The Glass Man by Jocelyn Adams Read Free Book Online Page B

ignore it. The urge to scrub myself raw threatened to overwhelm me. My skin still tingled from the dream, from his touch, from his breath across my lips.
    The horizon blushed—the late September air held a hint of winter. My spine itched, sending my gaze into a frantic sweep of the surrounding forest. The jagged line of trees leading up the sides of the valley greeted me. Silence continued to drown the space around me. Serenity usually meant a whole heap of trouble would soon explode in my face.
    Adrenaline sent me sprinting across the yard, my survival instinct compelling me to get as far away as I could before the sun went down. The Glass Man would come then—he only came out at night.
    A screech tore open the silence. A jolt of fright tightened my stomach as I glanced behind for the source of the sound and kept running. I crashed into a warm body, his scent swirling around me. My momentum took him to the ground with me.
    “Jesus H.,” Liam shouted. “Where the hell’s the fire?”
    I scrambled to my feet. My voice shook. “I have to go.” Why is he outside so early?
    Eyes squinted at my face. Liam stood and leaned closer. He reached out and lifted something from my cheek.
    I smacked his hand away. “Don’t touch me.”
    “You’re cryin’. If I didn’t see it for myself, I wouldn’t believe it.”
    “I’m not crying. I never cry.” I scrubbed at my cheeks and came away with wetness. What’s wrong with me?
    A flash of anger morphed his face into a terrifying mask. “Which one of them hurt you? I’ll fuckin’ kill him!”
    “Nobody hurt me.” I tried to push past him, but he caught me across the front of my shoulders with his arm.
    “Look, just talk to me for a bit.” His voice softened into a sweet lullaby. “When you come down from being all worked up, I’ll give you some cash, help you get on your way, whatever you want.” He centered himself in front of me. I couldn’t meet his eyes. “Please,” he whispered.
    Something in that word reached through my towering walls. His nearness weakened my knees, flooded me with endorphins. I shook myself. Did the previous days’ visitors feel me and come back? No, that wasn’t it.
    “What’s happening to me?” I stared into Liam’s shoulder. “What is it about this place? My mental compass is going haywire, and I don’t know which way is proper north anymore.” The world was a cold, empty room, and he was the fire in the hearth, the warmth on my face. I couldn’t help but draw closer to him. I met his gaze as I wiped a few more tears from my cheeks.  Why did I want to stay and feel his arms around me?
    “Seems like you been on your own a long time. We all need a little human contact. It’s only natural.”
    “But it’s not natural.” I backed up a step, held my fists close to my chest so they wouldn’t wander. “At least not for me. I can’t. It’s not safe.”
    Liam closed the distance and pushed the pack from my shoulders. With his fingers, he lifted my chin. “Tell me.”
    The tenderness in his eyes brought years of loneliness and sorrow crashing to the surface, stealing my breath away.
    “No,” I whimpered.
    “Why not?”
    “Distance will keep them safe.” I whispered the words, barely audible—an echo of my mother’s warnings from so long ago, studying his eyes, warm enough to wander into them and get lost in his comfort. “What do you want from me?” I swayed on my feet, wanting to reach out, to run my fingers over his shoulders and through his hair. To taste his lips. No! I couldn’t let him get any closer, for his own sake.
    “Nothin’, I swear. Nothin’ but to take that look out of your eyes before it tears my heart out.”
    “Nobody ever wants to touch me without wanting something: sex mostly, money, the clothes off my back.” I shook my head, rubbed my arms to flatten the hairs standing on end. “If I let you hold me, it might feel nice.” A shiver rumbled from head to toe. “I don’t want it to feel