Page 53 of The Haunting of Lockton

Maybe that’s why, despite the almost smile on his lips, he had a sad look in his eyes as they locked onto mine. He’d come to that same conclusion.

This was all we could have.

***

Rain tapped against the window, followed by a gust of wind. I opened my eyes to the gray light of an overcast sky. Paxton had left a little before one o’clock in the morning. I had checked my phone afterward and sent the signal to Julian before rolling over and going to sleep.

Had I cuddled with the pillow Paxton had used as I slept?

Guilty.

“Good morning,” Julian greeted me as our eyes met. He was sitting up in bed with his e-reader in one hand and a large to-go cup of coffee in the other.

“Morning.” My voice was croaky from sleep. “What time did you get in?”

“Around two.”

“Damn. Sorry I kept you out so late.” I sat up, bringing the blanket with me. “Did you and Taylor have fun?”

“We did.” Julian took a drink of his coffee. “We went to a bar that was doing a karaoke night. So we drank and listened to drunk people belt out songs they had no business singing.”

I grinned. “Did you sing?”

“Definitely not. That’s one thing you’re better at than me. I sound like a dying cat when I sing. We stayed until eleven, then went back to his place.”

That got my attention. “Oh?”

Julian gave me a droll look. “Stop looking at me like that. Nothing happened between us. He popped pizza rolls into the oven, and we stuffed our faces and hung out. Remember that bookstore we went to? He’s friends with Zeke, the owner. So Zeke and his husband, Carter, came over, and we played cards.”

Unlike me, my brother had a hard time talking to new people. Making friends was difficult for him. He reminded me of Paxton in that sense—both were introverted and quiet. So him spending the night drinking and gaming with people without me around was a big deal.

Ivy Grove had changed us both.

“How did it go with Paxton?” Julian switched off his e-reader and set it on the nightstand.

My stomach fluttered at the memory of Paxton’s soft kisses. “Great.”

“That’s it?” he asked. “You usually don’t hold back on the details, even when I have zero interest in them.”

Very true. I was a total jerk like that. But it was funny seeing Julian’s reaction to all the nitty-gritty details about my sexual exploits. However, I didn’t feel like sharing anything about Paxton. Last night with him was amazing. Mind-blowing.

Special.

I shrugged. “Give me a drink of your coffee. I’m cold.”

“Find your own.” Julian took a sip, as if to rub it in my face. “And if you’re cold, put some clothes on. Take a shower while you’re at it. You stink.”

“I feel the brotherly love,” I mumbled, throwing the blanket off me to get out of bed.

He smiled and grabbed the remote, turning on the TV. The meteorologist projected snow for next week. God, I hoped not. I hated snow.

It reminded me of Julian’s accident.

Once I was showered and dressed, I jogged downstairs for coffee and food. Breakfast buffet was just about to end, but I managed to snag a cinnamon bagel and a cheesy egg omelet. And even though he was being a jerk-wad, I grabbed a second bagel and a small container of cream cheese for my brother. Knowing him, he would’ve grabbed coffee but not food when he’d gotten it that morning.

“Thank you,” he said when I offered it to him. “Now I feel bad for not sharing my coffee.”

“As you should. Asshole.”