Desperate Times (Boys of Silver Ridge 2)

“No.”

“Good because I know who you’re out with and oh my god are you keeping secrets from me?”

Charles laughs. “Hardly, and it was unexpected.” He’s being vague on purpose because he’s not alone. “In a good way,” he adds, and I smile. The “friend” in the photo is Eric Deaton, who’s done stunt work for Charles before. They had a super-secret romance last year, but Eric broke it off because having to lie and hide the relationship was too difficult for him. Charles tried to brush it off and say it was fine, that Eric didn’t mean that much to him, and he’d rather keep up his fake identity of being one of Hollywood’s most desirable bachelors than admit the truth…including how much Eric meant to him.

Seeing them together again makes me so happy, but also worried. I don’t want my friend to get hurt again, or for something to come out before Charles is ready.

“Well, good,” I reply. “I hope everything is going well on set.”

“Very, very well,” he says, and I'm pretty sure we’re still talking in code.

“What are you up to?” Charles asks. “I didn’t think I’d hear from you since you’re busy romancing your hot doctor.”

“I’m sitting on the couch in lingerie waiting for him to get home. Dinner is already on the table and the kitchen is clean.”

“Who are you and what have you done to my Chloe?”

I laugh. “This is how you know I’ve been possessed. I won’t bug you, but I called to bug you.”

“I’d expect nothing less from you. I’ll text you later with more details.”

“Good. Have fun.”

“You too. Love ya, Chloe.”

“Love ya, too,” I say and end the call. I waste more time looking through Instagram and watching funny TikTok videos until Sam comes home. I drop my phone on the couch and get up, heart swelling in my chest.

“Hey, babe,” I say and stride over to him. He takes his shoes off and pulls me in for a hug, holding me tight against his firm chest.

“I missed you,” he breathes, head buried in my neck.

“I missed you too.”

Sam runs his hand through my hair and then cups my chin, turning my face up so he can kiss me, and the second his lips meet mine, he melts into me, hands running down my back. He dips me backward, deepening the kiss. There’s an odd finality to the kiss, and when he breaks away, his blue eyes are filled with something I can’t quite discern.

“I love you, you know that, right?”

“I kind of assumed,” I say, hooking my hands around his neck. “But it’s nice to hear you say it.”

He smiles and some of the stress disappears from his face. “Dinner smells good.”

“Thanks. I hope you’re hungry.”

“Starving.”

I step back, teeth sinking into my bottom lip. Sam cocks an eyebrow, reminding me again how sexual my nervous habit can come off as, though right now it’ll work in my favor. Slowly, I pull the ties to my robe. “I hope you save room for dessert.”The elevator doors open, and Sam takes a quick step in front of me, hesitating before he steps out. The lobby is empty, save for the bellman and security guard, and classical music softly floats through the air.

“Looking for monsters?” I tease, a little confused why Sam would block me in the elevator. The doors start to close, and I reach out, letting them hit my hand so they bump back. Sam, who insisted on carrying my bag for me, turns around and smiles.

“You never know,” he says with a tight smile. There’s something off about him again, and I can’t place it. He said he had a rough day at work. Maybe it’s getting to him? I can’t imagine seeing the things he sees on a daily basis.

“Oh, trust me, I do know. Writing about demons, monsters, and curses for the last few years might have made me more than a little paranoid from time to time.”

“I could see that.” Sam takes my hand as we head outside. The nighttime air is chilly, making me instantly regret packing my sweater in my bag instead of wearing it. The weekend forecast should be nice, though in the Midwest you can have snow and a heatwave in the same day.

“I’ll drive,” I offer when we get to Sam’s car. “But I kind of took Benadryl.”

“Kind of? How do you kind of take medicine?” he asks, amusement bringing some of that sparkle back to his eyes.

“I took it. I’m so stuffy and I refuse to have a cold. But then I remembered I said I’d drive. Give me like two hours and I might be falling asleep behind the wheel, driving us off a cliff into the ocean or something.”

“Good thing there aren’t too many cliffs overlooking the ocean on the way to Michigan. And I’ll drive us, it’s not a big deal.”