“Are you watching me, love?” Ollie whispered, his hand washing over the length of him.
I just showered, and I was wet all over again.
My gaze roamed over him. Yes, I was, and I’d gladly watch him shower, dress, sleep, eat, make love to me, everything. “Are you okay with that?” I asked, and I bit the inside of my cheek, fighting the urge to touch his skin.
“I need your eyes on me, you know this,” a grin spread across his face as he turned his back to me to rinse off, “Just wanted to make sure.” Tease. Ollie turned off the water, and I threw him his towel, and he rubbed it over his hair. “You sure Scott needs you?”
The way his half hard-on stood and my core thumped second-guessed my entire night. “I can’t talk to you like this,” I breathed and closed the curtain shut. Ollie laughed while my back hit the tile, and I crossed my arms, waiting for him to come out.
We rushed out of the bathroom and down the hall, laughing until we made it behind closed doors and inside our little heaven we created. Mouths crashed as Ollie stripped off my clothes in a frenzy. “Mia, I’m not playing around,” he muttered between kisses, “We’re making sweet love, and you’re staying with me until I fall asleep.”
I nodded, and our lips collided once more.
Over and over and over again.
It took forever for Ollie to fall asleep. He refused to unlatch from me and to be honest, I didn’t want him to. But Ethan needed me.
I slipped away from Ollie’s hold and found my clothes in the dark. My need to kiss him outweighed the chance of him waking up and begging me not to go. “I love you,” I whispered before pulling away. Ollie didn’t stir. He never did. Sound asleep on his side, Ollie’s arm crossed over the mattress where my body should be.
The black hoodie engulfed me, but it was warm, and it was Ollie’s. It read, “Poetic.” Somehow, he had gotten another one and said this one was mine now.
Once the door closed lightly behind me, I turned my attention down the hall to where Ethan waited.
“Took you long enough.” Ethan fell into a walk in my direction.
Together, we walked silently through the creepy campus until we got to Lynch’s office. Ethan grabbed the ring from his belt and sifted through the keys. “Only the student files,” he coached me while jiggling the door open. “That’s it.”
“Aye, aye, Captain.”
The door creaked open, and if Ethan weren’t here, I’d swear I still wouldn’t be the only one in the room. Yes, I was the girl who thought ghosts were real, but I’d never been afraid of them. There were darker things in this world to be scared of, much more wicked than a spirit—something that could physically touch you.
“Jett?” Ethan interrupted my thoughts. My eyes snapped over to him, standing behind the desk with a flashlight in his hand. “Let’s get this over with, yeah?”
“Right.” I walked around the desk and crouched down in front of him. “Flashlight?” I held out my hand.
Ethan exhaled behind me and dropped it into my hand. I put the sucker between my teeth, and filtered through the files. “Whas oos las aai?”
“What?” he chuckled.
I grabbed the flashlight out of my mouth. “What’s Jude’s last name?”
“Hell if I know.”
My fingers touched over every passing manila folder. Every familiar name I came across, I pulled out and handed it over to Ethan behind me. Madilyn. Brianna. Tyler. My finger touched over Oliver Masters and there was a skip in my heart.
I trust Ollie, and seeing his file would be wrong, I chanted over and over in my head. Sucking in my lips, I flipped past until my eyes landed on Jake, then Jude. “Jackpot.”
“Why do you need all these?” Ethan asked after I crawled back to my feet.
“Because everyone is a suspect.” I grabbed the folders from him and fell back into Lynch’s leather desk chair. Ethan pulled the other chair up beside me, and we got to work.
“What exactly am I looking for?” Ethan asked as I handed him his first file.
“Anything that screams stalker, stabber, or cat mutilator.”
“You do realize where we are?”
My eyes slid to him, and his attention was consumed by the papers and the long night ahead of us.
Lingering too long in Jake’s file, an hour passed without so much as a hint in the right direction. After learning about his asshole father and criticizing mom, the only realization that hit me was the fact I may turn into a serial killer when I’d leave here. “This is pointless.”
“No, I think I got something,” Ethan leaned over, and I shone the flashlight over the file, “Jude’s in for murder.”
“Knew it,” I pulled the file from his hand and took a closer look. My eyes scanned over the details of the car crash Jude had been involved in. My hands shook and my eyes burned at what I was seeing. “For driving while intoxicated … ” my hand flew to my mouth, and I closed my eyes. “He killed his girlfriend, Ethan.” I shoved the papers to his lap. “I think I’m going to throw up.”
“Seriously?”
I curled over and rested my head between my legs. “Could you imagine?” I shook my head, “Shit, Ollie called it. He knew Jude couldn’t do something like that. I was so wrong about him.”
“Jett, don’t feel sorry for that wanker.”
“I do, I can’t help it. It could have easily been anyone. I can’t tell you how many times I drove while drunk off my ass, not once thinking about anyone else. Anything could have happened, Ethan. I was so fucking stupid. No wonder Jude acts like that. He’s punishing himself. Holy shit, he’s turned off his switch … ” I continued to ramble with my head between my legs and tears on the verge of falling.
Ethan’s hand landed over my back. “Listen, I’d love to make you feel better, but we don’t have time for this. Pull yourself together.”
Taking in a deep breath, I straightened my back. Jude couldn’t be the prankster. “You’re right,” I wiped my eye, “give me the next file.”
Ethan dropped the next one in my lap, which read Madilyn Wyser—also known as Maddie. I skimmed my finger over her description. Black hair? “Should say brown hair … ” I mumbled to myself. “They even got the height wrong, stupid wankers,”—Ethan chuckled at my side— “Birth mom deceased in childbirth, father gave her up for adoption. Foster home to foster home … ” I continued to ramble. “Whoa, listen to this,” I elbowed Ethan, “Mixed delusional disorder … see notes for more,” my finger ran down the page before I turned to the next, “Here we go, Madilyn is high functioning individual suffering from mixed delusional disorder: erotomanic, grandiose, and jealous … stalking, obsessive behavior, extreme sense of self-worth, and power … Madilyn scored higher than me in testing.”
My eyes bounced from the paper to Ethan. “Not to have a big fucking head, but I’m brilliant. I’ve never met anyone who scored higher than me.”
“Looks like you’ve met your match,” Ethan massaged the top of my head, “Focus.”
“Right,” I dropped my head forward and threw my palms in the air, “It has to be her. This is the perfect cocktail to create a prankster. What if she’s in love with Ollie and believes Ollie is in love with her too? What if this is some delusion she has in her head, and I’m the one obstacle standing in her way?”