Page 14 of Prince Charming

But his sheer force of nature intimidated her.

As much as she avoided him, she was drawn to him too.

Such a good man, possibly the only one left in this world.

And she was stealing from him.

God, she was fucking horrible.

If she didn’t already hate herself, she would for that.

When the woman stopped by to talk to her yesterday, she knew it was Tag’s doing. Determined to set her up on a playdate like a loser.

Manners dictated she thanked him for the food. He didn’t need to feed her. She’d always been skinny, even when she was pregnant, she hardly showed at all.

Intent on finding him in the basement, another male caught her attention.

The swagger was natural, and he wore the biker vest. It was Arson, she noticed. Tag’s friend.

Wow, an aroma hit her nose. It wasn’t even lunchtime yet, and he smelled drunk.

She’d known men like him.

No drunk man was ever a truthful man.

They were users, corrupters, manipulators.

As much as she refused Tag’s friendship, she didn’t like the thought of someone else misusing his kindness.

She followed the man at a slower pace, but he stopped suddenly, and her nose nearly grazed his leather jacket.

“Whoa, babe.” He caught her arms, grinning like an idiot. “I thought someone was behind me, you shoulda made a noise.”

His smell was stronger up close, and Marianna had to control the urge to gag.

Did he bathe in liquor? Looking up into bloodshot eyes, she pulled her arm free of his grasp.

“You shouldn’t have stopped so abruptly.”

“Fuck. I love that accent.” He all but purred. Marianna cringed away from the hint of desire. It made her take a step around him, where a pair of blue eyes were already watching her.

“How about we spring this place, gorgeous, and go somewhere else?”

Her mouth gaped open. He was asking her out?

It would be laughable if not so tragic.

Arson was gray smoke to her. He was a spider web, a black hole of nothing. Just someone else in a deep well of things that Marianna didn’t care about. Things like attraction and desire were no longer important to her. Dating? What was that?

Men approached her. Even a few women, but she’d respectfully turned them down.

Arson smirked like a man who was used to getting his own way with women. Even if she could feel all those female feelings again, she wouldn’t have them for a high functioning drunk.

He was bad news, wrapped up in a disaster and surrounded in a tsunami of self-destruction.

Trigger warnings flashed loudly for this one.

“No, thank you.” She responded, at the same time a deep growl almost tore open the seams to her closed heart. “Get away from her, Arson.”

---