Cordelia huffed. “Don’t feed his ego. It needs no further fuel.”
“He’s not that bad.”
He looked away, but not before I caught the flicker of warmth in his expression, the kind of look that made me forget we weren’t supposed to still matter to each other.
“Thanks for the stellar endorsement,” he said.
“Youhauntedthis maze,” I grumbled.
Grinning, Kieran leaned close. “You tell her.”
He was too distracting, too appealing, especially when he smiled.
“I prefer the termcurated.” Cordelia blew on her nails and squinted at the results. “You two neededprivacy, and I needed entertainment. Everybody wins.”
“If by winning you mean emotional chaos and possible dehydration from blushing,” I muttered.
Kieran’s mouth quirked at one corner, revealing the sharp bite of his fangs. “You’re blushing?”
“From rage.” I lied. Badly. Sighing, I glanced around the overgrown garden. The hedges shimmered under the witchlights, and the air hung heavy with the scent of roses and damp moss. It was lovely in a mildly cursed way. “If you’re trying to play matchmaker, I assure you it’s unnecessary. We’re already married.”
“More or less,” he said.
I leaned away from him, frowning. “What does that mean? We both said I do. Youbitme. Sucked my blood.”
“A technicality,” he said. “Purely ceremonial.”
“Ceremonial? You looked like you enjoyed it.”
His eyes darkened. “So did you.”
“Oh yes, more of this! The heat. The passion.” Cordelia removed her ghostly shoes and started hacking away with the dagger at her toenails.
“Stop talking to me,” I said.
Kieran stiffened. “If you insist.”
“Not you.Her.”
“Oh.” He peered around. “She’s still here?”
“Unfortunately.”
Cordelia sniffed. “I know when I’m not wanted.”
“And yet, there you sit, gouging away at your toenails with, of all things, a dagger.”
“If I don’t keep them trimmed, I’ll get fungus.”
I tilted my head. “Ghosts can get fungus in their nails?”
“Why wouldn’t they? As for you two being wed, paperwork isn’t passion, darling. I couldn’t help but overhear your dilemma.”
“We’ll figure it out.”
“What you two need is heat, tension, and some smolder.” Her grin full of fangs, she leaned forward, almost to the point I thought she’d fall off the hedge. “A scandalous moment will convince him.”
“What’s she saying?” he asked, sounding intrigued.
