AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Her hand lifts to my neck, grazing across my erratic pulse. “Being in this cage.” Her blue eyes soften, knowing, seeing. “It must be awful, living so afraid of what you’re capable of. You pride yourself in not acting like the monsters you’ve seen, all while believing you are one. There’s no escape.”
“You think you know everything about me, don’t you?”
Her lashes lower. “Rowan, you are a color-coded spreadsheet. And an intuitive one at that.”
I have never been more flattered or insulted in my life. Puffing a breath, I lift a hand to her bottom lip, trace it with my thumb. “You are much too beautiful.”
Her eyes glaze. “You…can kiss me, if you’d like.”
I let my hand slip down, tip her chin, frame her throat. I taste her breath on my tongue when I lean in. I want nothing more than to kiss her. But I refuse. “Let’s get this over with,” I whisper before forcing myself to exit the vehicle while my willpower is still intact. Stretching my back, I turn firmly away from where I know Briar will appear over the roof of the car all dark hair, pale skin, blue eyes, and pink frilly sleeves.
Given the state of my thoughts, the innocence of her outfit today is so disconcerting that I’m tempted to peel her out of it and—nope. Yet again, we aren’t going there. The point is: her clothes should be burned and replaced with a burlap sack.
Unfortunately, she’d probably make that look good, too.
Maybe what she really needs is a paper bag over her head…
My stomach clenches when unexpected touch finds me. My head whips down to find Briar’s fingers lacing with mine. Her disarming smile gleams in the sunlight as she takes in the stretch of parking lot leading up to the theatrical entrance. Giant cartoon mascots collect around the vibrant archways, beckoning like characters in a horror game.
“You said no PDA,” I murmur as she drags me a step toward the colorful disaster.
“This isn’t affection. It’s a leash alternative. Gotta take the recalcitrant pet for his walkies.”
Recalcitrant?
Is she flirting again? With vocabulary? Honestly, eff her.
No.
No. Do not do that, actually.
A sour frown plants itself on my face, but I ignore my stupid feelings as I scan my surroundings.
Roller coasters tower, looming. Screaming laughter peels. Parents and young children collect at the entrance like flies.
The noise is grating.
People actually do this for fun?
Why are the parents smiling? Why are there other adults without children here? Some people with fully-developed brains actually consider this chaos enjoyable? The constant activity doesn’t put anyone else on edge?
Briar glances at me once we’ve settled into the short line. “You okay, pet?”
“Loud,” I mutter.
Giggling—which doesn’t help the loud—Briar releases me in order to open the flap of her little white purse. “Here.” She holds out her hand, presenting two earbuds. “Noise canceling. For pet’s sensitive ears.”
I stare at the things. “What?”
“I’m speaking English; must I be monosyllabic?”
Huffing, I take the earbuds, and…the world quiets. It doesn’t go silent. There’s still a lot going on, but the noise is confined to the back of my head, almost bearable.
“Better?” Briar asks, and her voice is clear atop the background buzz.
Stiffly, I nod.
“You’re weapon-free, right?”
