Total pages in book: 114
Estimated words: 106003 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 530(@200wpm)___ 424(@250wpm)___ 353(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 106003 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 530(@200wpm)___ 424(@250wpm)___ 353(@300wpm)
I hide my smile when he lowers his coffee cup over his crotch. “Yes? You enjoyed it? Your skin… it’s so soft.” It sounds a little like he wants to make cushions out of me, but I’m pretty sure he wants me alive and breathing, so I don’t think about it too much.
“Loved it,” I say, eager to reassure him that he’s welcome in my new home, and that I want his presence more than I expected. He’s so different from the men I’ve been with, and while he clearly has the capacity for violence, I can’t help but feel so very safe in his presence. “It felt like you knew what you were doing. You said you didn’t… do the sleep thing before, but were you with people the… usual way?” I ask, avoiding the word normal at the last moment, because nobody wants to hear the way they want to fuck is not normal.
And yes, I am exaggerating his skills, but it’s the dedication that counts.
I move to stand in front of him under the pretense of cutting the hair there, when really, I need to see his face. I’m quite good at telling if someone’s lying. When he looks down, I tilt his chin up.
“I’ve… no. I’ve not had the opportunity,” Creep says as if we’re in a job interview and he’s admitting he doesn’t know how to use spreadsheets.
I don’t think I’ve ever met anyone this sincere, but I love it, and if he lets me, I can teach him all the ways he could give me pleasure. And vice versa, of course. “You must be a natural talent then. I saw stars. Whole constellations and galaxies of them,” I tell him, and when my eyes meet his, it’s as if our gazes are two pieces of flint, because now I’m on fire.
And then he smiles, setting the whole room ablaze. It’s like watching the stone skin of a gargoyle crack to reveal the living, breathing creature inside the shell. “I’m so happy. I wouldn’t like to do it if you said you don’t enjoy it.”
He’s perfect.
It’s official, and while I know it’s only a fleeting emotion, not anything that runs deeper, I feel like I’m in love.
I want to kiss him so bad.
“Thank you. Not everyone thinks that way. There’s a lot of people out there willing to lie just to get in your pants,” I say, rolling my eyes. “People suck, but I really like Vulture Hollow. Thank you for bringing me here, all in all.”
I have to move behind him to test out my hairdo idea for him, a fantasy-inspired half-up half-down style with a loose bun, which showcases his handsome features.
“You won’t miss your place? Do you have family in the area?”
I snort, but he doesn’t know my story yet. We hardly know each other, something I need to keep reminding myself before I’m in too deep too fast. On the other hand, after the things he told me last night, I’m much more at ease about opening up myself. “My family is far away. We don’t keep in touch, because booze is more important to them than anything else. I’m sure you know the type.”
He nods. Listens. He actually listens. How sad is it that it makes me realize the guys I hung out with rarely gave a shit about who I am. I have the worst taste.
“People are allowed to let loose in Vulture Hollow, but we keep an eye out on addiction issues, because that never leads anywhere good. Were they… Did they hurt you?” I notice how he squeezes the cup harder.
I groan and use my brush to get bits of hair off his nape. “Depends how you define hurt. There were moments when I was able to enjoy myself with them, but then they got drunk, and spent all the cash on booze, they had weird people over, or dad would get into a fight in a bar and return all beat-up.
“They did try to keep me safe, in their own way, I can give them that, they even made sure I could lock my bedroom door, so none of their buddies might come in while I was sleeping, but if they were worried, why have those people over in the first place? I did try to help them, but in the end, I lost my patience when they stole the first money I ever earned. That’s when I left,” I say and approach the box containing my cosmetics. Creep likely won’t be the type of guy to obsess over the quality of his skin, but I still apply some moisturizer, then follow it with sunscreen. When he doesn’t utter a word of complaint, I put some Chapstick over his dry lips and get to work on plucking his eyebrows. Just a little, to even things out. He’s so handsome and deserves to look his best.