Page 4 of Chomp's Challenge

Wait.

Where the hell am I!? And more importantly, who gave me a bath?

I don’t recognize this room. The bed isn’t mine, and it’s not the dump where Perry lived. My wild gaze bounces around the wooden walls and simple, sparse furnishings. Am I a prisoner?

Oh, God. Did Perry give me to someone else?

My mind fractures at the thought, and a scream rips from my throat. I shove off the covers, looking down at my body to see a shirt and shorts that don’t belong to me. Confusion and terror seize my thoughts as I scramble from the bed and nearly trip on the comforter that was neatly wrapped around me.

The door slams open as I bolt upright. There, standing in the doorway, is the biggest man I’ve ever seen. He fills the entire open space with broad shoulders and rippling muscles. I can’t seem to make my brain make sense of his clothes as I stare. He’s not wearing a shirt, but there’s a frilly white apron tied around his waist. It’s so . . . domestic.

“Who,” I choke with a dry throat, clear it, and try again. “Who are you?”

The man lifts his hands, and all I see are long fingers and palms that look as large as my head. He’s huge. Tall. And wow, covered in ink. I don’t think I’ve ever seen arms that big or tattooed in my life.

“Hi. I’m Chomp. It’s my, uh, road name. But everyone calls me that.”

He sounds awkward. Almost nervous.

“Why am I here?”

“I brought you here.” He says it so matter of fact, like I should understand.

I don’t.

“Is this your house, Chomp?” What a weird name. I wonder why he’s called that.

“It is. You needed medical care, and there’s nothing close. The nearest hospital was too far to go to with the extent of your injuries.”

I have so many questions, but there’s only one pushing to the forefront of my mind. Mortification sets in, but I decide to ask anyway. “So, did your wife or girlfriend bathe me?”

His cheeks turn red, but he doesn’t lose eye contact with me. “No, I uh… I did. But not your um, private areas,” he rushes to add, the blush now spreading and covering his upper chest.

I don’t think he’s the type of man who embarrasses easily, yet right now, he’s almost reticent. I nearly giggle when I realize that I’m using huge words, as if there’ll be some kind of test when we’re done talking. Shaking my head, I say, “Thank you.”

Yes, it’s weird that he chose to help me, but at the same time, if he hadn’t, God only knows if I would’ve survived more of Ricky and Perry’s attention. “Um, Chomp? What happened to Ricky and Perry?”

“Do you really wanna know?” he rumbles out, his eyes flashing like the creature’s did yesterday, or maybe it was last night. Hell, I don’t even know how long I’ve been out of it. “Because the short answer is, they’ll never hurt you again. Ever,” he states. “But, if you want the long answer, I’ll give that to you as well.”

“No, I’m good,” I hastily reply as flashes of memory hit my brain. Body parts being flung all over the place, the screams of both men. Yeah, I don’t think I need the long answer at all. Something comes to mind, and I ask, “Will you be in trouble?”

“For what?” he replies. “Ridding the world of two absolute pieces of shit?”

I snicker because he’s not wrong; both Perry and Ricky were beneath the bottom of the proverbial barrel. Still, the last thing I want is this man, who obviously helped me by rescuing me to get into trouble. “I mean, don’t I need to give the police a statement about how an alligator attacked them or something?”

Something quick flashes in his eyes. The pupils close into vertical slits and I swear his eyes take on an inhuman glow, more reptilian than man. They remind me of that alligator, but that’s impossible, right?

I must be losing my mind.

“Your eyes,” I whisper, gesturing to his face.

He blinks, and suddenly, his eyes are brown again with a hint of green. “I don’t know your name yet.”

The change of subject is almost jarring. “Ariel.”

He repeats it, but when he does, it’s like his tongue is caressing every letter. I shiver at the warm timbre as he speaks. “Ariel.”

Wow. How is he even real? He’s like some Greek God that’s been chiseled in stone and brought to life. He’s sculpted and nearly perfect. All rounded edges and not an ounce of fat on his lean frame. There’s not a thing about him that I don’t find attractive, and that freaks me out. I don’t want to feel like this or be near him. I don’t want to be around any men after what Perry and Ricky did.

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