Resist (Sphere of Irony 3)

Exhausted, I drag a hand down my face wondering if Gavin’s friend is going to stay all night. Something outside catches my eye. A faint shadow cast across the sand flickers.

Using small movements, I reach for my Glock. Thank god I haven’t turned any inside lights on yet. Hopefully, whoever is out there can’t see me. I turn the lock on the back door and slip outside, soundlessly closing it once I’m on the deck.

Sticking to dark shadows and corners, I creep down the stairs that separate the house from the sand. The back gate is locked and I realize I don’t have the key.

Bollocks!

I have to holster my weapon so I can climb over the six-foot privacy fence. When I drop to the other side, the soft sand makes a lot more noise than one would think. The shadow bolts.

“Hey!” I shout. “Stop!”

I give chase, following the black-clad figure down the paved path that parallels the shoreline. He’s too far ahead. He reaches a gap betwee

n two houses and ducks through and is gone by the time I catch up. I hurl myself down the narrow alley, coming out on the other side and darting into the street. All I see when I get there are the taillights of the fleeing car.

“Son of a bitch!” I put my hands on my hips, pissed that I let him get away.

When I realize that I left the back door to Gavin’s house unlocked, I hurry back the way I came. When I make my way back over the fence, I land hard on my knee, nearly busting my ass.

Standing, I wince in pain from the inevitable bruise that’s sure to form. My knee is going to hurt like hell for a few days.

I slide the Glock back out of its holster and hobble up the stairs of the deck. The lights are still off, so I can’t see much. I open the back door and peek inside, not seeing anything out of the ordinary. A quick sweep of downstairs proves futile.

Sighing, I realize I’ll have to check the upstairs as well. Where Gavin and his boy toy are currently getting it on. I pull at the neck of my shirt again. Jesus, it’s tight. I return the Glock and undo another button.

I bite the proverbial bullet and limp up the stairs, glancing around when I reach the landing. About half of the doors in the hall are open. Starting furthest from the master bedroom, I clear every room.

When I stop outside the final door, I hear moaning.

And grunting.

And slapping of flesh.

Wide eyed, I hurry back down the stairs as fast as my aching knee will allow, fleeing to the safety of the kitchen. I grab a Coke out of the fridge to keep me awake and an icepack out of the freezer and settle into one of the kitchen chairs with the ice balanced on my knee. It’s going to be a long night.

Gavin

“Bye. Thanks. You were amazing.” Ron or Rob or whoever he is says, giving me a kiss before disappearing out the front door into the darkness. I watch as he climbs into the waiting cab.

“Date over so soon?”

I let out a terrified yelp and spin around to face a furious Mitch Hale.

“Jesus, Hale. What the fuck?” I clutch at my chest, only remembering that I’m not wearing a shirt when my hand hits bare skin.

I don’t miss the quick sweep of Mitch’s eyes over my torso, lingering a little too long on the silver hoops threaded through my nipples, before his face twists into an expression of both pure rage and disbelief.

“What the fuck? What the fuck?” His deep voice gets louder and louder as he crowds me against the front door.

I realize I haven’t heard him curse until now. It sounds strange coming from his rather uptight, fidgety persona in his odd, barely-there accent.

I step back, pressing my palms flat against the wood. If I wasn’t so shocked, I’d find this incredibly erotic. Mitch’s steely eyes focus on mine. His tempting red mouth is only inches away. He’s so close I can smell a tantalizing combination of both his cologne and sweat…his sweat. It takes all of my willpower not to lean in and inhale.

“I’ll tell you what the fuck!” he continues ranting. “While you were upstairs with a complete fucking stranger, I chased your stalker down the beach! That’s what the fuck!”

I blink as I try to process this information. What was I expecting? For him to be jealous? I’m not sure, but I sure as fuck didn’t expect him to tell me he pursued my stalker—that the psycho was right outside my house.

“What?” I whisper.