Monster (Impossible #1) by Julia Sykes Read Free Book Online

for that, I assured myself, only making me sound even more pathetic.
    I tore my eyes from him, forcing my gaze to fall somewhere – anywhere – else.  The first thing I focused on was the window.  Could I escape through it?  Peering out of it, my heart sank as I realized that I was far too high up to leave that way, and there was no fire escape to climb down.  It seemed that my only hope would be the living room window, and that would be guarded by Bradley.
    Shit.
    I sighed heavily.  I guessed I would have to find something to occupy my time until I could devise a way to get around Bradley and get to that window.
    I eyed the chest of drawers.  I suddenly felt very unkempt, decidedly uncomfortable in the clothes that I had slept in.  Maybe Sean had some sweats or at least a t-shirt I could borrow.
    What, you want to wear his clothes now?  I thought disparagingly at myself.  But I’m a bit of a neat freak, and I was uncomfortable in my rumpled shirt and slacks.  I opened the middle drawer and found a stack of t-shirts; I didn’t dare open the top one in case I found his boxer shorts.
    Or does he wear briefs?  I wondered, my hand reaching for the drawer’s brass handle.  I jerked it back quickly, shaking myself.
    Choosing to ignore my irrational acti on, I pulled out a white t-shirt.  I shot a glance at Sean, not wanting him to see me changing, but he was clearly out.  Still, I changed as fast as I could, covering myself quickly.  The shirt nearly swallowed me whole, falling almost halfway down my thighs.  Sean’s musculature clearly filled out a shirt.  I inhaled deeply, sampling his musky, masculine scent that clung to the clothing.  It was intoxicating.
    I shook myself again and instead turned my mind to finding some sweatpants.  I reached for the bottom drawer, where I would have kept my own slacks.  Only when I went to pull it open, it seemed to be stuck.  I jerked at the handle hard, but it didn’t budge.  It was then that I noticed the small keyhole set into the dark wood; the drawer was clearly locked.  My curiosity was piqued.
    I wonder what he keeps in there…
    No.  I didn’t care.  I jerked open another drawer, perhaps a bit harder than was strictly necessary.  There: sweatpants.  I pulled them on hastily and tightened the drawstring, shoving the locked drawer from my mind.
    My eyes flitted to the bookshelf that sat flush with the wall beside the bed.  In fact, it was the only piece of furniture in the room other than the bed and the chest of drawers.  Now that I really noticed it, I was struck by how large it was.  Even when I stood, the top shelf still sat higher than the top of my head, and I’m not a short woman.
    On the top shelf, there were maybe a dozen books on carpentry.  Some of them were how-to manuals, but it seemed that several of them were coffee-table books, volumes that celebrated woodworking as an art form.
    I found myself glancing over at Sean.  I wonder if he knows how to…
    I cut off that line of thinking, turning my attention back to the bookshelf.  The rest of the shelves were filled by Fantasy novels.  There were your classics like The Lord of the Rings , but I was surprised to find Harry Potter tucked in next to The Wheel of Time series.
    Why, Sean, I thought with a small smile, it seems you’re a bit of a nerd.
    My eyes were drawn to him again, more appraising this time.  He had struck me as a cocky playboy, had intimidated me as a dangerous criminal, but it seemed that there was another layer to this enigma of a man.  I had thought that looking over the bookshelf would distract me from him, but it had only intrigued me more.
    I absently ran my fingers along the spines, feeling the cracks in the bindings where Sean must have folded the books back on themselves while he read.  I stopped at a particularly worn novel, squinting curiously at the title.  The spine was so destroyed that the words were completely obscured.  It seemed Sean had read