Page 54 of With All My Haunted Heart

“Your tongue should be registered for its magical properties,” I say, delighting in her grin as we make our way to the pillows. “As soon as I catch my breath, I’m returning the favor.” I tug at her leggings. “These need to go.”

She slips out of the rest of her clothes and tosses them to the floor. I pull her closer, threading my leg through hers until she gets her first taste of the pressure I know she craves. The moan that rumbles deep in her throat urges me on, her hips tipping forward to bring us closer.

“Any special requests?” I ask, drawing my fingers up along her rib cage until I finally get to feel the swell of her tightened nipple against my hand. Memories of the night we got high and played board games swim to the forefront of my mind. “I don’t suppose you still own a strap-on?”

“Not that same one.” Elle bites her lip, heat flushing into her face. “But I did buy a new one after our talk the other day.”

Unruly emotions bloom in my chest. The feeling of being chosen, of being wanted, is dangerously tantalizing. We have less than two weeks left. I can’t let myself get carried away.

But I can enjoy the time we do have.

“Go get it,” I say, magic already racing through my veins. “Just be prepared to have your world rocked.”

Elle raises one eyebrow. “Is that so? Don’t make promises you can’t keep, Pip.”

“Oh, Ellie.” I trace a desire sigil across her hip that draws a primal moan from her throat. The sigil only works if the recipient is open to the sensation, and it reignites my own desire that she accepts it so readily. “You have no idea.”

“What was that?” she asks, her hips angling tighter against mine. “Do it again.”

I trace the sigil a second time, and she shudders against me. Goose bumps prickle along her delicate skin. “This is just the beginning,” I promise. “Do you want to stay with this for now or get the—”

“I’ll get it.” Elle untangles herself and reaches for the drawer of her bedside table. She returns with a strap-on and harness and a breathless voice when she asks, “Now what?”

My heart tightens with something deeper than desire. The way she looks at me, the openness to try new things, the fact that she prepared for this moment on the off chance we’d end up here…

Two weeks, I remind myself, shoving back the desire for more. It’s okay to enjoy this while it lasts. It doesn’t have to be anything else.

I pin Elle beneath me and kiss her fiercely. “Now, I return the favor. With interest.”

Chapter

Sixteen

“I don’t know what’s wrong,” I whine at Xander as he drives us into downtown Oak Spires. I’ve spent nearly a week trying to create a space in Midnight Manor where the resident ghosts can be fully visible. Something that will act like the summoning circle I used during the initial ghost-hunting excursions without needing me there to continually funnel magic into the space. Unfortunately, everything I’ve tried has failed.

“Maybe it’s not possible.” Xander turns down Main Street and searches for parking. “That could be a good thing. If ghosts were easily visible all the time, people might have a hard time letting go after a loved one dies.”

“But it feels like I’m so close. It’s as bad as this damn creativity spell I’ve been working on. I feel like I’m right there, but I can’t get over the finish line.”

Xander snorts. “So, what? It’s like magical blue balls?”

I reach across the dash to smack his arm as heat flames across my cheeks, his joke hitting too close to home. It’s been nearly a week since the single most mind-blowing sexual experience of my life. First times are supposed to be awkward and fumbling, but being with Elle felt as natural as breathing. I can’t help but imagine how good it could get with practice, but unfortunately, we haven’t had a chance to try again.

With the B&B fully haunted and opening soon, there’s been zero opportunity for alone time. Xander told his sister he can’t babysit again until January. With all three of us sharing the same roof 24/7, Elle has been distant. We’ve only managed a few moments of stolen kisses, and I’m aching for more.

Especially as my departure from the B&B gets closer. Just over a week now.

I’d hoped to bring Elle with me today, but she had yet another personal errand to run that she wouldn’t talk about.

“I’m glad you could come with me,” I tell Xander, and I mean it. It would have been nice to turn the outing into a date with Elle, but it’s also good to get some one-on-one time with my best friend.

Xander flips on his blinker and parallel parks into a space. “Like I’d let you go antiquing without me,” he says, killing the engine and turning his intense blue gaze on me. “Listen, Pip, don’t stress about the ghost room. You’ve already made a dozen pairs of ghost goggles, and once we find more mirrors, the house will have plenty of spirit boards, too.”

“I know. It’s just—”

“You’ve already gone above and beyond,” he says, cutting off my objections. “Maybe someday, Lou and I can hire you for special events where you make the ghosts visible for a night, but this is a great start. You should be proud.”

“It would be nice to come back to visit,” I agree, loneliness creeping in at his words. Yes, there’s the Elle of it all, but there’s also Xander. I like being here. Being part of something. Waking up in the morning knowing I’m not alone.