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“I think I rank at least a few notches above okay. I’m bordering on fantastic.”
“Good.”
“Are you hungry?”
“Starving.”
I smirk and climb out of bed, walking into the closet to fetch a robe. “Me, too. I’ll go make the tacos. It’ll only take a minute since everything is pretty much already prepped.”
After making a stop in the restroom, I pad into the kitchen and start the burner to heat up the skillet once more, humming under my breath.
My girls were right today. Going after what I want, following my damn heart, feels better than I thought it would. I’m relieved to let the past go and allow myself to feel the love and desire for Xander that I’ve kept locked away for so long.
And all of it because of my own stubbornness.
With the fish cooking, I gather the rest of the supplies from the fridge and pantry. When I turn back toward the room, I jump at the sight of Xander filling the doorway.
“Sorry,” he says, holding up his hands. “I thought you heard me stomping down the hallway.”
“For a man your size, you don’t make much noise when you walk. It’s fascinating. This will be ready in about five minutes.”
“What’s your favorite thing to cook?” he asks as I get to work assembling the tacos. He tried to help me cook on the first night, but he just gets in my way, so he agreed to be a spectator.
“I actually don’t love to cook.”
“Oh, you don’t have—”
“I know I don’t have to.” I shake my head. “I don’t mind it. I know I’m good at it. It’s baking that I really love. The more challenging, the better. I keep meaning to get Aunt Hilda’s sourdough starter from her. I’ve been in the mood to bake some bread.”
“Do you know how to make brownies?”
I raise an eyebrow as I pass his plate to him.
“Of course, I do.”
“Well, if you ever want to make a pan of brownies and share them, I wouldn’t complain.”
“I’ll remember that.”
Dinner is nice. Actually, the whole evening has just been really nice. It almost feels like the old days, before the baby, when we were just young and so in love we couldn’t see straight.
Finally, when I can’t hold my eyes open for another minute, I yawn. “I think I have to go to bed. I’m exhausted, and I want to get an early start to the day tomorrow. I need to get some writing in.”
“I think we both could use some rest.”
We work together to make sure the house is locked up and the lights are off, before making our way down the hall. When I reach for the knob of the guest room door, Xander stops me.
“What are you doing?”
“I’m going to bed.”
“That’s not your room.”
I frown at the guest room door and then look up at Xander. “Do you think I’m going to sleep with you just because I had sex with you?”
“That’s exactly what I know.”
I grin. “Okay. I have to go wash my face.”
I breeze past him and through my bedroom to the bathroom. I figured I’d be sleeping with Xander tonight—and likely every night—but I didn’t want to be presumptuous.
And, I could admit, I wanted to see what his reaction would be.
He didn’t disappoint.
With the water running in the sink, I wet my face, reach for my cleanser, and start scrubbing my cheeks, forehead, and nose. Then, I splash the warm water to rinse off the soap and reach for a towel to pat it somewhat dry.
Before I grab my moisturizer, I glance down into the basin of water and feel my heart stop.
The reflection isn’t me.
Well, technically, it’s me. But I look decomposed, half my skin gone, exposing teeth and gums. One eye is missing. My hair is stringy and thin.
“You hold no power here,” I say, not giving in to the fear that wants to lick up my back and enter my heart. “Your tricks fall on deaf ears. In the light of day, in the darkness of night, I banish you from my sight.”
The room hums with my energy. There’s a whoosh of air, and the apparition is gone.
It can’t get to me in my home. It can play tricks like that one, but it can’t harm me or Xander. I have too many wards and too many protections set against it.
But damn if it isn’t unnerving.
“Lorelei?”
“I’m fine,” I call back and squirt some moisturizer into my palm, then walk out of the bathroom as I rub it into my face. “It tried to dick with me, but I sent it on its merry way. What does it say about me that it doesn’t even really scare me all that much anymore? It’s just annoying now.”
I stop short when I see Xander standing in the middle of my bedroom, holding my pillow in one hand, and in the other…
