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ROSI
“Fuck!”I yelled, waking up yet again, completely disoriented as I clutched the sheets to my chest.
Moments later the doors slid open to reveal the same concerned-looking Austin I’d just seen in my dream.
“Stop.” I held out a hand and he obeyed. “Open your mouth,” I said, tears still streaming down my face.
He furrowed his brow but did as I asked, revealing a set of perfect, white teeth.
I relaxed, leaning back against the headboard. “Okay. Okay this is real.”
“This is real,” he said carefully, edging around the bed so he could sit at my feet. He rested his hand on my ankle, reminding me that only the thin sheet stood between his hand and my naked body. But the horror and confusion of the nightmare I’d just had stopped my thoughts there.
“You okay? I heard you scream. Nightmare?”
“Yeah.” I looked down at the sheet covering me. I didn’t want to tell him it was about him. But he probably figured something like that since I made him open his mouth.
“I’m making coffee. Want some?” he offered instead of pressing me.
“That would be amazing,” I said, forcing a smile even as I still trembled with the memory of his skin in that thing’s mouth. I’d told him yesterday I wasn’t afraid of the sasquatch when I was ten.
This was different.
What if that thing really was out there somewhere? What if that’s what I found when I went looking? I shuddered. Three times in as many days I’d dreamed of it. But not really, I reminded myself. Austin hadn’t appeared until after I met him. And the beast hadn’t taken such clear shape until I saw that creepy statue in the museum.
The museum.
“I need to get to my room and get some clothes. I have an appointment in an hour. Can I take a raincheck on coffee?” I asked.
“Sure,” Austin said, but the smile he gave me was that same fake one he used for publicity photos, not the real one I’d coaxed out previously.
“Thanks for understanding.” I leaned forward, clutching the sheet, and dotted a kiss on his cheek. My own cheeks heated when his stubble rubbed against me, and I recalled in vivid clarity my imagination the previous night.
“I thought it through last night and came up with a sound, logical argument that proves you couldn’t have sabotaged anything,” I said to change the subject even as I climbed from the bed, securing the sheet around me.
“That’s awesome! Thank you. Will you share it with Nicole and Jackson so they don’t arrest me ?” His tone was joking, but I detected actual fear beneath the words.
“Of course.” Recalling Ila’s assertion that she was busy after noon, I added, “Let’s meet with them this afternoon. I’ll explain then.”
“It’s a date,” Austin said, standing as well. Then the pale skin of his face and neck burned a deep shade of pink. “I mean it’s settled.”
I nodded and scurried out of the room, making a mad dash for my own door before anyone could see me wearing a sheet. The doors swished open and closed behind me, and I breathed a sigh of relief.
“Good morning,” said Jeremy from the kitchen. He was as shirtless as Austin but far thinner with pierced nipples and a guitar tattooed across his pecs.
“Uh,” I said, backing toward my room when Cora and another woman came out of her bedroom. Cora wore a red, lace bra and matching panties, her navel ring on display. The other woman was completely nude, and the second it registered, I averted my gaze. Memories of the cabin incident assaulted me.
“Looks like someone had a good night,” Cora said.
I resisted the temptation to look at her. “Yeah. Happy for you. I’ve got a meeting, so I’m going to grab some clothes and freshen up, then I’ll be out of your hair.”
I made it to the threshold of my room when Jeremy grabbed my hand and stopped me, his eyes heavy-lidded. “You don’t have to rush out, cher. You seem wound up. I can help you with that.”
“Thanks but no thanks,” I said, snatching my hand back. I would not participate in an orgy, especially not one that included my best friend. “I really do have a meeting to get to.”
“Suit yourself, love. But the offer stands if you decide to change your mind. Now, where were we, ladies?” He turned back to Cora and the other woman, presumably Sherri, though who knew?
