Page 23 of The Haunting of Lockton

“His son,” Paxton answered. “Not many people know of him because he disappeared without a trace. Arthur never spoke a word of him. If not for a few early records that listed his birth and various other brief mentions from servants and others who’d met him, it would be like he’d never even existed.”

“Dalton told us about him,” I said, remembering. “Didn’t Arthur keep him locked up somewhere?”

“Yes,” Paxton said. “In here, in fact. Or so it’s believed. Some believe Arthur killed him. Others say Alice Parrish took him when she escaped the horrors of this mansion. However…” Paxton nodded to the window. “People claim to have seen a man with pale blond hair standing right there. Many assume it’s Ezekiel.”

“I haven’t felt anything so far,” Julian said. “If there was a ghost here, I don’t think he’s here anymore.”

Julian would know. I couldn’t explain why, but he had a “sense” about these things. It’s what had led us to many of the places we investigated. He said the spirits called out to him. It was a gift he’d never told anyone about except for me. But it was how we’d uncovered so much about certain places. Because he’d sensed things. Sometimes, he’d even communicated with the ghosts, directly asking them what happened.

Paxton took off his coat and laid it on the bed closest to him—mine. Beneath it, he wore a burgundy sweater that made him look incredibly snuggly. What I wouldn’t give to tug him close enough to test that theory.

“Is it okay if we record a short interview with you before we go?” I asked him. “Just an introduction-type thing. You can say no. I’m sure we’ll get enough footage at the asylum, so don’t feel pressured.”

“Sure. I don’t mind.” Paxton took an awkward stance, hand resting on his opposite bicep. “Will I be the only one on camera?”

“I’ll be with you, no worries.” I motioned to the chairs in the corner of the room. “We can sit there.”

“All right.” Paxton sat and pushed his long sleeves to the crease of his elbows, exposing his forearms. My brain went stupid for a moment. Though lean, he had nice muscle definition. Subtle but sexy. He also had those damn pronounced hand veins that I imagined gripping onto bedsheets as our sweat-slick bodies slid together, moans filling the room.

“Sky?”

I looked at Julian. “Yeah?”

A humored glint shone in his eyes. “Can you stop gawking at Paxton and sit down so we can do this?”

“I wasn’t gawking.” I plopped down in the other chair and looked at Paxton, repeating for emphasis, “I wasn’t gawking. I was thinking.”

“Abouthim,” Julian muttered.

I didn’t know who was more mortified by it all. Me, who, yes, had been caught gawking with probably heart eyes and everything, maybe drool coming out of my mouth. Or Paxton, whose faint blushes from earlier had brightened to fire-engine red.

No one had ever turned my brain to mush like Paxton had in the very short time I’d known him. I was most definitely crushing on the quirky tour guide.

Julian fiddled with the stand, stretching it to the height he wanted and securing it in place before positioning his phone. He instructed us to scoot closer together. Once we were positioned to his satisfaction, he nodded. “Start whenever you’re ready.”

Chapter Four

Paxton

There I was with a camera pointed at my face, and all I could think about was the man beside me. Averyattractive man with a heart-stopping smile and eyes like the rain softly pattering against the window. The rain would end soon, if the lightening sky on the other side of the glass was any indication.

“You nervous?” Skyler asked. He wore a simple blue shirt, but it hugged his biceps and clung to his toned chest in a way that took away that simplicity. It also brought out the very faint blue in his gray eyes, like an ocean among stormy skies.

“A little.” I was nervous about being on camera, but sitting beside him amped up those nerves even more.

“Don’t be.” He patted my knee before withdrawing his hand. The brief contact had sent little sparks through my veins. “It’s not a livestream, so it can be edited.”

“Good to know.” I had never felt like this before. Anxious and excited at the same time.

Skyler focused on the camera. “Hey, everyone! I’m sitting here with Paxton…” He paused and arched a brow at me. “Dude, what’s your last name?”

Julian snorted a laugh. “For fuck’s sake, Sky. That’s basic interviewing 101. At least get the person’s name first.”

“Crane,” I answered.

“Crane, huh? Okay, Ichabod.” A lopsided grin touched Skyler’s face. The smile was higher on the right side than the left, which made it even more attractive. He then looked away and quietly cleared his throat. “Let’s go again.”

“Ready when you are,” Julian said.