Total pages in book: 59
Estimated words: 55109 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 276(@200wpm)___ 220(@250wpm)___ 184(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 55109 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 276(@200wpm)___ 220(@250wpm)___ 184(@300wpm)
With that, Bryn stalks out, leaving us in the miasma of his tall, dark, and brooding presence.
We both let out a long breath when we’re certain he’s gone.
“I’m sorry I got you into trouble.”
“Oh, don’t worry about Bryn. I don’t care what he thinks.”
“Maybe you should, if he is your boss.”
“He’s not my boss. He just happens to have slid out between the right pair of legs. Let’s go. You need to be able to protect yourself. I might not always be here to stop you from getting what you deserve.”
He takes me out through the kitchen, down to the basement. I didn’t expect it to be as well-appointed and fresh looking as it is. It’s been renovated and modernized in a way that sets it very much apart from the rest of Direview. The doors down here are modern, and the flooring has been made nice and even. There are weapons all over the walls, and in one area there are mats down, the kind of mats you can fall on and not take any real damage. This is not my kind of scene.
Cosmos strips his shirt off.
Maybe this is my kind of scene.
Simple lust has taken me a very long way over the last couple of days. I have made some seriously bad decisions and allowed some very terrible things to happen to me. Right now I am not thinking about anything close to exercise. Well, maybe it is a little close. Cosmos is sinfully hot. His body isn’t just exercise fit. It’s killer fit. Literally. The things he’s capable of doing are absolutely unspeakable. Occasionally, my mind flashes back to that bloody hotel room, reminding me what he’s capable of. Most of the time he seems rakish and relaxed, but true darkness runs in his veins. I can’t forget that.
“We need to get you some workout clothes,” he says, suddenly realizing that I am not at all dressed for the occasion. “Today you can watch me. Tomorrow, you start working out yourself.”
If he’d just said that in the beginning, I wouldn’t have resisted. Watching Cosmos move is a pleasure all its own, a kind of foreplay that makes me tingle with anticipation. He moves like a serpent through a series of martial arts dances — that’s probably not the word for them, but they are like dances. His body his muscular yet lithe, he’s not overburdened with bulk. From the rippling plane of his abdomen to his firm ass, everything about him is engineered for what he is doing right now: practicing death and turning me the fuck on.
“Tell you what,” he says, stopping for a second. A few dark strands of hair are hanging in his eyes. He looks like a character out of a sweaty anime. “Just go and ask one of the girls if they have something to wear.”
I feel very awkward asking that question, but it gets me out of the immediate imperative to exercise in any way. I find Nina and Anita in the kitchen, again. The entirety of Direview may as well be the kitchen as far as they are concerned.
“So, I hate to do this, but Cosmos wanted me to ask you for gym clothes, but I’m not going to do that. I will, however, have some of those scones.”
“Girls’ trip!” Nina beams. “We’ll all go into Direford and go shopping. It’s been so long since we were out.”
“I don’t think that’s a good idea,” Anita says, uncomfortably. “They still think I’m a murderer there.”
“Oh. Right. London, then.”
“They’re never going to let us go to London on our own.”
“And why not? We’re all grown women. And Elise needs something decent to wear.”
Anita shakes her head. “Bryn isn’t going to let you out of his sight, Nina. He’s terrified of Fleisch, and Thor doesn’t trust me as far as he can throw me.”
“We can take Crichton with us. He’ll look after us.”
“Three girls and a demon,” Anita grins. “Roadtrip!”
“No, Nina.”
I’ve gone with the other girls to ask for permission to go to London. I think it’s ridiculous that we’ve all been reduced to this. Grown women shouldn’t be going around asking their husbands and male protectors for permission to leave the house. Not in England, or America, or anywhere civilized.
Nina has asked very nicely. But Bryn doesn’t even look up from his paperwork as he summarily refuses to let her have the most basic human rights.
“We want to go shopping. We need to go shopping,” Nina tries again. “Elise is practically living in a lab coat, and Anita hardly has any clothes that don’t make her look like a goth, and I wouldn’t mind updating my wardrobe.”
“No, Nina.”
“Alright, let me put it another way,” Nina says, pushing her pretty red hair back from her face. “I am going shopping with Anita and Elise and you’re going to give me some money to do it.”