Page 10 of Purrfectly Haunted

James witnesses my hesitation. “Come on, we’ll use another stall and we can shower together. Would that make you feel safer?”

My brain short circuits instantly. “Shower... together?”

He chuckles. “I meant take turns, obviously. There’s no way we can both fit in there. And I’m not rubbing your back, big guy.”

Oh, right.

I’ll feel safer with James but... What if I get hard just thinking about him watching me? Oh god, I can already feel blood rushing to my groin.

Think of the Burning Crone... think of the Burning Crone, Ewan...

James leads the way, and my eyes must be bulging as they land on his perfect ass. Suds run down his legs, and I have the most inappropriate vision of rubbing my face on them. His skin is smooth and golden all over, and he has almost no body hair. He looks so good. I tear my eyes away out of self-preservation.

He points to the last stall, “You go first, I’ll keep watch.”

“Are—are you sure? Aren’t you cold?”

“Yeah, I’m sure. I can survive being wet for a few more minutes. Come on, hurry.” He nods towards the shower and hands me his bottle of shampoo. “I’d like to be in bed before the curfews up and the early risers see us.”

He’s extremely bossy, and I wish it wasn’t doing things for me.

I turn the shower on and step under the spray when it’s warm enough, keeping my back to him. I’ve managed not to gawk at his cock yet, but better not tempt the devil. I make quick work of rinsing the shampoo from my hair and washing. To my delight, James hands me my towel when I step out, and I wrap it around my waist quickly.

“Thank you,” I say with a smile.

“Yeah, yeah. Now move, let me shower.” He puts his hand between my shoulder blades and pushes me out of the way. Long after he’s let go, I can still feel warmth where he touched me.

I take my watch very seriously, and I scan the darkness in the other shower stalls dutifully. The little ghost doesn’t make a reappearance. I’m not sure what I'd have done if he did. Scream some more, I’m guessing. What a poor ghost hunter I make.

James finishes washing, and he snorts when I offer him his towel, just like he did for me. We both dress quickly—I keep my eyes averted as much as I can—and together we make our way back to the room.

A cat is waiting for us in front of our door, the white one, Misty. She meows once before walking away, white tail swaying like a flag in the wind. We watch as she gets swallowed by the darkness down the hallway, fading like a ghost.

“Alrighty,” James mutters.

He appears more spooked by the cats than the spirits we faced tonight. We get into our cramped room and close the door behind us. James drops his bag on the floor and falls on his double bed heavily with a sigh.

“What a night...” I say out loud this time.

He snorts. “Understatement of the century. What a nightmare. We had enough encounters of the paranormal sort for a lifetime.”

I sit on my air mattress and it dips under my weight. “And yet you weren't scared.”

He smiles. “I was scared, I just do well under pressure.”

“I don’t...” I whisper.

He opens one eye to look at me. “You almost shat your pants, big guy.”

I flush. “I’m... sorry...”

“Teasing you feels like kicking a puppy.” He props his arm under his head. “You did well, all things considered. You’re the one who asked the Burning Crone to go away politely, and she obeyed. Maybe you’re the ghost whisperer of this team, and I should be the muscle. Your bodyguard.” He laughs at the irony.

But unexpected pleasure shoots right to my groin. I quickly slide under the blanket.

My... bodyguard? Yes, please.

Due to my size and body type, people always expect me to be a fighter. Women in my life, and even the gay men I dated, wanted me to protect them, to make decisions and lead the way. But that’s not me. I’m just—