Part 10 (1/2)

So my search continues.

Night all.

X.

Paige read over the words again, not sure if they were what she really wanted to say. Then again, what she really wanted to say wasn't suitable for public consumption. It was meant for Vinden's eyes only.

Satisfied with her blog, she clicked the send b.u.t.ton with a smirk, praying her words would lure the mystery woman out of hiding.

It was time for Vinden to prove her wrong.

Chapter Eight.

”Why exactly are you bringing me back to the scene of the crime?” Samantha grumbled as they stepped into the ice cream parlor the following afternoon.

”You said you needed to know where to send the cops in case my body was found floating under the boardwalk.”

Fact was, Paige needed to see the front door, touch the counter, and sit in the very same spot she had the night before. Needed to know this game was real. That the mystery woman was real. As real as the phone in her purse that hadn't so much as chirped all day. What was the use of giving Paige a connection if she wasn't going to connect? Or was she waiting for Paige to cave in out of desperation and contact her first?

”She really left a package here?” Sam eyed the cas.h.i.+er. ”Is it the same girl?”

Paige looked around the man ahead of them to see a middle-aged woman, probably the owner. ”No. It was a young girl.”

”Hmm.”

”Still convinced she's a serial killer?” Paige fingered the necklace, then bit one of the pieces into her mouth. ”Who lures her prey with candy trinkets?”

It was confirmed. She was a mental case. And h.o.r.n.y. An enchanted, h.o.r.n.y mental case. Who got her thrills from mysterious adventures, from mysterious women, in mysterious places.

”Serial killers will use any means necessary to lure their victims.” Sam c.o.c.ked one brow up.

Paige bit off another piece. ”Candy necklaces? Really, Sam? Really?”

”Any means necessary, Paige. Maybe she knows you're cheap and easy.” Sam batted her lashes as the person in line in front of them took their order and left.

Paige ordered a dark chocolate cone, then sat in the exact chair she had the night before. She glanced through the window to inspect the stores across the street as well as the alleys in between, now visible in daylight. Vinden had been in one of those darkened pa.s.sageways the previous night, watching her, while Paige waited, wanting her, needing the prospect of what she offered.

Her body heated with the thought.

Sam sat across from her. ”You need to stop this obsessive behavior before you get yourself killed.”

Was this obsessive? Was this crazy? Had she lost her mind?

If so, why didn't she feel anything other than need? Other than this unbearable craving?

Sam was right. Paige knew that. She definitely had a point. This was crazy. All of it. Not just Vinden and her little games, but all the years she'd spent hankering after a dream, a fantasy, a probably flawed memory of perfection, that went way back to New Orleans when she had s.e.x with a woman who could have been anyone. Anything.

But those factors didn't matter to Paige. She didn't care what a person looked like. She didn't care if they were dirt poor. All she wanted was the b.u.t.terflies. The heat between her thighs. And a woman who could burn out her flame. Over. And over. And over.

In her mind, that wasn't asking too much. In reality, it was asking far more than was obtainable. Only once had she found what she was looking for. What she needed. If she was ever going to find it again, she was convinced it would be inside this game, with yet another stranger. That was her choice and her choice alone.

And she chose to dive headfirst into the fire.

Let everyone think she'd lost it. Let everyone believe whatever they wanted. She truly couldn't care less. They didn't have to walk in her shoes and they couldn't share in her glorious experience.

”Sam, I can't make you understand this situation. But I love you for worrying.”

”As long as you keep your will and life insurance policy up to date, it's all good, I guess.” Sam spooned ice cream into her mouth, but Paige could see the worry in her eyes, in her tone.

Paige patted her hand. She adored that Sam was a worrywart. Other than her grandmother, she'd never had anyone who cared about her well-being. It was nice. Sometimes.

Out of habit for the last twelve hours, Paige checked the new cell phone again, waiting with bated breath for any word from Vinden. What would her next adventure be? Would it end with s.e.x? Surely, the scavenger hunt was leading there. Where else could it lead?

She wanted it so bad. Needed to know how it compared to her night in New Orleans. Needed to know if it would yank her nerves into blissful heat.

”Will you stop checking that d.a.m.n phone? You're pathetic.”

”Pathetically h.o.r.n.y.”

Hidden behind the edge of the office door, Mayson watched Paige subconsciously finger the necklace. She'd stopped by to touch base with the manager and go over any pressing matters and had been ready to leave the office when she spotted Paige and her friend pa.s.sing the gla.s.s windows.

Mayson couldn't stop smiling. She'd gotten to Paige and liked it. A lot. Even better, watching Paige caress that necklace like a lover's stroke was the most erotic thing she'd ever witnessed. It was better than p.o.r.n.

Her insides cramped as Paige pulled a bead into her mouth and sucked.

”So what happens next? Where is the next pit stop in this possible blood bath?” Paige's friend inquired.

Paige switched from the candy back to her ice cream. Dark chocolate looked enticing smearing against her tongue. Not nearly as erotic as the night before.

Mayson s.h.i.+fted to ease the sting crawling between her thighs. This yearning was incredible. Fascinating, in fact. She'd been with plenty of women. Had watched them from afar, and up close. Yet none had the power to stir this kind of yearning in her.

She fished out the cell phone designated for Paige only and dialed the number, then grinned when Paige jerked up one phone, growled, then hastily fumbled with another phone.

The wicked grin that swept across Paige's lips was even more enticing.

Mayson had never wanted to f.u.c.k a woman as bad as she wanted to f.u.c.k Paige right now. She wanted her fingers buried deep inside her, wanted every sound of her release inside her mouth. She wanted to swallow every moan and cry and whimper.

”Jesus, Paige, calm down. You can't even act normal anymore,” Paige's friend scolded her with a friendly smile.

Paige shushed her and punched a key on the phone.

Mayson watched Paige transform from a scattered mess to a calm, collected woman as the call was connected.

”h.e.l.lo?” Paige's voice sounded so calm, so s.e.xy, opposed to the excited bounce she was doing in her chair.