“THIS IS SO GROSS,” MILO said shuddering. “I can’t believe Thom Renzo didn’t think to put bulbs in the sockets so that we could at least have better light than just our flashlights.”
“Think of it as a grand adventure,” Memphis said excitedly.
Sweeping my flashlight from left to right, I stepped forward into the cellar. “You can go back upstairs if you’re bothered by dirt and dust, Milo. Memphis and I will be at this awhile.” There were boxes stacked on top of boxes in every direction. I had learned long ago that the pack rat gene wasn’t isolated to a specific income class. I had a feeling that the Renzo estate was going to be the jackpot, but it would require both grit and patience. One of those traits came more natural to me than the other.
Patience was especially hard to come by after the week I had. It started off with Thom Renzo putting me off for a week after he’d already given me the green light. He waited until Milo, Memphis, and I were on our way to his parents’ home the previous Friday before he canceled our appointment through the real estate agent. I was immediately suspicious because Becker said that he wouldn’t confirm another date when I could come out. It sounded shady to me, but I tried to look on the bright side instead of thinking that the squirrelly fucker gave someone else first crack at the good stuff.
Friday night at home wasn’t a depressing option though when I lived next to an extraordinarily sexy man who rocked my world in ways I never dreamed possible. After the way we connected, I was sure he would be just as eager to have me again as I was him. Elijah had told me that he was off duty until Monday and I figured there was no better way for him to pass a cold winter weekend than getting naked and burying his dick inside me. Hell, I couldn’t wipe the grin off my face as I dropped Milo and Memphis off at their homes because I was certain of the way I’d spend the night. I pictured a strong, powerful body between my legs, or beneath me, hot kisses that stretched into hours, and more orgasms than I could count.
Except, his house was dark and his truck was gone when I pulled into my driveway. I didn’t let that deter me. I took a shower and made sure all of me was smooth and soft everywhere before I slid into my Wonder Woman pajamas. I didn’t want to be too obvious that I was attempting to seduce him, so I went without a bra since he seemed to like that the first time, and situated my silk pj pants low on my hips so he could get a peek at the belly button ring I slid into place. I thought the little flash of silver would capture his attention and make him want to put his mouth on my stomach before he kissed a path lower.
I settled in my recliner beneath his blanket that I had failed to return to him and waited for the rumble of his ginormous truck. Hours ticked by, giving me too much time to think. Had I dreamt him? I pushed my pajama bottoms down enough to see the love bite he left on my mound above my clit. Nope, he was real. Just looking at it turned me on, but I refrained from making myself come. I knew that whatever he gave me would be a hundred times better than anything I did solo.
The rumble never came Friday night, nor did it come during anytime on Saturday. Elijah didn’t return home until late Sunday evening. Of course, I didn’t sit my sappy ass in that chair with his blanket the entire weekend. I wasn’t that girl anymore dammit! I was mature, and I had a busy life. I didn’t sit around and pine after a man. No, I did fun things and… Who am I trying to fool? I worked long hours Saturday and Sunday so that I wouldn’t pine after Elijah’s dick. When I wasn’t working, I was wrapped in that stupid fucking blanket with Lulu while I beat myself up for being so damn stupid. Again.
It was just sex, Maegan. Earth-shattering, life-affirming, saw-fireworks-behind-my-eyelids sex, but still sex. Don’t confuse that with real affection just because he made you come.
That might’ve been true, but that didn’t squelch the arousal that crested inside me when I smelled him on my sheets and pillowcase. Nor did it stop me from pretending it was his hands or lips teasing my nipples and clit or his dick inside me instead of a vibrator when my lust from knowing he was nearby made it too hard to sleep Sunday night.
Monday dawned bright and sunny, even though it was nip-hardening cold. The thought occurred to me that I should walk my ass over to Elijah’s house and offer him a free Danish and coffee as a welcome to the Blissville PD, but I heard him leaving while I was in the shower. Sure, I was disappointed but convinced I’d have the chance to talk to him that evening.
I wasn’t wrong. Elijah was taking his trash can to the curb for Tuesday trash pickup when I pulled into my driveway. I got out of my SUV with a big smile on my face, but it melted when I saw the hesitation in his eyes during his tepid greeting. A sinking feeling took root in my stomach that Elijah had deliberately avoided me all weekend, and he couldn’t have been more obvious that my attention wasn’t welcome.
I was proud of the way I handled myself though. I didn’t flip him off or give him a reason he could use to justify his abrupt change in attitude toward me. I offered him a small smile and wished him a nice evening, even though I wanted to kick over his trash can. Once inside, I allowed myself to feel the disappointment; in fact, I embraced the sting of rejection and used it as fuel. I marched up to my room, stripped my bed and tossed it all in the washing machine. I should’ve washed the blanket I borrowed from him too, but I wasn’t quite ready to wash his scent off everything just yet. I planned to return it to Elijah after enough time passed that I didn’t look like I was using it as an excuse to see him.
I wasn’t that girl. When it was over; it was over. I wouldn’t beg him for attention nor would I leave my window open a crack to give him a taste of what he was missing. I nailed that window shut, knowing it was best to move on and find a guy who knew what he wanted and wasn’t emotionally closed off. If that never happened, at least I had my friends, family, a career I loved, and my precious Lulu.
I stuck to my guns all week long and only masturbated to the memories of him twice, but I saw that as progress. My heart and mind were certain that I no longer wanted anything to do with Elijah Markham, but my body mourned his absence in our life. My clit pulsed every time I heard the rumble of his truck, but she wasn’t running the show.
“I can handle dirt and dust,” Milo said, pulling me back to reality. “It’s the thought of finding a dead body that bothers me.
“Milo, there’s nothing to be afraid of down—” A big, hairy spider dropped from the ceiling on its web right in front of my face. I screamed loud enough to wake the dead body if there was one, then followed it with “OH MY FUCKING GOD!” when the spider swung toward me instead of scampering to get away. I felt it crawl across my forehead and into my hair. “GET IT OUT! GET IT OUT! GET IT OUT!” I dropped my flashlight and did the crazy, spider-in-the-hair dance while thrashing my head around and shaking the strands furiously so the bastard would fall out.
“Hold still and I’ll help you,” Memphis said seriously. He tried to keep up with my constant turns to the left and right. I felt his hands on my head, but I just knew if I stopped moving the spider would crawl inside my ear and lay eggs that would eventually hatch and burrow inside my brain. Left, right, left again. I turned, pivoted, and circled around like I was doing the spider samba.
Memphis stepped forward and reached for my head again, but I turned and bumped him with my elbows, knocking his flashlight out of his hands too. Then I stumbled into the rest of the web, where I was certain the spider’s family was waiting to pounce on me. I screamed and waved my arms around trying to get free while Memphis bobbed and weaved to avoid my fists and elbows.
“You’re okay, Maegan,” Memphis said soothingly. “Just calm down.”
What did my twin brother do? He doubled over laughing at the spectacle I made, and in doing so, aimed his flashlight down toward the dirt-packed floor of the storage cellar. All three flashlight beams were aimed in different directions on the ground and not in the air where I was desperately trying to untangle myself from the killer, brain-eating spiders.
Milo’s laughter died as quickly as it started. “Oh, fuck!”
“Oh my God! Are there more of them? How many? I can’t see anything!”
“We have bigger problems than that one tiny spider, Maegan.”
I wanted to argue that it was a huge, brain-devouring spider, but the seriousness of Milo’s tone stopped me in my tracks. I looked in the direction I last saw him and followed his beam of light. “Is that blood?”
“Yes,” Milo said. “A lot of it. And there’s a trail leading back behind those boxes.”
“Is someone down here with us?” Memphis asked, sounding like the lead guy on his favorite ghost hunting show.
“Let’s go back upstairs and call nine-one-one,” I said. I was no expert, but it wasn’t likely that whoever lost that much blood was still alive to tell about it.
The three of us got upstairs as quickly as we could and waited for the police to arrive in my SUV. Unfortunately for me, the first of the BPD’s finest to arrive on the scene was the last one that I wanted to see.
A few of the officers came to my SUV and informed us that Detective Markham wanted to separate us for individual interviews. Why couldn’t he tell us that? We were put in three separate squad cars, but at least they left the engines running to keep us warm. I appreciated the gesture, but shock, fear, and isolation caused my body to shake so hard my teeth rattled. I watched as more officers showed up, followed by the crime scene guys, and our county coroner. That’s when I realized the situation was as bad as I had feared.
I wanted to see Elijah and hear him tell me that I was going to be okay. Instead, he didn’t look in my direction after his initial shock that I was at his crime scene. He just went about his investigation, which included talking to Milo and Memphis then sending them home in the back of their squad cars. I knew that neither of them chose to leave me by myself at the crime scene. Why isolate me? It was like Elijah was angry at me or something, but he would have to care about me for that to happen.
I felt my blood drain when the coroner loaded the black bag into the back of his van and drove off. There was only a scattering of officers and crime scene personnel on the scene by the time that Elijah could no longer delay talking to me. He approached the squad car with long, confident strides and pulled the rear passenger door open briskly. I expected him to ask me to step out of the car like he had Memphis and Milo, but instead, he climbed in beside me and shut the door.
Earlier, I would’ve been so grateful to have him sit beside me but not after an hour of waiting and being ignored. I was cold, afraid, and angry. I didn’t want him to see me as weak, so I mentally held myself together. I imagined a warm blanket, but not his, wrapped tightly around me and willed my teeth to stop chattering. I felt his intense regard as he looked me over from head to toe, but I didn’t dare look at him for risk of falling apart.
“What were you doing here tonight, Maegan?” Elijah finally asked.
“I’m sure Milo and Memphis told you.” Yeah, my voice was as frosty as you’d expect it to be.
Elijah released a frustrated sigh then said, “I want to hear it from you.”
“Thom Renzo sent me an email and gave me the okay to look through his parents’ estate to see if there is anything I’d like to buy for my shop,” I told him. “I was supposed to do it last week, but he canceled our appointment at the last minute.”
“How’d you get in?”
“The email contained the code to the lockbox on the front door.”
“Was he supposed to meet you here?” Elijah asked.
“He didn’t say, but I assumed not since he provided the code and there was no other vehicle parked here.”
“Hmmm.” His response caused me to turn and look at him.
“What’s that mean, Detective Markham?” He looked surprised that I addressed him formally.
“Is that typical for someone to trust you to go looking through their heirlooms by yourself?”
I turned in my seat to face him the best I could. “Are you implying that I’m not trustworthy?”
“Not at all,” he replied, shaking his head. “I’m just asking if that’s typical of someone to show you that much trust.”
“I’ve earned a reputation as an honest and reliable business woman. I have never cheated anyone, and I’d never steal anything!”
“How do you feel about killing people?”
I’m sure my dramatically raised brows and slacked jaw made me look like a cartoon character. Nothing was funny about the situation. “Right this minute, Detective?” I asked.
“You look mad enough to kill right now,” he said. “Are you having murderous thoughts?”
“Toward you?” I crossed my arms over my chest, drawing his attention to my full breasts, even though they were hidden beneath a thick coat. “Why would you think that?” Did he think I was still pining after his cock, bemoaning the fact that his lips were no longer pressed against my pussy?
“It’s just a vibe I’m picking up on.”
“Hmmm, how astute of you.”
“It does come in handy,” he quipped. “Why don’t you run me through your night, so that you can get home. I’m sure Lulu misses you.”
He listened without interruption while jotting stuff down in his little notebook. When he was finished, he closed it and tucked it back inside his pocket. “So, the spider is responsible for your hair?”
“What?” I raised my hands up to my head and was horrified when they met what felt like a rat’s nest. I scooted over and looked in the rearview mirror of the squad car and was horrified by my reflection. “Oh my God. Could this week get any worse?”
“Hey, your hair looks better than Thom Renzo’s,” Elijah said.
Just like that, the tenuous hold on my emotions snapped, and I burst into tears.