Page 77 of No Turning Back
He studies me for a beat, then gives a sharp nod. “Where’s your gun?”
“In my bedroom.”
The look he gives me could cut glass.
“What?” I throw my hands up. “Am I supposed to see patients with a Glock on my hip? Besides, I don’t have a carry permit.”
His glare doesn’t ease.
“Where’syourgun then?” I shoot back.
That gets him. His eyes flick guiltily toward the stairs.
I narrow mine. “Uh-huh. Exactly.”
He mutters something under his breath, then sidesteps me and heads toward the side of the bunkhouse. A moment later he reappears with two hefty sticks, his more like an entire tree branch than anything else.
“These will have to do,” he says, handing me the smaller one.
I heft it in my hand, pulse hammering. “Great. We’re about to fight off sex-crazed intruders with yard waste.”
The corner of his mouth twitches like he’s fighting a smile, but his eyes stay sharp, locked on the house.
We ease in through the back door, Sam first, me glued to his shoulder. We leave Blue outside. The house feels different, every shadow sharper, every creak louder. My grip on the stick is slick with sweat, but I keep it raised, ready.
The stairs loom ahead, dark and heavy, and we start climbing in sync with slow, measured steps, his body half-turned to shield me, my breath shallow in my chest.
Halfway up, the sounds start again, louder this time. The girl’s voice is crystal clear now, and honestly, she could use some original lines.
“Spank me, Daddy!” echoes down the hall.
Sam and I freeze at his bedroom door. We stare at each other awkwardly. My eyes say,Should we let them finish?His say,Are you kidding me?
I gesture at him to open the door. He shoots me anotherseriously?look. Then, before he can move, the voice changes.
“With just $8.99 you could watch Lacey do all kinds of dirty-”
Rolling my eyes, I shove the door open.
Sam’s laptop sits wide open on his bed, screen facing the opposite wall but clear enough to tell exactly what ad just hijacked his browser.
His face goes crimson. With burning cheeks, he practically lunges across the room to slam it shut. The silence afterward is deafening.
“I was watching a movie,” he mutters, not meeting my eyes. “On some pirated site. It… must’ve switched to an ad.”
“Uh-huh.” I smirk, arms crossed.
“It did! Why the hell would I leave porn on?”
“Don’t be ashamed, Sam,” I tease, letting the grin spread. “I watch porn too. Just… use headphones next time.”
He goes from embarrassed to… intrigued. His eyes narrow, lips twitching like he’s fighting a smile.
“You do?” he asks, voice lower now.
I blink. “Of course. Women get horny too, Sam.”
He doesn’t laugh. Doesn’t joke. Just keeps staring at me, that intense, unreadable look in his eyes that makes my stomach flip. I gesture vaguely toward the door, trying to diffuse the sudden tension. “I should… leave you to it.”
