I deliberate, trying not to imagine the taste of anything else on my tongue. But Kira is just too damn tempting. If there is even the slightest chance I can slip between those sweet thighs of hers, it’s worth the thirty days of agony being in this house. It’ll be like an episode ofBig Brother.Expect the unexpected, and try like hell to sleep with your housemate. Or, step-sister in this seriously messed-up case.
The head in my pants is clearly spearheading the decision here.
“So, I’m like suction-cupped to your ass for a whole month?” Not that it would be completely terrible or anything.
“Maybe not suction-cupped, but you could take me to class and possibly sleep here at night?” She bites her fingernail.
“Sleepovers?” I’m intrigued.
“There are several spare rooms. You can have your pick,” she’s quick to clarify.
“What if I want to stay in your room?” I lean forward suggestively, resting my forearms on the table.
“The floor is hard, but I’ll give you a pillow and blanket.”
I laugh. At least the girl’s got jokes. “This place is like Fort Knox. You really need me to stay here?”
“Yes. Nighttime is the worst. I haven’t slept in days, and you’ve experienced first-hand how reliable the alarm system is. I had a tech out here two weeks ago, and nothing has gotten better. If anything, it malfunctions even worse. The whole house is wired, so if one thing isn’t working right, nothing works right. And I swear, someone is lurking around outside. Sometimes I think they even get in the house.” She shivers, clearly spooked. “I find little things out of place, like a shirt I swear I put away, or the smell of my perfume lingering in my room when I know I didn’t spray any.”
“A faulty alarm, and Casper the Friendly Ghost. I think I can handle it.”
“It’s not a joke, Ky. There is someone out there watching me,” Kira is convinced.
“And now I’m here watching you. If they know what’s good for them, they’ll fuck off right now. Do you have any idea who it may be? An ex-boyfriend? An ex-coworker? Someone at school, maybe?”
“I can’t think of anyone, except . . .my dad.”
“Your dad? Explain.”
“He’s just been an asshole my whole life. He loves to play mind games and fuck around. I haven't spoken to him in three years. Not after Gerard kicked him out of the house on my twenty-first birthday. He’s a total control freak, and he lost complete control over me that day. I don’t know, maybe he knows my mom and Gerard are out of town and is using this as an opportunity for something twisted?”
“That is quite a conspiracy theory.” I crack my knuckles.
“You don’t believe me.” She’s offended.
“I didn’t say that.”
“Your tone implies otherwise.”
“I’m just taking it all in so I can devise a plan of action.”
“I thought we had a plan of action?”
“No, we have a jumping-off point, but I believe it’s better to be proactive than careless. If thereissomeone out there, I want to get my hands on them before they get their hands on you.”
The thought of someone else’s hands on Kira has me suddenly enraged.What. The. Fuck?
“Can I have another?” I hold up the empty beer bottle. I need to cool my fucking jets.
“Sure, they’re in the fridge.” Kira doesn’t move a muscle.
“I guess I’m not a house guest anymore.” I push myself up to stand.
“I’m just not anyone’s waitress.”
I peer down at her before resting my hands on the glass tabletop. Bringing my face obnoxiously close to hers, I whisper, “Snow, by the end of this month, youwillbe waiting on me, buck naked. And you’ll love every second of it.”
“A man can dream,” she hisses back.
