Page 53 of The Devil and His Ghost

“Goddamn,” he growled between clenched teeth while stroking himself. He angled his head as though to kiss me but stopped short. He stared at my hand hidden beneath my shorts. “You’re doing such a good job, baby. Are you feeling good?”

“Yes,” I moaned, brushing my cheek over his chin as I gasped into the air. “Something’s—I’m—”

“Do it,” he ordered and dug his fingers in until he practically gripped the meat of my hip in a bruising fist. “Cum for me. Cum with me.”

A pleasured groan spilled from my lips as I dropped my head forward at the same time he did. Our foreheads pressed together, and I watched him fist his cock rapidly. The sight, along with the attention I showered my pussy in, had my entire body suddenly trembling. Fireworks burst around my finger and rippled through my entire body. I moaned against Xander’s lips just as ribbons of white cum erupted from the slit in his cock, raining down his hand and onto my shorts where my hand slowed.

His chin tilted ever so slightly while he grunted in his release. The motion made our lips dance dizzyingly close. Awareness made mine tingle, yet that buzz of an almost caress was all I got before I withdrew my hand and slumped forward to rest my face on his bare chest. My heart raced, and I worked to catch my breath. The rapid beating of his heart was like a beautiful beat for my soul, and as his evened out, so did mine. My hand still clung to his over my hip, but his grip had loosened so that now his thumb rubbed in a gentle, soothing back and forth pattern.

I waited for the nightmare to tangle with the bliss of this moment. I closed my eyes in anticipation of the self-hatred and panic that I assumed would follow any sexual pleasure I indulged in. Yet none of that could get past him—his scent filling my nose, his heartbeat beneath my forehead, his hand holding me steady, his very presence keeping the real demons back.

Upon realizing this, I took a slow, deep breath to keep my many emotions at bay. Without thinking, I pressed a light kiss to his chest over his heart. He rested his cheek on the top of my head, and though I couldn’t be sure, it felt like he placed a light kiss there, too.

“Thank you,” I whispered around the lump in my throat.

“Thank you for trusting me.”

Eventually, we moved to the bathroom to clean off his cum, which covered both of us. I changed into a fresh pair of pajamas, and he conjured some new boxes that were free of his sticky release. We climbed into bed, and with only the dimly lit TV on, we faced each other with small smiles.

“You gonna sleep in those?” Xander teased with a reach toward my glasses.

I snagged his hand to stop him and explained, “I can’t see good in this lighting if I take them off.”

I wasn’t sure if he heard the implied meaning in my words. Even I didn’t realize what I’d just admitted until the words were already out.

I couldn’t see him well in the nearly dark room without the glasses.

He didn’t let go of my hand, and instead, he let our joined fingers fall to the mattress between us. I rubbed my thumb along his, and he returned the gesture until we somehow found our thumbs fighting for dominance in a half-assed thumb war. The mindless struggle gave my head space to wander back to earlier. The places these very hands had touched. The words we’d shared, some of which pricked my curiosity now.

“So why have you never collected ghosts before?” I asked him. “In your … how old are you again?”

“It’s rude to ask a demon their age, Ghost.”

I laughed. “Okay, fine. In your long life, why have you never collected any?”

He pursed his lips while watching the dance our thumbs indulged in. After some thought, he answered, “I suppose it’s because I never wanted to be stuck with a soul for that long. Sure, I could just release them to their final destination, wherever that may be, when I was done using them or tired of them. But even getting to that point requires an interest, something I’ve never had in any person or soul. I’ve not wanted to claim anyone for myself, even for a single minute.”

“Except one,” I teased.

He looked across the pillows at me, a warm smile climbing his face. “Except one.”

Chapter 19

Kendyll

(Two Years Ago)

I LEANED AGAINST THE TABLE with my chin propped in my palm and a delirious smile hidden behind my fingers. Catsper perched on the table across from me, watching the falling leaves and birds outside the window. I waited by the large window in the sitting room of the inn for the Haunted Days and Nightmares team to arrive, though I didn’t mind waiting as they headed here from the airport. It gave me a chance to watch the news clip of Sinners Do It Better from earlier this morning.

A global morning news station had the rock band on for an interview and a live performance of their new single. All five members were dressed sharply, taking turns answering questions about their music and themselves. Xander looked especially good in his loose shirt, which would’ve been open if not for the single string connecting the two halves. His hair had been mussed to look classically disheveled and sexy, and a silver chain rested against his throat and matched the silver hoop in his nose.

All the guys were in their human forms for the interview, but once they moved to the TV station’s stage for their performance, they appeared in their true forms—demon horns, eyes, claws, and fangs on full display. The rest of the world assumed the look was a costume for their band’s persona, but I knew the truth. They were all the real deal.

I loved watching Xander play with his band. He was in his element and confident as he strummed the bass guitar with hands that worked his dick just as skillfully the night before. I could still vividly remember those strong fingers and how they’d circled and stroked his length. The memory made me swallow hard but also made a certain heaviness settle over me.

I wasn’t naive. I knew that just because we’d crossed some sort of line last night, that didn’t suddenly make us lovers or something more than … Ghost and Mr. Monster, a broken soul and the demon who always managed to stumble upon those fragments.

I wasn’t expecting anything, and I didn’t want to label our friendship as anything more than that. What we were now was good enough. Xander said we’d hang out and he’d stick around, but I knew that wasn’t true, either. The minute this trip was over, we’d go our separate ways.