Page 24 of A Guide to Ghosting (Monsters of Moonvale #3)

23

H ours pass before Noah decides he’s done snuggling. Not that I’m complaining. I’mlike a lizard basking in the sun when he holds me close, warming up all the cold parts of my being that I thought were lost when I died.

Everything feels right in his arms.

He groans and stretches after giving me one last squeeze. I let my eyes rake down his body appreciatively as he stands and his cheeks flush at my perusal.

“I have to know. How often did you watch me?” Noah asks, bending down to scoop up his underwear off the floor and treating me to a nice view of his ass.

I roll onto my side and give him a sharp grin as he tugs his boxers on. “Hmm. I may have snuck a peek a few times.”

He bites his lower lip, and his dick twitches, obviously not opposed to the thought. I may be a pervy ghost voyeur, but luckily Noah seems to have an exhibitionist side to match. “Really? Only a few? I swear there were so many times it felt like you were there.”

I laugh at the way his voice grows husky as he speaks. “You have an active, dirty mind, don’t you?”

“That’s not an answer,” Noah says with a slight huff.

I sit up and search around for my dress in the tangle of covers. “I tried to avoid violating your privacy. So yeah, it was only a few times. Those were the times when I was too weak to resist. Such as the night I gave you a handjob.” I wink, mind filling with memories of how sexy he looked as he came.

If Noah’s stomach hadn’t been growling so insistently for the last half hour, I’d tug him back into bed and stroke him until he spilled so I could see it again.

“I was terrified at the time, but I’m really glad you did,” he chuckles, cheeks darkening even more.

I lick my lips and drop my eyes to his crotch. “If you like it so much, I’ll watch you more often.”

I laugh as Noah groans, palming his cock over his underwear. “You can’t say shit like that. We’ll never leave the bedroom at this rate.”

He doesn’t look bothered at all by the thought, but I’m worried that he hasn’t eaten anything since breakfast and it’s getting dark outside. Marathon sex and snuggles are easy for a ghost, but he needs to take care of himself. And I want to take care of him, too.

God, I feel like such a sap. I’ve never been one to fawn over a man, but the idea of making Noah a nice dinner and seeing the pleasure on his face as he eats it makes my chest warm with affection. Maybe it has something to do with the fact that if I don’t get any enjoyment from eating now that I’m dead. By feeding Noah, I can experience the joy food once brought me vicariously through him.

“Fine, I’ll be good.” I let out a melodramatic sigh, then give Noah a mischievous grin, skimming my hands up my body as I hold his gaze. “At least for now.”

He looks like he wants to reach out and pull me into a kiss, which will put us right back in bed, so I quickly tug my dress on over my head to reduce the temptation. We both watch in fascination as the enchantment from the magic collar weaves over the clothing in a shimmering blue glow.

It’s incredible that this kind of magic exists. I need to think of something to give Max as a thank you. I wonder if he and his partner like baked goods. I’ll text him later to find out.

Once we’re dressed, I follow Noah out of the bedroom and into the kitchen. He gets two glasses out from the cabinet and is halfway through filling them when he pauses, a frown forming on his lips. “Crap, you don’t need water. What am I doing?”

I shrug. “I can drink it. I don’t need to, but it won’t hurt anything.”

His dark brows knit together. “It won’t like, uh, go through you?” He looks between me and the floor.

“No, it’s not like Casper,” I reply, snorting. “I won’t make a mess of your kitchen. I don’t know why, but I can eat and drink and it stays inside me. If I do, it eventually comes out in the usual way, too.”

He blinks at me a few times. “Hold on. You’re telling me you can shit as a ghost? What happens to the ghost turds?”

A startled laugh bursts out of me at how concerned he sounds. “Uh, they go in the toilet and I flush them? I didn’t suddenly turn into an animal when I died.”

“Right…” He shakes his head like he’s clearing away the confounding details of my existence and ability to go to the bathroom. “Any other fun ghost facts you’d like to share? I already know you can possess me, but can you do things like walk through walls? Move through solid objects?”

“I can phase through things sometimes, when I focus. Haven’t been able to figure out the whole walking through walls thing yet, but it should be possible.”

“How can you both be solid and not solid?” Noah asks, a perplexed wrinkle forming between his brows. “Not that I expect you to know!” he adds, giving me a sheepish smile. “It defies all logic, but as long as you’re here, I’m happy.”

And there goes my spectral heart, melting for him. “My current theory is that the more anchored I am to what I was like when I was alive, the less cool ghost tricks I’ll be able to do. Though, I felt pretty anchored to you when I possessed you,” I say, waggling my eyebrows at him.

“Yeah, you were.” Noah flushes and clears his throat. “So I’m keeping you from being able to float around and move through things?” He sounds a little concerned that might be an issue for me, but that couldn’t be further from the truth of how I feel.

I don’t want to disconnect and become a phantom of my former self, trading my humanity for useless party tricks and listless echoes of emotion. I refuse to fade into a creature I don’t even recognize. I may be dead, but I’m going to exist as deeply as I can, and with Noah by my side, that feels possible.

“Maybe, but I don’t give a shit about floating.” My reassuring smile turns dirty. “Especially not when you’re able to make me come so hard I see stars.”

“You sure know how to make a guy feel good about himself,” Noah says with a husky laugh.

“Oh, yeah? I have some other ways I could make you feel good,” I reply, slinking closer to him. Maybe I can suck him off real quick before I make dinner. Then I’ll get to have something delicious, too.

His dark eyes go molten, but a second later he goes pale, his smile falling.

“Whoa, what’s that look for?” I ask, moving to his side, worried that he’s going to faint again.

Noah’s gaze drops to my stomach, and he swallows hard. “I just had a thought. If some of your bodily functions work, do, uh, all of them work? Can you, uh…”

“Can I what?”

“I came inside you,” he says, voice rough and expression stricken.

“Huh?” I follow his eyes down to my stomach again, and a moment later I understand what he’s asking. “Oh god, I sure as fuck hope ghost babies aren’t a thing. There’s no way that’s possible. I’m dead! There’s nothing in me that can create life. Waste and tears, sure, but not a fucking baby. Right?”

“Don’t ask me!” Noah says, looking ill. “Everything that’s happened since I’ve moved in here has defied what I know about reality.”

His hand comes down to hover over my belly, and I smack it away with a scowl. “Stop it. There’s not a baby in there. I’ll text Max to make sure, but I’m pretty damn positive we’re being ridiculous.”

“Who is Max?” Noah asks, a hint of a possessive rasp in his tone.

I roll my eyes at him even though I secretly love that he sounds a little jealous. “The witch that gave me the collar to make me visible. He’s a magical private investigator who I met a bit ago while he was staking out our neighbor. Apparently, she’s a naga. Some kind of snake lady.”

“A what ?” Noah asks, sputtering mid sip of water.

“A snake lady. I didn’t ask what parts of her are snake, but I’m assuming it’s her lower body and not a medusa snake hair kind of situation.”

“I think I should go lie back down,” Noah groans.

I pull out a chair for him at the kitchen table and guide him over to it. “Max said she wasn’t a danger to us. But even if she was, I wouldn’t let her hurt my man,” I say, squeezing his shoulders as he sits and leaning down to kiss his cheek.

“I’m your man now, huh?” Noah asks, his expression softening as he smiles up at me.

“Well, yeah.” I reach down and cradle my stomach. “After all, I’m carrying your ghost child.” I cackle as he does a spit take at my unexpected joke.

“Fuck, you’re evil,” he says once he’s stopped coughing, shaking his head at me. He can’t hide the smile he has on his face as he says it.

“You like it,” I reply, giving him a wink.

I head over to the fridge to see if there’s stuff inside I could use to cook a meal, but freeze with the door half open.

Shit. Maybe I shouldn’t be joking about this stuff. I’m 99.9% sure ghost babies aren’t a thing, and was apathetic about having kids when I was alive, but what if that’s something Noah wants?

“I’m sorry.” I close the fridge and wring my hands together as I look at Noah.

His brow furrows. “Don’t be. Like you said, I like it.”

“Yeah, but… do you want kids?” I try not to let the worry show on my face.

Is it too selfish to want Noah to be with me? I’m dead. He’s very much alive. How is this supposed to work beyond the initial surge of excitement? If he wants kids, what kind of monster would I be to cling to him and keep him here with me?

He must sense my spiraling thoughts, because he stands and moves to join me by the refrigerator, wrapping an arm around my waist to draw me against his chest. “No, Dot. I don’t want kids. I think I put that in my dating profile,” he says, softly.

“Oh. Right. Of course.” I sag against him in relief.

“This may be crazy, but I’m all in, Dot,” Noah murmurs, pressing a kiss to my hair. “It’ll take us some time to figure out how our lives—or I guess our existences—fit together. I have a million questions, but we’ll figure out the answers together.”

Relieved tears well in my eyes. Fuck, I’m lucky to have him here with me. “We will,” I say with a nod. “I’m sure Max will be happy to help, too.”

I love the disgruntled sound Noah makes at the mention of the witch. “I’m sure his fiancée will also be willing to help. She has a soft spot for ghosts since her dog is one,” I add.

Noah pulls back at me with narrowed eyes. “You could’ve led with that part.”

I grin up at him. “Where’s the fun in that?”

He releases a fake heavy sigh. “What am I going to do with you, ghost girl?”

“First, you’re going to let me make you some dinner. Then you’re going to take me back to bed and fuck me like the good boy you are,” I say, smacking his ass playfully.

“I can work with that,” he laughs. “But you don’t need to make me dinner. I’ll heat up some leftovers or order takeout. I don’t expect you to?—”

“Sit your cute ass down and shut up,” I say, glaring at him. “I’m making you dinner. I love cooking and haven’t had an excuse to make anything since that brunch I made for your sister.”

“That was for my sister?” he asks, cocking a brow at me.

I nod, smiling in amusement at the memory. “Yeah. I thought she was the one who bought the house. She was so cute when she came to tour the place that I wanted to make a good first impression and help her feel welcome.”

Noah narrows his eyes at me. “You thought she was cute?”

“Well, yeah…. Hotness runs in your family, so can you really blame a lonely ghost?” I smirk at him as his mouth falls open in surprise. “I thought maybe I was getting my shot at having a pretty, stylish girlfriend, and then your cranky ass showed up and painted everything gray. Which, oh by the way, you’re fixing. I’m still pissed that you’ve turned this place into the world’s most bland bachelor pad.”

“Hey!” Noah scoffs in protest. “It’s not that bad.”

I glare at him. “Yes, it is. It’s depressing.”

He crosses his arms over his chest defensively. “And your weird wallpaper and kitschy furniture was better? I thought an old lady had lived here. So did Emma!”

“Kitschy and weird are better than boring!” I retort.

Yeah, my style was a little strange, but there’s no way we’re keeping the house like this. If he’s doesn’t want a pissy ghost girlfriend, he’ll make changes.

“Okay, okay,” Noah says with a resigned chuckle, seeing my combative expression. “We can redo it. However you want. I honestly don’t give a shit beyond that wallpaper. It reminded me too much of my bitchy Granny’s guest room to keep it that way.”

“Good.” I press a kiss to his lips, feeling him smile against my mouth as we pull apart. “Thank you.”

“I know better than to argue with a woman who can possess me.”

I grin back at him. “Smart man.”

He gives me another kiss, then sits at the table when I shoo him away, watching me as I move around the kitchen. “So… Is there anything else you’d like me to change?”

I stop what I’m doing and turn to look at him, taking a beat to pretend to consider his question. Really, all I’m doing is drinking in the sight of the handsome sweetheart in my kitchen.

I shake my head. “Nope.”

“Really?” Noah raises a brow at me.

I rake my eyes over him, loving how he flushes under my assessment. “Hmm, I did like the beard you had when we met the first time, but you’re handsome clean shaven, too.”

Noah gives me an unexpectedly earnest nod. “I’ll grow it back.”

“You don’t have to do that!” I protest, feeling bad that he took what was a joke as a serious request. “It doesn’t matter if I liked your beard, it’s your face.”

“If you liked it, then it matters,” he says decisively.

God, where did this man come from? I’d go over and drag him back to the bedroom if I wasn’t so determined to feed him.

“What about me? Anything you’d like me to change?” I ask, trying to hide my smile when his brows shoot up. “You can tell me. I promise I won’t do any weird ghost shit to you. At least, not anything you won’t like.”

Noah returns the evaluating look I gave him a few moments ago, his eyes lingering on my hips and breasts, before returning to my face with a soft smile. “Nope. You’re perfect.”