Total pages in book: 87
Estimated words: 81831 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 409(@200wpm)___ 327(@250wpm)___ 273(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 81831 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 409(@200wpm)___ 327(@250wpm)___ 273(@300wpm)
“Is Chase okay?” Aaron asks.
I nod. “He’s asleep and there weren’t any bad vibes in his room, but I saged it really well again, just in case. He should be fine while we pack. Then, I can just pick him up and carry him to the car.”
Aaron’s eyes widen, filling with disappointment. “You want to leave? Now?”
“No, I don’t want to leave, but there’s a ghost upstairs, Aaron! A real ghost. I know it sounds crazy, but I heard her. Felt her.” I shiver. “She really doesn’t want anyone up in that room.”
“Then I’ll stay downstairs. I can sleep on the couch and watch over you and Chase,” he says. “Problem solved.”
“No, it’s not,” I squeak. “There’s no way I’m going to be able to sleep in the same house with a ghost.”
“Sure, you can,” he says, his gaze warming. “You just need to relax.”
“Relax,” I mutter, wondering if his injured arm is affecting his brain function. “Right. Like that’s going to happen.”
“It will. Start with a hot shower. I’ll leave the water on, and you can jump right in. I’m done.”
Then, this lunatic who apparently has no fear of ghosts or slippery bathroom tile or being buck naked in front of fully clothed people, steps out of the shower, nude and dripping water all over the floor.
My jaw drops and a hundred thoughts zip through my mind, but the loudest thought is—Touch him. Just touch him. What could go wrong?
Chapter 20
Aaron
Melissa’s eyes widen and her mouth opens and closes a few times before her gaze jerks toward the ceiling.
It stays there as she says, “You didn’t put the bath mat down.”
“What?” I ask, watching a blush creep up her pale throat to stain her cheeks.
She flaps an arm toward the front of the tub. “The bath mat. It’s right there. Hanging over the edge. If you’d put it down, you wouldn’t be dripping water all over the floor.”
I smile, loving that blush more with every passing moment. “It’s okay. I’ll just wipe it up with my towel when I’m done drying off. I’m not a mess maker.”
She mutters something I can’t make out.
“What was that?” I ask, my jaw aching form the force of my grin.
“Nothing. Here.” She leans over, grabbing the mat and dropping it down beside my feet. She then reaches for the towel hanging on the hook on the back of the door and thrusts it my way. “And here.”
“So helpful,” I murmur. “Are you going to offer to dry me off, too?”
She shifts her focus my way, her eyes narrowing. “This isn’t the time for teasing.”
“I’m not teasing. I actually could use a little help with the bad arm,” I confess. “I was going to let it air dry, but since you’re here, maybe I could lift it up with my good arm, and you could gently dry my armpit? It’s fresh and squeaky clean, I promise. Nothing gross under there.”
Her gaze softens as she searches my face. Finally, she sighs. “Okay, but I’m not getting in the shower.” She reaches past the shower curtain, shutting off the water. “It’s not safe to get naked. I have to be ready to run if the ghost comes downstairs.”
“I don’t know,” I murmur as I guide my wounded arm a few inches into the air, careful not to use the muscles in my shoulder. “I feel pretty safe.”
“That’s because you didn’t get roughed up by a ghost,” she says, patting the towel under my arm before working her way gently down my ribs.
“You want me to go upstairs and avenge your honor?” I ask as she moves lower, and I fight the natural effects of having Melissa this close, touching me with that look in her eyes.
“No,” she says. “I want you to take this seriously.”
“I am,” I say, amending when she arches a dubious brow, “Okay, I’m not, but I can. How about I get dressed and guard the bathroom door while you get clean?”
“What about Chase?” she says. “I need to keep an eye on him. Just in case.”
“I’ll divide my time between guarding the bathroom and guarding the bedroom. Then, when you’re all clean, we can hang out by the fire in the living room and discuss our options until we fall asleep on the couch and wake up in the morning, safe and sound.”
“If this were a horror movie, you’d be the first person eaten by the hungry ghost,” she says, but I can feel her resistance weakening.
Nearly as fast as my self-control as that towel nears my waist…
“Why is she hungry?” I murmur. “If she has pancakes to throw around, seems she should have better things to eat than furry, fucked up hockey players.”
Mel’s forehead furrows. “Even if the scans came back with bad news, that doesn’t mean it’s over, Aaron. You’re a strong, determined, talented-as-hell person. You can make a comeback. I know you can.”