Page 19 of A Very Killer Christmas
“No one was ever attracted to me, so yes, you need a reason.”
Oh, sweetheart.
Her hands curl into fists as she watches me with suspicious belligerence, as if I’m hiding something and she’s determined to drag it out. And yes, I am hiding the fact that I’ve already decided we’ll get married and how many children we’ll have, but that’s for her own good. She’d freak out if I told her.
“Okay. Sit down, please.”
Her lips purse as she considers whether to obey my request. She does, in the end, and I slide her untouched glass of eggnog toward her and pour myself another one.
“This is delicious, by the way,” I say after taking a sip. “All right. Do you believe in soulmates?”
She groans, shaking her head. “Really? Soulmates? That’s your explanation?”
“I understand your reaction. I didn’t believe in soulmates, either, not before tonight. In fact, I was convinced I’d never have an honest, loving relationship in my life.”
She frowns. “Why? You’re good looking, young, and very charming if you want to be. I don’t see why women wouldn’t flock to you.”
My chest glows with pleasure at her words. I smile, and her lips tip up just a little in response.
“I mean, they sometimes do, I’d lie if I said they didn’t.” I sigh with a shrug, because what does it matter? Not one of the women I met before would accept me if she knew what I was. “I’m reasonably attractive, I suppose. As long as I keep my second profession a secret.”
She snorts, making her disdain obvious. “Profession.”
I smile and nod. “See? That’s what I mean. You’re not onlynotscared, disgusted, or offended by what I do, you’re actually comfortable enough to be sarcastic about it. I’ve never met someone like you before. I thought it was impossible.”
She regards me with a dubious expression. “Really? So you… You like me because you think I don’t care that you’re a killer? I see.”
When she looks away, her jaw thrust out in defiance, I realize I blundered.
“You obviously care,” I hasten to explain. “That’s not it. What I mean is, I think you’re able to see past it, unlike anyone else I know. It’s a very attractive quality. To me, it’s the most important one. But there are other reasons. You’re cute, and beautiful, and quirky, and I like all of that. You’re lonely, too. You need someone to take care of you, and I badly need someone to take care of.”
She looks at me, eyes narrowed as if she’s looking for the lie, but she won’t find it. I’ve been nothing but honest. I sigh and plow on, determined to get her tosee.
“Look, I get how you feel, and I’d be just as stunned if I weren’t so busy thinking about all the things I want to do to y… Right. That was creepy.”
I bite my tongue but it’s too late. She lights up with curiosity.
“What things? Tell me three examples.”
I wrack my brain for the most innocent of my current desires, because “fuck you senseless without protection so you get knocked up and be mine” sounds insane even in my own head.
“I want to hang that silk mistletoe I found in one box and lure you under it so I can kiss you again. That’s one. Two, I want to make you food and see you eat it. I’m a good cook, and you’ll see the appeal of being with me once you taste my cooking. Right, and three…”
My mind goes blank when she licks her lower lip, and all I can think about is having her under me as she screams my name.
“And three?” she asks, eyebrows raised.
“I want you to scream my name when I’m inside you,” I say when nothing else comes to mind.
My pants are uncomfortably tight. I’m like a hormonal teenager, I swear. The fact Ishouldn’ttouch her yet just makes me want it more, forbidden fruit and all that.
“Oh.”
She looks away, and her blush is so cute, I want to lick her.
“Are you upset?” I ask when she doesn’t say anything. “I’m doing my best to be honest, you know. Build a good foundation. But I get that hearing things like that might be uncomfortable, especially since you’re a virgin.”
She looks up. “How do you… Oh, right. The bathroom. I told you I hadn’t seen a naked man before.”
