Page 147 of Dead Pretty

The first thing I see is the suit. Tailor-made. Beer bottle in hand. Rolex around his wrist.

I lift my eyes to his face.

Tanned skin. Dark brown hair cut into a short, neat style. Brown eyes. Handsome.

Though I have no interest.

Yes …

No.

The man smiles. It’s a nice smile. Easy and relaxed.

“Sorry if I’m bothering you,” he says after I say nothing. “I’m just looking for a spot to sit down and enjoy my beer. It’s been a long-ass day.”

Yes …

No.

“You didn’t … you’re not bothering me,” I answer politely.

But say no to the seat, I tell myself.

What can it hurt?

My heart is suddenly beating fast. I start to feel drowsy.

This has been happening so much recently. I’ve always struggled with tiredness since I was a kid. But these bouts of fatigue, they come on so quickly and from out of nowhere, making me fall asleep in random places. But the frightening thing is … I always wake up hours later, back at home and with no clue how I got there. It’s been happening regularly since I left Jackson and moved here, and it’s scary as hell.

I haven’t told anyone. Not even Cole.

I don’t want him to worry.

But last month, it was at the bus stop when a woman took a seat on the bench beside me. The month before that, it was in a diner when I shared a booth with this nice man who had asked if he could sit at the table with me because the diner was packed.

Kind of just like what’s happening now …

I blink, staring up at the man. My vision starts to go hazy. Dark.

This isn’t … no … I can’t … don’t fall asleep.

Audrey.

Yes?

Rest now.

Cole

I blink open my eyes as I stretch out, taking full control, putting Audrey to rest.

God, that feels so much better.

Smiling easily, I pat a hand on the seat of the empty chair beside me. “The seat is all yours,” I tell him, putting a flirty tone into my voice.

I watch him sit, feeling that excitable energy flood my system. The feeling that I always get when it’s my time.

I’m no fool. I know exactly why this guy came over. And it wasn’t for a seat.