Page 79 of Wicked Little Nightmare

Well, shit. Maybe this wouldn't be so bad after all.

I kept chattering away, watching her rigid posture slowly start to unwind. Out of the corner of my eye, I caught Cam's gaze flicking our way. He went back to his papers, but I could tell his razor-sharp focus was split. He wanted to join us but knew better than to intervene on girl’s time. After all, Rose was my first bona fide friend.

"So, anyway," I said, leaning back and stretching my legs out. "You're quite the mystery, aren't you? Chained in the basement. Part of the big nun thing, too, eh?"

Her eyes widened, fear flickering across her face.Hmmm, hit a nerve there.She must have spent some time at the nunnery judging by the expression she wore.

"Hey, no judgment here," I said, waving a hand. "We've all got our trauma. At least that’s what google tells me."

Rose's lips parted, like she might say something, but then she clamped them shut again.Damn. So close.

I heard Cam's chair scrape against the floor as he stood up. "Lakey," he said, his tone a warning.

I flashed him my sweetest smile. "What? Just making conversation."

He rolled his eyes, but I saw the curiosity burning behind them. Oh, he wanted to know just as badly as I did.

"You know what?" I said, clapping my hands together. "I think it's time we all sat down for a nice, family dinner. What do you say, Rose? How does tonight sound?"

Rose's eyes darted between Cam and me, like she was gaging if I was being serious or not. After a long moment, she gave a tiny nod.

“Great!” Clapping my hands together, a giggle escaped. “Now, lets go get on with the day and I’ll whip us up something later tonight, yeah?”

Cam rolled his eyes and started moving towards the bedroom. It was going to be a wonderful day indeed.

"Okay you two, I’m starving." My eyes burned from pouring over more notes, more timelines, more locations. Cam had been non stop all day and it was grinding my gears. Rose was just sitting quietly in the corner of the living room, watching some stupid show on TV about unsolved murders. "I'll get started on the cooking. Hope you like your meat rare, Rosie. It's the only way to eat it, if you ask me."

As I sauntered towards the kitchen, I couldn't help but grin. This was going to be fun. She’d eventually open up and tell us everything.

I twirled around the kitchen like a ballerina, grabbing pots and pans with practiced ease. I was truly an awful cook, but I spent enough time trying that one day I’d get the hang of it. Cam always told me just to follow the damn recipe, but where was the fun in that?One clove of garlic? Pfft, try 37 and get back to me. Instant improvement.The knife gleamed as I chopped veggies, my mind drifting to other, more entertaining uses for the blade. But no, not tonight. We had a guest to impress.

"Cam," I sing-songed, "be a dear and set the table, would you?"

He appeared behind me in a flash. His hand brushed my hip as he reached for the plates, grabbing three before he leaned down and stared intensely at me.

"What's your angle here, Lakes?" he murmured, his breath hot on my ear.

I turned, pressing myself against him. "Can't a girl just want a nice family dinner?"

His dark eyes searched mine, a smirk playing at the corners of his mouth. "You've never wanted anything 'nice' in your life."

I giggled, trailing a finger down his chest. "True. But I do want to crack open our little Rose and see what makes her tick. Don't you?"

Cam's grin was wolfish. "Always."

We moved around each other easily, grabbing this, salting that. Making sure everything was as good as it was gonna get. Every brush of skin, every shared glance, was charged with an electricity that made my blood sing. God, I loved this man.

Finally, we settled at the table, Rose perched across from us. The silence was thick enough to choke on, broken only by the clink of forks against plates. I watched Rose push her food around, not eating a bite.Rude, considering all my hard work.I mean, I’m not the best cook, but at least there’s something to eat, which honestly, is a vast improvement on the starvation diet the nuns probably had her on.

"So, Rosie," I chirped, unable to bear the quiet any longer. "Ever hear the one about the nun, the serial killer, and the pyromaniac who walked into a bar?"

Rose's eyes went wide, her fork clattering to the plate. Cam choked on his wine, shooting me a look that was equal parts exasperation and amusement.

I grinned. "No? Well, I guess you had to be there."

Cam rolled his eyes at me. “Lakes, that doesn’t even make sense.”

“It’s not supposed to.” I scoffed. I wasn’t exactly queen bee of comedy, but you know what? I tried. Which is more than what I could say for his conversational skills at the moment.

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