Page 12 of Kiss of Deceit

They both walked out, leaving me and Dani alone. I locked the door, taking a deep breath before facing her again. She was on edge, watching me as she stayed in the kitchen.

“We’ll talk about this more tomorrow,” I grumbled, heading toward the stairs. “I need a shower.”

“This is fucking ridiculous,” I heard her mutter as I climbed the steps.

The fact that I suddenly had a roommate had my head spinning. And it was the girl who had taken over my mind since she appeared. My jaw clenched as I walked into the bathroom. I didn’t fucking need this. I liked to keep life simple, and I had a feeling her being here was going to flip my world upside down.

CHAPTER SIX

dani

I muttereda curse when the coffee maker beeped after I pressed the wrong button. Glancing over my shoulder, I made sure I was still alone before trying again to get this fancy contraption to just pour a regular cup of coffee. I didn’t even know what it was. It looked like something straight out of a coffee shop, not something for home use. I was running on a total of one hour of sleep and needed caffeine to make it through the day. Coffee began dribbling into the cup, and I leaned against the counter, sighing in relief.

Last night was a shit show. I couldn’t believe I was staying in Kole’s house. I didn’t think he had any idea on how close I was to attempting to kill him. When I’d heard someone bumping through the house in the middle of the night, the terror that had flooded me was paralyzing. It brought back memories ofthatnight. The night I thought I was never going to survive. I absentmindedly slipped my fingers under the hem of my white blouse and traced the scar from when I was stabbed.

The only reason I held back last night was because this was my chance at leading a normal life. If I ended up on trial for killing someone, there was no way I’d be able to stay here andfinish this. The one-year internship would dissolve my student debt, and I’d be free from everything. Maybe then I’d find a way to be happy.

My neck prickled, and I knew I wasn’t alone before I even moved. I blew out a breath, wondering if this asshole was going to be pissed that I used his coffee. He made it clear last night that he didn’t want me in his house. I slowly turned around, my guard rising when I spotted him on the other side of the counter, standing between two of the barstools. His inked arms were crossed, his eyes going from the coffee to me as a frown settled on his lips.

“I’ll buy you more,” I clipped out, wishing the coffee would pour faster. “I don’t have time to stop at the coffee shop before work.”

“No time?” he drawled, raising an eyebrow. “Or no money?”

I fought to keep my features blank. “I have money.”

“That’s why you stole ice cream from my freezer instead of buying food?”

“Stealing it was better than having to talk to you again to order,” I snapped. “You were an ass when I tried to get a drink.”

He rounded the counter, and I bit my tongue, refusing to react when he entered my personal space, even though my survival instincts were screaming at me. I never let people get this close to me, especially where I’d been living the last few years. His eyes grazed over my face, and I knew he didn’t miss myfuck offexpression, but that didn’t stop him from gripping the counter on either side of me, caging me in.

“You weren’t complaining when I was between your legs,” he murmured. “Was I an ass then? Because your screams would say otherwise.”

I scowled, ignoring the heat swirling in my stomach from thinking of our time in the pantry. His smug grin had anger creeping through me as we stayed locked in the stare-off.

I reached under his outstretched arm, snagging the bagel I’d planned on eating, and held it up for him to see. “Hungry?”

“No—”

I smashed the bread between his lips as he answered, and his eyes widened, his arm leaving the counter to grab the food from his mouth.

“You’re right,” I stated as I shoved him away from me. “You’re much more tolerable when your mouth is busy.”

I ducked away as he spit out the rest of the bagel before spinning around to face me. He swiped the crumbs off his lips, his stormy eyes landing on me as he slowly sucked in a deep breath and then blew it out as he stayed absolutely still.

“The only way this will work is if we stay civil until they find you another place to live,” he said gruffly.

I crossed my arms. “I agree. Stay out of my personal space while I’m here. You crowding me against the counter isn’t going to intimidate me. I have nowhere else to go, so we both have to deal with me being here for now.”

He studied me before his eyes darted to the mess of bread on the counter for a second before he focused back on me. “Would you have used that knife on me last night?”

“Yes,” I answered honestly. “If you attacked me.”

“You attacked me,” he muttered. “In my own damn house.”

“I didn’t know that at the time,” I defended myself. “All I heard was thumping and then a stranger coming toward my bedroom. What the hell were you doing so loudly anyway?”

“I wasn’t aware I needed to be quiet in my own home,” he bit out. “I was starting laundry.”