Page 135 of Double Bucked

Ransom makes quick work of untying the rope. My wrists tingle delightfully.

With my hands free now, I slide them over Ransom’s strong chest. Then I reach back and slip my fingers up Everett’s neck and dive them into his hair.

“I love you,” I tell them. I don’t mean to say it. It just falls out.

I’ve been broken open, and things I’ve kept stuffed inside are spilling freely out of me now.

Ransom’s eyes go soft and wide. He cups the side of my face and murmurs, “I love the hell out of you.”

He kisses me, and I melt into it. Everett’s hand slides up the front of my body. His hand encircles my throat softly, holding me in place.

I break my kiss and twist. Our lips brush. “I love you, too,” Everett says.

My heart flutters. For the first time in—maybe—forever, I’m at peace.

We unwind from each other. They wrap their arms around me, and I nestle into the warmth of their naked bodies. I’m crashing down from the intense high, and my eyelids can barely stay open. I feel their lips on my skin. I hear their lips on each other. I’m lulled by the soft touches and the beat of breath on bare skin.

The devil himself couldn’t wake me from this deep blanket of sleep.

But he tries.

I jerk awake in the middle of the night. Sweat clings to my body. It’s dampened my hair, and it collects underneath my breasts.

I’m short of breath, my heart pounding in my chest.

“Claire…”

That voice. My father’s voice.

It’s coming from the other room.

It’s dark outside. The moon is just a sliver in the sky. Ransom and Everett are side by side with me. Ransom has Everett’s headphones in, the white noise helping him sleep. Everett is fast asleep and, for once, not grinding his teeth. The moonlight kisses their skin, casts dark blue shadows on their bodies.

Claire…

I want to shake them awake. I want them to tell me that the voice in my head is just that—a phantom voice. I want them to tell me there’s nothing to be afraid of.

But I don’t.

I have to face this monster alone.

Quietly, I move from the blankets and climb down to the end of the bed. I slip out gently so as not to disturb them.

I open the bedroom door and glance down the hall. It looks incredibly long at night, a throat of deep shadow.

Claire.

It’s coming from his study. I cross the hall and twist the crystal doorknob.

It’s silent in here, now that I’ve busted the clock. His books are still scattered around the floor. It’s dark, and it takes my eyes a minute to adjust. I fumble, hunting for the lamp on his desk, and when I find it, I flip it on.

I jump when I see a woman in the room with me.

No—not a woman. My reflection.

Afraid of ghosts, are we?

I can see my naked body reflected in the glass of the old Belleflower Queen poster. My form lines up almost perfectly with hers. In the reflection, I can almost see myself wearing the Belleflower Queen crown, and my heart gets tight.

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