Free Hidden (To Love A Killer #1) by Lexie Ray Page B

Ash.
                  His gaze was deep, penetrating through the darkness. The way the corners of his eyes angled up alluded to something playful, slightly naughty. It was as though he wanted something from her, but was only asking with his eyes, his smoldering gaze. Hunter found herself breathing heavily, longing for him to press his lips against hers. His eyes moved quickly over her face, studying her soft features, the lines of her face, the sharp angles of her cheekbones. She knew how thin she must look. For months she had been too nervous to eat properly, too poor to buy a decent meal. She tried not to think about that.
                  “How did you know to save me, Ash?” she whispered. “How did you know I was over there? How did you know a man was in my apartment?”
                  “I think I have a sort of sixth sense for danger, or for darkness. I can tell when something isn’t right. I can feel evil. I can feel it when I’m in the presence of someone with cruel intentions. I was raised by the most horrendous men,” said Ash. Now it was his turn to speak in riddles, mysteriously vague and impossible to follow. “I feel like it gave me the ability to read people’s moods. I knew even before my father would get home whether or not he was furious, whether or not he had it in him to beat me raw.”
                  He paused for a moment to take a breath. The sun was rising in the sky beyond the window. The apartment had brightened, though most of Hunter still remained covered in shadows.
                  He couldn’t tell if any of what he said was making sense to her. He had always assumed that people who grew up in homes where a wealth of violence took place had different ways of seeing the world, different ways of relating to people and getting a read on their surroundings. But judging by Hunter’s silence, he wasn’t sure if he had been making any sense, or if he sounded crazy.
                  “So you sensed I was in trouble?” she asked.
                  “Basically, yeah,” he said.
                  Hunter recalled how conveniently his armchair had been angled towards the window, how its position had aided in seeing directly across to her fire escape. Had he seen the danger coming far in advance, similar to how he had described his father driving home? Or was he lying? Was he avoiding telling her the entire truth? And if he was, then why? Whatever the reason, whatever he was holding back, in that moment Hunter resolved that she would find out soon enough. He was obviously here to stay, here to help. Clearly he wanted to keep her safe. It would only be a matter of time before she knew everything. The details of his family, the real reason he began killing, and how he found ways to get that kind of work now. Hunter would discover everything, and she couldn’t wait. Though it made her nervous, distrustful, and cautious, deep down Hunter knew he had the life she wanted. And Hunter was starting to feel that she would want that life not only for herself, but with Ash specifically.
                  Ash was starting to worry that her interest in him and his history was overshadowing her attraction to him. That wasn’t what he wanted, not right now at least.
                  “And that man had been casing your place for weeks,” he added. “I’m surprised you never noticed. I started getting a bad feeling about him days ago. I’ve been watching you closely ever since. Him as well. In a lot of ways, I was prepared and planning on the possibility that a night like tonight would take place.”
                  The light must have changed in the apartment. The sun must have shifted because she could see Ash’s face completely free of shadows, all the features, the texture of his skin. He was no longer in silhouette. She gazed up at his lips. She had never been more comfortable