Page 55 of Demons

“Yeah. I’ll see you at seven.”

The earlier, the better. I needed to have plenty of time to get ready for my night out.

Unable to help myself, I did a scan of the area on my way to the car. I could lie and say I wasn’t looking for Thatcher, but I was. His not being here was strange. He normally showed up when Zephyr was involved. If he was making a point to stay away from me, then sending me the stupid cookies defeated the purpose. Somehow, he’d managed to make me hate my favorite treat. The sight of them now reminded me of the fact that Thatcher pitied me. He didn’t want to touch me, but he was sorry about it. Like he wanted to ease the pain by giving me cookies. Being a virgin did not mean I was mentally a child.

• Twenty-Six •

This man was insane, and I was getting wet because he was spewing psycho crap.

Capri

Sitting in the first row hadn’t been expected, and Tyron had kept that a secret until we arrived. Esther almost kissed him; she was so ecstatic. Jaiden held her back.

Tyron put his hands on my waist, stood behind me, and wrapped an arm around me. He even pressed a kiss to my temple more than once while we listened to the live performance. I tried not to be frustrated that my body didn’t ignite or even tingle a little. But I felt comfortable. Leaning into him, swaying to the music. It was nice.

And if it hadn’t been for the way I’d lit up from Thatcher earlier in the week, then I wouldn’t have been disappointed at all. In fact, I’d have thought this was heading somewhere.

During the ride back, his hand slid over my leg and stayed there while he drove. We dropped off Esther and Jaiden at her apartment, then headed to my house. I’d already decided I was inviting him in. I was twenty-seven, not sure if heaven and hell were even real things anymore, and tired of following all these moral rules that had been forced upon me all my life. I might never get married. I might never fall in love.

But I was a grown woman, and having sex for pleasure and fun was normal. I was ready for it. With Tyron, who was safe and comfortable. His erection in his jeans as he’d rubbed up behind me tonight told me he was interested. Hopefully, my virgin status didn’t turn him off. I wasn’t sure if that was just a Thatcher thing or all grown men thing.

He parked in my driveway, and I turned to look at him.

“Want to come inside?” I asked.

The corner of his lips curled. “Yeah, I would.”

That was easy. See, I was already crushing this new way of life. Why had I waited so long?

I opened my car door and got out. As I walked around the front of it toward Tyron, my eyes darted back to a small orange light in the yard. It was near the porch, but still in the darkness, just out of the glow from the outside lights. What was that?

“What’s wrong?” Tyron asked.

I narrowed my eyes as the light moved. Was there a dark figure there too? It shifted. The shadow. It was barely visible with the orange light.

Was that a cigarette?

Swallowing, I felt my pulse at the base of my neck as my heartbeat began to pick up. Trickles of fear and uncertainty stopped me from saying anything. I wasn’t sure if I was imagining this or if there was someone out there. Someone smoking.

No. He wouldn’t be here.

My eyes swung to the porch. No box of cookies. I should be relieved.

“Is there someone out there?” Tyron asked.

I wasn’t sure. I didn’t know how to respond. Taking a step toward the light, I tried to see if I could make out what I had seen better. If it was Thatcher, then why? Should we get in the car and leave? I didn’t want to think I had to be scared of him, but if he was in my yard in the dark, then …

Tyron’s hand wrapped around my arm, and his body came up behind me. “I’ll go check it out,” he said, moving me to the side and stepping in front of me.

I started to stop him when the figure moved into the light on the porch. His black cowboy hat hid most of his face, but I knew that body, that stance. No one looked quite that good in a pair of jeans. Only him. The cigarette in his mouth illuminated his lips just enough for me to see them.

“You need to leave,” Tyron said.

I winced. He didn’t know Thatcher. He had no idea who he was ordering to leave.

Thatcher took the cigarette from his mouth and took another step into the light. I moved in front of Tyron instinctively, and he once again grabbed my arm as if to stop me.

“You need to remove your hand from her.” Thatcher’s deep voice made me shiver.

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