“I’ll come to the dinner thing,” he says, frowning harder. “No need to get dramatic.”
“I don’t want to make you do anything you don’t want to do. Besides, if you’re throwing a fit about being there, everyone will feel awkward.”
“I don’t throw fits. I’m not a kid.”
“I know.”
Goliath mutters something under his breath. I think maybe he calls me a bitch or something. I consider leaving, but I brought food, and I’m too moody to drive. I’ll just end up parked on the side of the road, curled up in the back seat while listening to my mom read and hoping I don’t run into the Shasta Slasher.
Yanking the quilt from under his body, he tosses it over me. “You look cold.”
“Thank you,” I say, rolling to my side to look at him.
“What?”
“For the millionth fucking time, I like your face.”
Goliath gives me an almost sheepish smile. I call bullshit on the idea that women don’t compliment him all the damn time. Despite hiding under his wild hair and untamed beard, Goliath’s a handsome man.
“You got a good face too.”
Grinning, I wiggle closer. “Thank you.”
Goliath’s expression flickers between annoyed and something softer. He gets like this sometimes. Almost warm, as if he wants me to do more than ride his dick. I see him with Hugh at the Saloon, and he smiles easier. With me, he acts put out.
But maybe, just maybe, underneath his annoyance, this man owns a heart built just for me.
THE GOLIATH
Shelby is acting weird like she does before bailing. I’m not ready for her to leave, so I throw a blanket over her. She likes the gesture and rewards me with a smile. Is that all it takes to make her happy? I think to bring up food, but I’m not hungry enough to give up a naked woman in my bed.
“What happened here?” I ask, noticing a few white scars above her wrist.
“I jumped out of the window of a two-story house and broke my arm. Turns out the exit move by so many final girls in horror movies actually injures normal people.”
“Why the fuck would you jump out of a window?” I ask without thinking if I want to know the answer.
“I got roofied,” she says, quieter now. “My head wasn’t working right. I saw the doorway blocked, and I thought about those chicks jumping out the windows in the movies I love. It seemed easy. Smashing through the window and falling to the yard didn’t even hurt that much, but the bone sticking out of my arm was scary as hell.”
“Who roofied you?” I ask, narrowing my eyes while remembering what River said about Shelby’s dislike of blowjobs.
“There’s a college in Ellsberg, and I was partying at a house with a few students. I knew the people. I felt safe. Taylor was there. We drank the drinks our friends handed out. Next thing I knew, I was in a room with some guys. I was too out of it to go ninja on them. In horror movies, you can fight, hide, or flee. The first two weren’t options, so I made my final-girl move and ended up on the front lawn with a busted arm.”
“Are those guys the ones that River buried?”
“He told you about that?” she asks, her bright eyes wide now.
“Not the details.”
“Yeah, well, it’s private,” she mutters, sitting up and frowning at me. “Don’t ever mention anything to my parents.”
“I don’t even know your parents.”
“One day, you will. They’re your kid’s grandparents. You’ll know them, and I can’t have you blabbing about that,” she says, revealing the kind of woman capable of killing.
“I thought you were close to your parents.”
“My mom can’t handle knowing what happened. Her world is very small. She has a good set of friends, Dad, her kids, and that’s it. I refuse to bring ugliness into her world.”
“What about your dad?”
“He can’t keep shit from mom. She figures out when he’s holding back. Then she gets agitated over his secrets.”
“What do they think happened to your arm?”
“I fell while goofing around. That freaked them out enough.”
Studying her face, I try to see past her beauty to the girl hiding her pain to protect her mom. “And your little brother and friend handled it.”
“Of course. Why do you make it sound as if I did something wrong?”
“It’s just my voice, Shelby. You’re supposed to be smart. Figure shit out.”
She almost smiles, but her eyes hold a cagey darkness now. “Fine, but you sound judgmental.”