Page 78 of Dead Pretty

Or maybe I did actually manage to put him off me throughout the course of this date.

Well, talking about death over dinner would do it.

The pang of disappointment that hits my gut is hard, and it tells me everything I need to know about how I feel about this fact.

Well, I have no one to blame but myself, and it’s probably for the best.

And I’ll be sure to convey that message to my libido when I’m lying in bed later tonight. Horny and alone.

For a girl who doesn’t want to feel anything anymore, especially not for a man, I’m doing a shit-as-hell job of keeping my hormones and emotions in check.

Jack holds open the door to our building, allowing me through first. We walk up the stairs in silence.

The quiet between us is beginning to put me on edge. Not knowing what he’s thinking. Not knowing what he’s going to say.

Is he just going to walk me to my door, thank me for a nice evening, and then walk away?

Ugh. Getting given the good-night handshake is going to be the worst.

But in the end, it’d be the right thing.

This thing with Jack would be a disaster.

I’m a disaster. Hence the reason that I’ve spent the last six months distancing myself from everyone around me. Having a person in my life would not be a good idea. Especially not a man like Jack.

I’m pretty much resigned by the time we reach my apartment door.

I tug off my gloves, get my keys from my pocket, and unlock the door.

Facing him, my fingers curled around the handle, I say, “So … thanks for today. I had fun.”

“Me too,” he says, holding my stare.

I press down on the handle, opening the door. “Well, good night then.”

“Audrey.” The low baritone in his voice sends a shiver hurtling through my body.

I turn back to him.

“That’s not how this date ends.”

My heart starts to pitter-patter in my chest. “No?”

“No.”

He steps into my space, and I suck in a breath.

“So … how does it end?”

Jack takes my head in his hands, tilting my face up to his. “It doesn’t. It starts with a kiss.”

He covers my lips with his.

It’s like a bomb detonates around us, the force shoving us together.

There is something electric between Jack and me. Something confusing and scary and exhilarating.

Something I don’t know how to control. How to stop. Or if I even want to.