Page 25 of Devil on the Lake

The water splashes as Willow scrambles out of it and fishes her phone from her purse. A shuddering exhale leaves her, fresh tears leaking from the corners of her eyes.

“Yes, we’re at the lake. Okay. Okay, thank you.” Hanging up, she turns to me, attention falling to where my fists grip Daniel’s clothes. There’s no way I’m letting him run away. “They’re sending someone out.”

“I’ll handle it. Are you okay?” An unfamiliar anxiousness tinges my tone.

I need her to be fine. She wrings her hands and nods. The tension in my muscles relax and I mirror her nod.

Dragging Daniel out of the lake, I take him to the dock. Willow follows. Each of our steps squelch from waterlogged shoes in the sand. It makes her giggle.

“Really?” I lift my brows.

“I think I’m a bit punchy.” She raises her own brows to match my expression. “You know, strung out from one too many adrenaline crashes tonight.”

I duck my head. “Yeah. Fair.” My boot nudges Daniel none too gently. “Move over to the post.”

When he does as I say, I take the life ring from the hook and use the length of rope to secure his arms behind him to the wooden post. Once I’m satisfied by the knot, I place a hand on the small of Willow’s back and guide her out of his line of sight where I can still keep an eye on him. I want her as far away from him as possible.

“He won’t bother you again.” I swipe damp hair from my eyes.

“Your hand.” She reaches for it, examining my busted knuckles with a frown. Blood oozes from the cuts. “The skin is broken.”

“Hazard of talking with your fists.”

She scoffs. “You’re so reckless.”

My response is interrupted by flashing lights. A security truck pulls up through the trees and the guard comes over.

“He’s over there.” I motion to Daniel. “Escort him out and ban him from the premises.”

“Do the police need to be contacted for a report to press charges?”

I look at Willow. She shakes her head. As the guard collects Daniel and takes him away, she steps closer to me. I wrap an arm around her shoulders. Any remaining anger I harbored towards her vanished the second I realized she was in danger. All that’s left is this tug from an invisible rope in my stomach when I’m around her.

“Are you seriously okay?”

It’s all I care about. This feeling expanding in my chest won’t chill out until I know she’s safe.

She gives me a wry smirk. “Do you mean after a stalker came out and then attacked me, or do you mean after what you did to me?”

“Both.” I blow out a breath. “The prank was stupid. What you said in the cabin—you were right. I’m sorry I took things out on you.”

She tilts her head, studying me. I want to kiss her. I grab her hip and dip my head, voice deepening.

“But I don’t want to take it all back.”

“No?”

“No. Call me twisted, but I enjoyed our foreplay.” My grip flexes on her hip and she leans into me with a shiver. “I think you did, too. Or you wouldn’t have fucked me.”

Her damp lashes skim her cheeks. They turn pink. I’m right.

“Then when I saw that guy all over you… I knew I wanted you to be mine more than anything. I wanted to protect you.”

She bites her lip. “And earlier, when you punched Lowell?”

“Yeah.” I tip her chin up and trace her lip. “You’re mine, goth girl. Only mine.”

Her blue eyes darken with want and she slips her arms inside my coat, around my waist. The urge to take her back to the cabin and prove she’s my girl all over again rushes up.

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