Page 50 of The Curse of Redwood

“Those are qualities anyone would admire,” Z said, gliding his hand up and down my side. “Tell me. What changed your feelings for him?”

My face heated.

“Why do you blush?” he asked, touching my cheek.

“Because…” I wet my lips and struggled to answer him. “Even before I saw you that night in the ballroom, I felt like I was on a tether, being pulled toward something. Then, our eyes met from across the room, and that tether yanked harder, bringing us together. The connection was stronger than anything I’d ever felt before. That’s when my feelings for Ben shifted.”

I wasn’t expecting him to chuckle, but he did.

“What?” I asked, confused.

“You are like Romeo, then,” he responded, grazing his thumb over my bottom lip. “Such a fickle little creature. He thought he was in love with Rosaline, then he laid eyes on Juliet. His affection was swayed so easily.”

“I’m not fickle,” I said, lightly slapping his chest. “I just feel things really deeply and can’t help it when I fall for someone. Doesn’t mean what I feel isn’t valid.”

“Oh, you mistake me, little dove. I didn’t mean to imply your feelings are invalid. What I meant to say was, perhaps, what you feel for me is merely lust. And that’s fine. I will satiate your lust as often as you wish.”

“You’re wrong,” I said, resting my cheek on his shoulder. “I’ve lusted after a lot of men in my life, but none of them compare to what I feel when I’m around you. I don’t just want to make you come, Z, I want to make you smile and laugh too. I want you to be happy.”

He pressed a kiss into my hair. “This is the closest I’ve been to happy in many, many years. When I’m with you, I almost forget what I am. You make me feel… alive.”

Funny. Air filled my lungs, and I had a pulse. But I hadn’t felt truly alive until I’d met him.

“I wish I could sleep right here,” I said, nuzzling closer and breathing him in. The light coming through the window had shifted. “But the sun is getting ready to set, isn’t it?”

“Indeed.” His arms tightened around me. “When will I see you again?”

“Tomorrow morning?” I combed my fingers through his hair, amazed at how soft it was. “I have to be at work by noon, but I can get up early and stop by before then.”

“I shall await your return.”

We sat up and pulled apart to get dressed. He dressed much faster than me. I was still tugging on my skinny jeans as he finished with the last button on his vest.

“I’m shocked you can’t just snap your fingers and have them on in a flash,” I said, shoving my arms through my hoodie and pulling it over my head.

“I’m a ghost, Carter, not a warlock.”

“At one time, I thought you were a vampire,” I said, sitting on the edge of the bed and tying my shoes.

He laughed and grabbed my hand as we walked toward the bedroom door. “Vampires were a myth even when I lived, though many people believed they existed.”

“Hey, I feel anything’s possible now. I used to think ghosts weren’t real until I saw one. Maybe there’s truth to all the stories. Vampires, witches, and ghouls. If one’s real, why not the others?”

“Fair point.” Z placed his hand at the small of my back as we moved down the second floor corridor.

“Can I ask you something?”

“I feel I have no choice in the matter,” he responded as one side of his mouth hitched upward. “You will only ask the question anyway.”

“Are we a thing now?” I asked. Being with him felt too right. I never wanted the feeling to end.

When he stopped walking, so did I.

“Carter…” He removed his hand from my back and placed it in his pocket instead. “I told you romance isn’t an option. We are enjoying each other’s company and that’s all.”

Why was I being so clingy? I was no stranger to no-strings-attached sex.

“Oh.”