Page 24 of To Love a Monster
The door swings open a beat later and Carl stands in the doorway, shirtless and wet from a shower, a towel slung low on his hips like he doesn’t know what modesty means.His hair’s damp, curling slightly at the ends.His chest is cut but lean, clearly a runner’s build.His golden skin and warm brown eyes give him the kind of all-American charm that would’ve made me melt before.When he sees me, his eyebrows lift and his lips part in surprise.
“Lila.Hey.Everything okay?”I let my gaze travel down his chest, not hiding the way I linger at the sharp V of his hips.
“I hope I’m not interrupting,” I murmur, voice smooth.“I just ...thought I’d take you up on that drink.”Something flashes in Carl’s eyes, he’s either pleased or curious.
“Yeah.Of course.”He runs a hand through his damp hair.“Uh—give me one second.Please, come in.”He disappears down the hall, door still cracked open behind him and I step inside.His place smells like men’s shower gel and clean laundry.A mug half-full of coffee sits abandoned on the counter.His laptop glows from the kitchen island, open on some work document.
I hear the soft creak of a door closing.Then Carl’s muffled voice, low and clipped, speaking to someone on the phone.I can’t make out the words and decide to go settle in the living room while I wait for him.
And that’s when my phone buzzes and my pulse skips.
What are you doing, little lamb?
He’s watching.Of course he’s watching.I grin, slow and sharp.
What you told me to.
The typing dots flash.
Don’t you dare.
The phone trembles in my hand, and so does something inside me.Good,I think.This is my body.I’m in control.And he has no choice but to watch me defy him.And God, I hope it eats at him.
Carl returns a moment later in a soft black tee and jeans, damp hair tousled in that effortless way that would usually make my stomach flutter.He’s handsome, safe, and uncomplicated.“Wine or whiskey?”he asks, crossing to the cupboard.
“Wine, please,” I say, lips curling at the edges.“Red.”He nods approvingly.“Good choice.I opened a cabernet last night.Still breathing.”He pours and I take a long sip.It’s good.Warm and heavy.
It settles in my chest like it’s trying to soften me from the inside out as he talks, saying something about the lake, about how quiet it is out here.How it feels like the rest of the world stops existing once the trees close in.“It’s peaceful,” he says, handing me the glass after refilling it.“The kind of silence you don’t realize you need until you experience it.”
“I know what you mean,” I murmur, tracing the rim of my glass with a fingertip.“Though lately, the silence feels a little boring.”His brows lift with a soft laugh.
“Is that why you’re really here?Looking for a little noise?”I smile, but it’s tight.Almost bitter.
“Maybe.”Carl leans back against the island, sipping from his glass.His eyes drift over me, not in a leering way.Just ...curious.A little too confident.
“So,” he says casually, “you seeing anyone?”The question lands like a challenge.I cock my head, eyes narrowing with a playful slant.
“Would I be here if I was?”
“Depends,” he shoots back.“Some people are into that kind of thing.Forbidden fruit.Sneaky hookups in the woods.”He grins.“Not that I’m judging.”
“Is that what you’re hoping this is?”I ask, arching a brow.“A sneaky hookup in the woods?”He laughs.
“Not unless you want it to be.But I have to admit that finding a beautiful, mysterious artist in this tiny town wasn’t exactly what I expected from my cabin getaway.”
“And yet,” I say, sipping again, “here I am.”
“Here you are,” he echoes, eyes warming.“Making my week a hell of a lot more interesting.”I lean my elbows on the counter.
“What if I’m the kind of interesting that comes with baggage?”He shrugs.
“I’m sure I’ve carried worse.”It’s a good line.He delivers it well.And in another life, one without shadows watching from the trees and wolves hiding behind green eyes, I might’ve actually caught myself falling for Carl.
We move to the living room and I make a point of sitting closer to him.Carl tops off my glass and his fingers brush mine.I let them linger.His eyes drop to my mouth, then my throat.
“You really are something else, Lila.”
“I get that a lot,” I say softly, meeting his gaze.He shifts slightly closer and I don’t move.He’s testing the waters, and I’m letting him.My hand falls to the top of his thigh, light and deliberate.Carl blinks, surprised but pleased.
