Page 41 of Fearless

She shrugs, grinning around her stir fry. “Farmer’s food, rough translation. Rice, potatoes, meat. Or, as the natives put it,rys, vlys, en aartappels.”

“You can’t beat a bit of tatties and meat,” I agree. She actually looks like she could do with a good few helpings of tatties and meat right now. I almost wish she was staying longer so I could fatten her up for the winter. “Favorite film?”

She looks me in the eye and says, “Hostel. Maybe Saw.”

I try to hide my laugh and fail. “Are you just saying that because…?”

“That really so hard to believe?” she asks, shoving another fork full of stir-fry in her mouth. “What’s yours?”

I shrug. “I don’t have much time for, or interest in movies.”

“You should watch Hostel. That’s some fucked up shit. Right up your alley, too.”

I shake my head at her, chuckling. She thinks I enjoy this. Well, I guess I am enjoying it to an extent, but it’s not the sort of thing I mark on my calendar and count down the sleeps for. It’s just business. I’m not doing thisforenjoyment, I’m doing it because it needs to be done.

But I guess I could try making it a bit easier for her. Maybe then when she gets out of here, she’ll remember I was nice when she’s tempted to ignore my threats and take herself down to the police station.

“Maybe I’ve got it upstairs. I could put it on if you want to watch it.”

She looks at me, a thousand questions flashing behind those pretty silver eyes, and then glances back down at her plate. “Yeah...no. I wouldn’t want to give you any fucked up ideas. Well, any more than you’ve had already.”

I laugh at her. “I don’t intend to get any ideas. I’m trying to be nice.”

She quirks her eyebrow again as if I’ve just sprouted two heads, and then sits back in her seat. “You’re giving me fucking whiplash.”

“Icouldgive you whiplash, if that’s what you’d prefer?”

“Fine. Movie it is. But if I end up missing an eye because of this, I’m not going to be happy with you.”

I bite down on my lip and smile. “I wouldn’t be happy with me either. I like your eyes just fine the way they are. Come.”

I grab her plate and the half-finished glass of apple juice and she follows me toward the door. I know this is a bad idea. But she’s bored, and I’m bored. Cole is at work and the only thing I have to do is babysit her.

I’d make a shitactualbabysitter, considering the film choice, but it’s what she wants. And to be honest, I could do with a night off from sitting in an empty room and wondering what the fuck my life has become.

She’s already sitting down on the sofa when I come back from the kitchen, her knees tucked up into her chest and my shirt pulled down over them.

“Cold?”

“Your house is freezing.”

Aye, so I definitely need to fatten her up before I send her on her merry way.

“I don’t feel the cold,” I tell her with a shrug, but I go and click the heating on anyway. I don’t bother getting another shirt because I’ll boil alive with the heating on.

I sit down on the opposite sofa and start scrolling through the menu to get to the search, but in the corner of my eye I still see her shivering. “Do you want a blanket?”

She shakes her head. “No.”

“Don’t say I didn’t offer.”

When I clap my hands to turn the lights off, she jumps.

I let out a chuckle under my breath as I press play on the movie. I thought the fetal position was because she was cold, but what if she’s actually scared or some shit? “Do you want a fucking cuddle or something?”

She looks across at me, and I swear she’s about to roll her eyes in a valiant attempt at looking dismissive, but for whatever reason, she pulls her legs out from the shirt and sits up.

“You promise not to roleplay the movie?”

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