Chapter 9

Liam O'Connor

I had no choice. I sent Jade to clean the mess hall because her nearness was a fuse, and I was a keg of fucking dynamite ready to explode. She left, her ponytail swishing as she turned away, leaving me with thoughts of her piercing gaze as she’d looked down at me from the ladder.

All I could think about was the day she’d spilled the contents of her purse on the floor and had been on her knees in front of me in my office, gazing up at me with her eyes of blue-fire. Now, as I watched her retreat, the memory taunted me.

“Fuck,” I muttered. Since when had I become so easily distracted? Not since clawing my way up from the tragedy of my past to build this twisted sanctuary of horror and revenge. I ruled here. This was my domain. I never got distracted, yet Jade… She was an anomaly, a glitch in my meticulously controlled universe that I couldn’t shake.

The hours slipped by unnoticed as I lost myself in thoughts of her and finished cleaning the grand ballroom, until dusk settled its dark cloak over the world outside. I had worked methodically, every detail scrutinized, every figure adjusted to its rightful place of terror.

When I was finally finished, I retreated upstairs to my apartment. I peeled off my shirt, my movements automatic. The shower called to me. I desperately wanted to wash away the day, and maybe even get the thoughts of Jade out of my head. I made my way down the hall to the bathroom. Turning on the water, I stripped off the rest of my clothes before climbing in. Water cascaded over me, hot and relentless. I scrubbed away the sweat and grime from a long day, but as the steam rose around me, so did the image of Jade—etched in my head like a fucking brand.

Her on her knees before me in my office that day. Perched precariously on that ladder, her ass, perfectly shaped, taunting me from above. I cursed under my breath as I wrapped my hand around my hard cock.

The water wasn’t enough to drown the thoughts. Those piercing blue orbs, seemed to see right through me. There was something about her. It was as if she held a darkness that mirrored my own. It was unsettling. It was arousing. It was fucking everything.

I stroked in rhythm with the drumming of the water. The touch sparked a fire that no cold shower could extinguish. I let my mind linger on the curve of her lips, the intensity of her stare when she challenged me. My breath hitched and I quickened my movements.

“Jade,” I breathed into the humid air, a mixture of frustration and desire lacing my voice. The heat built in my core, images of Jade flashing behind closed eyelids. She was a force to be reckoned with, I just knew it. I admired it. Craved it. Needed it. Wanted it.

I groaned as I came. The release washed over me, and momentary peace settled in my chest. The tension that had been coiled tight since our last encounter ebbed away, leaving a hollow satisfaction in its wake. I stayed under the spray until the water started to cool, my heartbeat slowing to a steady pace. The silence in the bathroom rang louder than the thoughts that had gnawed at me moments before. With a final splash of water to my face, I turned off the tap and stepped out onto the damp tile.

I toweled off briskly, muscles still thrumming faintly from the memory of pleasure. I dressed quickly and headed back down the hall. But the woman that plagued me was right outside.

Fuck.

I glimpsed through the window and there she was at her car, a silhouette of frustration against the fading light. Bent over, examining something.

“Damn it,” I growled. She was capable, independent. She didn’t need me to help her.

Don’t do it. She doesn’t need you.

The decision made itself.

I snatched up my shoes, pulling them on roughly without a thought. The front door shut with a soft click behind me as I moved down the hall and descended the stairs.

I quickly made it through the house and out the back exit, the night air striking my face, cooling against my still damp hair. I approached quietly, the grit of the asphalt beneath my steps the only sound.

“Shit,” she muttered to herself. Her silhouette was a stark contrast against the faint glow of the streetlamp. The air was cool, the night quiet, the kind of stillness that amplified every sound.

Up close, I could see the tension in her jaw, the slight furrow between her brows. She was a woman accustomed to control, and this… This was an unwelcome curveball. I knew then what kept me rooted to the spot—it wasn’t just attraction. It was respect for the way she faced life head-on, even when it threw obstacles in her path. It was something I had noted observing her work since she had started here a few weeks ago. I hadn’t stopped watching her since.

“You planning on staring or offering a hand?” Jade’s voice cut through the silence. She knew I was there, had probably sensed me the moment I’d come through the back door.

I smirked, though she couldn’t see it in the shadows. “Didn’t want to insult your independence.”

She straightened up, a lock of hair falling defiantly across her face. With a casual flick, she brushed it behind her ear, her eyes flashing in the dim light like steel. The corner of her mouth twitched, almost a smile. Almost. I pushed off the car, my hands finding their way into my pockets.

“I'll manage,” she shot back, her voice as firm as the set of her jaw. I stepped closer.

“I can drive you home.” I offered.

Her lips parted, ready with a rebuttal, but she paused. The night air was still around us, save for the soft rustling of leaves. Her gaze flickered away then back, as if measuring the weight of my offer. I could feel her watching me, evaluating, always so damn meticulous. It was infuriating. It was attractive. It was Jade.

“My apartment isn’t that far. A walk won’t kill me,” she said finally.

“Well, if you insist, I’m walking with you.” A pause hung heavy between us—a challenge.

“Fine,” she relented.

The town hummed quietly around us on the way. My hands found refuge in my pockets, fingers brushing against the fabric, itching for something to do besides hanging idly by my sides.

“So, how did you end up out here? Owning a world-renowned haunted house of all things?” I stole a glance at Jade, but her gaze was fixed on the Gothic spires cutting through the night sky behind us.

“I actually grew up in the city,” I started, an unexpected laugh escaping me. “But when my mom passed away when I was fifteen, I knew…” My throat tightened, words catching like barbs. “I wanted to get away from there.”

We reached the dimly lit street corner, and I paused, looking back at the property that had become my refuge, my own personal battleground. “As soon as I turned eighteen, I found this place listed. My mother had left her insurance money to me” A hint of pride warmed my voice, despite the chill in the air. “I always had a thing for Halloween, spooky season, you know? So, I took a leap and opened Dead Man’s Mansion.” My arms gestured vaguely, encompassing the sprawling estate. “It just kind of exploded from there.”

Her steps slowed beside me, and I felt her searching my face. “I’m so sorry about your mom,” she said, and her words carried weight, sincerity. She tilted her head slightly. “But if you don’t mind me asking… what happened?”

The night was holding its breath, waiting for my answer.

“I’ll tell you more about it another time. I don’t want to bring down the mood.”

“Okay.” Jade’s voice was soft, and she accepted the switch in conversation without pressing any further.

We walked a few more paces before she broke the silence again. “Do you think she would have liked the haunted house?” Her question caught me off guard. My mother’s smiling face flashed behind my eyes, a memory so clear it could’ve been yesterday. I swallowed hard against the lump forming in my throat. Thinking of her wasn’t something I allowed myself to do often—it hurt too much. And yet, the thought of her opinion mattered more than I cared to admit.

“Maybe,” I said after a moment, my gaze fixed on the shadows stretching from the streetlights as we moved down the sidewalk. “She always had a taste for the dramatics. Enjoyed a good scare.”

A small huff of laughter escaped Jade, and I glanced at her, finding a glimmer of warmth in her gaze. “Sounds like she was quite a character,” she mused, her curiosity giving way to a lightness that felt like permission to breathe again.

“She was,” I agreed, feeling the tight grip of the past loosen ever so slightly. “Fall was always her favorite season.”

“Mine too,” Jade replied. A smile crept onto her face, gentle and warm like the first ray of sunlight after a long night. It was the first time I’d seen her smile like that since her carefree laughing with Derek when she’d first started. It caught me off guard, unsettling the careful walls I’d built around myself. That smile, it did something to me—something unnerving. It tugged at the dark corners of my heart, places I didn’t let anyone see. I shoved my hands deeper into my pockets, trying to shake off the sudden tightness in my chest. I needed to focus.

“What about you?” I ventured, pushing aside my thoughts. “Were you always a city girl?”

“No,” she said, a trace of nostalgia lacing her voice. “I actually grew up in a small town. We didn’t even have a proper streetlight until I was ten.”

“I bet it was quiet,” I said, the words trailing off into the night.

“Too quiet sometimes.” She sounded almost distant. “That’s why I moved to the city. I needed noise, action… a purpose.” She glanced at me, then flicked her gaze back to the sidewalk ahead. “But I must say since moving here, I’ve enjoyed the quiet—the reprieve. It’s been a nice break.”

Her apartment building loomed ahead, a silhouette against the velvety backdrop of the night sky. We halted at the foot of the stone steps leading up to the entrance. In that pause, the mood shifted palpably, charged with an unspoken energy that raised the hairs on the back of my neck.

She turned to face me. Her breath hitched, just barely audible over the distant sounds of the town’s heartbeat.

“Thanks,” she said simply.

“Anytime,” I replied, my voice low and steady, betraying the chaos swirling inside.

“Really though,” she continued, “you didn’t have to.”

“I could say the same about you and half the things you’ve been doing at Dead Man’s. You’ve stayed late every day.” The corner of my lip twitched, a silent acknowledgement to all of her hard work.

She chuckled, a sound light enough to scatter the heaviness around us. “Guess we’re both guilty.”

“As charged.” My hand emerged from my pocket, almost reaching out before I thought better of it. Her breath was a whisper against the cool night air, my own heart beating in a heavy rhythm I couldn’t quell. Jade’s proximity was magnetic, drawing my focus to the soft curve of her lips. They parted ever so slightly, as if inviting a secret I ached to share.

“Jade,” I murmured, the sound getting lost in the space that no longer seemed to exist. She swayed toward me an inch, maybe less. It was enough to send my pulse racing. My body tensed, every nerve on high alert. The streetlight above cast a halo around her, turning those stray strands of hair into threads of gold.

Could she feel this too? The pull, the need… I leaned in, breath held, ready to bridge the distance. But the door behind her groaned open, shattering the moment like a fragile thing. Jade stiffened, the spell broken by the intrusion. Reality rushed back in, and she was a cold and sobering bitch.

The tension snapped, leaving a void where warmth had been moments before.

“Jade?” someone called, and her body tensed, every line of her going rigid. She stepped back and then rushed the man standing in the doorway.

“I didn’t think you were going to be here till tomorrow!” she exclaimed as she pulled him into a hug. I watched, my own muscles coiling with sudden tension. My knuckles going white in my pockets.

Who was he? Why did he matter? His eyes darted from Jade to me, a silent demand for an explanation etched into his furrowed brow.

“Uhhh, goodnight, Liam!” she called as she quickly darted inside with the man and shut the door.

I clenched my jaw. “Night,” I managed, just as the door clicked closed. Turning on my heel, I stepped away from Jade’s apartment. The crisp night air bit at my skin, a stark contrast to the stifled warmth we’d shared just seconds before.

Jade had etched herself under my skin—she was impossible to ignore. She might have walked up those steps and out of sight, but she hadn’t walked out of whatever twisted fate was entangling us. Far from it. This thing between us? It was just the beginning. I could feel it.