Page 38 of Haunted Spurs

Moon Goddess.

I narrow my eyes. I cross my arms over my chest, trying to summon my best icy, annoyed expression. I want to glare at him. I want to make it crystal clear that I do not appreciate having cameras shoved in my face without warning. Or mythological nicknames.

I try with everything I have.

But he lowers the lens just a fraction, shoots me another lopsided grin with that damn dimple sinking into his cheek, and my mask crumbles miserably.

I huff, shaking my head and turning away to escape the frame, but it's useless.

Repressing a smile around this buffoon is becoming, with every passing minute, dramatically more complicated.

11

Only One Bed is a Cliché... That We Fully Support

Ron

"There's no one here."

Levi's voice echoes through the massive entrance hall, amplified by the high ceilings and bare walls.

We all look around, standing perfectly still in the shadows. The house is dark, steeped in a silence broken only by the distant ticking of some unknown pipe or the settling of the wood. Some of the group have already started snooping around, taking their first hesitant steps onto the creaking floorboards, but me... I'm completely captivated by Selene. Shocking, I know.

She's standing a little off to the side, her arms crossed, her dark eyes scanning the room. She's biting her lower lip.

Christ.

I watch her sink her teeth into that soft flesh, and for a second, my brain short-circuits. I want to press my lips to hers again. I want to be the one biting that lip. I want to taste her again, explore her mouth until I hear her sigh my name. I miss her. I miss her like crazy.

"There are some seriously creepy paintings in the upstairs hallway!"

Carolina's exclamation—she's practically skipping down the grand staircase like she's on a field trip—distracts Selene and forces me to snap out of my entirely unchaste thoughts.

"There are actually a lot of interesting books in here, too," Katherine chimes in, poking her head out of the adjacent living room. Her glasses are perched low on her nose, and she gestures enthusiastically with a heavy, worn leather-bound tome she just pulled off the shelf.

"Are these yours?" Sam asks me, shoving his hands in his pockets as he inspects an old crystal chandelier. "Did you furnish the place like this?"

"No, man," I smile, shaking my head. "I mean, sure, I can appreciate a gothic, antique aesthetic... but all this stuff was already here. When I bought the ranch, I figured they were historical pieces, so I contacted the town hall to see if they wanted to catalog them. Mayor Nino assured me they'd do an inspection to clear the stuff out, but then, with the whole reality show thing, they put it all on hold."

"Yeah, they are definitely historical," Katherine confirms, turning the yellowed pages with reverent care. "There are some incredibly interesting stories in here, too."

"Ghost stuff?" Indya asks, laughing, visibly intrigued.

"Guys..." Lizzie's pragmatic voice cuts through the air. "I think right now we should focus on the fact that no one is here."

Josh throws an arm over her shoulders and points at her with his free hand. "Excellent point."

"There are letters on the table."

Selene's voice makes my heart skip a beat.

It’s been a while since I heard her speak. I’ve noticed she tends to clam up and isolate herself when she's around too many people. And seeing her shrink back triggers a protective instinct in me that I’m having a hard time wrangling.

I step closer, stopping right behind her. She gives a small, almost imperceptible jump. Or maybe I just imagined it; maybe it's just my stupid brain hoping that my proximity has the same devastating effect on her that hers has on me.

I reach an arm past her shoulder, and for a fleeting second, our forearms brush. The heat of her skin sinks right through mine.

All I can think is... I want more.