Love and Other Things (Crystal Lake 4)

ack of his neck stood on end.

“Hey, I gotcha.”

He held her close to him as he stepped out of his boots and checked on her food and water. Both of them were in good order, and he gave her a scratch behind the ears. “At least you only emptied half the litter box on the floor today. That’s an improvement.”

He carried on to his bedroom and put her on the bed before hopping in the shower. Ten minutes later, he was stretched out on the mattress, the bundle of fur purring madly on his chest, and as Beck stared into the darkness, something stirred inside him. Some kind of feeling he hadn’t had in a long, long time.

As if she knew something had just shifted, Jingle meowed and burrowed as close to him as she could. It was no use locking her in the mudroom because all she did was meow her damn head off, and he’d already been through too many sleepless nights since she arrived.

Beck closed his eyes, the purring machine next to him, and thought the guys would razz him good if they could see him. But really, he didn’t give a damn. In fact, his mind was on other things, because along with that mysterious feeling that hung in there, tight in his chest, was the thought that it would be nice to have someone here with him from time to time. In his bed. Tucked into his side. Maybe even there in the morning when the sun came up.

The weird thing being, it wasn’t Emily’s face he saw when he closed his eyes.

The eyes that watched him from the shadows, the body curled into his, belonged to Sidney Barrett.

It was an image that stayed with him until he drifted off.

Chapter Eight

Sid was up early, at least an hour before the sun rose. By six thirty, she’d showered and dressed, taken some time with her hair and makeup, and had already had two cups of coffee before heading outside to fill the bird feeder out front. By seven, she was nearly jumping out of her skin. Too much caffeine, she told herself. What else could it be?

She glanced at the mirror, at the flushed cheeks, subtle makeup, and shiny hair, and wondered if she was trying too hard. Then she asked herself, trying too hard to do what? Impress Beck? Nah.

“He’s not interested,” she murmured. But then she thought about his dark eyes and the way they made her feel whenever they landed on her. And of that smile of his. It was like a secret weapon, one he didn’t use often from what she could tell, but man, when he did…

Her cell rang just then, and she gave herself one last look and grabbed her phone from her bag without thinking or looking to see who was calling. She was still a little rattled at the direction of her thoughts. Still unsure. And definitely worked up about something.

“Hey,” she said distractedly, rummaging in her bag for her sunglasses.

At first, there was nothing, and then everything inside her stilled. The hair rose on the back of her neck, and her stomach, already full of butterflies, flipped over, and she felt nauseous.

“Hey,” he said. “It’s me.”

Sidney closed her eyes and sank against the counter. His voice was intimate, as if he were standing next to her. She didn’t answer at first because she couldn’t. And somewhere deep inside her soul, a part of her was pissed that this was her reaction to him. That after months of no contact, months of Sidney trying to forget and move on, of trying to push away the anger and betrayal, he could call her up and say hello as if nothing had happened.

“Sid?”

“What do you want, Nick?” She found her voice at about the same time she found her balls. “And how did you get this number?”

“It’s barely seven where you are. Kind of early to be pissed off at the world, isn’t it?” His tone was neutral, and he was treading lightly. “I just…” He paused. “I was thinking of you. I wanted to check in, and I thought we could talk.”

“You don’t get to think about me. Or wonder. Or anything. You’re a lying bastard and that doesn’t come close to being the shittiest thing I can say to you.”

“Say what you need to. I can take it. I need to fix things.”

She so didn’t need this from him. He was about six months too late. But honestly, this anger was so much better than the hurt and pain. At least with anger burning through her veins, she felt alive. And that sure as hell was a welcome feeling.

“What makes you think I want to talk to you about anything? I thought I was pretty clear on things the last time we spoke.”

“You know I’m sorry for that.”

“Those are just words.” Tears poked at her eyes. “You never showed, Nick.” The words tumbled out of her, and she inhaled a ragged breath. “I was there alone, and you never showed. On top of everything else, that is one thing I will never be able to forgive you for. That was it for me. I told you then I never wanted to see you or talk to you again, so I repeat. Who the hell gave you my new cell number? I’m assuming it’s one of my staff, and I need to know who it is so that I can fire them ASAP.”

“I don’t want to get anyone in trouble. I just wanted to make sure you’re okay.”

Fury.

Red. Hot. Fury.