What did that say about her love life?
Stepping into the park, she saw several women were already enjoying some conversation and knitting their latest projects. Her bench was occupied by an older man reading a newspaper. She stumbled, a little unsure of what to do.
“Callie,” Ruin said.
She turned to look at him and shook her head. “No, not today, Ruin. Not today.” She slumped down on the ground.
She thought maybe he’d stop talking to her if she joined the women and introduced herself. To her, that seemed even more terrifying. Sitting on the hard ground, she pulled out her knitting, and her heart raced as Ruin sat down too close.
So the guy who was sent to kill you still makes your entire body aroused. Nice, Callie, real nice.Why don’t you just lie back, spread your legs, and tell him to fuck you?
In her mind, she saw them together. Ruin between her thighs, licking her, touchingher. This was not going to help her stay mad at him and it was important for her to be.
He was going to kill you.Everything he said to you was a lie. The man is a liar. A killer. The Bogeyman. The freaking Bogeyman.
“Callie?”
“Please don’ttalk to me.”
He’d already sat on the ground.She hadn’t noticed the bag he’d been carrying.
“You don’t have to knit, Ruin. You don’t have to keep up the pretense of not being who you said you were. I get it. It was all a lie. A ruse. Job well done. I had no idea. Congratulations.”
“I know you’re upset.”
“No, I’m not upset. I’m accepting everything that happened.” She finished her row of knit stitches and tooka deep breath. “It kind of makes sense. I mean, I’m nearly thirty years old, and the first guy I’m with, the first guy I have any feelings for at all, is a murderer. Makes total sense to me. It’s just my luck.” She snorted and laughed. “When were you going to do it? In my sleep? Is that your MO? Do you get women to fall for you and thenbam, they’re dead?”
“Callie, it was nothing like that.”
She shrugged. “Cool. You can keep your secrets, that’s more than fine with me.” She nodded. “More than fine.”
She had no idea what she was doing or saying.
“I was never going to kill you,” he said.
She lowered her knitting and turned to him. “Don’t lie to me.”
“I’m not.”
“I know what you were going to do.”
“No, actually, you don’t. You don’t have a clue how I felt orwhat I was going to do.” He ran fingers through his hair and she sensed his anger. Not that it mattered.
“Does it really matter?” she asked.“You lied.”
“Damn it, Callie, please just listen to me.”
She shook her head. Shoving her knitting back into herbag, she’d heard enough.
“I knew I shouldn’t have come.” Getting to her feet, she headed toward the main gate. He followed her. His footsteps sounded heavy on the ground behind her.
Why couldn’t he leave her alone? Didn’t he realize how hard this was forher?
“Callie!” he said. He grabbed her shoulder and she spun toward him.
“What? What more do you want from me?”
“Shit, please don’t cry.”