Page 57 of Grave Obsession

“Are you fucking kidding me! I almost passed away from heart failure!” I shriek.

“You started it.” He rolls out from beneath the vehicle and his golden emerald eyes lock with mine. He’s so pleased with himself, happy and light in this moment after what I can only imagine has been a horrible day. Standing, he extends a hand, offering to help me up. I take it and he pulls me with so much strength, I crash into him. Fuck, he takes my breath away. “Are you ready to go home?” I nod and then hear the doors unlock. He opens the door for me, like a true gentleman, and I climb up. Our travel mugs from this morning are still in the cup holders and the memory sends warmth travelling through my veins.

He looks over to me from the driver's seat, “Sorry I scared you.”

“No you’re not,” I snip.

“No, I’m not. Your face was priceless.” He makes fun of my dramatic screaming face and I can’t help but laugh.

“Such a jerk,” I mumble to myself, but I know he hears it.

“I’m your fucking jerk. Now kiss me, before I change my mind.”

“No.”

“Going once,” he taunts.

“Going twice…” he threatens. If I kiss him now I don’t think I’ll be able to stop. I’ve barely recovered from him turning me down last night.

“You’re really going to leave me hanging?” he pouts. That damn face. It melts the icy exterior I’m trying to project.

“I've got to play hard to get sometimes, it keeps things interesting,” I counter.

“Going three times…” He drags out the last word as I start to lean in, eating up eighty percent of the distance between us. If he wants that kiss as bad as I think he does, he’ll move the last few inches. He’s so caught up in the movement of my body crawling over the seat towards him, he doesn’t even realize he’s moving closer to me too. Hook, line, and sinker.

I stop and his lips push into mine. I’ve won but I don’t care as he whispers against my skin, “Fuck, I missed you.” Butterflies. Butterflies everywhere. Everything tingles, my entire body is a live wire. He kisses me again, softly. It’s full of passion and unspoken feelings. I’m ready to strip him naked and show him just how much I missed him with my mouth. I’ve never been so sexually satisfied and starved at the same time. It’s legitimate torture. Nox pulls back and turns the key in the ignition. He takes a longing look at me and I’m hot all over.

“I missed you too,” I verify.

“Hope so.” He smiles and throws me a wink before pulling out of the parking lot and making our way back to my house.

Chapter Forty-Two

Graves

Dust particles float through the air, highlighted by the light streaming through the window. There’s a thin layer of dust on almost every surface. Melissa King’s roommate sits across from me and every time she shifts on the couch, it groans. I’m honestly waiting for it to collapse at any moment. It looks to be at least fifty years old and the floral print has significantly faded. Julia, the roommate, is the last interviewee on my list and her constantly shifting gaze tells me she has something to hide.

“Do you remember anything specific about Melissa the last time you saw her?” I ask.

“No, she was her usual happy self.”

“Was there anyone new in her life? A man, perhaps?” I prod.

“Well…no.” She loosens her breath.

“What are you not telling me Julia?”

“What?”

“Listen, anything you tell me will be confidential. Unless it is information that someone else is in danger, I will only use it to track down whoever did this.” I try to be as encouraging as possible, but with the captain breathing down my neck and the time away from my little siren forever growing, I’m becoming impatient.

“Her parents… Did you meet them?” she asks. What are you getting at?

“Yes, I interviewed them,” I reply. She tangles her fingers in her lap and blips of Mallory behaving the same way pop into my mind. She does this when she’s uncomfortable and needs an outlet for her nervous energy. I’ve learned so much about reading people in the months I spent watching Mallory that I’ve improved the skills necessary to do my job.

“Are you on good terms with the King’s, Julia?”

She finally meets my gaze and it’s a baby step to forming a connection with someone you want information from.

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