Jack In The Box novel Chapter 18

“Mr. and Mrs. Miller?” I asked Jack in a mocking tone.

“That’s what popped in my mind at that moment.” Jack said as he placed my bag and his on the carpeted floor. “Besides, I thought Mr. and Mrs. Wolfe would have been too suspicious in case the guy had checked the news.”

I threw open the bathroom door and was surprised to find it clean despite the fact that the Motel looked like it was a movie set out of a horror movie.

I started to sit on the bed,

“Wait!” Jack interrupted me before I sat down.

He pulled the sheet off and checked the mattress, after he’d thoroughly inspected it, he passed me a slow grin. “Just checking for bed bugs, you never know what type of creatures lurk in places like these.”

I snorted. He was right. And just like that it hit me. There was only one Queen sized bed in the room and it was way smaller then the king sized bed I occupied in Jack’s cabin. Suddenly, I started to feel nervous about sleeping in one bed. Not that I was particularly disgusted by the idea, actually far from it. My heart beat too fast in my chest like being back in high school and having asked by the teacher to sit beside my crush.

Yeah, I had it very bad for him.

He eyed me suspiciously as if reading my mind, he said. “I’ll take the couch. You can sleep on the bed.”

“No! You can sleep in the bed too.” I said it so fast that it may have seemed a little too looked desperate.

Jack’s gaze on me was unwavering. “I did promise you that we’d steer clear off each other and sleeping in the same bed doesn’t seem like a great idea.”

I breathed in and out and shook my head. “You have a lot of hours to drive so you need a lot of rest before you’re behind the wheel again. We can manage for one night. You sleep on your side and I’ll sleep on mine.”

His serious expressions cracked into a mocking smile. “Are you sure, Nurse Riley? Because I’m neither a boy-scout nor a gentleman so I can’t guarantee I’ll stay on my side of the bed. Would you take the risk?”

It was like asking me if I wanted to sit on the most dangerous and the scariest rollercoaster ride in the amusement park.

I didn’t know what had possessed me when I said. “Yes.”

“If you agree to sleep in the same bed as me, Cotton-Candy, then I may have to terminate that rule of staying away from you.”

I nodded. “That’s okay.”

He took off his wig and contact lenses and stashed it inside his bag. “Very well then.” He pointed at the shower. “Mind if I take a shower first?”

“Not at all.” I replied.

I heard the sound of the shower as I settled at the end of the bed. There was the sound of the heavy rain outside that seemed like it wouldn’t cease until morning and that was okay. I’d been reluctant to stay with Jack at first but now as the days had passed getting to know him, I’d slowly drifted into the comfort of his life. To wake up as I pleased, to cook whatever I liked, to have him eat it, not having to worry about a job, or anything else. It was almost like...

We were a married couple.

And I felt guilty for wanting to have this life. With him.

Who was I kidding? I couldn’t dream of a happy life with a criminal, a notorious serial killer at that.

Deep down I knew it couldn’t be him but there was also this small part of me that screamed it could be Jack.

What if Aaron was right about Jack being a master manipulator? If that was indeed true, then Jack was a good actor. A charming man, playing his cards right, a psychopath who knew how to get people to do what he wanted while maintaining a innocent facade, but inside he would be laughing at us for being too foolish to be blind to the real him.

I switched on the little ancient television propped on the table. A few minutes later, I heard the shower go off and Jack walked out of the steaming bathroom with a towel wrapped around his waist.

His hair was dripping wet. My gaze traveled below and I’d hardly ever noticed how brawny his chest was. His body was Herculean, the small curly hair sprinkled over his chest, circling his navel and disappearing deliciously down what was covering the most interesting part of his body.

The saddest part was him catching me staring. “You know Riley, if you want, I can drop the towel. Do you want me to?”

My cheeks became colored. I scrambled to my bag pack. “I’m going to take a shower too.”

He chuckled. “Please go ahead.”

When I walked out of the shower after twenty minutes (after scrubbing each part of my body extensively, just in case), I found Jack on his side of the bed, his eyes shut right and slightly snoring.

I sighed feeling a little disappointed.

I switched off the light, and lied down on my side. I’d closed by eyes when I heard.

“Riley, are you awake?” His voice was husky and low.

My eyes shot open. “Yeah.”

“Can I ask you to promise me something?” He asked, his tone was unsure as if I would dismiss the idea of promising him anything.

“What is it?”

“When you go back home, would you promise me to stay safe?”

“I promise you.” I said and this time I turned to face him in bed and my breath caught in my throat as I realized how close his body was to mine.

The heat from his body was warming me in ways I didn’t know was possible. The scent of his musky body-wash was making my knees weak. His dark eyes watched me intently.

He brought his hand to my face and softly brushed my hair away. Something blazed in his eyes. Something so passionate and powerful. “I will miss you, Cotton-Candy.”

It was me who lunged forward and brought my mouth crashing down to his. I watched his eyes widen in surprise once before he kissed me back open-mouthed like a hungry animal as an invitation to continue what I was doing. When he plunged his tongue deep into my mouth I moaned loudly and grasped the thick strands of his dark hair.