Page 22 of Not Another Dark Romance

“Um, pretty sure it is.”

“There’s no way,” he argues. “People absolutely should be able to testify against their spouse if one hurts the other.”

“True. Maybe I’m thinking of when partners commit a crime together? If I do something illegal with you, will you trust me?”

“No. Just shut up. You talk way too much, and your ideas are insane,” he mutters.

“I have to entertain myself somehow. You won’t let me read.”

“If I let you read, will you stop attempting to flirt with me and make me question my own sanity?”

“Yes,” I lie with a huge smile. What exactly are you questioning, Zane? Has his bi-awakening officially begun?

He rolls his eyes, seeming more relaxed again. “Why don’t I believe you? But fine. I’ll get you a book. Which one should I order?”

“A paperback will take days to get here. Do I have days, Zane?” I tease, probably pushing my luck, but it’s not like I have anything to lose at this point.

“Well, it’s not like I own any of the books you seem to like.”

Obviously. This whole situation would have been way more fun right off the bat if he did already read dark romance. “I’m assuming you don’t have a Kindle I can borrow? Maybe an old iPad you could buy an e-book on?”

He sighs. “I’m not giving you access to anything with the internet on it.”

“Maybe an audiobook then?” I suggest.

Zane stares at me blankly for a long moment. “Which audiobook?”

“Hmm,” I hum. This is a big decision. On the very off chance that Zane does kill me, this could be the last book I ever read. It’s also, more importantly, my chance to show Zane what dark romance is all about. With all the banging I can hear upstairs, I don’t think the house is very soundproof, so odds are pretty high he’ll hear at least some of what I listen to. I need a six-star book, a comfort read I know could never let me down… something with a kidnapping that turns into the perfect romance.

Oh, I’ve got it! “Abducting My Love. The narrator’s name should be Ryder Stevens.”

10

“Alright, I found a Bluetooth speaker I should be able to connect the audiobook to, but I think that’ll only work when I’m home…” I trail off as I realize the flaw in my plan.

“What about my phone?” he asks, and I hate that I didn't think of that.

“No, you get what I give you.”

Mason is beaming, unbothered. “Well, thank you, Daddy, for buying me my audiobook.”

“Why the fuck do you keep calling me that?” I snap. I swear he’s only doing it to get a rise out of me… and it’s clearly working.

“I can call you something else if you’d prefer,” he offers in a sugary tone. “I felt like it fit since you’ve just been taking such good care of me.”

“I’m not taking care of you. I’m keeping you alive until I have time to deal with your corpse,” I remind him.

He bites his lip, smirking. His cheeks nearly match the color of his pink hair, and his face somehow looks mischievous and innocent all at once. It’s a mindfuck. “You’ve been giving me really good food for someone who’s only ‘keeping me alive.’”

“It’s easier for me to just double what I’m having,” I mutter. He doesn’t need to know I don’t normally cook breakfast or bother to make actual food as often as I have since he’s been here. I just… I don’t know. I feel horrible about this whole situation, and I really hate that I have to kill him. I’m not trying to make his last couple of days alive any worse than they need to be, so if I can give him real meals, and he wants to listen to a book, then I might as well make it happen.

I set up his audiobook to play through the speaker and head upstairs to make us food. Even though I shut the basement door, it does almost nothing to drown out the voice of the narrator. I’ve never listened to an audiobook before. I actually haven’t read a book in years. I don’t think I’ve ever read one outside of school, just for fun.

I’m not trying to pay attention to it as I cook, but it’s impossible to ignore, and the longer I’m forced to listen, the more I realize reading is not what I was expecting. I had no idea that it would be told from the perspective of the main character or that he would swear so much. I can’t hear every single word, but I make out most of it. The guy changed voices, and it’s another character talking now. I think he’s stalking the other man.

Holy shit, I think it’s a gay kidnapping book. Why the fuck would he pick a book about the situation he’s in? Not that I’m gay, but the kidnapping part. Maybe I should’ve picked that up from the title, but I wasn’t focused on that detail.

Something really has to be wrong with Mason. Shouldn’t he want to be distracted from being kidnapped? Maybe he’s trying to convince me he really isn’t upset that he ended up trapped in my basement? That he really wouldn’t turn me in if I let him go, and show me why he has this fucked-up fantasy?