Twisted Hate: An Enemies with Benefits Romance

Holy hell.
I think I just unlocked a new kink, because I suddenly couldn’t imagine
anything sexier than watching a man cook bare-chested.
The sculpted muscles of his back flexed as he reached for the salt next to
the stove. His hair was even more tousled than usual, and the sunlight
streaming through the windows gilded his skin with a deep bronze glow. A
sliver of black sweats peeked over the kitchen island blocking the bottom half
of his body. The pants rode just low enough to send my imagination spiraling
in all sorts of X-rated directions.
I watched him in silence, fascinated by the easy grace with which he
moved. I’d pictured him subsisting on pizza and beer like he had in school,
but judging by the gleaming pots and pans hanging on hooks over the island
and the neatly labeled spices lined up on the counter, he knew his way around
the kitchen.
It was strangely attractive.
I knocked into one of the island stools in my trance, and Josh turned at
the sharp scrape of wood against tile. His gaze skimmed over me before he
looked away.
“You’re awake.”
“I’ve never slept in so late.” I slid onto the stool and tried to keep my eyes
above his waist. Don’t think about sex. Don’t think about sex. “Thanks for
letting me stay over,” I added awkwardly.
Sleepovers hadn’t been part of our pact, and I wasn’t sure how to deal
with it, especially after how, ahem, aggressive our nighttime activities had
been.
It wasn’t like we’d made long, sweet love and I woke to him cooking me
breakfast. It was more like…well, like he fucked my brains out and a
thunderstorm trapped me in his house.
“I wasn’t going to throw you out in the rain, Red.” Josh slid a plate piled
high with eggs, bacon, toast, and crispy hash browns onto the island.
My stomach rumbled, and I peeked over his shoulder at the stove. “Any
chance you have a second plate?” I asked hopefully. “I’m starving.”
“Nope.” He popped a piece of bacon in his mouth. “Only made enough

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for one. Cooking breakfast for you would be too much like dating, and you
already broke the rules by sleeping over. I had to sleep on the couch last night
because of you. You can have my leftovers though.”
My jaw unhinged. “Are you serious?”
Disbelief erased the last bits of my grogginess. Obviously, I wasn’t
entitled to breakfast, but it was pretty rude to eat right in front of me without
offering me a plate.
“Does it look like I’m joking?”
“It looks like you’re two seconds away from a slow, painful death,” I
growled. “There are plenty of knives in here, and I know how to use them.”
“Then use them to cook something for yourself.” Josh continued eating
like he didn’t have a care in the world.
My eye twitched. Gah, he was so…so…ugh!
“You are such an asshole.”
“I remember you calling me the same thing last night.” He sipped his
coffee. “Right before I fucked your brains out. Seems you have a thing for
assholes, Red.”
Heat scalded my face and neck. “That was last night. This is now. And I
didn’t mean to sleep over,” I snapped, hating how right he was. “I just fell
asleep.”
“Yes, that’s what sleeping over means,” Josh said slowly. “With those
reasoning skills, you’ll be winning court cases in no time.” He straightened
and wiped his mouth with a napkin before tossing it in the trash. “I’m taking
a shower. I have a shift in an hour.” He tipped his chin toward his plate.
“Have at it if you want.”
I scowled at his retreating back.
My pride demanded I leave, but as always, my hunger overrode all.
I pulled the plate toward me and realized it was near full. He’d only eaten
a few pieces of bacon. Weird. Josh usually ate like a horse. I once saw him
mow down a double decker burger, large fries, two hot dogs, and a chocolate
milkshake in less than twenty minutes.
For a doctor, he ate like crap.
I finished half the plate and returned to Josh’s room to change back into
my clothes from last night. My dress was horribly uncomfortable compared
to the softness of Josh’s shirt, but I resisted the urge to steal his clothes for
myself. That was girlfriend behavior, and God knew I wasn’t his girlfriend.
By the time I was ready to leave, Josh still hadn’t gotten out of the

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shower.
I debated waiting for him so I could say bye, but that felt too awkward, so
I sent him a quick text and slipped out quietly instead.
I’d just climbed into my Uber when a new message popped up on my
screen.
No text, just an image. A still image from the tape, to be exact. I was on
my knees while—
I quickly deleted it, but the bacon and eggs I ate earlier resurfaced in my
throat.
Max.
I’d pushed him to the back of my mind while I was with Josh, but now,
my anxiety from last night rushed back in a wave of nausea.
I knew exactly why he sent that picture. To fuck with my head and
remind me of his dark, looming presence in my life. That was his M.O. He
liked to toy with people until they drove themselves insane and did all the
hard work for him.
I closed my eyes, trying to relax, but the car smelled like overly sweet air
freshener and it made me gag even more.
I wished I could rewind time and freeze it so I stayed in the comforting
oblivion of Josh’s house forever, but there was no hiding from the truth in the
harsh light of day.
I could only hope that whatever “favor” Max asked of me was doable…or
my life as I knew it would be over.

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25

---

JOSH
D
ID
I 
WAIT
UNTIL
J
ULES
LEFT
BEFORE
I 
STEPPED
OUT
OF
THE
SHOWER
LIKE
A
coward? Possibly.
But I’d rather be a coward than deal with the awkward morning after
goodbye. Our arrangement was supposed to eliminate that awkwardness by
setting clear boundaries and expectations, but of course, the weather had to
fuck it all up on our first night. 
If I ever made it to heaven, I was going to have a long, hard talk with God
about timing. 
I was still irritated with myself for letting Jules sleep over when I arrived
at the hospital, but the chaos in the ER quickly wiped away any thoughts of
my personal life.
Strokes. Knife wounds. Broken arms and legs and noses and everything
in between. They flooded the emergency room in an unceasing, back-to-back
wave, and the work week following Hyacinth was so insane I had zero time
to agonize over my sex pact with my little sister’s best friend.
Jules and I did squeeze in a few quickies, none of which ended in a
sleepover or cuddling, thank God. But for the most part, it was all work, all
the time.
Most people would hate working such long hours, but I craved the
stimulation—until I hit one of Those Days. 
I had good days, bad days, and Those Days—capital T, capital D—in the
ER. The good days were when I walked away knowing I’d made the right
interventions at the right time to save someone’s life. The bad days ranged
from patients trying to assault me to a mass casualty incident when only me,
my attending physician, and a few nurses were on duty. 

---

Then there were Those Days. They were few and far in between, but
when they happened? 
They were devastating. 
The unending flatline of the monitor drilled into my skull and mixed with
the roar in my ears as I stared down at my patient’s closed eyes and pale skin.
Tanya, seventeen years old. She’d been driving home when a drunk
driver T-boned her car.
I’d done all I could, but it wasn’t enough. 
She was dead.
One minute she was alive, the next she was gone. Just like that. 
My breaths rushed out in ragged pants. After what felt like an eternity but
was, in reality, a minute at most, I lifted my head to find Clara and the techs
staring back at me, their expressions grim. A faint sheen shone in Clara’s
eyes, and one of the techs audibly swallowed.
No one spoke. 
“Time of death: 3:16 p.m.” That was my voice, but it sounded strange,
like it was coming from someone else.
After a moment of silence, I walked out. Down the hall, around the
corner, and toward the designated relatives’ room where Tanya’s parents
waited.