Page 6 of Cursed Mountain Man

“And if it doesn’t work?”

That was a good question. Anyone going through something similar would ask it. But in my case, there was an ulterior motive. I wanted to know if there’d be a reason to keep her in my life after tonight.

I could just ask her on a date, but if I did that, I’d be admitting to myself that I was actually dating again. And that had been something I’d permanently sworn off.

“Then come back and see me,” she said. “You know where to find me.”

Something about the way she said that last part got to me. My dick stirred. It was an invitation, but it had little to do with business. She was inviting me to track her down.

“I may do just that,” I said. “When are you usually there?”

“I’m going by the office now. I need to check in on some stuff.”

I looked at her, frowning. “You can’t just do all that from home?”

She was standing in the middle of my living room, looking as beautiful as she had earlier that day. She still wore the skirt suit, which probably meant she’d been working all day nonstop. Did she ever rest?

“I don’t like to go back to my apartment in Adairsville,” she said. “It’s kind of depressing. I’ve thought about trying to get a roommate, but I kind of like my own space, you know?”

She liked her own space, but her apartment was depressing. I’d assumed it was because she was living alone. I could definitely relate to the dread of coming home to an empty space. Nothing but emptiness and quiet. But maybe there was something else at play here.

“We could go sage your apartment,” I said. “Maybe put some salt in the corners.”

She laughed. “No, it’s not that. The energy’s fine. It just sucks going home to an empty place. I had five siblings growing up. There was always someone coming in and out of the house between us and our friends. I’m just not used to the silence, you know?”

I nodded. “I felt that way after coming back to the military base following my deployment. I got used to bunking with other guys. The silence forces you to listen to your thoughts.”

Her expression changed slightly. It was barely noticeable, but I caught it. Her eyes flickered and her mouth shifted. It was an expression that told me she’d just learned something new about me.

“I guess that’s why I came here,” I said. “There are plenty of fellow vets in Seduction Summit. It’s like we’re living on a military base.”

“In log cabins,” she said with a smile.

“Exactly. But that doesn’t help with…” I paused.

“It doesn’t help with the loneliness when you’re in your house alone,” she finished for me.

I nodded. She was right on the nose. But I didn’t want to look like a complete pussy in front of her. Normally, I’d be keeping all this stuff to myself, but I felt like I could be honest and open with Violet. She wouldn’t judge me. She got it.

“Yeah, that’s why I spend a lot of time at the office,” she said. “I like to exhaust myself and crawl into my bed and sleep until morning, when it’s time to get up and start all over again.”

“What about weekends?” I asked.

“Weekends are my busiest time. That’s when people are off work and ready to look at houses. People say I’m the hardest-working agent in this town. They don’t have to know the real reason I work such long hours.”

“They don’t.” I shook my head. “What’s said here stays here.”

A smile slowly spread across her face. “Well, thank you for dinner. And let me know if this doesn’t work.”

She grabbed her stuff and headed out the door. As I closed it behind her, I turned and looked around my cabin.

No, it didn’t feel nearly as creepy for some reason. Maybe that was because she’d just been here. Or maybe I was assuming the voodoo magic had actually accomplished something. But replacing the creepy feeling was intense emptiness. Something was missing, and I knew exactly what that something was.

Violet had already worked her way into my heart. And now things just felt wrong without her.

5

VIOLET

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