Page 16 of Seducing Jenny
I jump so hard my knees knocked against the table. I spun around, only to find Tiger behind me. “God, you scared the shit out of me!” I blurted.
Tiger arched a brow and sat down beside me. “You’re plotting murder, butIscaredyou?”
I willed my racing heart to calm the fuck down. “Yeah, I…” Embarrassment warmed my cheeks, and I didn’t know how to explain my reaction other than to just be truthful. “You sounded like Justice behind me.”
Instead of laughing at me, as I expected, Tiger took my hand in his and kissed the back of it. “You were having nightmares last night. About him. Do you remember?”
I shook my head. “I thought I slept, but that would explain why I still feel tired.”
“As much as you thrashed around, I’m surprised youthoughtyou slept.” He pulled back his sleeve, showing me a faint circular bruise. “You bit me.”
I gasped in shock. “Oh my god, I’m so sorry!”
He smiled at me and shrugged. “I’m just glad to know you’re a fighter, even in your sleep.”
I laughed, heat rising to my face once again. “It might be safer for you to sleep without me.”
“Safer,” he murmured, brushing his thumb across my cheek. “But so much worse. No thank you.”
CHAPTER 5
Mal
The butterknife was sharp enough to carve a mark in the back of my bedroom door. One night down.
Wood chips flaked away, silently falling to the floor. In a flash, I saw a pile of wood chips at the base of the door, the sum total of my life on Credo’s island turned to splinters. I shook my head free of the depressing thought, since there were only the small bits near my feet. I licked my finger to make the wood chips adhere, pressed on them, and picked them up, only to flick them out my open window.
My future would not become a pile of splinters. My future was Tiger and Jenny and somehow, someway, I would find a way back to them.
I dressed and prepared for my day, stashing the butterknife into my pillowcase. A nicked relic of supper the night before.
I had thought the meal would be a tense affair since I was a prisoner, but I was wrong. Petal and Trunk had introducedme to Abacus and Ring, the nighttime caregivers. Dayshift’s supper was nightshift’s breakfast, and mealtime was when they exchanged updates with one another. Not that there was much to tell. Abacus had managed to annoy me within the first minute of meeting him, but Ring had smiled kindly when he greeted me.
I wondered what it was like for Petal to live on an island with three men and when I asked, she laughed and said, “Dull,” without any further explanation.Perhaps she only appreciates the company of women?
I pondered the thought as I made my way downstairs for breakfast. The pungent scent of rannat filled the house, reminding me why I usually had brunch outdoors. The fermented vegetable paste was a staple of Ladrian cuisine, and as much as I enjoyed it, I did not love the scent in a closed-up house.
When I reached the small dining hall, I asked the group, “Any chance we can open a window?”
“The windows down here are nailed shut,” Abacus said as he yawned.
“Why?” I asked, sitting down and helping myself to some rannat and a dense brown bread.
“No one knows,” Trunk said with a shrug and an easy smile. “Sleep well?”
“Better than when I was drugged, thanks.” I chewed thoughtfully, then added, “Since I am stuck here for the foreseeable future, I thought I would take a tour of the island today. Care to join me?”
Trunk’s eyebrows lifted hopefully as he cast a look at Petal.
She rolled her eyes. “I’ll handle the morning. You two enjoy your grand expedition, though it won’t take long. The island is tiny.”
Trunk flashed her a sly grin and pressed his knee against mine beneath the table, his touch lingering. “We can find some way to fill our time, I’m sure.”
I realized it was not histimethat he wanted filled. “Uh, I don’t want to keep you from your duties, Trunk—”
“You heard her.” Trunk gave me a once over. “After breakfast, I’m all yours.”
“I appreciate your hospitality.” I had no clue what else to say to him, so I snatched my bread from my plate and abruptly stood. “I’ll be right back.”
