A loudclunkechoed behind me.
I spun, clutching the dildo to my chest, but the house was empty.Iturned back and dug around the box, hoping that the candle from the girls was something special used to cleanse the house of evil spirits.Nodice.Justfresh linen and sea breeze.Ihad plenty of sea breeze thanks to the drafty windows facing the ocean.
MaybeIshould grab some needles from the cedar trees to smudge the house . . .
Then again, it might take burning the whole tree to cleanse this place.
But ifIburned down a tree,I’dhave hot firefighters in my yard for the second time.Thatwas never a bad thing.
Wood creaked, and a shadow quickly engulfed me. “Hello?”
The deep voice made me scream.Forwhat reason?Ididn’t know.Ifa girl is turned into fish food by a sneaky serial killer and no one is around to hear it, does she really make a sound?
I squeezed my eyes shut and swung the dildo like a sword untilIheard thethunkof heavy silicone hitting skin.
“Fuck!”Amale voice howled as he stumbled backward, clutching his cheek. “Didyou hit me with a dick?”
“Get out!”Ishrieked. “Ihave pepper spray!”
The large hunk of t-shirt painted muscles raised his hands in surrender, taking three large steps back.Thesole of his sneaker caught on the edge of one of the sheets that had been covering a couch, and he slipped.
He swung his arms like windmills as he tried to stop the fall, but it was no use.Hisvery fine ass slammed into the hardwood floors with a heavythud.
“Who the hell are you?”Ishouted asIpointed the ten-inch dildo at him.Afterthat first swat,Irealized that it wasn’t a bad weapon.Fourpounds of medical-grade silicone packed a punch.
“Your fucking neighbor.Jesus,” he groaned as he pushed to his feet and wiped his dust-covered hands on the front of his gym shorts.
That’s whenIgot a good look at him for the first time.
Oh . . . wow . . .
Thick, muscular legs were tightly wrapped in mesh shorts.Narrowhips led up to an undoubtedly ripped abdomen.Hischest probably required its own zip code, and his arms looked stronger than the beams holding up the house.Brownhair in a boyish cut was messily swept to the side.
“You’re the prettiest serial killerI’veever seen.”
Dark eyes lined with thick lashes blinked at me. “Iwas trying to be neighborly, and you hit me across the face with a dildo.”
I winced. “Technically,Ihit you with the testicles.”
He pressed his palm to his cheek where a rather phallic bruise was forming. “Sorry, thetesticle endof a dildo.”Hepointed to the side of the property whereIhad noticed a small, yet cozy bungalow. “That’sme.I’mthe only permanent resident on this strip.Allthe rest are vacation rentals.”Helooked me up and down with something akin to disdain and curiosity. “Well. . . and you.”
That’s whenInoticed the small logo printed on the chest of his t-shirt. “You’rea firefighter?”
“Yeah,” he said as he rested wide hands on his hips and stared up at the cobweb-covered ceiling. “Andyou’re the wannabe arsonist who nearly caught both of our houses on fire yesterday.”
“I was grilling a hotdog,”Isassed. “Itwasn’t likeIwas running around with a flamethrower.”Havingdecided he wasn’t a threat,Itossed the dildo back in the box.
The man took slow steps up to me. “Andyou nearly burned your fingers off,” he said as he took my hand in his and spread my fingers so he could get a good look.
Sparks skittered up my arm as calloused fingers grazed my skin.
“Use tongs next time,Colorado.”
I arched an eyebrow and met his gaze. “Areyou the welcoming committee or something?BecauseI’mstarting to think that all the hype about small-town hospitality was a big pile of bullshit.Anddid you just call me ‘Colorado?’”
He cracked a smile as bright as the white-caps outside. “Well, instead of telling me your name, you dick-slapped me.So,I’mjust going off the license plateIgot a good look at whenIwatched you stand on top of your car to muscle your way up to the balcony door.”
“AuroraWhitlock,”Isaid, yanking my hand away. “Butplease don’t call me that.”
