Page 45 of Swallow Your Fear
“I’ll pass,” I grumbled as Henley and Austin eagerly took one each from her. McKenna passed one up to Brynne as well.
I watched as she uncapped it, then kept her eyes on me as she downed the entire thing in one gulp, her pink lips wrapping around the top. I hated fireball, but fuck me for wanting to know what it tasted like on her tongue. As soon as the last drop left the bottle and her face scrunched from the alcohol, I wrapped a hand around the back of her neck, making her lean over the center console to press her lips to mine. I darted my tongue into her mouth, lapping up the cinnamon flavor mixed with her sweet, minty taste. I could’ve gotten drunk off this alone.
Satisfied with the flavor that now bouncedaround in my own mouth, I let her settle back in her seat, then shifted into drive to head toward the haunted house. It sat on the outskirts of town, right at the peak of Whiskey Hill. It was the tallest point in all of town, hence it taking part of the name. I didn’t believe the place was actually haunted. The county most likely started the rumors themselves to make money off people wanting to run around an old, abandoned house with the thought of ghosts or other eerie things following them.
It was all a gimmick, but Brynne and her best friend wanted to go, so we’d entertain it only for tonight—to let loose after the shit week we’d all had.
Once Chase’s boss inevitably figured out the deed was missing, I was sure he’d come looking for it, but there was no way I’d let it go a second time. He’d have to kill all three of us and pry it from our cold, lifeless hands if he wanted it.
The parking lot for the haunted house was nearly full, so I parked the truck at the back of the lot, hoping it’d be easier to leave once we were done here. Turning off the engine, we all got out, then headed toward the line leading into the attraction.
“I bought all our tickets beforehand,” McKenna said, pulling her phone out of her handbag as we stopped at the end of the line.
Brynne stood beside me, and I glanced down at her, not sure how to go about being in public together. I’d never really had an official girlfriend, always just on and off flings. But Brynne was clearly more. Hell, if she wasn’t, she would be. I wasn’t letting her go.
Lacing my hand into hers, I turned her so her back was to my chest, then I wrapped an arm around her shoulders.Her hand stayed in mine, and I ran a thumb along her skin. It felt nice to not have the pressure of getting the deed back anymore, or dealing with her ex, or a target on her back—for the time being. Tonight, we could have fun.
It was something I hadn’t allowed myself to do in a long time.
The ranch always came first. Keeping it afloat assured me, Henley, and Austin that we’d have a place to live. We worked hard, earned every penny to get where we were today, and I wouldn’t let that be pulled out from under us so easily.
Now, I had a girl to share it with. One who unexpectedly came into my life and opened my heart under scalpel and knife, inserting herself into it without even knowing.
A few minutes later, we approached the front of the line, and a man scanned the barcode lit up on McKenna’s phone, allowing us entry. The five of us walked up the steep hill, approaching the tall, open doors that entered into darkness. Screams rent through the air from the inside, people presumably jumping out from behind hidden corners and scaring their friends.
We stopped in front of the entrance, staring up at the house that loomed before us like hell itself. Pieces of wood had fallen off in various places, proving it was unstable in and of itself. Black paint peeled off the shutters, windows were shattered, and a decaying smell wafted out from the inside, stinging my nostrils.
With an arm looped around Brynne’s waist, I ran a hand down her forearm, feeling the goosebumps that peppered her skin from the cold.
“If you’re scared, we can always take this back to theranch,” I murmured in her ear. I could elicit the same thrill they were seeking here. I was sure Austin wouldn’t mind having his fun with McKenna, either.
Brynne swallowed, shaking her head as a couple passed us. “No. We always go in, don’t we, McKenna?”
McKenna flicked her attention to her best friend. “Every year.”
With that, Austin, Henley, and I situated our masks on our faces, then we stepped over the threshold. The wooden beam creaked under our combined weight, and then we were thrust into darkness.
Chapter 19
Brynne
Ithought being inside the creepy house would be a bit warmer than outside, but I was sorely mistaken. If anything, the air seemed to drop ten degrees just stepping inside the door. Wearing such a revealing outfit wasn’t the smartest thing to do in the northern Idaho fall weather, but McKenna had insisted. I had the biggest feeling she planned our costumes as such because she wanted one of the guys to give her their sweatshirt. With the way Austin stayed close behind her, a hand ghosting her waist, I wouldn’t doubt he’d be offering soon. Booker, on the other hand, would wait until I asked. Internally, I knew he’d give it up without question, but he wasn’t the kind of guy who would outright ask if I wanted it, and I liked that about him. So many of my ex-boyfriends would be weird if I wore their clothes, or they’d force it onto me when I didn’t actually want them. But Booker demanded, and already, he took care of me when he knew I needed it.
“Let’s go to the basement first,” McKenna said, leadingus toward the staircase that, upon first look, led to nothing but a pit of black.
“We usually hit there last,” I reminded her. We avoided it in the beginning because it was no secret that all the couples went down there to find dark corners to make out in. If we waited until last, they’d typically cleared out by then, taking their flaming hormones elsewhere.
McKenna wagged her eyebrows. “Let’s change it up this year.”
Her eager smile made me all too aware of what she was thinking.
I looked up at Booker, who was watching our surroundings from behind his mask, surveying the people that ran every which way all around us, seeking their next thrill.
“The basement okay?” I asked him.
His dark eyes moved to me. “Anywhere you want, Darlin’. We’re following you tonight.”
A slight zing zipped through my body at the fact that they were taking my direction. I wanted to do more than just lead them around a scary house, but this would have to suffice. For now.
