Page 55 of Oh No, My Kidnapper Is Hot!

I give up. He wants to go to the beach? Fine. We’ll go to the beach. I can walk into the ocean and never stop. It’ll be a grand time.

“Now, planning time over, we’re going to talk aboutthat kiss,” he says.

Oh no, we’re not. I jerk my body to get away from him, but get nowhere.

Okay, new strategy.

I turn my head and glower at the shower stalls.

“Look at me, Millie.”

Hmph. Yeah, right.

He sighs, then slides one hand into my hair. I roll my eyes. Does this guy haveanyother moves? He uses his hold in my hair to force my face toward his. My nose scrunches.

“Stop manhandling me! It’s annoying!” We’ll just ignore the way the fluttering in my stomach calls me a liar. It’s as stupid as he is.

“It was the best kiss I’ve ever had,” he starts, silencing me and causing my heart to stutter in my chest. “I’d like to do it again. I’d like to kiss you every moment of every day for the rest of my life, truly, but I’d settle for half the moments. Your body feels like heaven on mine. Your mouth tastes like ambrosia. I want to worship you, and you’re going to have to let me. You gave me a taste of somethin’ beautiful– somethin’ I’m not willing to give up. You’ve got two days to ’process’, Millie, then worship starts.”

He ends his bossy speech with a kiss – rough and short. It’s over before it’s even begun. Which does not disappoint me at all, obviously.

Obviously.

His hand slips from my hair, and his arm loosens around me. I stare down at his leg draped over mine, dazedly wondering how he plans to un-pretzel us. I don’t have to wonder for long. He stands, twisting as he does and taking me with him. Somehow, both his feet end up solidly on the ground, while I slip and slide for several mortifyingseconds before steadying, and Stryker lets me go.

“Two days, Millie.”

Right. Two days.

I can work with that.

Chapter Nineteen

The next day, Stryker has to work, which isn’t unusual. He’s had jobs occasionally since I’ve been here, and when he does, he either has Heidi come over, usually accompanied by Baz, or he drops me off at their house. I once suggested we do the swap at a police station to ensure everyone follows the preordained custody agreement. Heidi laughed. Stryker did not.

He’s such a dud.

Which is precisely why I have to beverycareful with the first step of Millie’s Final Escape Plan, lest he ruin it with his fun-sucking wet blanket vibes.

“I’d like to go to Archie’s today,” I say casually as we eat breakfast.

Stryker made pancakes this morning, plating about four hundred for himself while I was served a reasonable three. He covered his in some sort of yogurt mixture and dumpedtwocontainers of berries on top of it. Mine are drenched in extra buttery syrup, and a smattering of berries rest in a little heart-shaped bowl on the side. He had the audacity to make a face at my syrup, and I had to inform him that the berries make me a health queen, actually, and his judgment is unfounded and unappreciated. He had no rebuttal. Obviously.

“Why do you want to go to Archie’s?” he asks, face wrinkled in distaste. He says Archie’s name like a curse, and I have to hold back a smile. The big man is annoyed. Good.

“I want to watch him play his game,” I answer. It’s partially true. Among other things, I would like to watch him play. I asked him at family dinner once what all the recording equipment in his basement was for, and he told me about the videos he streams. He primarily plays a cube-based game, which prompted a discussion on if he could recreate a certain cube-like green beauty for me.

“He said he would make my car for me whenever I could come watch.”

Stryker scowls.

“Why don’t you go another day?” he asks. “Like never.”

I pout.

“But he said he would make my car!” Oops. That came out a little whinier than I was going for. “Please, Stryker? I’ve been looking forward to it.” Oh, nice. Now I sound pathetic and sad. Someone give me an Oscar already.

Surprisingly – and encouragingly – my whiny, pathetic sadness works. He agrees, rather reluctantly, to let me spend the day with Archie.

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