“Christ, are you really gonna make me carry you, woman?”
It’s not exactly sweet, flowery words, but something about the way he calls me woman has me quickly snatching up my things from under the counter, yanking my duffle bag out of the bottom drawer, and hugging everything to my chest as I hurry across the room and follow him out the door.
I have to jog across the parking lot just to keep up with him until we come to the only vehicle parked there.
A giant black, ominous-looking pickup truck.
Am I really getting into a vehicle with a man who is practically a stranger just for one good night of sleep?
My body chooses that moment to remind me about my recent sleeping arrangements, the aches in my back growing more and more pronounced as I stand hunched-over next to the truck, trying not to drop my overflowing bag of clothes and shoes and toiletries onto the concrete.
For the first time in over a week, I kind of wish my dad were here right now. He’d be able to take one look at the man climbing into his truck and immediately know his intentions and whether or not what I’m about to do is a good or horribly bad idea.
The diesel engine of the truck roars to life and I realize this is it. This is the moment when I finally behave like the adult I told my father I needed to be, spreading my wings and doing something crazy like going home with a man I barely know just because he makes me tingle and resembles a rude knight in shining armor.
Juggling the things in my arms, I open the truck’s passenger door and climb inside. The warm leather interior has that new-car smell and is surprisingly spotless, considering Beast isn’t exactly on top of things in the appearance department, being long overdue for a haircut and a shave.
My body immediately melts into the butter-soft seats and I sigh with pleasure as I snuggle into the corner of the front seat, still hugging my things to my chest. My phone is clutched in my hand as he pulls out of the parking lot.
“Just so you know, I’ve already dialed 9-1-1 into my phone and I will not hesitate to press the call button and scream my head off if you start driving down a dark, deserted road,” I inform him.
His only reply is a low growl under his breath. The rumble of the truck engine and the way it gently rocks back and forth as he pulls out onto the main street and takes off towards town makes my eyes grow so heavy that it’s impossible for me to keep them open anymore.
“Fifty-four-point-three percent of murders are committed by someone you know,” I tell him with a yawn as my head flops back against the seat with my eyes closed. “So, since I barely know you, there’s a forty-seven-point-five percent chance you won’t slice my body into tiny little pieces and bury me in a field somewhere.”
The last thing I hear before I fall asleep is another growl from Beast’s side of the car.
Chapter 6: This is Where I Die
“This isn’t a hotel.”
I woke up thirty seconds ago when Beast turned his truck off. I know I’m stating the obvious, but my eyes are still heavy, my body is cramped from dozing in the front seat for however long it took us to get wherever we are, and stating the obvious is much better than screaming and clawing his eyes out.
“No. It’s my house.”
With a sigh, Beast gets out of his truck, slamming the door behind him. I crane my neck, looking out all of the windows to try and gauge where we are, but it’s dark, and all I can make out are shadowed outlines of a forest as far as the eye can see. Thank goodness his truck headlights are still on; they must be on some kind of a timer so they automatically turn off after a few minutes. The bright, halogen lights illuminate a rustic stone cottage a few yards away, complete with ivy growing up the stone walls and around the windows. From what I can see, there also seems to be quite a lot of landscaping around the house that actually appears well tended, even if it looks like someone bought out an entire garden center, planting one of everything imaginable, from small trees to huge shrubbery and lots and lots of wildflowers.
I slowly open the truck door, hugging my belongings close to my chest with one arm as I exit the vehicle, watching Beast walk through the spotlight of his headlights and towards the cottage. No sooner does he walk through the lights, when they suddenly shut off, shrouding the surrounding area in quiet, eerie darkness, aside from a few solar lights lining the walkway right in front of the cottage.