Page 24 of Never Fear (Whiskey Ridge)
Chapter 12
McKenna
The moon wasn’t getting any lower as it blared through my bedroom window, the giant glowing orb almost mocking me for my inability to fall asleep after tonight’s events. I’d debated closing the curtain, thinking maybe that was the reason my heart wouldn’t stop racing, but the full moon was bright enough to light up every pine tree, acting as a spotlight on the forest surrounding my house. If someone was out there, I’d see them. And that was exactly how I wanted it.
Living in a small town in northern Idaho, we had an overabundance of pine, so even though my home was nestled in a quiet neighborhood, it still felt like I was in the forest. I couldn’t see my neighbors from any of my windows besides the front, so I rarely closed the curtains. I was sure if Austin knew about that, he’d get pissed—his favorite attitude lately—and tell me I needed to be more careful. But who wants to hear a noise outside and have to gather the courage to pull back a drape?
Not me, that’s for damn sure. I wanted to look thatsnooping fucker in the face. Especially after the man at the rodeo.
Plus, the only asshole who seemed to be in the mood for stalking me and not actually killing me was Austin, with his stupid fucking mask and perfectly sized arms and the way his voice grated on my nerves and my?—
Nope.
Not thinking of him while in bed.
Although, it hadn’t been the first time.
Fortunately for me tonight, I had half the mind to block out the man I couldn’t stop hating yet also couldn’t quit craving. Teasing him had become more of a hobby recently than I’d like to admit.
I needed some damn ice water or maybe a shot of vodka to snap me out of this so I could sleep. My shift tomorrow was from open to close, so if I didn’t get at least a few hours, I’d regret it in the morning.
Flinging the comforter off of me, I scooted out of bed and headed for the kitchen. On the way, my grumbling stomach reminded me I hadn’t eaten since lunch, so I figured I might as well grab a small snack as well.
After Brynne and Booker had met us at the truck, we promptly left. Austin told them what had happened, and I’d stayed silent. For once, I wasn’t in the mood to bicker with him. To correct his details or tell him he was exaggerating. Because, in truth, he’d remembered everything I’d told him perfectly.
Brynne had felt bad for not realizing what was happening, but I’d reassured her that it was okay. None of it was her fault.
Then, much to my surprise, they’d dropped me off at my house. Alone.
Everything had been eerily quiet since.
I rounded the corner and grabbed a plastic cup from the cabinet, then went to the fridge to fill it with ice. As I watched each cube land in the cup, the memory of me and Austin in that freezer days ago came floating back. The way he’d lifted my skirt, each little touch making my body hum. And when he’d slid the ice inside of me…
I pulled the cup away from the lever and moved it to the water dispenser. My head shook of its own accord, ridding the image from my mind. Just like in bed, now was not the time to be having dirty thoughts of Austin.
Once the cup was full, I brought it to my lips for a sip, thankful for how the cold liquid cooled my heated core. As I did, I turned to grab a granola bar from the pantry. Water went down the wrong pipe as I found someone staring at me from the entry to the kitchen, wearing all black—gloves, boots, jeans, a sweatshirt, and…a mask.
The cup slipped from my hand, landing on the floor and splattering its contents all around me. Austin’s head cocked to the side as I tried to control my coughing fit and the rapid beating of my heart.
“I could have fucking choked to death,” I sputtered, a hand plastered to my chest. A chest which, I quickly remembered, was completely bare save for my thin, white tank top. The material hid nothing from sight, and it seemed he noticed as his chin slowly dipped, eyes taking in my attire behind his mask before they landed on the mess below me.
I inhaled a deep breath, swallowing the tickle in my throat. “You need to stop stalking me!”
“Watching you is my favorite activity, McKenna.” His head lifted, his focus entirely on me. Enraptured with me in a way that held all the truth of his words. “Studying the things you do. How you try to tease me. Try to turn me on by kissing my best friend’s girlfriend.”
I really wished I hadn’t dropped my water. I needed to splash it all over my damn face to keep my mind from going utterly insane with the way he spoke to me. The confidence with which he flirted—if stalking and being obsessed was even flirting—made my clit throb beneath my sleep shorts. I always wanted to find someone who wasn’t afraid to take what they wanted.
I scoffed. Both at him and myself. He wasn’t someone I’d ever be with. We were simply…hate fucking, but without the actual fucking.
Actually, what the fuck were we doing?
I moved to the paper towels on the counter, careful not to slip on the water and ice. “You bring it up like you want me to do it again. Which, by the way, I’d be happy to.” I paused, the roll gripped in my hands as a smirk bloomed on my mouth. “I tasted her, but I didn’ttasteher.”
With the subtle flexing of his fists, satisfaction hit me. He couldn’t seriously be jealous of Brynne.
My shoulder rose in a small shrug before I took a few steps and kneeled in front of the puddle and now-melting ice.
“That’s not what I want,” he went on, not giving in to the way I baited him for a reaction.
