Page 16 of Demon

We walk further until we’re at her hip height. I shiver. The water is freezing. She tugs on my hand. “Come on, let’s go further.”

“Not too much further,” I reply. “I want you to be able to touch the bottom.”

“I can swim,” she shoots back with attitude.

I raise a brow. “I know you can.” I can’t help but be overprotective of her.

We walk further until she’s at chest height. I lower myself until the water reaches my shoulders. I shiver again. I peer up at the sand, where my bag is. I’m feeling uncomfortable that my belongings are on the sand away from me, especially my phone and wallet. But when I looked into Crown Village before we moved here, all indications were the crime rate is low.

Farther away, in the far distance, stands a man wearing black. I can faintly see he has tattoos.Is that Jett?

“Mom, Mom,” Sammy says, pulling my attention away. “Can we get one of those?” She points to the shallows, where kids are playing on a boogie board.

“If you’re good, maybe Santa will bring you one.”

She smiles brightly. “I’m always good. So, I’ll definitely be getting one of those.”

I chuckle. “Is that so?”

She bobs her head, and some of her hair falls into her face. “Yep.”

I return my gaze to the shore again, but the man is no longer there. I’m daydreaming of Jett now.

After spending time at the beach and grabbing an ice cream, we head home. I make us a sandwich for lunch, and we watch a kid’s movie. Both Sammy and I fall asleep while watching it. When I wake up, I do some housework and get ready for my appointment at the nursing home. I put on a flowery dress, leave my hair out in the beach waves, and do my makeup.

Sammy pops her head in as I’m finishing the cat-eye look. “You’re so pretty!”

My heart contracts. “Thank you.” I turn, crouch down in front of her, and tuck a strand of her hair behind her ear. “I have to help a friend for an hour or so, but I won’t be long. Sandra said you can play there until I get back.”

“Okay,” she replies.

I blow out a breath. No arguments. She’s such a good girl. “Are you ready?” I ask her.

“Yep,” she says.

I take her to Sandra’s, then drive to the nursing home. My heart races as I park next to Jett, who is standing by his motorcycle. Over six feet of deliciousness. After grabbing my handbag, I get out of the car. I flash him an effortless smile. I can’t see his eyes behind his sunglasses, but a hint of a smile curls the corner of his lip. I can’t wait to see this man give me a real smile.

I feel his eyes on me as I close the door and walk to him. “Were you by any chance at the beach today?” I ask playfully.

“And if I was?” His voice reflects mine.

I don’t know what to think or how to feel about that. Was he following me, or is he joking? His unreadable expression always makes it hard to judge.

I cast a look at the nursing home, knowing the appointment is in ten minutes. “Is there anything in particular you’d like me to ask?”

He slowly shakes his head. “Madeline starts here tomorrow.”

I touch my forehead and stare. “What do you mean?”

“There’s a guy in the MC who’s done the research. The feedback was positive. I put an application in and got accepted. Madeline comes here tomorrow.”

My brows knit together. “Why didn’t you tell me?”

His motorcycle boots eat up the distance between us until we are standing so close I can smell his minty breath. He raises a tattooed hand, the one with the rose tattoo. I stay perfectly still, craving his touch so much that my nails dig into my palm. He sweeps an unruly piece of hair out of my face, sliding it between his fingers. A hurricane of need sweeps through my body. I stare at his full lips. His hand falls to his side, and he takes a large step back while shaking his head. My cheeks flush. Disappointment slices me.

“Did you want to see me this afternoon?” I probe, wanting to know why I’m here.

His jaw tightens. There’s a brief silence, and I wonder if he even knows his reason for wanting to see me.

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