“Joslyn, relax. I am not going to bite you.” He throws me a wink. I laugh at how foolish I must look right now, curled into a ball in the middle of the bed. Wilder is in his own queen-sized bed, watching TV.

I sink down into the bed, pulling the blanket over me. I let out a loud sigh, closing my eyes. “I haven’t felt a bed this comfortable in months.” I snuggle my face into my pillow. This is the best hotel, and the softest bed, I have ever been in.

“Want to order a movie and some snacks?”

I contemplate what to say, and I feel freer than I have in months. “Sure.”

Wilder’s face softens. “What do you want, Darlin’?”

I think for a second, but anything will suit me. “Whatever you want.”

He takes the phone off the small table by his bed and orders a ton of snacks and drinks.

“Thank you, Wilder.”

He tilts his head to the side, eyeing me. “What did I say about thanking me for shit?”

When he paid for our food earlier, I thanked him about ten times before we parked at the hotel. He turned off his truck, looked me dead in the eye, and growled, “Quit fucking saying ‘thank you,’ Joslyn.”

“Yeah, I remember. Mr. Growly,” I say now, rolling my eyes.

“Are you sassing me, Joslyn?”

I cringe at the darkness in his voice, and he is glaring at me. Oh no, did I make him mad? “Wilder, I didn’t—”

The sound of his laughter cuts me off midsentence.

I cross my arms across my chest, not liking to be laughed at one bit. I narrow my eyes at him, but that just makes him laugh harder.

I am saved from his laughter by a knock at the door, and the snacks are delivered. My arms are still crossed across my chest, and I glare as he walks by. Yes, it may be petty of me, but it seems I enjoy teasing him. I guess a small part of me is getting used to him. Just a small bit.

“Don’t pout, Baby.” He chuckles and walks to my bed. He sets the chips and drinks in front of my crossed legs and plops down on the bed. My eyes widen at the sight of him getting comfortable beside me, and my legs touch his slightly, which causes me to jerk away, my face flooding with embarrassment.

“What are you doing?”

I wave my hand around, like that will help me explain.

He smirks at me, looking way too hot to be doing that next to me. “Doing what, Sweetheart?”

My mouth opens slightly; then I shake my head and pick up a bag of Doritos and a soda.

“What do you want to watch?” Wilder asks, scrolling through the movies.

“It doesn’t matter.” I shrug and open the bag of Doritos.

He clicks on a scary movie, and my heart fills with dread. I shouldn’t have let him choose the movie. Me and scary movies do not mix. I close my eyes and tilt my head back, hoping that I can fall asleep or something so I can tune out the movie.

“What are you doing?” I can hear the laughter in his voice. I open my eyes just enough to glare at him. “Nothing.” I look at the screen.

The movie starts and I cringe internally. Do not scream, Joslyn.

She screams for the tenth time during this movie, and I burst out laughing, this time because she has her face buried in a pillow. “No! Don’t look in there, are you dumb?” she yells and waves her hand at the screen. She has moved closer and closer to me, and she is almost hidden behind my arm.

The demon pops out and she screams, burying her head into my shoulder blade. I reach back and touch the back of her head, rubbing slightly.

When the scene ends, I expect her to sit up, but she wraps her arm around my forearm, raising her head just enough so she can see the TV. It shouldn’t feel this fucking good for her to be lying on me like this, but I wanted her the moment I saw her, months ago. She worked for my cousin Shaylin and is way too fucking beautiful to be normal.

I asked her out over and over again, but she never said yes until a week before she left. Then that fucker came to town and she ran. When I saw her again, at the hotel today, she looked like Joslyn, but she also didn’t look like her. She was missing her light, the happiness that was in her smile, even though she hid it every time she noticed she was doing it. Now she looks sad, and I don’t like that one fucking bit. Robert is a fucking dead man. That is a guarantee.

Thirty minutes later the movie ends, and I shut off the TV. I hear Joslyn’s light breathing, and I look down to see her fast asleep, her hand gripping my shirt.

Unable to resist I kiss the top of her head, lingering to breathe in her smell. I loosen her grip on my shirt and lay her down on the bed. I set the chips on the nightstand. The blanket is pooled at her feet, so I cover her up, tucking it around her neck.

I slip off the bed and go to mine. I set my cut on the back of the chair and my gun on my bedside table. I pull my blankets over me as I slip into bed, turning off the light on the nightstand, putting the room in complete darkness.

I hear a loud gasp as Joslyn wakes up. “Wilder?” she whispers.

“I am right here,” I soothe and I hear her let out a deep breath.

“Did I mention that I was scared of scary movies and the dark?” she whispers, the bed creaking as she moves around.

How fucking cute.

“Scoot over.” I walk over to her bed. I can see her outline, sitting up. “What?”

She seems shocked, but she scoots over anyway. I climb in beside her and pull the covers over both of us.

“You didn’t have to, Wilder.”

“I know, Darlin’.”

She doesn’t say a word but, without a fucking doubt, she is freaking out on the inside.

“Go to sleep, Sweetheart. We have to get up early to get to the airport.”

“Goodnight, Wilder.” She turns her back to me.

“Goodnight, Joslyn.”

It’s been around an hour since Wilder climbed into bed with me, and my brain won’t shut off. I’m having a million different thoughts. The major one is, Where am I going to live? Are my mom and stepfather still at my house? I can almost guarantee they are.

I will just have to find a new place and see if Shaylin will allow me to have my job back. I have a feeling she will, considering she did all of this to bring me home.

“Sleep, Baby,” Wilder says softly and throws his arm over my waist, pressing his hand to my stomach and pulling me against him. My back is flush against his chest, and my butt is... I clench my hand closed and bite my lip hard.

Breathe, Joslyn. I love the feel of his arms around me way too much. Way too much. Wilder is extremely attractive, and I’ve had a major crush on him since the moment I met him.

I love the feel of his arms around me, making me feel safe and so warm, the way he smells, and how big he is compared to me.

Stop it, Joslyn. He doesn’t want you. Look at him and look at you. He is just being nice.