plenty of people in my life that I hated so much I wished they’d die.”
“Did you kill them?” I ask.
“Some,” he admits as the traffic clears and he makes his way across the street. “But definitely not all.”
We walk into the store and he grabs a cart. “For now, we’re grabbing necessities, clothes, backpacks, and some food. If we need to move at two in the morning, we don’t want to be trying to carry a shit ton of stuff.”
“Okay,” I say as I follow him while he picks what he needs and hurries along. “Why’d you agree to help me?”
“For fun,” he says.
That makes me highly suspicious. “Is this fun?”
“Loads, actually.”
I raise an eyebrow. “You are so strange, but I kind of like you.”
He grins as he picks up a bright yellow shirt and holds it up to me. “What about this one so they know where to shoot when the time comes?”
“Ha. Ha. Funny.”
“You could distract them as I snipe them or get away.”
“Which one is it?”
“Depends on how much you’ve annoyed me by that point.”
I shove it back and pick up a dark hoodie. “Is this alright?”
“I suppose we could paint a target on it. It’ll work.”
Together, we somehow manage to agree on enough things to keep us alive. Even though he was really adamant about getting me the Hello Kitty backpack.
Thirteen
I step out of the bathroom to find Shepherd sprawled out on one of the beds, watching TV with the dog. The dog is leaving a wet spot on the bed since he’d just gotten a bath as well as a new collar and a leash that doesn’t weigh what felt like thirty pounds like the last one.
“I thought maybe you got lost in there or couldn’t stop looking at your plum-colored face,” Shepherd says.
“I see you weren’t concerned enough to come find me,” I say as I carry my dirty clothes over to the corner. “The water felt so nice I really didn’t think I could get out.”
“It was nice without you. Bear and I were kind of loving it, if I’m being honest.”
“You don’t always have to be honest,” I say, which makes him laugh.
I glance over at him as he looks away from the TV to catch me staring. He gives me one of his smirky grins that makes me feel things that I’m not sure I really understand. But most of all, he makes me feel safe and comfortable, and that’s more than anyone’s ever made me feel in… years. Maybe most of my life.
I walk past my bed and over to his before crawling onto it.
“Whatcha doing?” he asks, and while I can’t say it out loud, I know what I want. And right now, I want nothing more than him.
He turned me down before but at that point, I was a prisoner. He didn’t want to get attached to me but now… even if it’s just sex… I want to feel something. I want someone to hold me and tell me they care about me for once. I want to not be alone and question what’s wrong with me that everyone in my life is fucked up.
I swing my leg over his lap, straddling his waist. When he doesn’t reach for me or do anything, I hesitate. He really hasn’t shown me any interest, has he? All that’s happened is I’m trying my hardest to get something more out of a man I barely know who has already shown me more kindness than anyone else. I’m being greedy at this point.
He reaches up, drawing a finger over my cheek and up to my hair before tugging a wet strand. “You’re getting water on my bed.”
“So’s your dog,” I say, still uncertain. He’s touching me, so that’s a good thing, right? He’s not pushing me back.
“That’s true,” he says. “But the dog isn’t up to anything.”
I lean forward, not enough to commit to it, but to see if he will. He hesitates and I realize that I should get off. I need to stop before I push him away and make him dislike me.
His fingers release my hair as his hand cups my head and draws me into him before pressing his lips against mine. Honestly, I’m a little surprised after his prior hesitance, but I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t thrilled that he was also interested. I lean into the kiss as I grab onto him, holding him to me as I open my mouth, body aching for