Page 54 of Deceiver

“I know. I remember. Trust me, I can hardly think of anything else.”

“Right. Do you need to call your job or anything or do you need to be somewhere at a certain time? I can make sure you get there.”

I shake my head. “I work from home, and I’m on contract right now, so as long as I get my work done, nobody really cares where I’m at or what I’m doing.”

“That’s good.”

“Oh, I meant to ask you—I need a little desk or an area where I can work. This room doesn’t have anything.”

“You’re welcome to use my study.”

“Thanks.”

“Of course. Are you hungry?”

“Not yet. I think it might take a while for me to feel normal again after what happened earlier.”

“That makes sense. Just let me know. We can definitely order something.”

“Okay.”

“I’ll leave you alone for a bit to rest.”

My heart rate spikes. “Um, could you not? I don’t want to be alone.”

Wilder nods. “I understand.”

“Sorry to be so needy. I don’t feel comfortable by myself.”

“You’re not needy. You’ve been through a traumatic experience, and I’m more than happy to stay with you. Just give me a minute to grab a couple of things, and I’ll be right back.”

“Okay.” I watch Wilder leave, noticing how my heart rate stays elevated while he’s gone. I want to believe I’m safe. I can feel that Calliope did something to me, but just knowing I had something inside of me that I didn’t even know about is fucking with my head.

I set my tea mug down, scooting up until my back is against the headboard, and I stare at the door as I wait for Wilder to return.

I can hear his footsteps in the hallway, which brings me a sense of comfort.

The door opens again, and he’s there with a book and a notepad.

He smiles softly. “Why don’t you rest? I’ll be right here taking some notes.”

“Okay, yeah.” I scoot down until my head is on the pillow and close my eyes.

Maybe a little nap will help, and when I wake up I’ll have my energy back. It feels good to lie down and even better to close my eyes. The room is silent except for the comforting sound of Wilder’s soft breathing and the occasional flipping of a page.

As sleep slowly drags me under, the images dancing in my mind are not at all what I expected. I can see Wilder leaningclose to me, almostfeelhis lips on mine. My body warms as heat spreads through me, flowing right between my legs.

There’s probably some fucked-up psychological aspect to me having a crush on Wilder, but I couldn’t care less. Being horny is way better than being scared.

Chapter 15

Keagan

Where am I?

I peer through the darkness enveloping me, squinting in an attempt to make out my surroundings, but it’s too dark. The last thing I knew, I was in the guest bedroom taking a nap, but that’s definitely not where I’m at right now.

I keep walking forward as a shiver moves down my body. It’s very cold, and I’m wondering how I got here with no shoes and no jacket, considering the weather was warm when I fell asleep.