Page 7 of Falling for a Killer

Pain and rage blend together in his eyes, a dark storm brewing together when they meet mine again. “Dead.”

There’s a heavy weight on that word as he delivers it through gritted teeth, alerting me that this is a really touchy subject for him.

Okay. He’s got mommy issues. Got it.

“I’m... sorry,” I say honestly. I can’t imagine how painful it is to lose a parent because it hasn’t happened to me yet. “We don’t have to talk about it.”

“Good.” He takes another deep breath, and I swear I can hear him mentally count before he releases it. “So if you’re not going to try and leave or call the cops on me, I need you to say it.”

He says this like he’d actually believe the word of a stranger, but with the way he’s looking at me it feels like he just might. Or maybe he simply doesn’t have another choice.

“The last time I spoke to a cop, I threatened him, and I don’t have anywhere else to go either. There aren’t many places Ryan wouldn’t be able to find me, so all of my eggs were in one basket.”

Nodding, he reaches up to pull his mask off and sets it aside, his hair messy and flat on his head as he watches me take him in.

He’s stunning, and I think I hate him for it. Thick eyebrows frame those expressive blue eyes, split by a slightly crooked nose and a cupid’s bow smile. High cheekbones, a sharp jaw and jet black hair make him look like something out of a fantasy novel — I half expect him to sprout bat wings and shroud himself in shadow.

How does someone like him end up with no one?

“Oh, fuck you,” I mutter. “You’re not allowed to have it all.”

That makes him chuckle. “Literally just told you I have nothing and that’s what you have to say? Fuck you right back, Josephine. Is that a Ouija board tattoo on your chest?”

Twitching, I hold up a finger. “First of all, yes. That’s what I have to say. You know how hot you are, so shut up. Second, my name is Joey. No one calls me Josephine. Third, yeah. I like to talk to dead people.”

“You say that like you aren’t the best looking woman in this entire state, and you’re wrong.Icall you Josephine. Do you also let these dead people ogle your boobs? What if it’s an ass guy?”

Butterflies scatter inside me even as I try to shoot them down. This is ridiculous. He’s a stranger keeping me hostage in my family’s cabin, this isn’t some romcom. It doesn’t matter if he thinks I’m attractive. “Where do you think the planchette is?” I counter. “The good ghosts don’t discriminate.”

The way his gaze rakes my body has me squirming. “I guess you’re right.” He licks his lips. “Why don’t you like your name?”

“Because I don’t. There’s no reason behind it, it’s just always made me cringe a little. I’ve been Joey for as long as I can remember, so people only ever called me Josephine when I was in trouble.”

“And you don’t feel like you’re in trouble right now... Joey?”

Did his voice just get deeper?

AmI in trouble?

Am I mad about it?

“I thought we agreed to be friends... big boy. Fuck, I wish you’d just tell me your first name at least.”

I think I hate his smile.

It’s distracting, blinding, borderline painful, and I’m trying to play it cool here. “We can be friends. I didn’t lie about my name. Or better, I gave you a nickname just like you gave me.” The grin fades slightly. “My name is Killian.”

Killian. Even his name is attractive, but it’s hard to imagine ever having feelings for anyone again. Ryan destroyed my trust and broke my heart. There’s nothing left. “It’s weird to meet you, Killer.”

He laughs softly. “No one actually calls me Killer. Not since high school at least.”

If he looked half this good in high school, I bet he was a killer. “I’m still gonna call you big boy.”

“Is this about the boner again? Look, I know you’re impressed, but you have to let it go, girl.”

The rage that was radiating off of him when I walked out here is buried deep under a mask now, one that’s almost too disarming. I can’t forget there’s still a gun behind him, one that looked at home in his hand.

“It’s more because you’re built like a bodybuilding linebacker, but tell yourself whatever you want about my interest in your boner.”

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