His fingers grazed her jaw. “Are you hunting me or haunting me, Lauren Green?”
“Neither. I’m just trying not to touch you,” she said, fighting to keep her eyes glued to his when they wanted to stray farther down to the glistening appendage that seemed to be demanding adulation.
He grunted and her eyes fell to his lips.
“Again. You mean you’re trying not to touch it again.”
“Please don’t touch his dick. I may be a voyeur of life but that would be a bit too much,” Julian said.
Santiago laughed. Lauren leaned closer. The man’s rumbling laughter was mesmerizing. How hadn’t she ever heard him laugh like this before?
She stepped backward, suddenly feeling betrayed by her emotions, because what the hell was she thinking? The last man she wanted had only pretended to want her. More accurately, he wanted someone else more than he wanted her but didn’t have the balls to say it.
“Keep your beautiful bewitching dick away from me, Santiago Stillwater,” she said, backing away with a scowl. She began powerwalking toward her house now. “I’ll see myself into town today,” she called over her shoulder. “Wouldn’t want to get in the way of you doing your job and all.”
“You literally can’t seem to stop getting in the way,” he called out, sounding frustrated as she was now running to her house.
“And next time I’m not gonna try and save you if you drown.”
“You come into my waters, and you won’t be able to save yourself.”
She threw up a middle finger, though based on all she learned, she knew he was probably right. He was just so arrogant about his rightness.
Jogging up the back porch of her house, she snatched open the screen door, turned the nob and shoved her back door open. She paused and took a breath as the screen door clattered shut behind her.
Closing her eyes, she took a deep breath. What the hell was she doing? Why the hell did she keep fucking running? What the hell was she even running to?
“Where are you going, Lauren?” she whispered to herself.
But that was the point, wasn’t it? She wasn’t going anywhere, just blindly running away. She had to stop this shit; stop running; stop fighting; and just learn to accept her feelings and pray that one day it would lead to releasing them and moving on.
Heading toward the stairs she paused, frowning as she realized she’d left all her belongings over at Santiago’s.
Including her keys.
Her frown deepened when she realized her backdoor had been unlocked, that the alarm hadn’t been activated.
Her backdoor had been unlocked; the alarm disabled.
Taking small steps backward, she reached for the doorknob wanting to believe something supernatural was going on. But it didn’t feel supernatural. It felt like a human violation. And irrationally she wondered if Deborah was okay.
Grabbing the cylindrical metal vase by the door, she moved forward cautiously, planning to exchange the vase for a butcher knife when she reached the kitchen.
Santiago and Julian were close enough to come if she needed them. She just didn’t want to need them. She wasn’t a damsel in distress. She was proud, stubborn, a fighter, not some ill older woman incapable of defending herself.
CHAPTER 15
“All I’m saying isthat your shit is not that impressive,” Julian said as Santiago stepped into his boxers. “If I dropped my drawers for Lauren, she would have said the exact same thing.”
“If she ever sees your dick, St. James, I promise it’ll be the last time she does,” Santiago threatened. “Because I will shoot it off then put in an evidence bag and use it as a tourist attraction. People would want to see the excised appendage of a famous author who writes grisly tales. Hell, half the residents of Shrouded Lake don’t like you and the other half already think you killed Ms. Willoby. They would pay good money to verify you’d been castrated.”
“Just for the record, the only people I kill are on the page, but these inbred?—”
A terrifying scream from the other side of the lake ended all discussion.
Santiago sprinted toward Lauren’s house with Julian in lock step beside him.
When they reached her house, Santiago launched himself up the stairs and pushed open the door. Instinctively he went to the stairs, bracing as Lauren launched herself into his armsfrom halfway up the stairwell. She was wild-eyed and fighting to escape his hold, fighting to get out of the house.
