Page 25 of Fueled Fury

His eyes drop to his hands resting on his lap as he responds, “It was. Will you stay with me?”

Something pulls me away; my gut tells me to get out of the room. “I need to change. My shirt’s all wet.”

“You weren’t submerged in the pool, so it shouldn’t bother your skin.”

“How’d you know it’s pool water?”

He stretches his arms, turning on his side as he pats the bed beside him. “I can smell the chlorine.”

“I really need to change so I don’t get itchy.” It shouldn’t be odd to have pool water on me since there is a pool in the backyard, but the fact that it’s winter and the pool isn’t heated should make him at least a little curious as to how I ended up in this situation. He knows I don’t even enjoy swimming in it in the hot summer temps, so that should really send up a major red flag.

“Try and get some sleep,” I add as I hurry out of his room. Shutting the door behind me, I turn and slam into a cold, solid figure.

“For fuck’s sake.” I exhale, shoving against Austin as I steady myself. I’m relieved that it’s him and frustrated that the realization brings me relief. His cold, soggy hands release me so I walk into my room and turn to shut the door.

Austin stands in the threshold, water dripping to the floor. “He’s manipulating you.”

“Funny. He says the same thing about you.”

“He saw us. He was standing at the window, watching us by the pool.”

An ominous shiver flows through me. “Go to bed, Austin.”

“Who’s more dangerous … the monster masquerading as the hero or the creature who’s never worn a mask?”

Forcing the door closed, I lock it, and hurry into the bathroom. Stripping off my clothes, I step into the shower, turning the faucet so the water is as hot as I can take it. I scrub at my itching body, but I have a grave feeling that the chlorine isn’t what’s causing my skin to crawl. The real danger is the stupid, stupid girl who keeps going back for more.