Page 52 of The Haunting of Lockton

“‘Fun’ isn’t the word I’d use for the mind-blowing sex we just had.” I skimmed a hand down his back while the other remained in his hair.

“Mind-blowing?” He smiled against my chest. “Yeah. I thought so too.”

Neither of us spoke for a while, but it wasn’t a bad silence. My fingers glided through his hair as he lay on top of me, the sheet tangled around our legs. His heart beat against mine, and I attuned to those beats, closing my eyes.

A door closed from down the hall, followed by mumbled voices as people passed by our room, then retreated out of earshot. Outside, the wind picked up, sweeping through the trees and making the branches creak. Leaves rustled.

I had never felt so comfortable with someone before.

Paxton shifted off me and brought me to his chest. “Can I ask you something?”

“Sure,” I said, finding a comfy spot between his arm and torso and pressing my face to his collarbone. Cuddling like this was new for me. Being held by him caused little sparks in my chest.

“Do you enjoy ghost hunting?” he asked.

The question gave me pause. My immediate reaction was to say yes, of course I enjoyed it. But my emotions weren’t the only thing I tended to shove down. I did it with other things too. My dream being one of them. It was easier to agree though. “Yeah, I do.”

“But?”

Again, Paxton had read me so well.

“But… it’s not what I want to do for the rest of my life. It puts food on our table though, and Julian loves it.”

“What about whatyouwant? If you didn’t have the show, what would you like to do?”

My gaze moved to the chair in the corner of the room where I’d placed my acoustic guitar. It was the one thing I brought with me everywhere we traveled. Julian had bought it for me threeChristmases ago, after our show really took off and we could actually afford to exchange gifts. “It’s dumb.”

“Tell me anyway.”

“Well, I love making content. Like for our videos. Not just ghost stuff though. I like talking to people, entertaining them, and being in front of the camera. Having an audience. So, I’d like to still be active online and keep doing that.” The bottom of my throat quivered. I’d never said any of this aloud. To anyone. I’d barely even admitted it to myself. “But instead of paranormal stuff… I’d like to make music. Play guitar and sing. Maybe even do some gigs at bars and coffee shops.”

Paxton was quiet for so long I wondered if he’d fallen asleep. Then, he turned more on his side to face me. “What type of music?”

“Mellow stuff, mostly,” I answered. “A bit bluesy. I don’t want to be a rock star or anything. I just want… I don’t know. A chill life where I play music, make enough money to comfortably get by, and settle down. Stop traveling all the time. Like I said. It’s dumb.”

“That’s not dumb, Skyler.” Paxton touched my jaw, then traced the curve of my bottom lip. “Sounds like a good life to me.”

Suddenly, a lump wedged in my throat, constricting my airway. I swallowed hard to clear it, and it sank into my chest instead, gathering in the center like a boulder. Was my dream attainable? Probably. I suspected a good chunk of our followers would be into it. We also had a decent savings account that could help me get by until I started making more on my own.

However, it would mean disappointing my brother. It would mean ripping his dream away so I could follow mine. And I’d never do that.

“Hey, Pax?”

“Hmm?”

“I kind of like you.”

He was quiet for a moment. Even in the dark, I noted the sharp angles of his face and the smoothness of his pale complexion. He then lowered his face to the side of my neck and slowly breathed out. “I kind of like you too.”

“Yeah?”

“I mean, I guess you’re okay.”

I smiled. “You’re okay too. For a tour guide.”

The edge of his mouth twitched as he peered back up at me.

Logically, I knew nothing could come from this. Paxton had already said he had no desire to leave Ivy Grove. With Julian and I constantly on the road, traveling to new locations for our show, even if I wanted something more with Paxton, it just wasn’t feasible. Not for long term.