Series: The Circle of Monsters Series by Sam Crescent
Total pages in book: 44
Estimated words: 41985 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 210(@200wpm)___ 168(@250wpm)___ 140(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 41985 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 210(@200wpm)___ 168(@250wpm)___ 140(@300wpm)
“You know, I’m not a child. I won’t inconvenience you or anything.”
“You’re practically a child.”
Her hackles rose. “I’m twenty-five. That’s very much a woman.”
She’d done it again. Skye slunk down in her seat, wishing it would swallow her up whole.
“Is it now? When did you switch over from being a little girl?”
He was playing with her now and she wanted no part of it.
“All I’m saying is I won’t be a burden on you. All I want is to live my life and mind my own business.”
“Then you shouldn’t have screamed when you saw those murders. We wouldn’t be in this situation right now.”
“None of this is my fault,” she said. “I’m not like you. I don’t experience a certain number of kills by dinner. Anyone else would have screamed too. A normal person, anyway.”
“I imagine I must be real scum of the earth to a perfect woman like you.”
“Well, that’s your own fault, Galen.”
“Damn.”
He kept driving but she felt some of the tension between them had faded and she was glad for that. How could they have this playful banter when her very life was up in the air? If things were different, very different, she would have given anything for a man like Galen to want her. Even now, she knew he’d never be interested in a woman like her. She’d never had much going on in her favor. She was plain, boring, and had been overweight for as long as she could remember. The man beside her was the ultimate eye candy and she had to keep reminding herself to keep her thoughts out of the gutter.
They slowed down, turning off and driving down a long, winding, tree-lined dirt road. A rustic-looking bungalow appeared. It was something she expected to see on the cover of Town & Country magazine. This couldn’t be where a murderer lived.
“Where are we?” she asked as soon as he cut the engine.
“Home sweet home.”
She narrowed her eyes. “Here? Are you sure?”
“You’re a real piece of work.”
“What?”
He walked toward the front door and used his thumbprint to gain entry rather than a key. She’d never seen such a thing before.
Inside it looked like a winter lodge, all wood and cozy fabrics. It wasn’t too big, and she felt instantly at home, breaking away from him to explore the window at the back of the living room.
“Make yourself at home…”
He exhaled heavily and slammed the door shut, setting their food down on the kitchen island.
The house was on a hill, and she could see acres of forest out of the massive rear windows.
“The view is amazing,” she said.
“I like my privacy.”
This time she turned around to face him, remembering this wasn’t a fairy tale at all. “How long do I have to stay here?”
“I know as much as you do at this point,” he said.
“What do you think your boss will do with me?”
“That depends on what he finds out tonight,” Galen said. He sat on a stool at the kitchen island and opened his paper bag, pulling out a burger.
“Say it’s not good. Like, what if I’m no use to him alive?”
“You know the answer.” He took a bite of his burger.
She needed comfort and reassurance in the worst way. She had no friends or family. Galen was the only one who could help her right now.
“You’d be able to kill me? We’re practically best friends.”
He nearly choked on his burger.
“Are you kidding me? All you’ve been is rude and condescending since we met.”
She opened her mouth to argue but kept quiet. Her thoughts were scattered. Her situation was less than ideal, and he’d told her several times he wanted to kill her. How was she supposed to behave? Yet, he’d also saved her and hadn’t tried to hurt her. She had no concrete reason to hate or judge him beside the fact he was a killer.
“I’m sorry,” she said.
He kept silent for the longest time. Their eye contact was unnerving and oddly intimate.
“Eat your food before it gets cold.”
Chapter Three
Galen didn’t like this.
The jobs he took were never this messy. They never came to bite him in the ass. No woman ever made it into his sanctuary. His home was his peace, his safe haven, and now he had a woman who, quite frankly, was getting under his skin. She wasn’t even doing anything, but looking so freaking sweet and innocent wasn’t helping. Not when he could think of so many fun things to do with her body.
He had a feeling her full tits were real.
“You do know the food is already cold?” she asked, shoving a fry into her mouth. “There goes the diet.”
Galen glared at her. “Why do you have to talk?”
“Why do you have to enjoy silence?” She shrugged. “I’m sorry. I’m … it’s been a weird couple of days and I’m trying not to freak out, but I think I am freaking out. It’s a whole big thing. Ignore me.”