Page 61 of Savage Hearts

It doesn’t help. I still want him.

Him, the assassin who’s going to kill Declan. Him, the asshole who threatened to kill me.

Him,the killer, stalker, walk-through-solid-walls son of a bitch who touches me like I’m made of glass and kisses like he’s starving.

Man, I thought I had a messed-up romantic life before, but this is some next-level shit right here.

Rolling back over, I shove my glasses on again and rise frombed. Heart hammering, I open the door and peek out into the hallway. It’s dark and silent. All is still.

Oh, god—what if it’s so still because Spider and Kieran are already dead?

With a strangled sound of horror, I tear down the hallway into the main living area. It’s dark in here, too, but there’s a blue glow from a cable box near the TV that lets me see where I’m going. I run into the kitchen and hit the lights, expecting to see a trail of blood on the floor or bloody handprints or brain matter decorating the walls.

When I find neither, I stop to drag in a breath. I lean against the counter, bracing myself to go search the rest of the bedrooms. Preparing myself mentally to deal with whatever carnage I might find.

“What’s the craic, lass?”

I jump, scream, and whirl around.

Spider stands in the doorway of the kitchen, blinking sleepily.

His white dress shirt is rolled up his forearms and open at the throat. His jaw is shadowed with stubble. His hair is mussed.

There are no visible bullet holes in him.

I’m so relieved, I nearly slide to the floor. Instead, I press a hand over my thundering heart and start laughing weakly.

He frowns.

“Sorry. God, I’m so sorry, I just… I thought…”

“Tell anyone I was here, and they die.”

Recalling Malek’s warning, I swallow nervously and avert my eyes. “Um. I was hungry.”

“Hungry,” he repeats suspiciously, looking me up and down.

I make my voice firm, stand straighter, and manage to look him in the eye. “Yep. Starving, in fact.”

“You had a big meal not three hours ago.”

Shit. He would have to remember what time it was when I scarfed down my dinner.

“Don’t shame me for having a hearty appetite, Spider. I like to eat.” I saunter over to the fridge, pull open the door, and stare inside.

This is when I realize that all I’m wearing is the short T-shirt and white cotton undies I went to bed in.

White cotton undies that are probably soaked right through.

I shut the fridge door, turn around, fold my hands in front of my crotch, and force a smile. “On second thought, I think I’ll go back to bed. It’s never a good idea to go to sleep on a full stomach. See you in the morning.”

I walk back to my room as casually as I can, feeling Spider’s gaze on me the whole time.

I can’t go back to sleep. I lie there for hours in the dark, staring at the ceiling, starting at every little noise, expecting Malek to appear out of thin air at any moment.

Appear and kill me. Or kiss me again. It’s a coin toss at this point.

In the morning, I’m dragging ass. I shower and dress in the same clothes I wore yesterday, because they’re the only ones I have with me. There are things in the closet, clothes left over from whoever might have stayed here before, but they’re all too big and smell like cigarettes.