Rose offers a polite, apologetic smile as Grim grips her slender arm and leads her out of the room. He slams the door as he exits.
I push the trash can away with a groan. This couldn’t have gone any worse if I’d planned it. Not only did I blow my chance to make a serial killer come, but I potentially fucked up this entire mission. If that was Desmond, there’s no chance in hell he’ll be baited back to my room anytime soon.
But if that was Desmond . . . why didn’t he kill me?
The toe of Aven’s boot bumps against my foot. “You okay, pal? You scared me pretty good there.”
“I thought we weren’t friends,” I say as I struggle to my feet. I nearly crash to my ass, but he steadies me. I snatch my arm away. “Stop being so nice. It doesn’t go well with your mean face.”
“Ach, I don’t have a mean face,” he mutters, and I’ll be damned if he doesn’t look genuinely hurt. “You said your mother told you the allergy came from your dad, aye?”
I nod.
“How is that possible if you’re a Carter sibling?”
“I don’t know. I probably got the allergy from her, and she made it up so that I’d never learn who my father is. Which, to be fair, was the better call. The moment I found out, it justified my bloodlust.”
“I never should have told you,” he mutters.
I steady myself and wobble to the closet, where I pull a baggy t-shirt from my suitcase. This day needs to come to an end. I feel like shit. After sliding the soft fabric over my body, I pull off the flashy panties and crawl into bed, then cover my head with the pillow and pray for death.
“Could you cut off the light when you go?” I yell through ten pounds of feathers.
Instead of answering me, he sits on the edge of the bed and sends me rolling toward him.
“If you’re going to be so big, could you go do it in your room?”
“For tonight, this is my room.”
I toss the pillow away and bolt upright. “Like hell it is! I feel like shit and just want to sleep. How can I do that if you’re just sitting here? If you want to be a creep, again, go do it in your room. You have fifty cameras on me at all times anyway.”
He folds his hands in his lap and looks at the carpet.
“You’re serious, aren’t you.” I say this more as a statement than a question. “You really mean to sit in my room all night. There is no way I can sleep if I know someone is watching me, Aven.”
“And why is that? Because you’re too worried you can’t curate your image while you’re unconscious? Newsflash. I couldn’t care less if you snore and fart in your sleep.”
“No, I’m notthatself-centered.”
His head slowly turns to face me.
“Okay, maybe that’s part of the reason, but I seriously can’t sleep if you’re just sitting there on the edge of the bed like that. If you’re going to stay in here all night, could you at least sleep like a normal person?”
He grumbles something under his breath, then walks around the edge of the bed and flops down on the other side. With his shoes on, I might add.
“Manners,” I say, and I wiggle my fingers toward his boots.
More grumbles follow as he pulls off his boots and sends them crashing to the ground. With a huff, he folds his arms over his chest and lies back.
I click off the light and snuggle under the covers. The soles of my feet and palms of my hands still itch like fire, but I try not to scratch. I’d hate to give him a reason to rush me down to the infirmary and cut out even more of my beauty sleep.
But as I lie here, sleep won’t come. I’m too worried about the plan Jim and I concocted and how badly I’ve bungled this shitshow. After tossing and turning for what feels like forever, I finally find a little comfort in the warmth behind me. I hope he doesn’t notice when I snuggle a bit closer. If he does, he doesn’t move away from me. I just hate that it has to be him. Why couldn’t the Jolly Green Giant stick around and care for me?
Jim knows who my secret guest was. Would he tell me his identity if I asked? He wasn’t Desmond, that much is clear. He was too shy. Too nervous. It was kind of cute.
With a smile, I snuggle into Aven a little more and imagine it’s the big green monster. They’re roughly the same size, though I think the stranger was probably stronger. Or maybe that’s just me and my sour grapes. Aven didn’t want me when I practically threw myself at him, so now I’m reaching for the next best thing. But Green Guy could be the better thing...and there’s only one way to find out.
Chapter Thirteen
