Total pages in book: 89
Estimated words: 88262 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 441(@200wpm)___ 353(@250wpm)___ 294(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 88262 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 441(@200wpm)___ 353(@250wpm)___ 294(@300wpm)
He could easily choke me out or snap my neck if he wanted to, now that he had me here.
His chest was warm against my back. My heartbeat was slamming out of my chest, panic flooding every inch of my body. I caught his scent and my nostrils flared. Too clean. Too expensive. Warm musk, clove, maybe even vanilla?
About to be murdered and I’m still picking out ingredients like I’m making a goddamn cocktail.
“Who the fuck are you?” I managed to utter, my voice coming out strained.
He just hummed from behind, not answering me.
My eyes focused on the weathered wooden slats on the porch ceiling above us. There was a place right above the front door where I’d once considered putting a security camera, but figured I’d never need it.
Next time trust your goddamn gut.
I was pinned. Restrained. I had no leverage, but…
I had teeth.
I bit down on his forearm, sinking my teeth into the top of his wrist, trying to make it hurt as much as humanly possible. He hissed in a quick breath. It was possible that he had a knife or a gun and that I might be seconds away from dying on my own front porch, but in that moment, the only thing I noticed were the black lines of the rose tattoo on his skin, filled with crimson ink, right below my teeth.
I sank my teeth deeper and finally, for the first time, he spoke.
“Come on. You can bite harder than that.”
His voice was low and deep.
Right fucking next to my ear.
He groaned as I bit him hard again.
“I already called the police,” I spat, blatantly lying. My chin was still up against his arm.
He pulled in a long breath, and I felt his chest rise and fall.
“Relax.”
He sounded amused and barely bothered. Like he knew he was completely in control.
“I don’t know who you are,” I repeated slowly. “I don’t want to hurt you.”
Lies, lies, lies.
“Want to try?”
I couldn’t hurt him. I certainly couldn’t kill him. I was incapable of it. Mom once told me that I’d probably stop my car for a worm crossing the road. I didn’t even like killing weeds on my lawn. Maybe I would hurt a fly, but I’d definitely feel sad about it.
A slow calm came over my body, like a warm, weighted blanket.
Surrender.
He might kill me, yes. But if there was nothing I could do to stop it, nothing I could force? All I could do was give into the feeling of someone else being in control.
And some sick part of me reared its head, emerging like it had been dormant.
There was a part of me that thought it felt good to surrender.
And for that moment only, my fear melted away, vanishing into the night air. I sank into the feeling, not giving up, but accepting that there was nothing more for me to do.
Well. Maybe there was one more last-ditch effort I could try.
If intimidation isn’t working…
I didn’t have a whole lot going for me, but I knew how to talk to people.
“Just talk to me,” I finally said, trying to sound as stable as I could. “We can just talk.”
“Do your conversations usually begin by threatening someone with a hockey stick? Mine don’t.”
“You were breaking in. If it’s food, or shelter that you need, I can help you.”
“No need for any of that,” he said.
Didn’t fucking seem like it, in your expensive black cowboy hat.
I attempted to even out my breathing. “Whatever it is you want, I can work with you. I can help you. Just talk to me.”
I felt his grip tighten, just slightly, at my neck.
Like he was reminding me who held all the power here.
“Hurting you wasn’t the plan, but now you keep tempting me,” he finally said. “You bit me.”
“Was just trying to get you to let me go—”
“Normally I only allow people to bite me like that if we’re fucking, Max.”
Something curled tighter in my chest.
How did he know my name?
Was he really an online stalker, who’d already found out where I lived?
I let out a frustrated growl.
Guess being good at talking to people doesn’t matter when you’re dealing with a monster.
I tried to feign relaxation for a moment, loosening my muscles to try to surprise him when I bolted into action. I moved in a flash, attempting to spring up from my locked position.
But he moved quicker than I did.
Again.
“Enough of that,” he said. “I want to look at your face now.”
I cursed under my breath as I felt his arm shift positions against my neck. He moved again, then slid out from under me quickly.
My spine connected with the cool wood below us.
His hands were on my wrists now, nailing them to the porch on either side of me. His ass came down on my hips, locking down my movement.