Page 35 of If I Stopped Haunting You

Pleasure.Why had that word come to mind when she looked at him? She squeezed her thighs together, butterflies flitting in her stomach. For fuck’s sake, what was wrong with her?

“There’s tea in the cupboard,” Laszlo said, motioning to the one above the stove. “And the water is boiled and waiting for you.”

Pen smiled warmly and crossed to the cupboard. “Thank you.”

“We take our caffeine seriously,” Laszlo said with a curt nod.

Snorting, Pen turned and pulled down the box of tea and a mug. It was a morning ritual, pouring in the water, mixing in a splash of milk, and stirring in a small spoonful of sugar before steeping two tea bags. Although everyone else here was drinking coffee, and it seemed to be the mascot for writers, Pen would never be swayed.

Steaming mug in hand, she settled into the seat across from Storm. He didn’t look up, although he seemed aware of her presence. She leaned forward and blew on her tea as she watched him.

“That coffee is as black as your soul,” she said, taking a scalding sip.

He raised a brow and gulped down a mouthful of coffee, eyes never leaving hers even as he swallowed. Pen watched the way his throat bobbed, her eyes flicking from the scrape of stubble along his jaw and down his neck before she returned her attention to his eyes. He smacked his lips, making a satisfied sound in his throat as he stared quietly on. She could feel that sound buzzing a pathway all the way down to her toes, and she blushed as she glared down at her tea, lips clamping together to keep from talking.

She was all sorts of flustered today.

“So, have you seen anything yet?” Daniela asked, leaning in. “Well, besides that fake shit in the cellar yesterday.”

Fake shit?Pen thought. Did no one believe her? She recalled Storm’s words the night before, the way he’d guided her up the stairs, away from the darkness and back to her room, the strange, comfortable energy humming between them as they’d stopped in the space between their doors.

“I saw what I saw,” Pen insisted.

“Haven’t seen anything,” Laszlo said, ignoring her.

They all turned to Storm, who simply shrugged. Pen eyed him. She’d seen the way he’d flung himself into her room, the way he couldn’t bring himself to open her door and go back to his. Had he seen the woman in black? Was there something he wasn’t telling them?

“Okay!” Laszlo called, breaking the awkward silence. “We have a lot of work to do, so why don’t we get started with writing sprints?”

Pen turned to survey Daniela and Storm. Laszlo’s brows pinched together as he took them in. Everyone looked ragged, exhausted. Not fit for writing.

“This is precisely why I told you all to take it easy last night.”

“Sorry we’re not allgrannies,” Daniela sneered.

“I just didn’t sleep well. New places,” Storm said with a shrug.

Daniela snorted and set aside her coffee. “I fell asleep by the fire. Finally made my way up to bed around five.”

That explains a lot,Pen thought, taking a sip of her tea. She could have sworn she’d heard someone stumble up the stairs earlier. Not that she’d wanted to look. Pen had decided curiosity was her enemy in this castle.

Laszlo picked up his itinerary and read down the list. “Well, we’re supposed to be doing word sprints next, but no pressure.” He surveyed their group. “Maybe I can move around the scheduleand change what’s up next instead?” He looked pointedly across the table at Daniela. “If that works better for you.”

“Anything that doesn’t require me to think,” Daniela said into her cup.

“That shouldn’t be too hard,” Laszlo whispered.

“I’m sorry, did you just sass me?”

“I think I did.” Laszlo motioned farther down the paper, ignoring them. “We’ll swap tomorrow morning’s exercise with this afternoon’s reading, then.”

Storm lifted his coffee, cradling the blue mug in his hands. Pen’s vision narrowed on his soft brown fingers, and flashes of this morning’s dream came to mind unbidden, making her flush. She squirmed in her seat, the buzz between her legs almost painful.

“Pen, are you okay?” Laszlo asked, reaching out for her.

She nodded as she turned to her friend. “Yeah, I’m fine.”

Raising a brow, he called out, “Okay, ten-minute interval word sprints.”