I look into his eyes and with as much seriousness as I can muster whisper, “Let. Me. Go.”
His brow furrows and he frowns, taking in my face and my tone. His hold on me loosens a little and uncertainty flashes in his eyes, “Trissa, please… if I let you go, will you stay so we can talk?” The genuine pleading edge in his voice softens my heart and I nod once. Cian closes his eyes tightly and steps back, giving me space but keeping one hand on my waist to keep from disappearing. He looks down at where his hand rests gently on my hip, and then glances back at me with a question in his eyes.
“It’s fine. We can’t talk face to face if you’re not touching me, right?” He nods, and I cross my arms over my chest to keep from reaching out for him.
His eyes shoot up and I can feel them roam my face, taking in every little detail. It’s slightly unnerving and the longer he looks at me with that heat radiating from his eyes, the more my icy resolve starts to melt. I clear my throat, “So? You keep saying you want to talk… so, talk.”
“Delete it.”
My jaw falls open and I stare at him in honest to gods shock.Delete it?DELETE IT? That’s it? Red flashes in my vision and my voice screeches out, “Are you fuckingkiddingme?” I push my hand against his chest, straightening my elbow as I swat his hand off my hip. “Delete it! That’s all you have to say to me? Ho ho buddy, I’ll tell you what. Not ‘I’m sorry forlying to you’ or even like, ‘Gee, thanks for the fan-fucking-tabulous sex, flesh kitten’—No, no… your big line is… is… delete it!” My chest is rising and falling rapidly and I stare at his stupid, beautiful face with all the malice I can muster.
Cian’s eyes, which had gotten increasingly bigger during my little rant, suddenly crinkle and he chuckles. The mother fuckerchuckles.He’s perfect for me, really. It’s exactly the sort of thing I would do. But, not this time. I narrow my eyes at him and takea few steps closer. He sobers and his eyes drop to my lips. My gut tightens and heat swims in my belly, and while it’s inconvenient I can’t even really be mad. I’ve never come that hard—not even in my wildest fantasies! It was life changing and I want to do it again, and the only reason I can’t do it again is because I want to have somegodsdamnedstandards for once, and this dickhead refuses to justbe honest.And that’s what does it… the knowledge that I could be fucking my ghost on every surface of this house—vibrating through walls and shit—is what makes me grab a fistful of his hair and promptly knee him in the crotch. He doubles over and falls to the ground in shock, a pained expression on his face when I crouch down and stick a finger under his chin to lift his face to mine, keeping the contact so he won’t disappear.
“If the next words you say to me aren’t, ‘I’m sorry for being a lying fuckface, I’llneverdo it again’ don’t bother speaking to me. Got it?” I glare at him for a minute before he licks his lips and nods. I purse my lips and nod back, releasing him and turning toward my room before I change my mind and forget about my brand new concept of standards in favor of more mind-blowingly good sex. Aw, look at me… being responsible and shit… Gabbi would be so proud.
Chapter sixteen
Ladylove Licker
Seth
By the time I pop into his grungy, gloomy attic, one glamoured squonk in tow, Cian is pacing furiously enough to stir up little clouds of dust.
“Who is that?” Cian glares over at Oliver, the slightly disheveled looking buddy I’ve brought with me. Rude. It’s not like he’s got a lot of options for friends, and Ollie was nice enough to allow me steal him away to some strange ghosts haunted house. Oliver cards a hand through his permanently tousled brown hair and blinks his owlish caramel colored eyes, pushing his wire-framed glasses back up his nose.
“Oliver. You’re shit at first impressions, by the way.” I glance over at Oliver, who looks up and pauses casually brushing non-existent lint from his clothes. He winces and nods.
“I know. Sorry, so sorry. Oliver Hemlock, pleased to meet you.”
A small sigh escapes me and I shake my head, “Not you, Ollie. You’re lovely and very charming. I meant tall, see-through and broody over here.”
Cian flicks unamused eyes to me as Ollie blushes a delightful crimson color. I cock my head to the side and suck my teeth, “I’m assuming you called, rather morosely might I add, for some kind of advice. Oliver here is basically a fortune cookie, except actually helpful while still maintaining that thrilling, sexy little air of mystery.”
The man in question shuffles his feet, turning a truly astounding shade of red as he clears his throat. “You’re too kind.”
“Right.” Cian squints between us and starts to talk but then stops as his eyes widen. “Wait, you can see me?”
Ollie nods and clears his throat again, “I’m a squonk.”
I bite my lips to keep from grinning as confusion blankets Cian’s expression. As much fun as it would be to watch my friend’s face as he learns what, exactly, a squonk is… I have neither the time nor extra clothing to sacrifice to the tears that would be sure to follow. “He’s paranormal. You’re only invisible to humans.”
“Right.” Cian mumbles, clearly still unsure what to make of this development. Silence fills the room as I watch gleefully as they both awkwardly stare at each other and then purposefully look away to various other points in the room. It’s like a soap opera, but in real life.
“So… you called? Was I mistaken, or do you need advice? Ollie here may be a paranormal, but he’s not a mind reader.”
Oliver shuffles his feet before leaning his back against a nearby wall and folding his arms over his chest. Somehow his calm presence works its magic and Cian’s shoulders drop as he takes in a deep breath before spilling his guts.
“I ruined it.” Cian’s dejected voice reminds me of a kicked puppy and it’s as pathetic as it is heart wrenching.
“What…exactlydoes she know?”
“Everything. I think? She knows that Casper and Cian are the same person, which means she knows I've been texting her under false pretenses. I have no idea how she figured it out, but she fucking knows. Told me in no uncertain terms that she won't speak to me again until I figure out how to make it right.” He glances up at me from between strands of hair that have fallen forward into his face and I frown at the puffiness under his eyes.
“Okay… well, maybe it’s not so—”
“She’s pissed. Kneed me in the cock.”
I can see Oliver wince and cover his own crotch from the corner of my eye, and my orbs crinkle with sympathy. “Fuck.”
