Page 21 of Bewitched By the Headless Horseman (The Bewitching Hour #1)

Of the ghosts who returned to the cemetery, only one was around during the same time as Kit. An older woman who’d been in her twenties when Kit was murdered. Like everyone besides Clara, she didn’t know the Headless Horseman’s true name.

“Kit was a wicked man, tried to drive a wedge between Levi and Clara,” the woman huffed.

“Clara had been in love with Levi since she could walk, and as soon as Kit came to town, the entire village swooned over him.” And Stevie could tell this woman had been one of those villagers by the way she bit her lip even though she’d just called him wicked.

“Thanks,” Stevie said before meeting up with Kit a few headstones away. “No answer. Only that you’re a wicked man.”

As they got in the car to head back to the house, they remained quiet. Once she unlocked the door to her home, Kit finally broke the silence. “I won’t fault you if you believe I’m lying.”

“I don’t.” Stevie sighed. “I just think a warlock took his wrath way too far and didn’t want to look villainy in front of his village. But I still can’t believe you didn’t tell me Levi was her husband to begin with.”

“I said a jealous warlock. I assumed you would’ve known that meant lovers. It’s not my fault you didn’t question further.” Kit shrugged, brushing past her to the kitchen cabinet to pull out a glass.

“You don’t eat or drink, so what are you doing in there?” Stevie asked as she watched him sift through a few items in the fridge.

Without a word, he plucked a carton and poured a glass of milk, then placed it on the table in front of her. “There,” he said. “Drink and relax.”

Stevie arched a brow, taken aback that he remembered what she liked to drink when Reese had so easily forgotten. “This doesn’t quite make us even.” She took a swig of the cool liquid, letting it glide down her throat. “All right, maybe it does.”

“You look less tense now.”

Curiosity got the best of her as she studied his broad shoulders, the invisible face that she itched to get a second look at. “What were you like back in your century? How many women did you date or court ? Or did you only wait for Clara?”

“If you can dig into my past, then can I dig into yours?” he said silkily, stepping closer to her, his chest nearly brushing hers if they could actually touch. Her heart pounded faster, and to the lucky clovers in her thumb ring, she hoped he couldn’t hear it.

“Deal!” Stevie held out her arm and shook hands with the air. Her secrets weren’t much to write home about—he already knew about her mom’s past.

Kit leaned against the counter, propping his elbows on it. “What do you want to know, Pumpkin?”

“Were you celibate while you were in love with Clara?” She inwardly cringed at her meddlesome question, but she wanted to know .

“Women these days, or you , are rather forward.” And she could hear the smile in his voice. “Was I celibate after I met Clara? Yes. Virginal? No. Now my turn. Did you and Reese…” he trailed off.

She thought about the almost-awkward kiss that she would choose having a hex put on her over going through that embarrassing moment again. “No, not even a kiss. And I have only ever had one long-term boyfriend. Yes, hanky panky was involved, and before him, I’d kissed two guys.”

“Interesting.” By his even tone, she couldn’t tell what he meant by that word exactly.

Stevie toyed with the hem of her shirt before asking, “How many women have you … bedded?”

“Two,” he drawled. “But they were only temporary infatuations.”

With a face like that? she wanted to say. But a part of her was thrilled he hadn’t banged all the women in or outside of Sleepy Hollow. “We’re digging deeper now.” She grinned. “What were you like?”

“As you know, my father was a physician,” Kit started.

“He taught me how to use a sword and died when I was twelve. My mother passed just before my twenty-third birthday which was a reason it made it easy to leave for Sleepy Hollow. Only my mother knew I was a seer. She kept it from my father since he wouldn’t have understood.

However, she was also one. I had two older sisters who I wasn’t close with.

They married young and left our small village.

And you know about my time in Sleepy Hollow.

So I take it with this game, it means it’s your turn. ”

Stevie contemplated where to begin. “And as you know, my dad’s a dentist. He fell in love with my mom, found out she stole people’s hearts to live, and loved her anyway.

Luckily that all worked out because my brother and I wouldn’t exist. Sometimes I say I can do without my brother, but really I love him.

My ex-boyfriend couldn’t deal with me being a seer, so he went bye-bye.

I never went to college since I decided to remain a witch’s assistant.

Oh, and I collect antique things. Stamps and coins are at the top of my list.”

“Like those ceramic heads, I take it?”

She rolled her eyes and smiled. “They’re head vases, but yes.”

Her phone dinged, and Reese’s name popped up on the screen. A picture of a house decorated with at least a hundred jack-o’-lanterns and a message reading, Tis the season, friend . It was sort of a weird text to send after their earlier conversation.

I wish that was my house, but I can’t even carve one pumpkin properly. Or no, that was a lie—the one she’d carved with Kit had come out fancy.

“How about you show me this stamp collection of yours,” Kit suggested.

“Really?” She laughed softly. “I’ve never had anyone want to look at my prized possessions without me badgering them.”

“There’s a first for everything.”

“All right, come pop that cherry then.” Stevie grinned wider as she led him into her room. She grabbed three boxes from the desk and plopped down onto the two-seater game chair near the TV. Kit’s broad form sank down beside her, and she handed him one of the boxes.

“If you want me to show you how to play a video game after, I can,” she continued. “I don’t play much, but I have it for when Gideon comes over since it’s like the only thing he wants to do. He hates all the movies I like. What kind of person only wants to watch superhero movies?”

“I like the one you showed me,” Kit said while running his finger over the plastic of her train stamp collection.

“Then there’ll be more.” She winked before passing him a set of the presidents.

As he sifted through the boxes, Stevie’s eyes fluttered while she watched him.

It was late, and the day had been jam-packed, so she gave into temptation and closed her eyes.

She slipped further away, possibly into dream state mode, when something hard and cool pressed against her shoulder.

A few seconds later, two cool hands wrapped around her legs and back, then lifted her.

Was she dreaming about a vampire prince this time? A phantom prince?

But when her body jostled, she realized she wasn’t dreaming.

Stevie flicked open her eyes to a white glow cradling her. She screamed bloody murder and fell, her backside colliding with the hardwood floor, pain radiating from her tailbone up her spine.

The haze cleared from her vision as she stared up at Kit. “You were holding me!” she shrieked. “And then you dropped me!”

He knelt beside her. “You’re the one who opened your eyes.”

“And that’s my fault?” she whisper-shouted. “How did you touch me?”

“I’m not quite certain, to be honest.” He shrugged. “It was a peculiar thing. I closed my eyes briefly and felt you, so I thought I would be a gentleman and bring you to bed.”

But how? Stevie thought about when Lucia had come over… “Is it possible because of the wishbone?” Biting her lip, she pressed her hand forward and it slipped through Kit’s chest—not even a hint of coolness brushed her flesh.

“I believe it’s only if our eyes are shut, Pumpkin.” He edged closer, his voice gruff.

“How about you do that then?” she murmured, stretching her hand out for him to touch.

“Only if you don’t scream again. I don’t believe my borrowed eardrums will last through another one of those screeching sounds,” he said, his hand passing through hers, giving her that Casper moment she’d always dreamed about. But she wanted more than that—she wanted to feel his palm against hers.

“You’re hilarious .” She stared at him and waited, a smile breaking. “Are they shut? Because, you know, I can’t see your face.”

“They are closed nice and tightly.” And by the sound of his voice, he was smiling too.

“All right. Here we go.” Stevie inhaled and closed her eyes, stretching her arm forward again.

This time, her hand didn’t slip through his but pressed to something solid.

His velvety soft palm, its coolness spreading across hers.

Becoming a bit more daring, she took her other hand and placed it against his chest .

Stevie’s heart accelerated, her pulse erratic.

Stop that , she chastised herself. She chalked it up to being a bit freaked out that his chest didn’t rise or fall, nor did a heart beat against her palm.

But underneath that layer, she knew it was because she liked the way his muscles felt, especially as she glided her hand to his shoulder.

Unable to fight her eagerness, she skimmed her fingers up his shirt collar, to his cool neck, then to his … jaw.

Kit’s head was there like he’d said, and she ran her palms over the planes of his face.

His chin, cheeks, nose, eyelids, forehead.

His hair. It wasn’t the long locks she’d seen when Lucia performed the spell, but the shorter hair of the guy he’d stolen the head from.

Even though these features didn’t belong to him, a low sound rumbled from Kit when she trailed her fingers across his lips.

Stevie bit the inside of her cheek as she left his coolness, not wanting to seem too weird and linger longer than she should’ve. “So, did you feel all that?”

“ Very much so.”

The urge to feel him again pulsed through her veins, but there was something she needed to do. She opened her eyes and grabbed her phone to call Lucia.

“Stevie?” Lucia answered groggily.

“I know it’s late, but this is sort of an emergency.” Stevie glanced at Kit, and her heart picked up as if bats were flapping around inside it. “Or a me emergency who needs an answer. I can touch Kit. Does this have something to do with the wishbone?”

“You can touch him?” Her voice rose, sounding wide awake now.

“Only if we both close our eyes.”

“Hmm…” Rustling stirred on the other end of the phone. “It could have something to do with you being a seer and winning the larger portion of the wishbone, which in this case would be a heck of a spell I performed. Tell him to come here and let me try it with him.”

Stevie nodded to Kit and he slipped through the wall. “He’s on his way.”

A handful of seconds ticked by when Lucia finally said, “Nope, he can’t do it with me. Just you. Is he the only one you can do this with?”

“I literally just found out, so I have no idea,” Stevie said as Kit came back into her room.

“Try Roxy.”

“Roxy! Come here, girl,” Stevie called. She thought about how she’d slept beside her sidekick for years, and even though the fox didn’t sleep, her eyes were closed the majority of the time. Not once had she ever felt her.

Roxy bounded into the room and hopped onto the bed.

Stevie put the call on speakerphone and knelt in front of the fox.

“Let me try something,” she said, crossing her fingers that this would work.

For years she’d wanted to pet her sidekick, feel how soft her fur was.

“Can you close your eyes? I was able to touch Kit when we both did this, and I want to see if it happens with us.”

“Did it work?” Lucia asked, her tone anxious.

Stevie rolled her eyes. “I haven’t tried yet. Hang on and I’ll let you know.”

Roxy sat on her haunches and closed her eyes.

Stevie mirrored the movement, then pressed her hand forward until her fingers didn’t pass through the fox but brushed soft fur.

She gasped, an emotion brewing within her chest, something raw that she hadn’t felt in ages.

Pure excitement. Tears formed behind her eyelids while running her hands along Roxy’s back, petting her as she’d wanted to do for years.

Roxy let out a low purr, and Stevie smiled wider. “I guess we get to properly meet now, don’t we?” Stevie finally drew her hand back. “It works on Roxy too.”

“This is amazing! But if it got into the wrong hands… If ghosts know you can do this…” Lucia trailed off.

Most would probably mind their own business, but it only takes one bad egg to ruin things. “If one came in here while I was sleeping, it wouldn’t be difficult to tape my eyes shut or something.” Stevie shuddered at the thought.

“You forget,” Kit said. “I’m here, and I don’t sleep. Not many ghosts want to risk going where the Headless Horseman is.”

Lucia hadn’t heard Kit, but she was on the same page. “You have Roxy and Kit there. Plus I’ll work on creating another ward to protect seers—one that hopefully ants don’t eat.”

“Thanks, Lucia.” Stevie ended the call after Lucia told her she would check on her tomorrow.

Kit backed away from the bed. “Get some sleep. I won’t leave this room unless you ask me to.”

As she tugged back the covers, she patted the spot beside her. “Just get in here, my Headless Knight in ghostly attire. I’m not going to have you sit in the chair the entire night. Besides, we’ve crossed enough boundaries already, so this is only one more checkmark to add to the list.”

Without a word, Kit removed his boots and slipped in beside her.

Stevie closed her eyes, unable to stop herself from wondering what the rest of him would feel like against her palms. What his—

Cauldron’s teeth, get your head on straight, Stevie.