Page 75 of Kiss of Deceit

“You never answered me,” I mumbled drowsily, giving in and closing my eyes.

“About what?”

“How did you move here?”

“My uncle used to live here before he died. I used to come here for the summers.”

“Fuck,” I mumbled, not realizing I spoke out loud until his fingers halted on my stomach.

“What?” he asked in a low voice.

“I can’t tell if you’re lying.”

My honest words were met with a tense silence. He didn’t move away from me or even stop his massage. I shifted against him, not having the energy to even open my eyes.

“You think I’m lying to you?” he finally questioned, his tone resigned.

“I used to study people’s behaviors for a living. And I’m damn good at it.” I paused, my stomach knotting as the truth fell from my lips. “But I can’t tell with you. It drives me fucking insane.”

He chuckled, his breath hitting my ear. “Now you know how it feels. You’re a closed book.”

“Would you lie to me?”

More silence.

His lips brushed my cheek before whispering, “I wouldn’t lie to hurt you. This might have started with sex, but if it’s not obvious, I like being with you even when my face isn’t buried between your thighs.”

His words echoed in my head.Wouldn’t lie to hurt me?What in the hell did that mean? He tightened his hold around me as if he knew I was going to run. Which I absolutely was. Kole was making me break the rules I made twelve years ago. Everyone had hidden demons. I couldn’t figure out what his were.

“You just said that youusedto study people’s behavior. Was that not what you were doing before you came to Winterlake?”

My eyes flew open, ice spilling into my veins. Did I say that? I needed to sleep before I said anything else to reveal my past. Kole didn’t need to know where I was the last few years when I stopped working at the therapist’s office. There was a reason Lucas had been my first kill in more than three years.

“Keep your secrets, Dani. Go to sleep.”

When his lips touched my hair as he gave me a quick kiss, I knew I was in trouble. A warmth spread through my chest, my body relaxing into his without hesitation. Even with this townswallowed in secrets, and the hidden truths that Kole might be keeping from me. None of that mattered right now.

When I was alone, I was trapped with the nightmares of my past. Something I preferred over trusting anyone. He was the only one in twelve years to change that. Iwantedto be near him. To let him take some of my burden—even if he didn’t know what it fully was.

For the first time in forever, I fell asleep without the face of the monster haunting me who always plagued my dreams.

CHAPTER THIRTY

dani

I staredat the police station from my spot on the sidewalk. My impatience flared as I shoved my hands in my jacket pockets. Harry still had someone posted at both doors, making sure the crime scene wasn’t touched. I didn’t know what else he thought we’d find. We’d been in there almost every day for a week and collected all the evidence we could—which wasn’t much. No matter what I tried, I couldn’t get a moment alone with Natalie’s computer. If Harry wasn’t there, then one of his men were.

My fingers curled around my new pocketknife. It wasn’t as nice as the previous two blades I had, but the selection at the hardware store wasn’t exactly great. The old man was less than pleased to see me at his store again, buying his best knives. According to him, I should have left the weapons for the real hunters in this town.

“Hey.”

I turned to see Riggs striding toward me. His long hair was down, and he had a winter cap covering his ears. His jacket was the same one he always wore, and I couldn’t help but wonder how long he scrubbed it to get the blood out. If I looked closely, I could still spot the light stains.

“The whole town is still talking about what happened.” His eyes drifted to the police station. “You doing okay?”

I gave him a small smile as I studied him. In my mind, every person in this town was a suspect. Even though I’d spoken to Riggs on multiple occasions, it didn’t mean I trusted him. His reaction to finding the blood in the forest had seemed genuine. But he was also one of the few people who knew I’d bought knives. The murdererknewI had weapons that night. Riggs’s alibi was solid. He had been at Kole’s bar playing pool with several witnesses to prove that.

“I’m fine,” I answered. “I just want to find the person responsible for this nightmare. Working out of the clinic has been tough. It’ll be easier once we’re back in the station.”