Series: The Circle of Monsters Series by Sam Crescent
Total pages in book: 44
Estimated words: 41985 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 210(@200wpm)___ 168(@250wpm)___ 140(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 41985 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 210(@200wpm)___ 168(@250wpm)___ 140(@300wpm)
Skye sighed and turned the light off. Who was she kidding? A man like him could never fall for a woman like her, no matter how much she fantasized about it.
“I’m ready,” she said. Galen was waiting at the front door, scrolling through his phone. “Not much I can do with only a few clothes and no makeup.”
He stopped and focused on her, his gaze unwavering. “You don’t need makeup.”
What did that mean? Was it a compliment? Or did she not matter one way or the other?
Skye followed him outside and waited for him to lock up. The gentle breeze on her skin felt incredible after being cooped up for a week. She took a deep breath of the cool, night air. When he opened the passenger door of his SUV for her, it felt surreal. She could almost pretend it was a date. Everything was much different now than last week when they’d arrived at his home. Maybe Viko would forget about her and she could play house with Galen forever.
The drive was too quiet when she craved answers. He’d only ignore her questions anyway. He took the “strong, silent type” to a new level. She wished she knew more about him.
After driving for probably twenty minutes, she was bursting with the need to speak. “Who are we meeting?”
“An old friend of a friend.”
“Who? Why? Where?”
Skye cringed after she spoke. She sounded like a five-year-old nagging her parents.
“You said you didn’t know who that woman was? The one your boss killed.”
She swallowed hard, not liking the subject. “No. I never asked questions.”
“Well, we know who the man was. He was an associate of the Circle of Monsters, did some quick contracts for Viko on the side. We’re going to see his ex.”
“How will that help?” she asked.
“She may know who the woman was. May know why Seth was at Petrov’s in the first place.”
She looked out the passenger window at the darkened landscape, suddenly feeling very alone. “What does it matter? I mean, how will new information help?”
Skye grabbed the handrest when the car abruptly jerked to a near stop and Galen swerved onto the side of the lonely stretch of roadway.
“What’s wrong?” Her breath came heavy from the rush of adrenaline.
He shifted in his seat to face her, no humor in his expression. “If I can find something to appease Viko, make all the puzzle pieces fit together, then maybe … maybe he won’t make me kill you.”
Tears welled up in her eyes but she refused to let them fall. “But I’ve seen him.”
“I’m trying here, Skye. This isn’t something I’ve ever done before, not for anyone.”
“What if you can’t figure things out?”
He ran a hand through his dark hair. “Then maybe I have to kill Petrov, kill anyone in my way.”
She swore she could feel the heat of his skin from their proximity. The leather of his jacket creaked as he inched closer. He moved slowly, cautiously, and reached out to run the backs of his fingers over her cheek. She closed her eyes and leaned into his touch, a couple tears tracing down her face.
“I’m scared,” she whispered.
“I want to protect you, Skye.”
His voice was so deep and sincere. The words were healing, made all the nightmares fade away in an instant. How far would he go? Would he kill the boss of the Circle of Monsters? Or would he have to follow orders if he couldn’t prove she wasn’t a liability?
“Last week you tried to kill me.”
“I killed a lot of people last week,” he said. “But you remind me of someone. A girl from another lifetime.”
“An old girlfriend?”
He shook his head. “No, she was just a kid. I wasn’t much older. I set her free but I should have stepped in sooner. I was a fucking coward back then.”
“No, you weren’t. You were a kid yourself,” she said. Skye touched his neck, wrapping her fingers around the collar of his jacket. “You’re brave and I know there’s so much good in you.”
“You don’t know anything about me.”
“Maybe I shouldn’t, but I trust you. I trust you not to hurt me. Right now, you’re all I have.”
He looked so damn sad. So empty.
Galen scoffed, a dimple appearing on his cheek. “Part of me wants to keep driving, you know. Leave it all behind, fuck the consequences.”
“I like this romantic side of you.”
She didn’t realize she was still holding his collar when his hand came up and shackled her wrist. Skye gasped right before he kissed her.
He tasted like mint and all man. She savored the way he dominated her mouth, his body pushing toward her. Her heart raced, her pussy throbbing. She instinctively wrapped an arm around his neck, holding him close. He groaned a few times and she swore she’d spontaneously combust.
But as quickly as it started, it ended. He sat back in his seat, facing the front of the car.