Page 50 of Web of Lies
“I believe that you think that's true, but a fair amount of people don't think they're flight risks until they're out the door and running. If you can let Shaun cuff you underneath his bed without holding it against him, then you'll be alright with how tonight is going to go.”
Well, this should be loads of fun.
For them. Not me. I'm going to enjoy watching the show of whatever he has in mind and then I'm going to go tuck myself in for a good night's sleep.
Turns out, it is fun and I might be a little jealous, myself.
“Do you snore?” Larken asks.
I laugh. “God, I hope so.”
“To my knowledge,” Wyatt replies diplomatically, “I do not snore.”
“I bet you do,” I laugh. “I bet you suck the paint off the walls.” Then I cackle when Larken narrows her eyes, giving him a lethal glare.
“I have never been told by anyone that I snore,” Wyatt counters. “And even if I did, this is still happening. I need to sleep and I can't do it if I'm dreading waking up to whatever claptrap sleeping arrangement you'd come up with.”
“Your vocabulary is a claptrap,” I tease.
“You don't even know what it means,” Wyatt says. “I'm giving you the key. Don't lose it.”
I slide the key safely into my pocket. “I'll have you know that I have never lost an important key.” This is a lie. I have lost many keys. The majority of them were probably important. “Do you need me to tuck you kids in?”
Wyatt rolls his eyes. “We'll be fine. Just don't lose the key.”
“What if I don't give it back?”
“Shaun.”
“Wyatt.”
“Larken,” she says her name in the same tone we're using. “Now that we all know our names, we can go to bed. I'm going to be honest, Wyatt. I'm a little nervous about sleeping in bed next to you, handcuffed or not.”
“Why?” he asks. “I'm not going to hurt you. I just need to make sure you don't run out in the middle of the night.”
“Because the only person I've slept next to is Adrian and I have nightmares about him. I might kick you or something.”
He offers her a patient, even kind, smile. “I can handle being kicked.”
“What about a nightlight?” I ask. “I could pull up some relaxing music. I'm sure there's a teddy bear somewhere in this outdated dump.”
“Go to bed, Shaun.”
Chapter Eighteen
Larken
I am choosing to believe that Wyatt isn't going to snore in my face all night. I didn't mind it when Shaun put me under his bed. Not really. I understood why he was doing it and, in a very strange way, I felt safe. This is different. This is close. Physically close. So close that I can feel his breath on my face.
It's intimate.
Frighteningly intimate.
But still, I understand why it's happening. I did try to run out earlier. If I was Wyatt, I would think I was a flight risk, too. Understanding doesn't make this more comfortable, though.
This closeness pushes my thoughts back to when I was in the shower with Shaun. I did enjoy his attention. I liked his touch. And I might not have minded if Wyatt got in the shower with us. I definitely, absolutely,reallyshould not be having these sorts of thoughts, but I'm currently sharing a pair of handcuffs with Wyatt and I can't help wondering what his dark hair would look like wet, with water dripping off the tips and down his...
I know what this is. It's Stockholm Syndrome. The problem I'm having is that I don't care what it is, I like how this feels. Being with Wyatt and Shaun feels good.And. The wordandis important because I do enjoy being with WyattandShaun. They make me feel safe. They put genuine effort into making me feel safe. They've been taking care of me.
