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It had been so long.
There had been few sexual exploits while he was a vampire, but more than he wanted to admit while he was human. He’d lived with three to four other guys in their twenties. If they hadn’t been dancing or working out, they’d been getting off together…the very definition of friends with benefits.
But this wasn’t that.
This wasdating.
They didn’t need to discuss or officially give it a label. He could feel it in Ryder’s every touch. He now belonged to this vampire—body, heart, and soul. It was heaven.
Unfortunately, they didn’t get the chance to linger in bed. Gideon woke to discover Ryder had talked on the phone with Winter, explaining their ghost problem. He and Fox were on their way over to have a look at the trunk.
That left him enough time to shower in Ryder’s bathroom and scurry upstairs to grab some clothes. His condo was completely silent when he ventured inside with his new boyfriend. The ghost had moved nothing else during the day. Had the ghost gotten bored after they left? Had it departed on its own?
Thankfully, they were off work tonight, so they could focus on the ghost and maybe this new relationship thing.
A knock at the door had Gideon’s heart tripping in his chest. He hurried over and tried not to gulp when he found himself face-to-face with Winter Varik. Not that he appeared to be the scariest creature in existence with his long, messy hair, hoodie, and jeans. Winter might be the youngest of the four Varik brothers, but he was definitely the most frightening, regardless of his appearance. Even after being made an official member of the clan, Gideon still found the vampire intimidating. Winter could become invisible and kill you without you ever knowing he was there. How could all the vampire world not be terrified of him?
But then Winter smirked. “So, you’ve got a ghost problem?”
“I’m assuming you didn’t notice this ghost during the security install,” Gideon said, motioning for him to enter. He frowned. Winter was alone. He even leaned out his front door and gazed down the stairs toward the door to the building. No one was out there.
“Fox is in the car. His presence blocks my ability to see and hear ghosts. After I check your place out, he’ll come up,” Winter explained as he wandered into the condo.
That was right. He knew that.
“And to answer your question, no. When I was here, I didn’t see any ghosts in your place,” Winter continued. It felt like there was a heaviness and a distinct pause in his words the moment he stopped at the threshold of the living room.
“But I’m assuming you spotted one in my place,” Ryder continued, his voice echoing along the hall.
Gideon closed the door and hurried after Winter. He stopped behind the Varik and stared at Ryder. “Seriously? You think there’s a ghost in your condo?”
“There are two, actually,” Winter corrected. He rubbed his bottom lip with his thumb, his smirk returning as he glanced over his shoulder at Gideon and then Ryder. “But they weren’t there every night when I was working. One liked to hang out by the front windows, and it never talked to me. I wouldn’t worry about them. They don’t see the living world any longer. They won’t bother you.”
Gideon dropped his head and groaned. He didn’t like the sound of this. Winter walked the rest of the way into the living room and Ryder immediately crossed to Gideon, wrapping him up in powerful arms. Okay, that helped. The light kiss to the top of his head helped even more.
“You’ll never know the ghosts are there. In a few days, you’ll probably forget Winter even mentioned them,” Ryder murmured into his hair.
That was probably true. A grin spread across his lips as he thought about all the ways he wanted to distract himself from the ghosts if Ryder let him.
“Ryder said the lights were all flipped on and the ghost did this with the stools?” Winter inquired.
Gideon reluctantly stepped out of Ryder’s arms and followed Winter to the dining room. “Yes. There was also a lot of knocking and giggling.”
“Plus the pillow fight,” Winter said, sounding as if he were trying not to laugh.
“Yes,” Gideon hissed.
He shrugged. “At least it wasn’t throwing knives.”
“What the hell!” Gideon shrieked, grabbing his hair. “Keep your voice down. Don’t give it ideas.”
“Not cool,” Ryder growled.
Winter stared that cold, unnerving look of his, meeting Ryder’s glare without flinching. Gideon didn’t know what the fuck he saw, but the Varik nodded. “You’re right. Sorry. If it helps, this sounds like a child who just wants to play with you. They don’t mean any harm.”
That might be true, but it was still extremely creepy.
“Do you see anything?” he asked, releasing his tight hold on his hair.
