But even then, it was completely inappropriate and rude. Something really was wrong with him.
“You would have to ask my psychiatrist,” he said with a wide grin, folding his arms on his chest. “He’s got theories.”
I shook my head, bewildered. Some of my anger abated thanks to his unfazed manner. But then I understood fully what he said, and I got worried for my own safety.
“You’re seeing a psychiatrist? God. Are you even allowed to work as a bodyguard, then?”
He shrugged, his skull grinning eerily as he cocked a hip, exuding nonchalance.
“It’s one of the conditions for my employment. I have to see the good doctor twice a month and pour my heart out. I mostly tell him my sexual fantasies.”
God.He was… not even ridiculous. It was too weak a word. When an urge to laugh fluttered in my belly, taking me completely off guard, I decided it was enough.
“I’ll shower and we can go. Is fifteen minutes enough for you to get ready?”
He chuckled darkly. “After you got me all worked up, I’ll be done in three. See you.”
He strode to the house, and I was left standing there, trying to decipher his cryptic words as a hot blush stained my neck. Another bout of outraged fury boiled in my belly. Because he couldn’t have meant what I thought he meant. Right?
He was fucking with me. Again. And I was completely unequipped to deal with someone like him.
I huffed, balling my hands into fists, and stomped to the house to calm down in a cold shower. I wouldn’t let Phantom’s lack of manners stop me, that was certain. I would just… ignore him.
Yet, when he showed me hisridefifteen minutes later, that strategy went right out the window.
“You can’t be serious,” I said, eyeing the huge beast of his motorbike that gleamed in the sunlight, the fixtures of polished chrome clashing with the matte black of the body. “How are we supposed to… No. This is unacceptable. Forget it.”
I turned in place, thinking frantically how else I could get to the library. We lived in Kent, and the nearest one was at the university. Could I walk there? I was never allowed to go out on foot, and now, it was probably doubly dangerous. Though, we’d already avoided the paparazzi camped in front of the gate by going out through the back exit. I was also dressed to blend in, in jeans and a black hoodie that looked nothing like my usual outfits, my hair stuffed under a baseball cap, sunglasses on my nose.
“I promise it won’t be awkward,” Phantom said with a grin. “I took myself in hand extrahardto make sure I’ll behave. You have my word. There will be no uncomfortable boners while you squeeze me with your thighs.”
Did he just…? Yes, he did. A part of me wanted to laugh hysterically, but I forced myself to ignore him instead. My reactions seemed to encourage him, so maybe if I didn’t let him provoke me, he’d finally stop.
But it was overwhelming. My plan alone filled me with dread, and instead of being of any help, Phantom only created more tension. My nape felt hot, and the word “boner” sat in my brain like a tumor.
Boner. Boner. Boner.
I buried my face in my hands, the urge to cry ridiculous, considering I was livid. But also—helpless and at a total loss. It hit me then, how crippled I was by my upbringing. I was so incapable, I couldn’t even go where I wanted on my own. I had no idea how to navigate the real world.
On the road, cars passed us sedately, and I watched them while my hands clenched into fists. How did normal peopletravel? Maybe I could call a cab? There was bound to be a bus stop nearby, too.
Or, again, I could walk. There were apps for pointing me in the right direction. Yeah, I could just download an app and figure out how to get to the library. It couldn’t be that hard.
“You’re not angry.” Phantom sounded disappointed.
I jerked away, realizing he stood right in front of me. As I looked up, his face hovered just over mine, the skull teeth grinning obscenely. Something flickered in the depths of his eye sockets.
“Guess I’m not,” I said, my voice so quiet and defeated, I cringed internally. “I just… It shouldn’t be this hard.”
When his grin widened, I realized I just gave him an opening for another lewd joke. I huffed with frustration.
“Please, don’t make a pun. Could you at least, I don’t know, pretend you’re a professional? You’re making it even more difficult than it already is.”
He stepped away, his grin shrinking as he looked around. His eyes fixated somewhere behind me.
“You’re no fun. What is it you’re trying to do, anyway?”
I shrugged, bracing for another wave of ridicule. At this point, I was eager to get back home and hide in my bedroom, but that was out of the question. I had totry,at least.The rest of my life depended on it.