Page 78 of Hot Ghost Summer

Everything feels wrong.

I carry the bag to the table. The plasma ray pokes out of the top. I should check it. Rule two.

“Theo, are you listening to me?”

“Listening,” I repeat.

“It’s dark out, Theo. You’re not going out in the dark.” His hands grip my shoulders. Firm. Insistent.

Grounding.

I tilt my head to look at him. That sharp jaw and those defined cheekbones lend him an authoritative air.

“I’m not afraid o’ the dark.”

“You’re not afraid of ghosts either, and that’s the problem. Stay home.” His fingertips pinch.

I narrow my eyes. “Not these ones. I can help these ones. They need me t’ help ’em.”

“No, they’re not alone. They come with a lethal Level Four entity—as you well know.”

I shove him off, pushing past to get my cap from the floor. “You heard Mister Pickett. I’m back on the clock. Immediately. I don’t have a choice.”

“You do—”

“I don’t! I’ve got rent t’ pay, and I’ve been laid off all week. He said by Monday…”

The plug sockets spark and crackle. “I’ll pay your rent, but you’re not going!”

Annoyed, I whirl to face him. “That’s such a ridiculous thing t’ say. And then when it’s Monday, and I haven’t solved the case, and he fires me… then what? I need money t’ live, Hollis.”

“I’m being ridiculous?” he fumes. “And when you turn up at Plot Forty-Seven alone, what exactly is it you plan on doing to solve this case?”

Anger gets the best of me. “I don’t know!” I yell. “Something. Anything. My job. Apparently, I’m a Spirit Extraction Specialist now, and—”

Hollis clamps his cold hands on either side of my face and slams his lips to mine.

twenty-three

Got The T-Shirt

Theo

Hollis’s lips are surprisingly gentle when they move against mine.

Instinctively, my hands find his chest, where I grab fistfuls of his coveralls. I can’t decide if I mean to shove him off me or pull him closer. I kiss him back.

His form is solid and strong. I lean into him, tightening my grip.

The kitchen cabinets and drawers rattle behind their taped defences, and the faintest rush of electricity sweeps over my skin, leaving a cooling trail of tingles in its wake.

As the kiss fades, so does the hum of static electricity and the noise inside my mind. I rest my forehead against his while I slow my breathing.

Licking my lips, I whisper, “Don’t do that again unless you mean it.”

Pulling away, I release my hold on him in favour of wrapping my fingers around the door handle behind me.

“Where are you going?” Hollis’s question is as demanding as ever, but his voice is raw. Quiet.