Page 45 of Double Obsession

She’d be damned if she’d get a tetanus shot. The government stuck miniature tape recorders the size of a pea inside immunizations and vaccines.

With Lizzie trotting behind them, they climbed three stories of winding stairs. Clark tapped the first door they came to. “This is my room.” He swung his arm toward the next. “We’ll share the bathroom.” He pushed on the third door.

“Voila!This is your room.”

Arkansas’ bedroom was soft shades of blue. Not an ounce of junk lay anywhere, and she had a bay window that looked out over the street.

He stood beside her and stared at her car. “Do you want me to bring up your luggage?”

“No!”

He stepped away from her. “Okay.”

“Where is Hunter’s bedroom?” she asked.

“Umm…” He rubbed his jaw. “The second floor.”

Arkansas left the window to run a hand over her bedspread. She shivered. The comforter was the same color as Hunter’s eyes.

“You can unpack. I’m going to get a shower and get ready to go. I’ve got to head out of town for a few days. Hunter will be home for a late dinner.”

“I will make him a delicious dinner,” she declared.

Clark pursed his lips. “Would you drop this in the living room when you grab your luggage?” He handed her the gaming control he clutched between white knuckles.

“I’m excellent at Killer Combat Zone,” she said. “My weapon is the knife, and I’m a Level Twelve Cutter.”

“Okay.” He cleared his throat. “I’m a Level Ten Broadsword. The gaming console is in the living room. You can use it when you have free time.”

Arkansas nodded and smiled.

“Come on, Lizzie,” Clark called.

The dog pranced out of the room, and Clark closed the door, leaving Arkansas alone.

She set the dog presents on a dresser, then unpacked, cleaned, and arranged her journals, pens, and brush on the nightstand. Thank Jesus, she’d packed her toothbrush and bought extra cigarettes. Carefully removing the bloody knife, she placed it inside the top drawer of the nightstand. She’d clean it when Clark finished his shower.

Now to start dinner.

She paused in front of the bathroom. Clark had left the door cracked and was singing at the top of his lungs. Even though she peeked in, she was not one of those perverts. Besides, he was the one who’d left it open.

His body was visible through the translucent shower stall. She’d never seen a man’s penis unless she counted the pictures in high school health class. Was he scrubbing or rubbing his? Because it seemed to be getting longer.

His singing halted and turned to raspy moans that came louder and faster.

Horror over the things he was doing to his body caused a tickle in her panty area.

Clark groaned, and a cream-colored liquid sprayed on the glass enclosure.

Smiling, she tiptoed away. She was oh-so stealthy.

After dropping the controller on the coffee table, she skipped to the kitchen to root through the cupboards. “There isn’t much food,” she told Buddy. “I’m not sure what to make for our special dinner.”

Buddy yawned, then sat up.

Ding dong.

Since she’d left her knife upstairs, she searched for a weapon.