin. I learned that it’s mainly powered by solar, with wind as backup, although they don’t seem to have much need for electricity.
There’s not a single TV, phone, radio, or computer anywhere.
The most modern appliance they have is the coffee machine.
They have books, though.
Lots and lots of books.
There’s at least one on every subject. I even find a few well-worn romances hidden among survivalist manuals, cookbooks, and murder mysteries like they’re ashamed of it.
I smirk at the idea of me finding their porn stash as I follow him into the living room.
Khalil absently points out the unused loft above the living room. The tip of the A-frame window serves as the back wall of the loft and overlooks the vast wilds for miles and miles. The only way up is to climb the smaller bookshelf built into the wall near it.
It’s not a bad corner to stick a new pet in—it even has a view—but Khalil doesn’t let me go up when I ask if I can see it.
Instead, he takes me out onto the cabin’s upper deck overlooking the cliff. It looks newer and less weathered than the one Thorin imprisoned me on. I asked Khalil about it, and he told me they added it last summer. It was a project born out of boredom.
“So, you guys built this cabin yourselves?” I ask before I realize he’s taking me back down to the basement.