Page 37 of Grave Love

This is insane.I shouldn’t be questioning whether or not he’s a real killer, or even finding comfort in the fact that I can give my life to him.

I turn back to the temperature gauge, pretending like he doesn’t affect me. He’s an annoyance. A business partner. Someone I made an arrangement with.

It’s work.

Chapter14

Ren

Blaze liftsthe cup of coffee in his hands. “Morning to you too,” he says.

My shoulders drop, the confusion pushing down on my frame. I don’t usher him in, nor do I tell him to leave.

“You brought me coffee?” I ask.

He rolls his eyes. “No.” Then he puts the mug in between my hands. Steam rises from the surface. The heat radiates through the ceramic, like the heat of his body warming me from the inside out.

Does this coffee mean Blaze is taking pity on me?

No—he’smockingme. Showing me how pathetic I am. That I can’t even get my own cup of coffee without his help.

“Thanks for sharing,” I say flatly. I ready myself for the burnt aftertaste of our break room’s coffee without cream and sugar to cover it up. The hot liquid splashes against my tongue, washing over my taste buds. I raise a brow. It’s earthy and sweet, with a hint of acidity. It’s black, and somehow, it still tastes good.

I sneer playfully, pretending to accuse him. “Did you drug this?”

“You wish I would,” he says.

“It doesn’t usually taste this good.”

He angles his head toward the break room. “My personal stash. Buy your own beans. It’s not hard.”

My lips tingle. I didn’taskhim to get me coffee, nor did I request his secret stash of freshly roasted beans. All I know is that we had sex last night, he choked me to unconsciousness, he made me come multiple times, and now, he’s beingniceto me. Sharing coffee with me. It’s weird.

Is he trying to get me to like him?

My skin is on edge, my nerves vibrating with his nearness. He licks his lips, and I remember his tongue on my cheek. Licking me like prey.

If he truly is a killer, then all of his decisions have a hidden motive behind them.

We agreed that he could kill me. That we would have sex in the meantime, too. There’s nothing to discuss, but the words come out of me before I can stop them. As if Iwantto talk to this insane man who wants to kill and fuck me.

“You told her the smell was a rat?” I ask.

“I couldn’t tell her you came like a burst pipe now, could I?”

My cheeks redden, my teeth grinding. It’s like he knows how much it embarrasses me.

“What?” he asks, stepping forward. “Are you ashamed of your pleasure, little corpse?”

I look away from him. “Isn’t squirting like pee or something?”

He grabs my chin, pinching me. I meet his eyes, and my body fills with heat.

“Did you enjoy it?” he asks.

He knows how much I enjoyed it. He can probably tell that I’m craving it right now.

I nod, barely enough for him to see it.