Page 55 of With All My Haunted Heart

The thought of only popping in a few times a year makes my heart ache. Windsfell isn’t that far, but it won’t be the same.

I shove the thoughts away. I don’t have any right to want more. This isn’t my business. It’s not my dream. This is all Xander and Elle. It’s all Alex and Louie. I should be excited to get back to my apartment and my business. I’m close to having everything I wanted when I accepted this job.

So why does it feel so hollow?

Looking out my window, I scan the row of shops. “Oh, wow. I can’t believe you got a spot right in front of the antiques store.”

Xander grins. “What can I say? It’s my superpower. Now, come on. We have spirit boards to find.”

I follow Xander out of the car and cross my arms against the cold. We hurry out of the wind into Oak Spires Antiques, where we’re blasted with warmth and the unmistakable smell of old furniture, wood polish, and a cinnamon candle. The scent reminds me of the morning after Elle and I had sex.

She made cinnamon rolls for breakfast, and when I followed the scent to the kitchen, she was busy drizzling homemade icing over the fresh pastries.

The next time we’re alone, she whispered, her breath on my neck eliciting a delicious shiver, I’ll make another batch of this icing just so I can lick it off you.

But then Xander had nearly caught us kissing, and Elle put distance between us. She’s kept that distance firmly there, afraid to hurt him with our…whatever we are.

Now, I follow Xander around the antiques store, only half paying attention as he debates the merits of different mirror styles. He seems happy. Like there isn’t anywhere else he’d rather be.

Maybe it would be okay if he found out about Elle and me. If we could tell him without hurting him, I could take her on a real date. We could kiss whenever we wanted. We could spend our last eight nights together instead of staring at our respective ceilings with only the memories of our first time and our own fingers to make our toes curl.

What I wouldn’t give to feel her weight pressing me into the mattress again. To feel her hands on my thighs, guiding me onto the strap-on that I magically bonded to her clit, to hear the shocked gasp of her pleasure.

“Pippa,” Xander says, yanking me from thoughts that leave my face burning with embarrassment.

“Sorry.” I shake my head and hope he doesn’t notice how flustered I feel. “What did I miss?”

Xander holds up two mirrors, one with a delicate metal fleur-de-lis pattern, the other set in a rustic-style wooden frame. “How many of these do we need?”

Right. Work. “I can do as many as you want around the B&B. We already have the one in the main hallway, but it’d be good to have ones in the kitchen, dining room, and library. The sitting room, too, in case I don’t figure out how to make it a full-time ghost room.”

“Can I help you folks with anything?” A man of East Asian descent wearing a black Oak Spires Antiques T-shirt approaches with a smile. He’s undeniably hot, with a textured Ivy League haircut, pouty lips, and perfect skin that could put his age anywhere between twenty-five and forty-five. His attention fixes on Xander, and there’s a glimmer in his dark brown eyes. “Do you want me to take those to the register while you and your girlfriend continue to browse?”

“Oh, I’m not his girlfriend,” I cut in, leaning into the vibe I’m getting from the man. “I’m very much not his type.”

The shop attendant’s smile grows brighter. “Oh, I’ve heard of you. Alex, right? You’re the new B&B owner my coworkers were telling me about. I’m Kai.”

Xander hands over the mirrors he already found. “Glad to hear I’ve made an impression. A good one, I hope?”

“A very good one.” Kai accepts the mirrors, his gaze never wavering from Xander. “Though they neglected to mention how attractive you are.”

I watch Kai leave, weaving through the aisles back to the register, and delight bubbles up inside me. “Ten bucks says he asks for your number when we check out.”

Instead of taking the bet or puffing up with pride like I expect, Xander makes a noncommittal noise and goes back to perusing the aisles. His back to me, I can see the stiffness of his muscles. The tension in his movements.

The spark of mischievous joy dies a swift death as worry swoops in to take its place. “Xan? What’s wrong?”

“It’s nothing.”

“Hey.” I rest a hand on his arm, stalling his search through the antique furniture. “Look at me.”

Xander sighs, his body angled away. “I’m fine, Pip.” He tries to smile, but it’s strained. Broken.

I take his hand in mine. “Do I need to break out a calming sigil?” I ask, keeping my voice low as I rub my thumb across his knuckles. “You can talk to me, Xander. You know that, right?”

He nods, but his jaw flexes like he’s trying to hold back what he wants to say. I wait, patient, until he releases the contents of his lungs in a rush. “It’s stupid.”

“I’m sure it’s not.”