Page 47 of The Haunting of Lockton

“I…” Skyler blinked a few times. “I’ve never actually seen… that. A full-bodied apparition. Holy fuck.”

I smiled. “Welcome to Ivy Grove. Stick around long enough and you’ll see all types of things.”

“Oh yeah?” Skyler moved in closer, ghosting his lips over mine. “More things like this, I hope.”

I hoped so too. More kisses. More of this giddy excitement that came from crushing hard on someone and having them return those feelings. For the time being, anyway.

I was just a passing fancy to Skyler. Someone to cozy up to in winter, then toss aside once the weather warmed again. Or, in his case, once the investigation concluded and business took them elsewhere. To another haunt where he’d wind up in the arms of some other tour guide.

Stop being pessimistic,I could practically hear Alan lecturing me.

“We should go,” I said as the night breeze picked up around us, the promised cold front moving into Ivy Grove. More leaves floated to the ground.

“Yeah.” Skyler stood from the bench and held out a hand to me. “Wouldn’t want you turning into an icicle. Or would it be an Icha-cicle?”

“Icha-cicle?” I placed my hand in his and rose to my feet. The cold air stung my cheeks, but his hand was warm. Comforting.

“Ichabod icicle.”

I snorted. “You know, I’m not sure if I should be offended by that name or not. He’s tall and lanky, skinny as a beanpole, and has a huge nose.”

“You’re alike in last name only.” Skyler didn’t release my hand as we started a slow walk toward the cemetery gates. His fingers slid through mine, and our palms pressed together. His smile turned lopsided. “Well, I guess youaretall and thin. But your nose isn’t huge at all. It’s perfect. You’re also hot as fuck. Just so you know.”

The compliment sent a flutter of warmth through my chest. The same warmth that radiated through my hand as I held his. We passed through the gates and approached the lot where only two vehicles were parked—his and mine.

“Allow me to escort you to your carriage, Mr. Crane,” Skyler said in a horrible attempt at a British accent.

I laughed. “Much obliged, kind sir.”

“Hey, that was pretty good,” he said, leading me over to my car. “You should do that accent for your tours. You know a show means business when a British dude is narrating it.”

He pulled another laugh from me. What the hell was this feeling? Talking to Skyler was… easy. I mean, sure, he was so hot it took my brain several seconds to work sometimes, but I liked being around him.

I liked it probably way more than I should.

“Any plans for tonight?” Skyler rested a hand on the top of my car.

“No.” I withdrew my keys from my pocket. “Just going home.”

“Ah. Do you maybe wanna…” Skyler pressed closer and grabbed a handful of my coat. “Come back to Redwood with me? We can continue what we started on that bench.”

Although I tried not to let it show, I was thrilled by his offer and had to force myself not to jump at accepting it. “With your brother in the same room?”

“Nah. Julian will be out late. He told me not to wait up.”

“You sound like a horny teenager whose parents are away for the weekend.”

Skyler skimmed his lips up the side of my neck. “A lot can happen in one weekend.”

The heat in my body flared stronger as I rested my cheek on his. God, he smelled so good. “Or one night.”

“You sure you’re up for it?” he asked.

I forced myself to shut off that overly analytical part of my brain that prevented me from stepping outside of my comfort zone and taking chances. I lacked confidence but tried not to let those self-conscious thoughts get to me.

One night of hot sex with Skyler Knox didn’t need to come with commitment or flowery promises of more. I would tossaside any notions of it everbecomingmore. That way, I wouldn’t be let down when things ended.

“Take me to your room and find out.”