Total pages in book: 23
Estimated words: 21317 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 107(@200wpm)___ 85(@250wpm)___ 71(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 21317 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 107(@200wpm)___ 85(@250wpm)___ 71(@300wpm)
Damien smiles with my juices glistening around his mouth. He runs his lips down my throat, sucking on the pulse between my collarbones. He pulls up the sweatpants and loops my legs around his waist as he carries me back to the passenger seat.
We don’t say a word, but he reaches for my hand and holds it, unaware that my legs are still shaking. A girl can get used to this. He makes me want to.
5
DAMIEN
Dani is fucking delicious.
And the way she came apart in my mouth? I’m storing that picture of her in my head, only taking it out if I need to service myself. My desperation to have her has reached new heights, and I don’t know how much longer I can restrain myself. At this point, I’m gonna have to accept I’ll be walking with a boner the entire time we’re together.
And we’ll be together for a long, long time. I’d rather have someone sever my limbs than let her go.
Less than an hour later, I round a bend in the road and make out a dim glow.
The motel comes into view. It’s small, probably only has five bedrooms, and with a neon sign perched on a post, buzzing intermittently and casting a glow over the entrance. There’s only one subcompact in the parking lot, and I bet it’s the owner’s.
There’s still zero signal on my phone, and I’m almost nodding on the wheel, having been awake for more than 16 hours already. My eyes feel heavy, my mind starting to feel foggy.
Looking over at her, Dani looks just as tired.
That’s it. We’re going to stay here and sleep. Won’t do us any good if I’m so exhausted I can’t fight.
I pull in front of the first room, the crunch of gravel under the tires suddenly too loud.
The motel has an aged wooden siding and simple overhanging eaves, with layers of paint peeling in places.
Yep, it looks like it came straight out of a Hollywood horror movie. I won’t be surprised if Norman Bates comes at us with an ax.
I turn off the engine and go to Dani’s side. I hold her hand and we approach the small office and open the glass door, the small bell above it chiming softly. Along one wall are brochures, pamphlets, and maps—already faded and difficult to read. A red rotary phone sits on the small coffee table but without wires, so it must be just for decorative purposes.
A middle-aged man hobbles to the worn wooden counter. “Good evening. How can I help you?”
“We’d like one room please.” I think for a moment Dani will protest, but she grabs my forearm and leans into me. Good girl.
The man reaches for a ledger, licks his finger to open it to a blank page, and starts asking for my information.
He looks up over the rim of his glasses. “How long do you intend to stay?”
“Just one night or two. We’ll see.”
He nods and grabs behind him a key attached to a wooden block. “Room 1. I think you’re already parked in front.”
“Thanks. Do you have a phone here?”
“Yeah, but doesn’t work most of the time. You’re welcome to wait until you hear a tone, though.”
“Where’s the nearest spot where I can get a signal?”
“Cellphone? Probably that fork in the road a couple of minutes from here. There’s a small hill. Just have to climb it and you might get lucky.”
“Thanks.”
I enter the room first, quickly scanning it. The walls are painted beige, and a wooden dresser stands against one wall. There’s a small table with two chairs in one corner and a bulky, boxy TV beside the bathroom door.
Walking to the large window, I look for movement outside before pulling the curtains down. Dani climbs the large bed and, with a deep sigh, lies down and kicks off my slides. She sinks into the mattress face first, rolls over, and runs a hand along the smooth, cool linens, a smile on her face.
I hover above her, hands on each side of her arms, and kiss her nose. “We can ask the owner to cook for us or we can munch on whatever you bought and sleep afterward.”
“I’m not up for a heavy meal.”
“Potato chips it is, then.”
She sits cross-legged across from me while I take one chair. I’m not exactly hungry so I open a bottle of water and finish it in three gulps.
“Tell me about yourself,” she says, leaning her back against the headboard.
“What do you wanna know?”
“Anything. What you do, where you work, where you’re headed, your family? I don’t know. Everything.”
“Like I said before, I’m a detective. I’m not really starting a new job, just transferring to a different town around four hours from here. I don’t have a family. Never knew my father, and my mother passed away a few years ago. When you first saw me, my truck broke down.”