“This place is ginormous,” I spout as we traverse the huge curving staircase up to the second floor. Looking down the hallway, I see dozens of doors – some open, some closed – on both sides of the open foyer below. “Someone actually lived here at some point?”
Brinly’s slight shoulders raise in thoughtful response. “I guess, but I don’t know when. The house was bought by Stacy Barren’s parents a few years ago and I think they’ve been slowly fixing it up to flip and put back on the market. But word is that it’s haunted…”
She stops in front of an open doorway, turning to me with a soft smile. “This is our bedroom.”
A blush creeps up into her already rosy cheeks. It’s cute that she’s embarrassed by what she just said. Implying we were going to “use” the bedroom instead of just decorate it.
It’s large and even in the daylight is creepy. There are little alcoves in the corners of the room and what looks like a turret window of sorts. I don’t know much about architecture, especially the nuances of homes built in the 1800’s. It smells musty and has old wood paneling around the walls that give it a faint oaky scent. Reminds me of my grandfather’s cabin in the woods near the Allegheny mountains in Pennsylvania.
The scent conjures up a sudden feeling of homesickness that I hadn’t felt in a really long time. Brinly seems to notice as she turns to me with a concerned expression.
“You okay, Preston? This place isn’t really haunted you know. I was just kidding.”
I chuckle, placing the bags I carry down next to hers, so our feet are separated only by a few inches. Deciding to play along with the haunted theme, I place a stark, scared look across my face, lifting my brows and opening my mouth in a gaping O. I stare at nothing over her shoulder and behind her, pointing with a shaky hand.
“Are you sure? Then what’s that behind you? Oh my God, Brin. Watch out!”
She shrieks loudly, spinning around and stepping into me. I wrap my arms around her shoulders and press her back into my torso.
Her brown sugar and vanilla scent suffuse my nostrils, as I take a giant whiff at her neck, holding her close, her body trembling in my arms.
“You made that way too easy for me.” I coo against her soft earlobe, which I want to bite and taste and lick.
She huffs out a laugh, her tiny fist trying to get a good punch into my thigh.
“Gah! That was so mean of you!”
Brinly struggles in vain but I don’t release her. Not yet.
“I’m not mean, you’re just gullible.”
This time as she wiggles and flails, I loosen my hold and she rotates in my arms providing me with her best impression of tough, poking me with a dainty finger in my pec.
“I. Am. Not. Gullible.” She emphasizes each spoken syllable with a jab. The laughter rumbles up from my chest at her innocence.
“God, you’re so cute.”
I wrap my fingers around her finger, tightening my arm slung around her waist and drop my face to hers. I’m not letting this opportunity slide by. I stare down into her face and notice her cheekbones tinged pink.
My lips hover inches from hers and she’s about to refute what I said, but instead, I swallow her words with my mouth.
Her lush lips soften against mine, as her warm hand slips around the back of my neck. It’s a gentle, lingering kiss, yet it holds power and enough electricity to light up this dim room.
Dropping her finger, I cup her jaw, my thumb stroking against her soft cheek as I feel a smile form across her face.
I don’t want to end the kiss, but once again the voice of Lola comes calling up the stairway.
“I’m taking off, Brin. I’ll catch ya later! And nice to meet you, Preston.”
I clear my throat, my voice hoarse and a little raspy.
“Yeah, you too, Lola. See ya round.”
“Bye Lo!”
The moment is over and Brin steps back to allow some modicum of space between us, even though I can still feel her body heat.
She places a hand across her heart and sighs, biting down on her full lip. “Wow. My heart is beating so fast.”
