Page 135 of Depraved

“Writing a list.”

“Of what?”

I handed the piece of paper to him. “It’s a list of stuff I’ll need to make pancakes.”

Ink scowled as he read it. “This is super swell and everything, but there’s not a chance in hell Granite will let you outside this basement-slash-bunker. Whatever the fuck you wanna call it.”

With a smirk, I walked backward to the door. “You work on getting me those ingredients, and I’ll work on Granite.”

A mischievous look crossed his face. “And how exactly do you plan on doing that?”

I gave a half-shrug. “You don’t want to know.”

“Oh, I do. I really, really do.”

I laughed. “Just get those things on the list, would you?”

“Okay, but⁠—”

I rushed out and slammed the door shut before he could finish his sentence.

Leaning back against the door, I grinned. Someone recently told me the only reason we were here was to look pretty and spread our legs. And that gave me a plan.

CHAPTER THIRTY-NINE

ALYX

I bit my thumbnail, and the courage I had earlier seemed to have left me. What the hell was I thinking? I didn’t have the confidence needed to do this. It was insane to think I could.

“This was a terrible idea,” I mumbled to myself as I grabbed a sheet and quickly draped it over my naked shoulders.

“What are you doing?”

I froze, my back turned to the door. “I didn’t even hear you come in.”

The door slammed shut. “What are you doing?”

“I, um…” I clutched the sheet tighter. “I, uh…Jesus. I don’t know what I was thinking.”

“Are you naked beneath that sheet?” His voice was low, deep, and my skin erupted in gooseflesh.

“Maybe.” My voice, on the other hand, sounded raspy and shaky.

“Turn around.”

I hesitated.

“Turn around, Alyx.”

Slowly, I turned to face him.

His eyes bored into mine. “Why are you naked?”

“I, uh, I thought I could…you know.”

“No. I don’t know.”

“Granite—”