Total pages in book: 125
Estimated words: 117443 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 587(@200wpm)___ 470(@250wpm)___ 391(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 117443 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 587(@200wpm)___ 470(@250wpm)___ 391(@300wpm)
"Give me my bag," she demanded, yanking hard. It didn't work. He didn't let go.
"I'm in my truck," he announced.
"What?" she asked, bewildered.
"I drove my truck to work today," he told her.
She stared at him. The man was obviously unbalanced and no amount of apologizing was going to do anything about that. He couldn’t even carry on a conversation that made sense.
He sighed. "Slick." She stiffened at the insult. "I'm tired. It's been a long day. Get your ass in my truck so I can take you home with me."
Glaring at him, she said, "I’m not going anywhere with you."
He sighed again. "I had this all worked out in my head before I got here. But now I see you and I'm tired and I'm still pissed off at the stunt you pulled last night. I'm in no mood to argue with you."
She gaped at him. “What stunt? I didn't pull any stunt," she insisted, getting pissed herself. "I took a cab!"
"No," he said, leaning toward her. The glittering intensity in his eyes sent shivers down her spine. "What you did was sneak out the back door to avoid me."
"I-" she spluttered. "I did not." But she knew she had. She had felt him eyeing her most of the night. At the time she'd had no idea it was because he was some kind of crazed stalker, she'd just wanted to get the hell out of there and get back to the motel.
He smirked at her. "Slick, you gave our table to Miranda and you avoided looking at me so much at one point I thought you were gonna give yourself a neck injury."
Hayley scowled at him. "Well, I just think we should stay away from each other."
He shook his head. "That's not gonna happen, Slick. You're coming home with me. Where I can keep an eye on you. Where meth heads don't knock on your door at two o'clock in the morning."
Her chin jerked up a notch. "Why do you care? Nothing's changed. I mean, you're still even calling me ‘Slick’."
"Yeah, I am."
"Well....stop it."
"I think maybe I'll call you Slick a little while longer."
"Why?"
"To remind myself that I can be a real asshole sometimes." Hayley stopped yanking on her bag. His face softened and along with it, his voice. "Maria says you're a good waitress. She says I was unfair and I should eat crow to make everyone's life easier. So this is me eating crow."
She chewed on her bottom lip. She really did need a place to stay. A place with a real kitchen and a shower that didn't require a hazmat suit. But this man was crazy. Were hot meals and shower worth potentially being murdered in her bed? "I don't-"
"Jesus, Slick. Stop busting my balls. I screwed up. I'm sorry. Get. in. the. truck."
"I won't sleep with you," Hayley suddenly blurted out.
He snorted. Loudly. "I'm not that desperate," he replied.
Hayley let go of the bag entirely, her hands unconsciously pressing against her torso. His words felt like a punch in the stomach. She was thin. Pale, even. But she wasn't ugly. Even though she had no intention of sleeping with Chris Sullivan it still hurt like hell that he'd just announced to every in the bar that she was beneath him. She looked over her shoulder at the regulars, grateful that Saturday afternoons were not that much busier than weekday afternoons. She felt heat creep up her face.
**************************
Fuck. Chris had fucked up. Again. She'd been standing there, arguing with him, making him look like a damn fool, and worse, when she said she wouldn't sleep with him. Loudly. Like he was some kind of sexual predator. He figured she'd be so grateful after last night, after seeing first hand what kind of lowlifes stayed at the Rainbow, that she'd jump at a second chance at a decent place to stay. Instead she'd looked a cross between mad as hell and in fear for her life. And now she looked like he'd gutted her.
"I'm sorry, Slick. I didn't mean it like that. Will you just come home with me?"
“No!” she snapped. “Give me my bag!”
Chris suppressed the urge to curse loudly and handed her the bag. “Hayley, listen. I’m sorry. I wasn’t saying-”
“I don’t care what you were saying!” she told him and stormed past him, throwing open the front door.
He turned and followed her, past his own truck, and through the parking lot. "What I meant was, Maria told me that you had .... problems.... with your old man. And I'm not the kind of guy to take advantage of a woman who's recently had problems. All I’m offering you is a safe place to live. I need a renter, you need decent place. That’s it."
“Well…whatever,” she told him. “It’s just not a good idea.”
Chris fell into step beside her. “No. It’s a great idea. Staying at the Rainbow, that’s not a good idea. That place is not for you, Hayley.”