Page 18 of Purrfectly Haunted

“Can you please take it out of the room?” James asks, eyeing the beast.

“Sure.” But to my horror, Lucifer begins to make biscuits on the blanket on top of my air mattress. “No, Lucifer, don’t—”

Too late, there’s the unmistakable whistle of air coming out of the mattress as it slowly deflates.

“Fuck, did he just—” James says, but then he’s cut short as the cat zooms out of the room like an orange Ferrari.

I close my eyes, defeated. “He just sank his claws right into the mattress, yes.”

I guess I’ll sleep on the floor tonight.

James sighs deeply. “Fucking cats, I swear they’re the worst part about this job. Well, grab your blanket and get in bed with me.”

I blink. “In bed... with you?”

“Yeah. You’re massive, but it’s a double bed, we’ll be fine.”

“Wait, are you sure?” My heart rate skyrockets.

“I feel magnanimous tonight. You can kiss my feet tomorrow, but right now I’m tired and drunk. Get in bed, Ewan.” He takes his shoes off, then his socks, and his hoodie, and he climbs in bed. “But you’re taking the side against the wall. I don’t like to feel cornered.”

Once again, his no-nonsense, bossy demeanour shoots straight to my cock. Except sharing a bed with him puts me too-close for comfort with a raging erection.

And I'm imagining kissing his feet. Oh god...

I grab my blanket and scoot onto the bed until I’m glued to the wall. James turns off the light and jumps in bed, too. In the dark, our breathing sounds far too loud.

He sighs happily. “Good night, Ewan.”

“Good night,” I mumble, unsure of what to do with my body as I feel him so close. One move, and we’d touch.

And this is how on my second day at my new job, I find myself sharing a bed with my coworker.

five

A hot pickle

JAMES

Iwake spooning Ewan, with my nose buried in his hair and my hand slung over his hip. I take a moment to revel in this happy circumstance before slowly backing away from him. He’s sleeping soundly, his large body sandwiched between me and the wall.

I don’t know if I should thank or curse the damn cat for deflating the air mattress.

This prolonged exposure to Ewan’s incredible body isn’t making it easier. I have to remind myself every hour of the day that he’s my teammate and not some guy I met at a bar who I'm trying to seduce.

Do coworkers often share beds? a little voice says in my head. No, they don’t. But then again, we’re not doing a normal job, are we?

Last night while I was a little drunk, I stupidly tried to flirt with him, but he didn’t say a word. Would he say something if it made him uncomfortable? Somehow I’m not sure. I’d hate to learn I made him uneasy.

I sigh and sit at the edge of the bed, rubbing my tired eyes. One quick look at my phone tells me it’s almost noon, even though it feels like 7am. Our graveyard shifts are messing with my perception of time.

Ewan stirs behind me, and I witness his slow awakening. His eyes open and he looks at me, gaze soft from sleep and the remnants of whatever dream he was having. Then when his brain finally connects to reality, his face turns beet red. Adorable.

“Good morning, sleepyhead,” I say.

Ewan hides his eyes under his arm and mumbles, “Good mornin’.” His Scottish accent is like a purr.

“Did you sleep well? I didn’t squish you against the wall, did I?”