Total pages in book: 100
Estimated words: 97364 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 487(@200wpm)___ 389(@250wpm)___ 325(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 97364 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 487(@200wpm)___ 389(@250wpm)___ 325(@300wpm)
Inhaling a deep breath, as if he smells me, he turns. I wait for red eyes and six-inch fangs dripping with saliva to greet me before I become his evening snack.
The eyes aren’t red. They’re blue—just like Thor’s.
“Stay out of my stuff and don’t make a mess.”
Another interesting fact about humming birds: despite their size, they rank as one of the most aggressive species of birds, attacking hawks and crows without hesitation.
“Or what?”
My name is Scarlet Stone. I am the smallest kid in the playground. I kick bullies in the balls because they never see me coming. My self-defense skills—zero. My hundred-meter sprint time—thirteen seconds.
“Don’t push me, little girl.”
Standing ramrod straight, I tip my chin up. “It’s recently come to my attention that I’m paying double the rent you’re paying. I’m splitting the house into thirds; each bedroom/bathroom space is a third, and the kitchen and living room together are the final third. You’re only paying enough to cover your sleeping and bathing space. So unless you’re coming or going, I don’t want to see you in my kitchen or living room. Understood?”
“Go to your room.” Steely blue eyes narrow into slits, giving a more chilling vibe instead of the warm ocean.
Yet … I love how I feel right now. Nolan is gone. This man could move two steps, snap my neck, and throw me into the Atlantic. That morbid possibility, no matter how remote it is, thrills me. I want time to stop so I can enjoy the rush this fear gives me.
“Sorry?” I laugh, trying to hold back the level of excitement that runs through my veins.
“I think we need to establish the ground rules, which should be easy since there’s only one.”
Crossing my arms over my chest, I flip my hip out and cock my head to the side. “And what’s that?”
“I am the law.”
Time stops while we have a stare-off. I blink first, but it’s been a long day and I wasn’t prepared for this moment. I’m usually quite good at stare offs.
With the concentration of walking a tightrope, I ease past him. In the spirit of not killing my housemate within seconds of meeting him, I decide to go to my room and give him some space to cool his tits.
Until … he has the audacity to let his lip curl into a smirk at the last minute. I redirect my path, stopping at the fridge.
“Don’t. Open. It.”
“Or what?” I grin and tug on the door.
“Last warning.”
Theo must not have gotten the memo on America being the land of the free. Snatching the green apple on the middle shelf, I breathe on it, wipe it against my shirt, then sink my teeth into it.
Before I have a chance to savor the taste, the apple is ripped from my grasp and thrown on the worktop.
“Hey—”
He slams my back into the fridge door, cuffing my wrists in his massive hand while shoving them above my head.
Gasping, I nearly choke on my bite of apple. On my attempt to yell, he plunges his finger in my mouth and digs out the bite of apple.
He did not just do that. He. Did. NOT. JUST. DO. THAT!
“Rape!” I scream.
Theo quirks an eyebrow.
Twelve hundred beats a minute. I can’t catch my breath. My eyes dart around the room for something, anything to use as a weapon. He’s gone completely mad!
“Put me down!” My plea comes out on a whoosh of air when my stomach connects with his iron shoulder as he lifts me off the ground.
He takes the stairs two at a time. I yank and pull at his hair, still fisting it when he throws me on the bed.
“Rape!”
“I’m not raping you,” he grits through his teeth as he pries my hands from his hair.
Like the humming bird, I don’t even think before lurching toward him as he strides to the door.
“You cuntpuddle!” I yell as he slams it shut.
The knob won’t turn. He’s holding it shut. What are we? Seven?
“Let me out!” I yank at the handle.
“Take a nap.”
“I’m not a child. You can’t send me to my room and tell me to ‘take a nap.’ Who the bloody hell do you think you are?”
“I told you. I am the law.” Every word he speaks is slow and controlled—barely. There’s a natural edge to his voice that could slice a person in half.
I don’t want to be sliced in half.
I don’t want to argue with a madman. Okay, I shouldn’t want to argue with a madman.
I also shouldn’t be grinning like a fool, but I am. Theodore Reed is one fucked-up bugger, and I couldn’t be happier.
Sleep. He’s right. I’m so knackered. I need a nana nap and a few more chapters of Tolle.
*
The nerves in my ears rip apart in painful torture with the screeching sound coming from downstairs. Lifting my heavy head from its facedown position on the bed, I blink open my eyes. The analog clock on the bedside table reads: 8:35. Morning or night? I don’t know. My brain is not awake. I’m not in London.