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“Yeah.” Huck smiled warmly. “I’m all yours.”
It was kind of weird, but Huck thought…
Well, for a second, it felt like his heart skipped a beat.
CHAPTER3
Grant
All yours, Huck had said.
Grant really hoped Huck couldn’t see how hard he was blushing right now. Obviously Huck didn’t mean itthatway.
Right?
Grant already felt like an absolute idiot. He’d embarrassed himself with that lame phone analogy a few moments ago, and now he was so flustered that he’d forgotten how to speak. All he could do was gawk and stare at the damn ghost while he tried to pull himself together.
Huck was a lot taller than Grant, maybe even as tall as Cary. His build was athletic, shoulders broad with a big chest, though it was hard to see much else with the hoodie on. It had been really easy to make contact, and he was surprised by the clarity of both Huck’s appearance and his ability to communicate.
Creating a connection was more like trying to tune in to a radio station than dialing a phone, and sometimes it took a few turns of the dial to zero in just right. Once the connection was established, Grant had to stay focused to maintain it. With Huck, it was as easy as clicking on a light switch, and the connection was incredibly strong.
“So, uh, Huck.” Grant glanced at Mrs. Charles, who was pantomiming her way through eating a lavish invisible meal. Judging by the big hat, she was the third presence he had sensed earlier that day. “I take it you haven’t been dead… very long?”
“Did you read that from my mind?” Huck asked suspiciously. “Because don’t do that. Please.”
“No, I said that because of your clothes. You don’t look like you could have died that long ago.”
“Oh. Right. That makes sense. It’s been four years. Five? Definitely not six yet.”
“What happened to you?”
“The Thing in the stairs.” Huck’s eyes widened, and he rushed toward Grant. “The stairs! That! That’s what I’m supposed to tell you! Stay away from them!”
Grant’s immediate reaction was to raise his hands even though he knew Huck would go right through him if he got any closer. Huck’s body exuded a cool aura that chilled Grant’s palms at this distance, and though the sudden proximity startled him, it allowed him to get his first real look at Huck’s face under the hood.
Huck’s skin might have been a light or medium brown when he was alive, and his eyes were brown or hazel. Grant could see them clearly now, catching little hints of brown and amber in an otherwise gray image, and he got caught up staring at Huck’s full, pouting lips.
Holy shit, this ghost washot.
“Wh… what’s wrong with the stairs?” Grant managed to squeak.
“The Thing is in there,” Huck replied hurriedly. “It’s dangerous. It killed me.”
“What?” Grand blinked in surprise. “What the hell is it?”
“Please. You have to stay away from it. It’s not safe.” Huck raised his hand as if to touch Grant’s cheek, a whisper of sensation Grant was eerily certain he’d felt before.
Grant knew this was very stupid, but he could sense that Huck didn’t have enough energy to manifest physically. He could share a tiny bit of his own, just a little smidge, and see what Huck did with it.
It was only a quick spark, but Grant focused on Huck’s translucent hand until it turned nearly opaque. Its touch would still be cool, but it would be a touch. He raised his own hand to gently cover Huck’s and urged him to close the remaining distance.
Huck resisted, and he was clearly shocked that there was anything to resist against because he could now feel Grant’s hand there. He eagerly cradled the side of Grant’s cheek, laughing in amazement. “Wait, wait, how are you doing this?”
“It’s kinda like I loaned you my phone charger for a second.” Grant smiled shyly, and then mentally kicked himself for making another phone reference. “I shared some of my energy with you, I mean.”
“This is awesome.” Huck couldn’t seem to get enough of touching Grant, stroking his cheekbone and the line of his jaw. He even dipped his fingers back around Grant’s ear, and Grant tried not to shudder even though that was one of his most sensitive spots.
If Huck saw Grant twitching, he didn’t say anything. He seemed perfectly content to keep petting Grant, and Grant was mesmerized by how tender and sweet each little touch was.
