Total pages in book: 93
Estimated words: 86597 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 433(@200wpm)___ 346(@250wpm)___ 289(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 86597 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 433(@200wpm)___ 346(@250wpm)___ 289(@300wpm)
He lights up a little, no longer a lizard man with dead eyes, but a scolded puppy. He pulls on his fingers, slouching. “I guess I’m a bit of a dreamer. I wanted to believe you could like me. You’re so pretty, funny, you’ve got a hot voice, and you’re into crime.”
Incredible.
But I go with it and sigh. “That was actually my first kiss.”
“Now you’re definitely lying.” Nico snorts and shakes his head, but his eyes are glued to me.
I no longer want to just find a way to escape. I don’t believe he could have fabricated those messages about someone ordering a hit on me, and that means I’ll be in danger even when I leave this psycho's basement. I wouldn’t even dream of calling Nico naive, but the delusional crush he has on me could prove a useful tool.
As long as I don’t lose my head in the meanwhile, because I never met a man so openly enamored with me, and it’s giving me butterflies when it shouldn’t.
I shake my head and slide my hand between the bars, reaching for him. “I’m not. I’ve never been naked with anyone either,” I admit, hoping it will wipe away any fantasies he might have about a quick fuck before the day ends.
He’s reluctant but ends up hooking one finger with mine. It’s weirdly sweet.
“Is it because of homeschooling?”
I shrug and slide my thumb across his palm, hoping to coax him closer. “I suppose so. My brother worried I might end up in bad company, or start doing drugs. But now I’m old enough to make my own choices,” I say, shivering as his blue gaze licks my chest.
“Your ID card said you’re twenty-one. But you’re not, are you?” He puts down the frozen peas and gets up, watching me intently. It’s obvious he has a weakness for me, but I have to admit I like his attention too. Especially now that I know how well he kisses, how confidently his hands can glide up and down my body.
I… should stop thinking about all that.
“I’m eighteen,” I tell him, sliding my fingers up his wrist, under the fabric of his shirt cuff.
I could have lied, said I’m still a minor. If he’s as decent as he claims, maybe he’d back off sexually. But also… he might back off sexually. And as much as his closeness frightens me, deep down I’m not sure if I want him to stop flirting with me.
“And now that you can make your own choices, are they bad company and drugs?” he asks with a smirk emerging on his lips.
It shouldn’t make my chest stir with excitement.
“Define ‘bad company’,” I say and pull on his hand.
He takes a step back and slides out of my grasp. He’s wary. Like a golden retriever that’s been hit on the snout, but which is still interested in a treat. “A notorious serial killer who might want to see you naked a bit too much.”
I whimper and cover my face as soon as the sound comes out, because it’s a scenario I would very much enjoy in fiction. “I might want to see him naked too. One day.”
“Now you’re just being cruel. But I’m not. I will let you shower, and I won’t be peeking. But if you try something again, we’ll have a different kind of talk.”
Sugar-coated threats. Yay!
I make myself smile. “Will I get to sleep in a normal bed after that? This one’s going to ruin my spine,” I say and uncover the mattress, revealing its uneven surface, with clear marks of where its previous occupant usually lay down to sleep.
Nico shakes his head. “Is this the Prince and the Pea now? I’ll look into getting you a better mattress. Maybe dinner will make the night more bearable for you? I made fresh turkey…”
Will I now be eating turkey and cranberry every day until I die?
“Are you really going to keep me like a fish in a tank, just because you can? I have so much potential. I could help you so much, even with finding the person who’s after me,” I say and reach through the bars, grabbing his finger. A flash of heat travels from his hand to mine but I ignore it, because, unlike him, I am not deranged enough to see this situation as a romantic opportunity.
But if worse comes to worst, I will use any means at my disposal. At least he’s hot.
Nico cocks his head, and the way he plays with my hand gives me goosebumps. “You? Help me? You’ll go to the police at your first opportunity, so we’re in a bit of a bind.”
My stomach cramps from the stress of it all, and I’m proud of myself for keeping a clear head as I meet his gaze. “I also have skeletons in my closet, okay? I hired a hacker to break into the FBI database to steal some information. More than once. I couldn’t reveal it on my podcast, but it gave me an edge. What if I gave you the evidence? We would both have dirt on one another.”