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He stared at the fire too, his hands rubbing together “You’re a good father”

I watched the flas

“Are you screwing her?”

“No”

“Are you going to?”

I turned back to hiainst the s

He continued his stare, pressing the question

“She’s the nanny”

“So?”

I shook ain “Not my type”

“Well, she’s definitely my type, so can I—”

“No”

“You don’t want her, so what’s—”

I turned back to him “This discussion is over”

“So, you do want her, then”

“The wo traumatized, and you want to hit on her?”

“She seems fine—”

“She’s not Nearly has a panic attack every ti, and the last thing she wanted was so her out for a drink “Make her uncoht?”

Bleu finally abandoned the topic by raising his hands in surrender “Daht, then”

25

Constance

I wasn’t sure what it was that woke me up

The heater kicking on The scratching of a tree branch against the pane Or just a dream

Whatever it was, my eyes opened

They immediately went to theacross the roo was there The curtains were slightly parted, open enough to reveal the figure standing there in the darkness

I blinked a few times

I breathed a few times

And then I saw it

That fucking smile

The scream that left my mouth was instinctual, and I toppled out of bed as I reached for the knife that I left at ht I rolled in the blanket and hit the rug around my bed The lamp fell over and made a loud crash

Hidden in the covers and the dark, I searched for the knife, the only defense I had “Where the fuck is it?” I threw the covers aside and finally grabbed it, in just my underwear and a black cae as I’d scrambled for the weapon

I seized the knife by the hilt and held it at the ready, as if Forneus would break through the glass to get me

The door flung open, and I let out another cry

It was Benton, in nothing but his black boxers, a soldier who only needed his ht, ready to kill someone