Page 9 of To Keep

“Make yourself at home…”

He exhaled heavily and slammed the door shut, setting their food down on the kitchen island.

The house was on a hill, and she could see acres of forest out of the massive rear windows.

“The view is amazing,” she said.

“I like my privacy.”

This time she turned around to face him, remembering this wasn’t a fairy tale at all. “How long do I have to stay here?”

“I know as much as you do at this point,” he said.

“What do you think your boss will do with me?”

“That depends on what he finds out tonight,” Galen said. He sat on a stool at the kitchen island and opened his paper bag, pulling out a burger.

“Say it’s not good. Like, what if I’m no use to him alive?”

“You know the answer.” He took a bite of his burger.

She needed comfort and reassurance in the worst way. She had no friends or family. Galen was the only one who could help her right now.

“You’d be able to kill me? We’re practically best friends.”

He nearly choked on his burger.

“Are you kidding me? All you’ve been is rude and condescending since we met.”

She opened her mouth to argue but kept quiet. Her thoughts were scattered. Her situation was less than ideal, and he’d told her several times he wanted to kill her. How was she supposed to behave? Yet, he’d also saved her and hadn’t tried to hurt her. She had no concrete reason to hate or judge him beside the fact he was a killer.

“I’m sorry,” she said.

He kept silent for the longest time. Their eye contact was unnerving and oddly intimate.

“Eat your food before it gets cold.”

Chapter Three

Galen didn’t like this.

The jobs he took were never this messy. They never came to bite him in the ass. No woman ever made it into his sanctuary. His home was his peace, his safe haven, and now he had a woman who, quite frankly, was getting under his skin. She wasn’t even doing anything, but looking so freaking sweet and innocent wasn’t helping. Not when he could think of so many fun things to do with her body.

He had a feeling her full tits were real.

“You do know the food is already cold?” she asked, shoving a fry into her mouth. “There goes the diet.”

Galen glared at her. “Why do you have to talk?”

“Why do you have to enjoy silence?” She shrugged. “I’m sorry. I’m … it’s been a weird couple of days and I’m trying not to freak out, but I think I am freaking out. It’s a whole big thing. Ignore me.”

“I will. Shut up.”

She rolled her eyes. “You’re not fooling anyone.”

He grabbed his burger and took a large bite. There was no way this woman was going to get under his skin. No way at all. When the call came from Viko to kill her, he’d gladly pull the trigger. Circle of Monsters was not in the habit of keeping people alive.

“You know I’ve never been so scared in my life,” Skye said.

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