Free Monster (Impossible #1) by Julia Sykes

connection between us, turning my attention back to what I was supposed to be doing.
    True to his word, he allowed me to work in silence, and I redoubled my pace, anxious to get away from him.  Still, I worked carefully, unwilling to cause him pain as I carried out my task.  I had to suppress a small sigh of relief when I finished, forcing myself not to draw away from him too quickly.
    “Ummm….”  Sean began, uncharacteristically hesitant.  I looked up to find a curious expression on his face that I couldn’t decipher.  “Would it be alright if I took a shower?”
    I blinked, taken aback by this sudden shift in attitude.  Was he really asking my permission?  “Sure,” I said after a moment.  “That should be fine.  Just be careful not to touch the wound.  Can you stand on your own?”
    He rolled his eyes at me, the cocky man returning.  “I’ll be fine, doc.”  He pushed himself up on one elbow, swinging his legs over the edge of the bed.  But he winced as the move jarred his shoulder, and Bradley was instantly at his side.  Placing an arm around Sean, he helped him onto his feet.
    “I can walk on my own,” Sean said defiantly.
    Bradley eyed him skeptically.  “Are you sure?  At least let me help you-”
    “Uh-uh,” Sean said staunchly, cutting him off.  “You and I are not having shower time together.  Not to break your heart or anything, but I’m just not that into you.”
    Bradley scoffed at him but released him reluctantly.  Sean swayed for a moment, but he quickly found his footing.  He moved very carefully as he walked slowly towards the bathroom, Bradley following anxiously in his wake.  Still, Bradley wasn’t too distracted to lock the door behind him, confining me in my cell.
    So it seemed I wasn’t trusted yet.  I pursed my lips and repeated my mantra.
    Bide your time.  Be compliant.  Build trust.

Chapter 5
    I awoke the next morning and cursed silently at myself.  I was pressed up against Sean again, my hand gripping his forearm.  My swift movement away from him caused the bed to shift, and his eyes fluttered open.  He gave me that slow, lopsided smile that did funny things to my insides.  I dropped my gaze, trying to shake off its effect.  But that was a mistake.  My eyes instantly fell on the huge bulge in his sweatpants.  The size of it was even more apparent now that it wasn’t constrained by his jeans.
    “You’re staring again,” he said pointedly as he noticed my shameful behavior.
    I jerked my eyes away as my cheeks burned.  I elected not to say anything.  I knew that if I did open my mouth, I would hurl venomous words at him.  And that would definitely not be a point in my favor in the whole building trust thing.
    But other than that one comment, he didn’t pressure me to talk to him, instead allowing me to read in peace for the day.  I was grateful for that.  Really I was.  Not talking meant that he couldn’t hurt me again with his careless words.  And he couldn’t mess with my thought processes with his heated looks.
    But not talking also meant that the time passed very slowly.  So I immersed myself in A Game of Thrones, devouring the first book in the space of two days.
    Three more days passed, and I was doing a good job of sticking to my plan: be civil, but don’t be too friendly with Sean.  Being perpetually alone with him in a confined space was hard enough.  If I pretended to be charmed by his infuriatingly cocky demeanor, I knew that I would only be inviting more lewd innuendos and distinctly unsettling heated looks.  Even with minimal talking, I still felt that strange connection between us pulsing in the air as we sprawled out on his bed for most of the day, a silent companionship growing between us.
    We had worked out a little rhythm to our days: Bradley would bring us our meals, he would escort me to the bathroom when I needed it, and I would relish the moments of privacy that I stole when I was allowed to take a shower.  But