Free Monster (Impossible #1) by Julia Sykes Page A

there was a decidedly disconcerting part to every day.  Every morning, I would find myself curled up against Sean, as though my sleeping self couldn’t help but succumb to his hold over me.  And then the first thing I would see would be the bulge in his pants, that knowing smile on his face that made something quiver inside me despite my best efforts.
    I chose to ignore the feeling, unwilling to dwell on what it meant.  Instead, I threw myself into Sean’s books, speeding through A Clash of Kings before starting in on A Storm of Swords.  I hadn’t been lying to him; I hadn’t read for pleasure in years.  I couldn’t deny that it was kind of nice to not have to think of anything, to just lose myself in a good book.  I had forgotten what a release the escapism could be.
    On the third day, my audible gasp broke the silence between us.
    “I know what part of the book you’re on,” Sean said sagely from beside me.
    “Oh my god,” I said in a rush, unable to hold myself back.  “Did that seriously just happen?”
    “Yep.  The series is pretty amazing, right?”  He was grinning, obviously pleased that I was enjoying something that he loved dearly.  His perfect, purely joyous smile - almost boyishly innocent – momentarily stunned me.
    I just nodded dumbly, not managing to formulate any words.
    “See?”  He said with satisfaction.  “I knew you weren’t a robot.  We just needed to expose you to some quality literature.”  His expression turned smug.  “Spending some time with me will be good for you.  You can join the human race again.”
    My heart twisted as I realized the irony of his words.  “Can I?”  I asked softly, almost beseechingly.
    His face darkened immediately, anger tinged with sadness.  “You know I can’t let you go, Claudia,” he said.  He spoke quietly, but his voice had a hard edge to it that told me this wasn’t up for debate.
    I swallowed back my disappointment, not daring to contradict him.  Getting into an argument would only undo all of my efforts at civility.
    “You should read Harry Potter next,” he said lightly.  “They’re supposed to be kids’ books, but they’re really addicting.  Besides, we need to catch you up on your pop culture knowledge.”
    I went along with the abrupt change of subject, and I plastered on a teasing smile.
    “How did you become such a nerd?”  I asked, part of me genuinely curious.  “It doesn’t really go with the rest of your tough-guy, ladies’ man persona.”
    He gave me a mock-offended look.  “I’ll have you know that nerdy is the new sexy,” he said, his tone laced with false hurt.  But something flickered in his eyes.  Was that real pain that I saw in their emerald depths?  But it was gone as soon as it had appeared, so quickly that I couldn’t be sure that I had actually seen anything there at all.
    “Besides,” he continued on, “I also do some work-related reading.  You’re not the only one who’s committed to their job.”
    I glanced over at the books on the top shelf.  “You’re a carpenter?”  I asked, surprised to find myself actually interested.
    “Yep,” he said, grinning.  “A damn good one, too.”  Then he frowned.  “Unless getting shot in the shoulder fucks all that up.”  He looked at me questioningly, true concern etched in the lines of his face.  It seemed that for all his cockiness, he was deeply passionate about his work.  I was shocked to realize that we actually had something in common, and I found myself feeling a grudging respect for him.
    “You should be fine,” I said reassuringly.  “It’ll take a while for your muscles to fully heal, so you should take it easy for a while, but you should be back to yourself in a few months.”
    He let out a small sigh of relief.  Then his expression turned curiously serious.  “Thank you,” he said, his voice sincere.  “For everything you’ve done for me.”
    “You’re welcome,” I said softly, taken aback