Flesh 02 Skin by Kylie Scott Read Free Book Online Page B

Neil?”
    She mumbled a few choice expletives and headed back to the bed, chain trailing behind her. “I can’t believe you were spying on me.”
    “Hang on, do you mean the bastard who cornered you in the Science labs the other day?”
    “You saw that too, huh? Why am I not surprised?”
    “Yeah. I saw.” Nick’s face twisted in anger, his lips a livid line within the frame of his beard. She’d have backed up if she hadn’t already been at the bed. “Do not compare me to him. I had him in my sights. I nearly shot the fucker. The way he was looking at you.”
    “Least he wasn’t spying.” But he didn’t scare her enough, apparently. She never did know when to back down or shut up.
    Dark eyes flashed. “He was working his way up to hurting you, Ros.”
    She scoffed. “Please. Neil’s a wanker, but he’s not a rapist.”
    “He wanted you. Badly,” he said. “Had his mates given you a talking to? Told you to stop being so difficult? To take one for the team, maybe?”
    She tried to keep her face clear but apparently it didn’t work. Neil hadn’t scared her, or not exactly. Going out of her way to avoid him had, however, become a priority over the past few months. And yes, one of Neil’s flunkies had approached her about her reluctance to copulate with him. She’d sent the idiot running with a few choice words.
    Nick’s lip curled in distaste and the muscles in his arms flexed. Whoa. It left her in no doubt as to his willingness to spill Neil’s blood. He’d do it without a second thought. Death was right there in his eyes, shockingly clear. “They had, hadn’t they? The fuckers. Still convinced you were safe there, Ros? Your little school was turning into Lord of the Flies .”
    “You’ve read it?” Probably wiser not to insult him, but the words flew out of her mouth before her brain kicked in.
    “Yes.” He gave her a humorless laugh. “Year ten. I have a good memory.”
    “I can handle Neil. I’m not afraid of him.”
    Nick’s eyes bored into her, brooking no nonsense. She got the distinct impression he could see straight through her skin. Not a comfortable feeling. Being open to him in any way was anathema. “Don’t lie to me, Ros. You can tell me it’s none of my business, but don’t lie to me.” His voice dropped to a harsh whisper. “Alright?”
    “How did you know I was lying?”
    The man gave her a wide, toothy grin. Her need to know usually rubbed people the wrong way. Trust him to be amused.
    His two front teeth had a slight gap between them and little lines radiated out from beside his eyes. He was closer to rugged than handsome, of Irish stock, perhaps, with his ruddy skin. Far too raw for any sort of elegance, but he seemed totally at home in his own body. A body she noticed far more than she should. The man had no moral compass whatsofuckingever. Important to keep such relevant facts in mind while she discreetly ogled him. Stupid hormones.
    “You shouldn’t have spied on me,” she said.
    “Let’s agree to disagree.”
    “Why couldn’t you just come and talk to me like a normal person? Why the grand Machiavellian scheme, huh?”
    “You needed to know what those people were capable of.”
    “You keep saying that. It doesn’t justify a damn thing.” She just shook her head in disbelief. “Your mind is so warped.”
    He didn’t reply.
    “You’re wrong.”
    “He would have hurt you, Ros. And the rest would have just made excuses,” he said, his voice horribly calm. “I had to get you out of there.”
    “Oh, please. Do not try to convince me this is all some altruistic crusade on your part.” Her hands curled into fists, making the bruises ache. “This, what you’re doing here, it’s all about you, Nick, and what you want. You are not my knight in shining armor. You’re not saving me from shit.”
    He stared back at her in silence for a moment. “I nearly talked to you. A couple of times I almost did. But I’m not the best with words. Besides, it was