into his burlap-covered eyes. It was warm now, warmer than it had been in Forks since the day I'd arrived, the air muggy under the clouds. I pulled off my sweater and knotted it around my neck, glad that I'd worn the light, paisley shirt—especially if I had one mile of hiking ahead of me.
I heard his door slam, and looked over to see that he'd removed the sack and his sweater, too. He was facing away from me, into the unbroken forest around my truck.
"This way," he said, glancing over his shoulder at me, eyes still annoyed that he could now kill and eat me without arousing any suspicion whatsoever. He started into the dark, mysterious forest—away from the trail.
"The trail?" Panic was clear in my voice as I hurried around the truck to catch up with his power-walking.
"I said there was a trail at the end of the road, not that we were taking it," he cackled.
"No trail?"
"I won't let you get lost." He turned then, with a mocking smile, and I stifled a gasp. His paisley shirt was sleeveless, and he wore it unbuttoned, exposing six sets of perfectly-sized nipples that ran down his rippling chest and abs. Feeling outclassed, I pulled my sweater shut, covering my failures. He was too perfect, I realized with a piercing stab of despair. There was no way this godlike creature could have been sent down by God to love me and only me.
He stared at me, bewildered by my tortured expression.
"Do you want to go home?" he said quietly, a different pain than mine saturating his voice.
"Nope." I walked forward 'til I was close beside him, anxious not to waste one second of whatever time I might have left with him.
"What's wrong?" he asked, his voice gentle.

257

Chapter 12

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