Page 41 of Watch Me Burn

And that would explain his closed-off personality, too.

He’d be too ashamed of the avenues he slipped into to confide in any other staff member, let alone get so close as to risk revealing his personal life.

John Hudson had a double life.

“Ugh, for fuck’s sake,” I grumbled while I wiped off the soap and water residue on my face with a towel.

I didn’t know anything for sure yet. Neither did Anna. We were jumping to all these conclusions. Maybe there were more secrets hidden behind that hotel reservation. And I couldn’t count on any of them being something good.

I made my way to the bedroom of the RV, where Anna was fast asleep. I never thought I’d meet a woman who looked so angelic in her slumber, but here she was, cami strap flopped over her shoulder as she rolled onto the small wall of pillows.

I tucked her blanket up to her chin and shimmied into mine. The sky had grown a bit darker, but we were still far from the peak of dusk. I tried to shut my eyes and regain the sleepiness that was scrambling my drive before, but it was too difficult.

I couldn’t go to sleep—especially not with her right next to me.

I rolled to my side, looking into Anna’s peaceful face—and those rosy lips.

Damn it.

Quickly, I positioned myself on my back, staring up at the RV’s ceiling. Back in prison, I’d slept like a baby on cement blocks when a crazy guy could’ve been conniving to stab me at any hour. Life wasn’t perfect, but I was able to adjust and cope. But now?

I’ve grown too soft.

My legs lurched ahead of themselves as I got out of bed. I knew when sleep wasn’t anywhere close, and I was wrapped up in one of those moments where I just needed to get out and tire my brain again.

Creeping to the RV’s front doors, I carefully got out of the car and made sure it was locked shut. Didn’t want any weirdos wandering into there.

I strolled without a direction or purpose. First, I stopped by the convenience store to get a wad of gum and a sandwich. Then I wandered outside near the RV until I stumbled across a microbrewery.

They were having a good special for beer tonight, so I decided it wouldn’t hurt to treat myself a little bit.

The minute I walked in, I noticed the bar was almost completely a desert. A few guys were hanging out at the booths, and a couple was sprawled out near the entrance, but the bar was patronized by a small group of women. Hot women, if I had to be blunt, who giggled and blabbered as if they didn’t have a care in the world.

I slid into a seat at the opposite end of the bar so that I wasn’t too close to them. There was beauty that I was perfectly fine with acknowledging but not pursuing—right now, all I really wanted was a good mug of beer.

“You here for our IPA special?” the bartender quipped. He had a hearty tone to his voice; it made me feel at ease instantly.

“You got it,” I replied chirpily. He winked and left to prepare my drink.

I glanced down at my watch. It was nearly nine p.m. The group of girls beside me started hissing super loudly—I peeked in their direction and noticed they kept turning their heads at me.

“Here you go.” The bartender grinned and placed down a frothing mug of beer in front of me.

“Thanks,” I said before slurping on my drink. Immediately, I was hit with a cool rush—definitely not what I needed during a sleepless episode, but at least I was feeling good.

I got halfway through my drink before the clatter of someone pulling a stool beside me got my attention. And it wasn’t just one person, it was practically the entire group of bottle blonds who gathered all around me.

One of the glammed-up girls ran her finger down my T-shirt sleeve, stopping where my arm tattoos started. She narrowed her eyes at the star on my elbow. I had the same one on my knee as well. “This design is super cool. What does it mean?”

I hesitated.

“Come on, don’t be rude,” the woman pressed with a big grin.

“It’s a Russian symbol and means that I don’t bow in front of anybody.”

All of the girls giggled as if I said the most amazing thing ever. One was using her hands as a fan, blowing air onto her face as she smiled wide.

“Jesus, you’re buff. Show us the ones on your chest,” one of the girls to my left flirted. She tapped my muscled forearms lightly. Her eyes glinted with a sensual intrigue.

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