Page 8 of To Keep

“I imagine you need a lot to feed all those muscles.” She clamped her big, dumb mouth shut to keep from saying anything else. Her face felt instantly hot and flushed.

He gave her a sideways glare, so he wasn’t flattered. He probably thought she was being snarky when she wasn’t.

“We’ll grab some food then we’re going to my place. I need somewhere to keep you until this blows over.”

She felt like a goldfish or something, an unwanted responsibility that wasn’t really much trouble.

“Any chance you’ll just let me go?”

It was worth another shot, but he didn’t answer her. A short time later, he pulled into the drive-thru lane of a fast-food joint. As they waited in line, she noted the bulky watch on his wrist and how the muscles twitched in his thick forearm as he steered the wheel. He even smelled good—a rich, earthy musk that she wanted to breathe in deep.

“What do you want?”

She snapped out of her reverie, trying to gauge the situation. “Huh? Oh, whatever you’re having.”

Once they had their food, they hit the highway. She sipped on her drink, wondering what he was thinking. Did he hate her? Skye knew he didn’t want to babysit her, but she never asked for any of this. Could a man really turn off all emotions or did he feel a little pity for her? If she wanted to stay alive, she needed to appeal to his softer side—if he had one.

“You know, I’m not a child. I won’t inconvenience you or anything.”

“You’re practically a child.”

Her hackles rose. “I’m twenty-five. That’s very much a woman.”

She’d done it again. Skye slunk down in her seat, wishing it would swallow her up whole.

“Is it now? When did you switch over from being a little girl?”

He was playing with her now and she wanted no part of it.

“All I’m saying is I won’t be a burden on you. All I want is to live my life and mind my own business.”

“Then you shouldn’t have screamed when you saw those murders. We wouldn’t be in this situation right now.”

“None of this is my fault,” she said. “I’m not like you. I don’t experience a certain number of kills by dinner. Anyone else would have screamed too. A normal person, anyway.”

“I imagine I must be real scum of the earth to aperfectwoman like you.”

“Well, that’s your own fault, Galen.”

“Damn.”

He kept driving but she felt some of the tension between them had faded and she was glad for that. How could they have this playful banter when her very life was up in the air? If things were different, very different, she would have given anything for a man like Galen to want her. Even now, she knew he’d never be interested in a woman like her. She’d never had much going on in her favor. She was plain, boring, and had been overweight for as long as she could remember. The man beside her was the ultimate eye candy and she had to keep reminding herself to keep her thoughts out of the gutter.

They slowed down, turning off and driving down a long, winding, tree-lined dirt road. A rustic-looking bungalow appeared. It was something she expected to see on the cover ofTown & Countrymagazine. This couldn’t be where a murderer lived.

“Where are we?” she asked as soon as he cut the engine.

“Home sweet home.”

She narrowed her eyes. “Here? Are you sure?”

“You’re a real piece of work.”

“What?”

He walked toward the front door and used his thumbprint to gain entry rather than a key. She’d never seen such a thing before.

Inside it looked like a winter lodge, all wood and cozy fabrics. It wasn’t too big, and she felt instantly at home, breaking away from him to explore the window at the back of the living room.

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