Page 32 of Tall, Dark and Haunted

Chapter Fourteen

Topher

“Damn.Welookgood,” Davy says, coming to stand next to Red and me, his eyes on the mirror in front of us. “It wouldn’t be too bad being a ghost dressed like this.”

“For a few decades at least,” I agree. “Just what color is your hair?”

“Sun Blushed Orange. It’s brilliant, isn’t it?”

“Er. Sure.” You wouldn’t see me dead with orange hair, but each to their own.

The door opens, and immediately the easy camaraderie is gone. It is replaced with an almost jealous buzz. All three of us are staring at the beautiful woman who has just entered the room.

Rhia is dressed in a pair of jeans. By today’s standards, her outfit is quite ordinary. But there’s no man alive who would describe the sight of Rhiannon in skin-tight jeans as ordinary. She’s beautiful. Sensual.

I can see every curve. And I’m not just talking about her perfectly shaped ankles.

We should wait. The gentleman in me says I can’t possibly take her. Not until our wedding, the binding ceremony that will confirm our mating bond.

But tonight might be our only night to be together. This could be my only chance to take what is mine and to give her the pleasure that I’m almost desperate to bring her.

Davy, Red, and I already talked it over while waiting for her to join us. If we end up ghosts again come morning, all we have are these few measly hours to be with our Rhiannon. In the biblical sense, of course. Not that any of us outright said it.

But we did agree that we wouldn’t fight over which of us got to spend these last few hours with her. Tonight, she can choose whose company she wants to keep. And if her bear shifter side wants us all at the same time, so be it. Though I haven’t a clue how to make that happen in practice.

“Are you a…” I trail off.

“Am I a… what?” She looks at me questioningly.

There are some things you shouldn’t ask a lady. In our day, those things could just be assumed. But the world has changed so much while my friends and I have been haunting Margam. I have no way of knowing just how experienced my mate is.

Stepping towards her, I prepare myself for the awkward question. “Are you a virgin?”

“A virgin?” Her eyes are wide, and I hear Davy snickering behind me. I wish I could kick him out of the room for this conversation. Hell, for the rest of the night.

“Yes. Are you a virgin?” I ask again, my voice more confident now.

“Er. Does it matter?” She blushes.

I’m not sure how to respond. It shouldn’t matter. But it does. One doesn’t bed a virgin the same way he beds an experienced woman. If this is her first time, we’ll need to take it slow. Get her ready. Be so much more careful.

I’m strangely nervous. As if this were my first time. Although, in all fairness, it is my first time in over a century. But it’s not exactly something a person forgets how to do.

“No. Of course it doesn’t matter,” Davy says, then scowls at me. “That’s not the sort of thing you ask a lady.”

“It’s okay. I’m not a virgin.” She almost laughs at the idea, and I feel instantly jealous. Almost homicidal at the idea of another man with my mate. Then she turns to me. “Are you a virgin?”

I splutter, coughing loudly. “Of course not.”

“Good. Red? Davy?” She raises one eyebrow, waiting for their answer.

They both shake their heads, neither one believing the conversation we’re having.

“Brilliant. Now that we’ve established that none of us are virgins, do you think we could—”

The way she’s staring at my lips sends heat coursing through me, and I don’t let her finish her sentence. I close the distance between us and pull her against my chest, kissing her fiercely.

I know I shouldn’t rush this. I should take my time. I just can’t seem to help myself where Rhiannon is concerned.