The Glass Man by Jocelyn Adams Read Free Book Online

from my mother’s house. Why didn’t you just take me when you had the chance? You didn’t have to kill them like that.” A sob pushed the words out, but I swallowed it down before it could follow.
    “Tell me who your father is.”
    I couldn’t tell him what I didn’t know. “Why didn’t you just kill me then?”
    He growled and turned away, giving a dark laugh and casting an amused stare at me again. “Tell me where you are, and I’ll answer every question you have.”
    “You can see where I am!”
    He pulled my arms down against the mattress, pinned them with his elbows and pressed his lips against my cheek. A breathy sound fell from me before I could catch it.
    His sweet exhale raced across my skin, an arctic wind against my warmth. “Normally your little charades are convincing, but you’re slipping.”
    My heart faltered, and I closed my eyes. What did he mean? I could picture the pond, the smells, the dew. Fuck. “It’s a full moon tonight, not a fingernail moon.”
    “Give the lovely lady a prize.” His lips slipped lower in search of mine. With every ounce of strength I possessed, I gave one good yank and broke free of his grip.
    Walls sprung up around us, dark red, no door—as usual in my dreams. I backed into a corner and did my best to cover all my bits and pieces, but I didn’t have enough hands.
    God, get it together, Lila. Wake up!
    The air prickled my skin as he strode to me, moaning his approval. “As perfect as I remember.” He snickered the way men do when they think they’re about to get some. “How do you manage to keep such a tight body yet still have soft feminine curves? Good genes, maybe. Mmm, you are a delight fit for a king.”
    “What’s that supposed to mean?” I spun and searched the wall for an escape. He pressed his bare chest along my back. A bewildering rush of electricity surged through me. My knees trembled.
    His fingers played up and down my uncovered arms, drew me into an embrace as he kissed my shoulder. “I can’t stop thinking about the first time you gave yourself to me.”
    I braced my hands against the wall and shoved. He stumbled away. I staggered back to the side of the bed. “I wasn’t myself that day. You—you did something to me.”
    With his arms spread wide, he took tiny steps toward me. The candles beside the bed sent light licking up his six-pack and coaxed subtle colors to his skin. His eyes pulsed with blue fire. I’d never seen him from a distance without a shirt on, and even through my fury, through my terror, the sight of him drove all sane thought from my mind, replacing it with hunger.
    “You were so eager, practically insatiable.”
    “Shut your mouth.” I cleared my throat to cover a building scream. My body shouldn’t react to such a malignancy, no matter how appealing his packaging might be.
    Before I could move, he slammed me onto the bed.
    “Get off me!” I beat at him. “Get off!”
    He gripped my wrists and pressed them above my head. Moaning, he settled his body down on mine. “You were sixteen when I found you in that little motel just outside of Jacksonville. Don’t you remember?”
    “You killed the cleaning lady for her key.” Panic stole the wind from me.
    He sat up enough for me to see a sickly, benign smile. “Oh, yes. Pudgy Randine. A true southern belle. She screamed very nicely for me.”
    I’d never stayed in a motel again after seeing her insides melted and leaked out all over the room. “You didn’t have to kill her.”
    “Now, now. You know what they say about those who live in glass houses.”
    “I’ve never murdered anyone!”
    He sniggered. “Randall Gainer, three years ago. I seem to recall his face exploding when the gun he was using mysteriously bent itself into a pretzel.” He kissed along my jaw while I jittered beneath him.
    I held my body rigid as it filled with fire. “He tried to kill me.” My voice ratcheted up. “I never meant—”
    “Oh, please. Humans are nothing but a