Total pages in book: 72
Estimated words: 66839 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 334(@200wpm)___ 267(@250wpm)___ 223(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 66839 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 334(@200wpm)___ 267(@250wpm)___ 223(@300wpm)
All I wanted was for me and Jason to be left undisturbed as we created temples from our bodies and worshiped each other forever. Was that really too much to ask?
We got back in bed after a quick sheet change, still naked, and in only a few minutes, we were drifting off into a dream-filled sleep. I dreamed that I was stranded on an island with Jason and that we were somehow connected to royalty. The island shifted and transformed into a towering castle sitting on the edge of a rolling green hillside. We wore crowns and walked around like kings, fucking in a four-post bed with a view of a star-filled ocean.
And then it all cut to black as my eyes flew open, Jason’s dark bedroom taking the place of our castle’s quarters.
Crick, crack.
There it was. The sound that woke me up. A loud creak of a floorboard from somewhere out in the living room. I rolled over, seeing Jason still dead asleep.
That only meant one thing: someone was inside the house.
27
JASON QUILL
“Jason. Jason, wake up.”
The whispers were sharp, tumbling in through my ear and slicing past my dream of Matt and me fucking in an infinity-edge pool in Costa Rica.
“Huh? What?” All I wanted to do was close my eyes and get back into the pool.
“Someone’s inside the house.”
My eyes shot open, and any thoughts of sexy jungle retreats left my mind. I sat up in bed and listened for whatever had woken Matt…
Nothing…
The house was silent.
“Where?” I whispered back.
“Sounded like it came from the living room.”
I slowly shifted so that I could place my feet quietly on the ground. Bending down, I grabbed the boxers that were on the floor. Matt followed my lead, sliding his underwear on and getting out of bed. I still didn’t hear anything, but I trusted Matt. If he said he heard an intruder, then I believed there was an intruder in the house.
Underwear on, we grabbed our guns next. Matt took point, holding a finger to his lips as he tiptoed toward the closed door. I looked at the doorknob, the brass shining under the moonlight that filled the space, and I half expected it to turn before Matt even touched it. My heart beat hard behind my rib cage, pushing away any thread of residual sleep that might still be clinging on.
Matt opened the door. The hinges creaked; the combination of a silent house and a couple of rusty hinges created a sound akin to a nuclear blast. Matt stepped out into the dark hall, gun raised. I followed immediately after, pressing my back to his, making sure no one snuck up from the end of the hall.
Nothing. There was no one.
We stayed stone still for a moment as I tried to listen for any more sounds.
That’s when I heard it. A loud and undeniable creak from a floorboard being stepped on. I swung around Matt, both of us lining our guns up toward the darkness that encompassed my living room. I couldn’t see anything moving, but that sound hadn’t come from either of our imaginations.
Matt and I started down the hall at the same time, not having to say a word to each other.
This was it. The Pegasus had come to take its mark. It really only was a matter of time, but at least we’d finally put an end to this saga, right here and right now.
Matt reached the threshold into the living room first. He gave me a singular glance, and I responded with a small nod and a hand on his back. His smile turned predatory, a tiger cornering its prey. I felt the same thrill, but I couldn’t ignore the oil-slick spread of fear that coated my insides.
He burst into the living room, gun raised. I did the same, flipping the light on, scanning the space for any signs of an—
“There!” I shouted, spotting movement behind the couch, finger seconds from squeezing the trigger. Something scurried across the floor, as if whoever was in here decided to crawl to safety.
Matthew hurried around one end of the couch, and I took the other.
That’s when Matt screamed. High-pitched and loud, not like any scream I’d ever heard him produce before. I didn’t scream, but I did lurch backward, spitting out an “Oh shit!” as I stumbled, holding on to the side table before I fell down.
The opossum invader appeared to be just as shocked by us as we were of him. He puffed up before becoming as stiff as a brick and flipping over, legs sticking straight up into the air. Matt and I both put down our guns and looked at each other, shaking our heads as laughter started to bubble up.
“I didn’t realize you were capable of yelling that loud,” I teased Matt.
“I didn’t realize you were splitting rent with a creature straight from the depths of hell.”