Chapter 10
CHAPTER TEN
dani
“Shit, shit, shit,” I muttered as I ran down the stairs, clutching the towel I had wrapped around me.
I’d set the timer for thirty minutes, or at least I thought I did.
But I fell asleep in the bath—for who knew how long—and the little clock I’d brought into the bathroom from the kitchen was blinking all zeros.
Meaning I had no idea how long my meal had been in the oven.
I was used to taking short showers, but I figured I could have a bath until the alarm went off.
With how cold it had been, the hot water was therapeutic.
I could have sat in it all night. As tense as it was to live under the same roof as a man I didn’t know, I couldn’t deny how much I loved my plush bed and a bathtub.
It was a comfort I hadn’t had in the last couple years.
“Damn,” I breathed out, witnessing black fumes seeping out from the oven door.
Crouching down, I opened the oven, letting out a shriek when I saw flames. Smoke billowed out, heat hitting my face. I stumbled back, nearly slipping on the wood floor since I was still dripping wet. Lunging forward, I slammed the oven closed again, hoping to smother the fire.
I blew out an aggravated breath. I’d gotten my first paycheck today and spent a quarter of it on this food and the cooking supplies. What a waste.
A shrill beeping filled the room, and my eyes flicked up to the smoke alarm in the living room. But then I realized the front door was open. My heart stuttered when I witnessed Kole standing in the doorway, his brown eyes narrowed at me.
“What in the hell is going on?” he growled, striding toward me, only to stop short when his gaze dropped to my body.
My face flushed, and I gripped the towel tighter with one hand while reaching up and pulling the other towel off my hair, feeling wet strands against the back of my neck. Now that my scars were covered, I didn’t feel nearly as naked even though I was wearing next to nothing.
“I just cooked it too long,” I mumbled, jabbing my finger on the button to shut the oven off.
“My oven is on fire.”
“Keep it closed, and it’ll smother out.” I straightened my spine as he halted only a couple feet in front of me. “The food was mine, and I bought the pan. Don’t worry, I didn’t ruin anything of yours.”
Breaking our stare, he glanced at the oven, and I couldn’t help but look too, seeing that the smoke wasn’t coming out anymore.
He went into the living room, and stood on the couch, reaching above to push the button on the fire alarm.
When the deafening beeping stopped, my ears rang from the sudden silence.
“Go get some clothes on.”
His gruff order had my eyes snapping back to his.
He wasn’t staring at my body, but keeping his glare locked on mine.
I bit my tongue, my heart hammering against my ribs.
Obviously, I wanted to get clothes on. But his demand had me bristling.
I’d been here nearly a week and other than a few small interactions, I’d been avoiding him.
Making sure I didn’t bother him. But his constant grumpiness was grating on me.
“Why?” I countered, tilting my head. “Don’t like what you see? Do the lights have to be off for you to be attracted to me?”
If my words shocked him, he didn’t show it.
He had an amazing poker face. His eyes bored into mine, swimming with emotions I couldn’t decipher, which only made me more curious.
The psychologist in me wanted to know why he wore a mask all the time.
The silence dragged on, making the tension thicken with each passing second.
It was the first time I brought up the night we shared in his storage room at the bar.
“You’re the one who wanted to keep the lights off,” he murmured, taking a step closer to me. “You think I don’t find you attractive?”
A rush shot down my spine at his question.
There was no annoyance in his voice at how I nearly ruined his oven.
No. While his face still held little emotion, his words gave his lust away.
He took one more step, eliminating the space between us.
I tipped my head back to keep his stare, refusing to back away even when his chest brushed the back of my hand as I continued to hold my towel in place.
“You’ve barely talked to me all week,” I pushed out, wanting to see his reaction. “It’s clear you don’t like me.”
“Or maybe…” He paused for a moment, his gaze finally dropping to my body. “I’ve just been giving you space. Do you want me to act on all the thoughts I’ve been having?”
I swallowed thickly, realizing this conversation was turning down a dangerous path that we should be avoiding.
I was going to have to live with this man for the foreseeable future.
Sexual tension would only make this situation worse.
I was never going to vocally admit that the orgasm he gave me was one of the best I’d ever had.
I was going to be here for a year, and I had no intention of adding sex into my life. Sex was messy. There was too much riding on this internship, and I wouldn’t chance it.
Yet, as I looked at him, I couldn’t help but let a small grin tip up my lips. Knowing that he wanted me filled my veins with excitement. I wasn’t going to sleep with him, but I couldn’t help but wonder how much I was on his mind.
“Tell me what your thoughts have been.” My voice came out huskier than intended, and my heart skipped as I wondered if this was a mistake.
He arched an eyebrow, taking in my challenge. A gasp left me when he snaked his arm around my waist, crushing me against him. My arm was awkwardly squished between us, my fingers tightly holding my towel.
My pulse thudded as I tensed, not used to being so close to someone.
My instincts screamed at me to fight, and for a moment panic engulfed me when his hold tightened a fraction.
I resisted, sucking in a large breath to calm myself.
In the past, his move would have sent me into a full-fledged panic attack.
Years of therapy and self-defense training helped me cope.
Surprise hit me when I noticed a flash of concern in his eyes for a second before it disappeared. I quickly schooled my face, silently scolding myself. I learned years ago to keep my scars hidden—the physical and the emotional ones.
“No thoughts?” I taunted, directing his attention away from my reaction to him grabbing me.
He chuckled. “Dani, don’t push me unless you want an honest answer.”
“Well, I don’t want you to lie to me.”
His fingers teased my hip bone over my towel, and my lower stomach heated. The taste of his kiss flooded my memory. The way his tongue felt against me. It didn’t help that he was gorgeous to look at.
“I haven’t been able to get you out of my head since the night at the bar,” he said, sounding almost resigned.
“I want to strip you naked and take you on this counter. Let my tongue touch every inch of you before I bury my face between your legs. I haven’t been able to get the taste of you out of my fucking head. ”
My face flushed, and I squirmed slightly in his hold, remembering how good that felt.
“But I’ve kept my distance because you’ve made it perfectly clear that you want nothing to do with me,” he continued, searching my eyes as if waiting for me to argue that point.
“I’ve been a good roommate by leaving you alone.
And I’ll keep doing that until you tell me otherwise.
But since you want the truth, here it is.
If you ever change your mind, I’ll drop to my knees and prove that I find you much more than attractive. ”
My heart leapt into my throat. For someone who studied human behavior, I completely missed Kole’s true intentions. If his words were true. I thought he hated me since I was stuck in his house. But maybe he really was avoiding me because he wanted me.
“I’m not changing my mind,” I choked out, clawing to keep a shred of my sanity. “Once Fiona finds me a new place to live, I’m gone.”
Did I think he would be great in bed? Absolutely.
But I couldn’t do it. He’d see my scars, and that was something I never planned to explain to him.
Not only that—but sleeping with him or anyone else made me vulnerable.
Something I worked so hard against. He was still in my head from our last naked interaction, and if we did it again, it would only get worse.
He dropped his arm from me, and backed away, his usual frown on his face. “Then don’t go walking around in a towel.”
“Why?” I snapped out before I could help myself. “Can’t control yourself?”
The lingering sexual tension faded as I glared at him. It was the reminder that I needed to be wary. Like I should have been doing this entire time. Kole was a stranger to me. A possible threat. Even if I wanted him, I should have never even entertained this conversation.
“Control myself?” he repeated, arching a brow. “Have you ever felt threatened by me?”
“Other than the first night I was here?”
He scrubbed a hand down his face. “You mean the night I thought someone had broken into my house?”
I rolled my eyes, bending over and grabbing the other towel that had been on my hair. Stalking out of the kitchen and heading toward the stairs, I slowed down, feeling his stare on me. I needed to know if I could trust him while I lived in this house.
How much self-control did he really have?
My heart pounded as I loosened my hold on the towel. After a second of hesitation, I slowly pulled it away from my body, until the cool air hit my bare back. I held it in front of me, hiding the scars on my stomach even though I wasn’t facing him.
A low hiss of breath escaped him, and I glanced over my shoulder to see him staring at my ass before he raised his eyes to meet mine.
Desire filled his gaze, but he didn’t move a muscle.
Facing the stairs, I took my time going up each step as I listened to see if he would follow.
But there was only silence as I went to the second floor.
Relief trickled through me while I walked to my room.
Maybe Kole was one of the good ones. Everyone in this town seemed to like him.
And he didn’t act on his wants just now.
It didn’t mean I could fully trust him, but I couldn’t deny that I felt much more comfortable in this house.
Keeping my light off, I shut the bedroom door, letting my eyes adjust to the darkness.
My curtains were open, revealing the half moon.
I grabbed a t-shirt and sweatpants from my dresser, slipping them on before grabbing my brush.
I’d have to go back to the kitchen and clean up my burned mess but planned to wait until I heard Kole go into his room.
Peering out the window, I stared at the thick forest, watching leaves blow in the breeze.
I brushed my hair, my mind wandering. From the outside, this place seemed like a cozy little mountain town.
But I couldn’t stop the pestering thought that I was missing something.
Even before I was chased in the woods, something just felt off.
Something moved out of the corner of my eye, and I squinted, trying to see what was in the forest. An animal maybe? My blood chilled my veins when I caught sight of what it was. Not an animal, but a person. No, more than one. I could just make out two of them.
They reached the edge of the trees, making it easier to see them.
Panic clawed at my chest when I noticed their faces were covered.
By ski masks. Nightmarish memories swarmed me as the brush fell from my hand, and I clutched the ledge of the window.
It didn’t matter that it had been more than a decade since I was nearly murdered.
Certain things always brought me back, and ski masks were one of them.
It was already cold out but not freezing enough to wear masks like that. They’re clothes were all black, and they were striding out of the woods quickly, not seeming nervous that someone could see them.
I blew out a tight breath. I was overreacting. Whatever they were doing, I was sure it wasn’t anything bad. My past was clouding my judgment. But what the hell was there to do in the woods at nine at night? Were they the ones who chased me the other night?
I froze when one of them lifted their head, looking in the direction of my window.
With my lights off, I was almost certain he couldn’t see me, but I stayed absolutely still until the person looked away.
The three of them disappeared out of view, and I sagged down, resting my forehead on the window.
My suspicion of everything made for constant stress, but I couldn’t help but wonder if my worries were warranted this time.
This town had secrets, I was sure of it.
But I had no plans to figure those out. I wanted to keep my head down and finish this internship.