Page 7 of Untouchable

The real question, though, is why did he ignore it afterward?

“He seems pretty cool when you get to know him,” I finally say.

“Well, don’t go that far. He’s sort of aggressive and set in his ways.” My sister has never been the kind of girl to lie down and listen to anyone. In her mind, if you’re not taking her directions, you’re aggressive. “Are you okay? Do you want me to come over?”

“No.” I say the word so quickly that I fear I sound guilty. She, of course, picks up on this right away.

“That was fast. You sure you’re not thinking filthy things about Ox?” Her speech slows as she says, “There’s no denying he’s a big, strong, and sexy man.”

“Okay, don’t be gross. He’s your ex. I wouldn’t do that.”

She laughs. “I would! I’d do that all day long. Truthfully, I was hoping he’d want to catch up while I was in town. Seeing that body again makes a girl want to look past anything.”

I think this solidifies the fact that any fantasy I have about Ox going forward is just that… a fantasy. I can’t be thinking about a man my sister dated. And I definitely can’t be thinking about a man that my sister still wants to fuck. I think that might be in the sister handbook.

#1. Don’t touch a man your sister has already touched.

Yup, right there. Top of the list.

I wonder if they even dated long enough to touch. I want to ask, but I don’t think I want to know.

“Did you talk to Dad yet?”

“No. I’m not going to either. I’m just going to study and hope I can pull up my grade. Dinner was weird. Dad was going on and on about Mom. He wants to know every detail of this wedding. It’s not healthy.”

“No, it’s not. Maybe we should set him up with someone or get him an online profile.”

“Tried that. He’s against internet dating and insists on meeting someone the old-fashioned way.”

“How’s that?”

“He said he wanted to meet someone in person, like in aisle three at the General Store. I don—”

Ox knocks on the door, and it swings open. I can’t get over how big he looks in here. It’s almost comical. If by comical I mean my clit won’t stop throbbing every time his massive shoulders bump into everything as he moves through the space.

“I gotta run. I think there’s incoming news.”

“Okay. Let me know what’s going on.” The line disconnects and I swish my hand over the side of the bed, offering him a spot to sit. I came in here an hour ago when he started looking at his laptop. It was mostly because he went silent, and I was getting tired. I didn’t think we’d be circling back to a chat tonight.

“Is now a good time or are you going to bed?”

I glance down at the nightgown I’ve changed into. I should’ve thought this through. Pulling the blanket up against my chest, I shake my head. “No, I’m fine. Sit down. I want to know what you’ve found.”

He lowers his giant frame onto the bed with a heavy creak. It’s a big bed. I had it special ordered because I like room to flip and flop at night but even this seems small for a man the size of Ox.

“Is this the guy you’ve seen around?” He twists the laptop toward me, showing a photo of a thin built man with a short scruffy beard and sleeves of tattoos. He’s standing in front of a height chart. Six foot one. Fog rolls through my brain. He looks familiar, but I can’t be sure.

I glance toward Ox. “Why is he standing in front of a height chart?”

“He was arrested for battery twice last year. Based on the name and description he gave you, I think this is him.” He clears his throat. “After the arrests, it looks like this guy went back online with aliases to find women. It wasn’t until I checked your social media that I noticed a pattern in the names that were following you and some of the victims of his past batteries.”

He points to my phone as he says, “You’ve also got to change the settings on your phone. Whether you were doing your live posts from your yoga studio or just hanging at home with your cat, everything gives your exact location. Anyone who was looking for it could just pull your address without much effort.”

“What?” My stomach tightens and I pick up my phone. “I’m careful about that. I don’t leave my—” Sure enough my exact location is tagged in nearly every photo I’ve posted.

“Okay, I’m an idiot, but why is he following me?”

Ox’s jaw tightens. If I didn’t know better, I’d think he was genuinely worried for me. “I’m not sure of an exact reason yet, but you and I are stuck together now. This guy is more dangerous than I thought.”

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