“Khloe. Where you going on me? I feel you pulling away.”
“I’m pinned between you and your car. I literally can’t go anywhere.”
“Not what I mean and you know it.”
I do. “This is all too much,” I admit. I am all over the place with how I am feeling. I can’t keep up with my own emotions and they’re mine! “I can’t do this.”
One second I want him away from me and the next I’m going to lose it because someone else wants him. All the women around here do. I just left one man that couldn't keep it in his pants. I can’t date someone that every woman around me is throwing themselves at. It would drive me insane. Not to mention the exes that might be running around too.
“Look at me, Khloe,” he orders. I drop my head back, my eyes meeting his. “But you feel alive, don’t you?”
His question catches me off guard. He’s right. I do.
13
Dane
The yes flickers in her eyes and the heat level inside my body goes from ten to one hundred and ten in a flash. If it weren’t for Tina peeking out her window, I’d pull down the elastic waistband on Khloe’s sweatpants and give her a little finger fuck—just to tide her over until she’s ready for the main course. I settle for giving Khloe an open-mouthed kiss that leaves her slightly dazed.
“Come on,” I tell her, tucking her hand in mine. “Let’s check this out so we can go home.”
“To my home.”
“Sure. If that’s where you want to bed down tonight.”
“I mean, I’m going to my home and you’re going to your home,” she clarifies.
“That doesn’t sound enjoyable.” The ground next to Tina’s house is packed solid. We’ll need some rain soon or the farmers will start complaining.
“It will be for me. I’m going to finish organizing and then take a bath.”
“Sounds good. I’ll just watch TV while you’re doing your thing.” I shine the flashlight ahead of me. Tina’s lawn has been freshly cut courtesy of Don Larson, who has had a crush on Tina since they were in middle school. Not sure why they aren’t together.
“At your house.”
“Yeah, you can come to my house and have a bath. I get it cleaned once a week.”
“Great. That means you can take a bath at your house while I take one at mine. Isn’t it nice how that works because we both have separate houses.”
“Mmm-hmmm.” A depression in the ground near a window catches my eye. I push Khloe behind me and shine the light over that area. What I see makes me stiffen. “Go back to the car, Khloe,” I order.
“What is it?” Her hand clutches at my back, immediately sensing the change in my mood. I’ll examine that later, but for now, I need to get her to safety.
“Go back to the car and lock it.”
“But—“
“No buts,” I say firmly. In fact, I’m going to escort her there now. I grab her wrist and hustle her back to the squad car. She doesn’t argue, which makes my job a little easier. I don’t want to manhandle her, but if it’s a choice between making sure she’s not harmed and her being mad at me, I’ll pick the first one.
“Someone’s out there, huh?” she says quietly as I open the car door.
“Maybe. Now get inside and wait for me.” I press the lock button and slam the door shut. Once she’s taken care of, I call Ren.
“You get the thing taken care of at Easters?” I ask when he picks up.
“There was a bat caught inside one of the eaves. We pulled the pipe off and freed it. You?”
I’ll have to stop over tomorrow and help Frank Easter fix that. He’s got a bad back. “Not yet. I’d like you to come over.”
“Tina’s giving you a hard time, eh?” he chuckles. I hear the jingle of his keys as he gets up from his desk. “What’s she wearing this time?”
“Not sure.” Not much was the correct answer. “But she’s probably not going to come out of her house for a while. I found a footprint on the west side under her bathroom window.”
“Oh, fuck.”
“Yeah.”
“I’ll be there in ten.”
I hang up the phone and knock against the window. Khloe rolls it down.
“What’s up?”
“Ren’s coming over, but in the meantime, I’m going to take a look around. Remember what I said. Don’t unlock the door for anyone, not even Ren. You got me?”
“Okay.”
“I appreciate it.”
“As long it makes sense to me, I’m