Page 16 of Little Horrors & Deceptions

She chuckled, a sound light enough to scatter the heaviness around us. “Guess we’re both guilty.”

“As charged.” My hand emerged from my pocket, almost reaching out before I thought better of it. Her breath was a whisper against the cool night air, my own heart beating in a heavy rhythm I couldn’t quell. Jade’s proximity was magnetic, drawing my focus to the soft curve of her lips. They parted ever so slightly, as if inviting a secret I ached to share.

“Jade,” I murmured, the sound getting lost in the space that no longer seemed to exist. She swayed toward me an inch, maybe less. It was enough to send my pulse racing. My body tensed, every nerve on high alert. The streetlight above cast a halo around her, turning those stray strands of hair into threads of gold.

Could she feel this too? The pull, the need… I leaned in, breath held, ready to bridge the distance. But the door behind her groaned open, shattering the moment like a fragile thing. Jade stiffened, the spell broken by the intrusion. Reality rushed back in, and she was a cold and sobering bitch.

The tension snapped, leaving a void where warmth had been moments before.

“Jade?” someone called, and her body tensed, every line of her going rigid. She stepped back and then rushed the man standing in the doorway.

“I didn’t think you were going to be here till tomorrow!” she exclaimed as she pulled him into a hug. I watched, my own muscles coiling with sudden tension. My knuckles going white in my pockets.

Who was he? Why did he matter? His eyes darted from Jade to me, a silent demand for an explanation etched into his furrowed brow.

“Uhhh, goodnight, Liam!” she called as she quickly darted inside with the man and shut the door.

I clenched my jaw. “Night,” I managed, just as the door clicked closed. Turning on my heel, I stepped away from Jade’s apartment. The crisp night air bit at my skin, a stark contrast to the stifled warmth we’d shared just seconds before.

Jade had etched herself under my skin—she was impossible to ignore. She might have walked up those steps and out of sight, but she hadn’t walked out of whatever twisted fate was entangling us. Far from it. This thing between us? It was just the beginning. I could feel it.

Chapter 10

Olivia Bennett

“Oh my fucking gosh… you have the hots for your haunted house boss!” Jonathan squealed the moment the front door shut behind me.

I pressed a finger to my lips, panic sharpening the edges of my voice. “Shut up! He could hear you,” I whisper-yelled, my eyes bugging out of my head.

Johnathan raised an eyebrow, unfazed by my anxiety. He plopped down on the couch and leaned forward, elbows resting on his knees with that same irritatingly amused look plastered across his face. “Why didn’t you introduce me?” he asked.

The air in the apartment seemed to grow thicker, filled with the scent of pepperoni pizza he must have ordered and questions I wasn’t ready to answer.

I slumped against the door, its cool surface a stark contrast to the heat flushing my cheeks. “Because I didn’t know you were going to be here tonight,” I said, pressing the heels of my hands into my eyes as if I could push away the embarrassment. “Iwasn’t expecting you until tomorrow, so I haven’t gone over your undercover file yet.” The words tumbled out in a rush, each one laced with frustration—at myself, at him, at the entire absurd situation.

Johnathan unfolded himself from the couch, his movements languid and easy, the opposite of my tightly wound nerves. He stepped closer, his eyebrows knitting together in mock concern. “And?”

“And I looked like a fumbling fool in front of Liam,” I confessed, the image of Liam watching me stumble over my words and away from him and toward Johnathan replayed in my head.

“Ah.” Johnathan’s face shifted into a knowing smirk as he crossed his arms. “Well, let me lighten your load.” He cleared his throat dramatically, then stated with exaggerated pride, “My undercover name is Jordan, and I'm your brother moving in with you because of my financial troubles.”

“That would’ve been nice to know about ten minutes ago,” I said, the words slipping out sharper than I’d intended.

He shrugged, unconcerned by my irritation. “It’s fine. He’ll forgive you. Did you see the way he was looking at you?” Jonathan—nowJordan, I guessed—continued, oblivious to my inner turmoil. His tone was light, almost teasing.

“Honestly, it doesn’t matter. I really shouldn’t encourage it. He’s a suspect,” I admitted, crossing my arms as if to ward off the very thought. “But I’d be lying if I said I didn’t want to.”

Johnathan leaned against the wall next to me, arms folded, a smirk playing on his lips. He knew me too well. Knew how to poke at all the cracks in my resolve. “It’s just a part of the job,” he said, his tone casual, almost dismissive. “Get close to him, find out what you can, and have a little fun in the process.” He winked at me.

I groaned, turning away from him to hide the conflict written all over my face. His words were like a quiet call to the reckless side of me I kept caged. “Fun isn’t professional,” I shot back over my shoulder.

“Since when has that stopped you?”

I bit the inside of my cheek, the tang of iron filling my mouth. This was risky territory, but he wasn’t wrong. Liam had seared through my defenses. I was like a puddle at his feet.

“Professional is all I know,” I lied, jokingly fluttering my lashes, trying to convince myself more than him. My gaze drifted to the window, where the city lights blurred into halos in the darkness outside. He laughed at me.

“I’m going to bed,” I announced, stifling a yawn with the back of my hand. Fatigue clawed at my eyes. “It’s been a long day.”

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