Page 135 of The Haunting of Lockton

Skyler returned his smile and lightly bopped Julian’s arm with his fist. “Older is older. Doesn’t matter by how much. So listen to your elders. Speaking of. You need to go back to bed after you eat. Sleep is the best medicine or whatever they say.”

Julian sighed. “I’m fine, Sky. Really.” Although still tired, he did look a lot better. Color had returned to his face, and the dark circles were gone. “I’m great, actually.”

“He’s great, he says.” Skyler rolled his eyes before looking at me. “I blame you.”

I paused with the coffee cup to my lips. “Me? What did I do?”

“This.” He motioned to our now empty plates. “Jules smelled your amazing cooking and had no choice but to come downstairs and eat.”

“Since you’re complaining, next time, I’ll just let you starve.”

Skyler pouted his bottom lip and nudged his plate. “Please, sir. Can I have some more?”

I barked out a laugh. “God, your British accent is horrible.” I stood from the table and gathered our plates. “You’ll get plenty of food this afternoon at the party.”

The end-of-investigation party slash Friendsgiving. I was excited about it, which shocked me a little. I didn’t usually like social gatherings, let alone look forward to them. Dreading them was more the word I’d use. But this one would be with Skyler, as well as all the other people I cared about.

I guess Skyler wasn’t the only one who’d changed since he’d come to Ivy Grove. I had too.

As Julian and Taylor chatted about Ben Cross’ new book release—a paranormal thriller where a homicide detective travels to a sleepy town to investigate a string of murders and uncovers a dark history of related murders, none of them explainable—Skyler pulled me aside.

“Hey, you,” he said, wrapping me in his arms. “Is my British accent really that bad?”

“Yes. One hundred percent.” I angled my face down to his and kissed him lightly on the lips. He tasted like coffee. Pretty sure I tasted the same. “But please don’t stop doing it. I love it.”

His gray eyes softened. “Is that the only thing you love about me, Ichabod?”

Something tugged in my chest, and I pulled away.

“Paxton?” He caught me by the wrist.

“I need to shower,” I said before wiggling free of his hold and walking toward the stairs.

He followed. “Need company? Thanks to a certain someone this morning and his wickedly hot tongue skills, I could use a good washing too.”

I stopped on the bottom step and peered back at him.

My heart weighed heavy in my chest, as if anchors were attached to the strings, snapping them one by one. I was so beyond screwed. I had let myself get attached to someone I couldn’t keep. The intensity of my feelings for Skyler had become evident two nights ago in that cold corridor of Lockton when I’d feared Owen taking Skyler up on his offer to possess him instead. That’s when the realization fully sank in.

I loved Skyler’s perverted sense of humor. I loved the way he teased me. And I loved how warm he felt against me, our hearts beating to the same rhythm and our breaths shared as we kissed.

I lovedhim.

“Pax?” Skyler grabbed my hand. “What’s goin’ on in that sexy head of yours?”

Fighting back a wave of emotion, I forced a smile. “Sorry. My mind’s just scattered, thinking of everything I need to do before the party tonight. I need to make the candied yams, mashed potatoes, and start the dough for the rolls so it has time to prove and bake.”

“That’s why you have me,” he said, gliding his thumb across mine. “I’ll help with all of that.”

“And by help, you mean you’ll sneak bites to give your approval?”

His smile went lopsided, higher on the left side. The anchor tugged harder on my heartstrings. “I can help you shower too.” He moved onto the first step with me, putting us at the same level, though he was still a few inches shorter. “I’ll make sure no spot is missed.”

Hand in hand, we went upstairs and shut ourselves into the bathroom. We shed our clothes and came together beneath the stream of the shower, lips meeting and hands wandering wet skin.

I hadn’t lost Skyler the night he offered to sacrifice himself to spare his brother. But I would still lose him. Eventually. By the time the snow melted in Ivy Grove, he and Julian would probably be on their way out of town, leaving everything else behind.

Chapter Nineteen