Page 31 of Hide and Seek
“I don’t know what to tell you,” he murmurs. “Common sense would tell you not to work night shift in a morgue until the threat is gone. But if stepping back from your work for a little while isn’t an option, then you need to speak to your boss and let him know what’s going on. You know you can always call me if you need anything, but you need to see if hospital security could have someone watching out for you.”
I nod, knowing he’s right, but I don’t like my options.
The moment I tell Dr. McKullan, I can wave goodbye to my night shifts. As for asking the hospital security to keep an eye out, that’s not entirely a bad idea. I can’t fault that. I’m going to have to talk to them anyway. It’s one thing to not tell Dr. McKullan the finer details of last night’s case, but now that a body has gone missing, a report needs to be filed, and an investigation will be opened.
Knight watches me for a moment, and there’s no denying that he has something to say, only as he reaches for me and goes to open his mouth, a notification comes through on his phone. “Shit,” he mutters, checking his messages. “I’m being called out to a scene. I’ve got to run, but I’m going to talk to Detective Gray and see what he knows.”
“Okay,” I say, nervously crossing my arms over my chest. I was brave before, but now that Knight is leaving me alone here for the night, that courage is slipping away. “Let me know if he has any leads.”
Knight nods, and with that, he turns and stalks out the door, leaving me alone in the morgue with nothing but my own determination and sheer idiocy to keep me safe.
12
HARPER-RAYN
Water spurts out of my mouth like a violent, messy fountain as I read Laith’s latest text.
If there’s one thing I will always appreciate about Laith Mitchell, it’s that he knows how to keep me on my toes. I never know what I’m going to get with him, and I love that about him. There’s nothing quite like a man who can keep a woman interested.
The only problem is, no matter how enticing his words are or just how well I know he’s going to put it down, I don’t think I could let him touch me, not without picturing my step-uncle in his place.
What the fuck is wrong with me? One taste of Knight Slater, and I’m ruined. But is it really that bad? Laith probably wouldn’t care if I was thinking about another man while he was fucking me into oblivion. Knowing him, he’d probably get off on the idea and treat it like a challenge.
It’s not as though we have a moral high ground that we fuck by. There’s no contract stating I can’t be interested in someone else, and we’re sure as fuck not exclusive. We’re free to do and please whoever we want. We just have mutual respect for one another and a good moral compass. You know, apart from when I’m daring him to disrespect me in the filthiest ways.
After putting my water bottle down and grabbing a few tissues from the holder on my desk, I quickly mop up my spilled water and hope like hell that I haven’t ruined any of the notes I took on the two autopsies I’ve meticulously worked through tonight.
Once my desk is back in order, I grab my phone again as a stupid smile pulls across my lips, and I prepare myself to rip this fucker from limb to limb.
I hit send before slowly typing out another message, yet with every new letter, I feel dread sinking deep into my stomach. I don’t understand it, and while my finger hovers over the send button, I can’t bring myself to pull back.
I don’t owe Knight anything. We’re not together and we’re sure as hell not about to become anything more than a random, crazy morning blowjob. He’s my step-uncle for fuck’s sake. I should be pushing this thing with Laith, not fantasizing about the way Knight’s veins felt against my tongue.
I hit send.
Fuck. Fuck. Fuck.
Why do I suddenly feel so sick?
This was a mistake.
I get halfway through typing out my rambled response when Laith’s response finally comes through, and before I’ve even finished reading through his message, I quickly delete my text before I accidentally hit send.
Laughing to myself, I put my phone away and try to focus on the report in front of me, but my little freak-out over potentially seeing Laith tonight is screwing with my head.
Bottom line: there shouldn’t have been a problem. There shouldn’t have even been a second of hesitation on my part. Yeah, okay. Knight Slater is every kind of delicious I always knew he would be, but Laith is realistic. He’s safe. He gives me more than what I need and knows where my boundaries are—most of the time. It’s easy with him.
Knight would be nothing but chaos—but a sexy chaos. The kind of chaos that would leave my mother in tatters, and there’s no denying the allure that brings.
What am I even doing weighing the options as though either one of them actually exists? A relationship with Knight isn’t even something that’s on the table. It was a one-time thing. He doesn’t strike me as the kind of man who’s about to get possessive. Though there’s no denying how damn hot that would be. As for Laith, we set our boundaries in cement a long time ago. Neither of us wants anything more than just a casual hookup, so what the hell does it even matter?
Neither of these men pose any kind of threat to my immediate single status, and that’s the way I want to keep it. I don’t want to be tied down . . . Well, at least not metaphorically. I certainly wouldn’t argue if Knight wanted to strap me to his bed and have me in every possible way.
Damn. Now there really are tears rolling down my thighs.
I need to get a grip—or another vibrator.
Standing from my file-covered desk, I stretch out my body and take three quick laps around the empty autopsy table, desperately needing to get my head in the zone. I can’t be thinking about this shit while I’m working. It’s unprofessional, and not to mention, disrespectful to the victims I’m trying to report on. If they knew the filthy thoughts that were rollingthrough my head while I was trying to work on their case, they’d be rolling in their graves. Well, when they eventually get one, of course. I suppose they’d be rolling in their body bags instead. Though that doesn’t have the same ring to it.
