The Thing About Trouble (Crystal Lake 1)

“Giselle?”

“My cat.”

“Well, you better not keep Giselle waiting.” Mrs. Eddy chuckled, shook her head, and disappeared inside her house.

Blue hurried to her car and jumped in, heart pumping like a champion. She did

feel guilty leaving like this—as if she’d done something wrong. Which she hadn’t. Not by a long shot. But still.

She sank into the seat and groaned, and then after a few moments, grabbed her phone. Her finger hovered over Cam’s name, and before she could change her mind, she sent a simple text message.

Thank you.

As soon as she sent it, she made a face. Thank you? Really? That was all she had to say?

“Geez, Blue. You’ve been out of this game for way too long.” She started the car. “That’s if you were ever really in it.”

And there she went talking to herself again. She rammed the car into Reverse and headed out to start her day.

But she couldn’t shake that feeling. Like she’d crossed a line somehow. A line she wasn’t so sure she’d be able to jump back over. And the feeling didn’t go away. Not even hours later as she tried her best to create a fall display at Bella & Hooch. She stood back, running a critical eye over the distressed ladder she’d leaned against the wall. Corn stalks adorned the steps, and she’d just finished spreading an intricate silky web across the top. Now for the spiders.

“Okay, spill,” Poppy said from across the store.

She glanced up, distracted. “Excuse me?”

“You’ve been acting weird since you got here.” Poppy jumped down from the stool she’d been standing on and wiped dust from her top. She was at the back of the store, tweaking the “on sale” display that carried the last of her summer décor. “Is everything okay? ’Cause your aura is kind of crazy right now.”

“My aura?”

“Yeah. It’s all wonky. What’s wrong?”

Blue opened her mouth, a denial hot on her tongue, but found she couldn’t speak because there was a big old lump in her throat and hot tears pricking the corners of her eyes. What the hell was wrong with her?

“Blue?” Concern made Poppy’s voice high, and Blue shook her head and turned away.

“I’m good. I’m fine.”

The doorbell jingled just then, and Blue sighed with relief as she grabbed up a bunch of sparkly black-and-orange spiders. Saved by the bell and a customer. Her relief was short-lived, however, when she heard the voice she’d been trying to banish from her mind all morning. It reached around her and slid over her skin making her shiver. Goosebumps stood up on her arms.

“Hey.” The word was husky and soft, and so damn intimate, her knees went weak.

He was there, just behind Blue. She didn’t have to turn around to know this. She felt him on a level that was hard to describe or even acknowledge. On cue, her heart began to beat harder and faster, and she struggled to catch her breath.

When did this happen? When did Cam Booker’s energy create magical fingers that even now she felt against her skin?

Blue shivered and slowly turned around.

“Hey,” she replied softly, hoping he couldn’t hear her emotion. Hoping that somehow, the beating heart and shallow breath were hidden. He was dressed simply. Faded blue jeans, big black boots, and a long-sleeve white Henley that did everything to enhance his dark good looks. He hadn’t shaved, and the shadows that covered his strong jawline were enough to make any woman weak in knees.

God, he was beautiful.

“You snuck out of the house early this morning.”

“I didn’t sneak. I…I just, well, there was this bird and…” God, she sounded like an idiot. Mouth dry, she stumbled forward, trying like hell not to sound as if her brain wasn’t scrambled. Which it was, considering all she could think about was how good he smelled and that his hair was damp, like he’d just stepped out of the shower. And that thought had her mind going places that made the whole scrambled thing even worse, because when she thought of shower, she thought of naked. And wet. And…

“The bird was loud, and it woke me up, and I didn’t…I just thought it would be best if I left before Tawny got up.”

“Did you now.” A devilish hint of a smile ghosted his mouth and was gone just as fast as it had come.