Chapter Three
Jo
“What do you mean he’s staying the night?” My sister’s voice catches as she speaks. “Are you guys…”
“ No. It’s nothing like that. He’s on his computer right now looking up possible suspects. I think it’s a false lead, but we’ll see.”
“Look at you, talking like a detective.”
“Well, ya know,” I flip my hair back despite the fact that she can’t see me, “I did spend summers at Scooby-Doo camp.”
“And you solved every mystery. You even got a trophy, didn’t you?” She laughs.
“Sure did. It’s my prized possession.” I’m joking, but only slightly. I loved that camp and spent every year there from fourth grade to junior high. You got one case and a week to solve it with a group of your friends. It was an escape room before they were a thing.
“I’m glad he’s there,” my sister says, her tone low. “Ox will keep you safe. He’s a force.”
That’s the truth. My clit throbs as I think about him calling me little one .
The real question, though, is why did he ignore it afterward?
“He seems pretty cool when you get to know him,” I finally say.
“Well, don’t go that far. He’s sort of aggressive and set in his ways.” My sister has never been the kind of girl to lie down and listen to anyone. In her mind, if you’re not taking her directions, you’re aggressive. “Are you okay? Do you want me to come over?”
“No.” I say the word so quickly that I fear I sound guilty. She, of course, picks up on this right away.
“That was fast. You sure you’re not thinking filthy things about Ox?” Her speech slows as she says, “There’s no denying he’s a big, strong, and sexy man.”
“Okay, don’t be gross. He’s your ex. I wouldn’t do that.”
She laughs. “I would! I’d do that all day long. Truthfully, I was hoping he’d want to catch up while I was in town. Seeing that body again makes a girl want to look past anything.”
I think this solidifies the fact that any fantasy I have about Ox going forward is just that… a fantasy. I can’t be thinking about a man my sister dated. And I definitely can’t be thinking about a man that my sister still wants to fuck. I think that might be in the sister handbook.
#1. Don’t touch a man your sister has already touched.
Yup, right there. Top of the list.
I wonder if they even dated long enough to touch. I want to ask, but I don’t think I want to know.
“Did you talk to Dad yet?”
“No. I’m not going to either. I’m just going to study and hope I can pull up my grade. Dinner was weird. Dad was going on and on about Mom. He wants to know every detail of this wedding. It’s not healthy.”
“No, it’s not. Maybe we should set him up with someone or get him an online profile.”
“Tried that. He’s against internet dating and insists on meeting someone the old-fashioned way.”
“How’s that?”
“He said he wanted to meet someone in person, like in aisle three at the General Store. I don—”
Ox knocks on the door, and it swings open. I can’t get over how big he looks in here. It’s almost comical. If by comical I mean my clit won’t stop throbbing every time his massive shoulders bump into everything as he moves through the space.
“I gotta run. I think there’s incoming news.”
“Okay. Let me know what’s going on.” The line disconnects and I swish my hand over the side of the bed, offering him a spot to sit. I came in here an hour ago when he started looking at his laptop. It was mostly because he went silent, and I was getting tired. I didn’t think we’d be circling back to a chat tonight.
“Is now a good time or are you going to bed?”
I glance down at the nightgown I’ve changed into. I should’ve thought this through. Pulling the blanket up against my chest, I shake my head. “No, I’m fine. Sit down. I want to know what you’ve found.”
He lowers his giant frame onto the bed with a heavy creak. It’s a big bed. I had it special ordered because I like room to flip and flop at night but even this seems small for a man the size of Ox.
“Is this the guy you’ve seen around?” He twists the laptop toward me, showing a photo of a thin built man with a short scruffy beard and sleeves of tattoos. He’s standing in front of a height chart. Six foot one . Fog rolls through my brain. He looks familiar, but I can’t be sure.
I glance toward Ox. “Why is he standing in front of a height chart?”
“He was arrested for battery twice last year. Based on the name and description he gave you, I think this is him.” He clears his throat. “After the arrests, it looks like this guy went back online with aliases to find women. It wasn’t until I checked your social media that I noticed a pattern in the names that were following you and some of the victims of his past batteries.”
He points to my phone as he says, “You’ve also got to change the settings on your phone. Whether you were doing your live posts from your yoga studio or just hanging at home with your cat, everything gives your exact location. Anyone who was looking for it could just pull your address without much effort.”
“What?” My stomach tightens and I pick up my phone. “I’m careful about that. I don’t leave my—” Sure enough my exact location is tagged in nearly every photo I’ve posted.
“Okay, I’m an idiot, but why is he following me? ”
Ox’s jaw tightens. If I didn’t know better, I’d think he was genuinely worried for me. “I’m not sure of an exact reason yet, but you and I are stuck together now. This guy is more dangerous than I thought.”
“Okay… how so?”
“Police in Texas are looking for him in connection with a murder of a young woman.”
I gasp and suck in small breaths of air. “What?”
“They only want him for questioning, but I’m guessing from what you’ve told me and the record he has that there’s a serious possibility that he’s the man they’re looking for.” He groans and stares at me. “That means we stay together. You don’t leave the trailer without me. Do you understand?”
No. I don’t understand. My mind is reeling. How did I trust a man who could do something like that to someone, and how am I dumb enough to leave my location on my phone?
I narrow my eyes at the giant. I don’t want him to leave… ever. In fact, I never want to be trusted to make a decision ever again. Hell, even this decision feels like it needs a second opinion. That said, there’s no way I’m spending the night alone. “Yes, you can stay with me.”
“Okay,” his tone softens as though he’s picking up on my fear, “I’ll call a couple of buddies and let them know what we’re dealing with. I want to have someone ready if we need backup.”
“Do you really think this is him?” I don’t know why I don’t want to believe it. “I mean, this guy is certainly Paul, but I didn’t get a great look at the man that’s following me. It could just be a coincidence or maybe I imagined the whole thing. When I told this story to the cops, they certainly gave me a look like it was possible.”
Ox narrows his gaze and lands his hand on top of mine. His rough skin has my clit throbbing again.
This is not the time, clit.
If his hand alone sends me into overdrive, I don’t want to sleep next to this giant. I’d be a pheromone factory pumping out levels that could kill a man.
“I’ll take care of you. Okay? You don’t need to worry. I’ve got this.” His tone is so soothing.
My chest expands, and warmth fills my stomach. ‘ I’ll take care of you.’ I’m not sure I’ve ever heard those words so genuinely spoken, at least not from anyone other than my parents and that’s not the same as a giant man oozing masculinity.
“So, what do we do?” I whisper. “The police report says this guy should be considered armed and dangerous.”
“I’m going to wait. Based on what you’ve told me, he’ll come back. And if it comes to a gun fight, I’ll win. His background is in finance. Mine is military. I was trained for this. He’s an amateur.”
I swallow hard at all this violent talk. I literally feel bad when I squash bugs. I usually just scoop them up and carry them back outside. Shooting anything sounds crazy. Then again, feeling protected at all costs sends a vibration through my body that I’ve never experienced before.
I like it.
“Anyway,” he groans and stands from the bed, “we should get some shut eye. It’s late. If you need anything tonight, just let me know. I’ll be right here.” His heavy frame crawls onto the opposite side of the mattress.
Ox maneuvers his way around the bed but stays on top of the covers. And though that’s very gentlemanly of him, there’s a part of me that wishes he were sinking beneath them.