Page 54 of Monster in the Moonlight

“I’ve never been big into accessories, except for the pocket watch. A belt is just one more thing I’d have to put on. Besides, I’ve still got enough ass to keep my pants where they belong.”

“Perhaps if I tied a string through these two loops…” Ellister tugs the pieces together, and it pulls my jeans up a little, making the thick seam on the crotch press against my clit.

Fluttering spasms start up between my legs.

Good spasms.

Holy shit.

My eyelids flutter, I swallow hard, and barely manage to hold in a moan.

I’mthis closeto coming.

Part of me is tempted to just go ahead and let myself get off in front of this guy, but the bigger part would be mortified if that happens.

“I’m fine. Really.” Half-heartedly pushing Ellister’s hands away, I shuffle back at least two feet.

My brain and body throw a tiny tantrum at the distance. Some wooziness floods in while my heart skips a beat, and the pins and needles start up again. Still, I stand my ground while waiting for Ellister to turn and leave.

Adjusting my shirt to fully cover my front, I curtly say, “Thanks.”

My tone perfectly conveys that this interaction is over.

He doesn’t move.

He’s sort of blocking the door, so I can’t make a run for it. Besides, I can’t run anyway.

The ticking of my watch seems louder in the silence as he spears me with his signature sneer. His top lip is lifted on one side and that wrinkle on his nose is back. His pupils have become large, almost eclipsing the pale blue of his irises. His hands are still suspended in the air where they were when he was helping me, but he keeps flexing his fingers and balling them into fists.

He looks like he’s furious with me.

I understand the sentiment all too well.

I’m not the only one feeling the connection between us. He’s mutually attracted to me, and he’s just as pissed about it.

Suddenly, Ellister’s expression turns thoughtful, and he drops his arms to his sides. “I understand this word, frenemy.”

“Yeah?”

“Yes. I don’t want to like you, but I do. I find myself very unsettled around you. Yet, at the same time, I’m overcome by… peace.”

At least we’re on the same page. “It’s annoying, isn’t it?”

“Yes. I’ve never…” Looking confused and a bit disoriented, he shakes his head and finishes, “never felt this way before.”

Didn’t stop him from pursuing Faith.

I bite back the comment.

“Well, I don’t know about you, but I’m going on a tour.” Limping past Ellister, I nudge him out of the way.

“So am I.”

“What a coincidence,” I remark dryly.

“It’s not a coincidence,” Ellister says seriously as he follows behind me. “You were there when your father set it up.”

Despite any reasons I have to be upset, I find my lips twitching with an oncoming smile at Ellister’s cluelessness when it comes to my sarcasm.

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