Page 27 of Haunt Me, Maybe

“I know,” he replied, “I’m choosing to.”

My heart stuttered. He wanted to be around me? I stole looks at him as we walked the last yards to the inn. That smirk remained, almost as if he knew I watched. The porch light clicked on right as we reached the front door, and Wes waited for me to step inside before phasing through himself and waiting once more at the bottom of the staircase.

“You’re going to…” I didn’t quite know how to ask why he was climbing the stairs with me without sounding like an idiot. Shock struck me mute.

“I am.” He chuckled. “Is that a problem?”

“Nope.” I shook my head and started climbing.

My legs took the stairs faster than usual, causing a faint burn to settle in my thighs. But I couldn’t slow down. Not when Wes’s hand kept casually grazing mine in a way I was almost sure was on purpose. The attic door creaked as I pushed it open. Warm lamplight spilled out, familiar and safe.

I stepped inside and turned—only to find Wes closer than I expected, the door clicking shut behind him on its own. Silence settled over the attic with a charged current that began to spark the longer we stared at one another.

“Still okay?” he asked, quieter now.

I nodded, then shook my head, then laughed at myself. “I think so. I just—today was a lot.”

His gaze softened, and his smirk faded into something more careful. “Yeah. It was.”

The cold curled around my wrist again, gentle. Curious. I swallowed, and Wes watched like he was deciding something dangerous. Tension bloomed, growing stronger the longer he looked at me like that.

“Earlier,” he said, thumb slowly rubbing across his chin. “In the maze. That wasn’t your magic, was it?”

“No,” I answered honestly. “That was just the field and…us.”

The air shifted, and the cold deepened.

“I thought so.” Wes gave a small nod and stepped closer.

His presence pressed against my senses, and my magic stirred again, unbidden—like an untrained Labrador begging for attention. Soft illusions bloomed at the edge of the lamplight. Shadows leaned inward, and sound dulled; the ebb and flow of both tied directly to the racing of my heart.

“I want to try something,” Wes declared, voice honeyed.

He kept moving, a slow, steady corral that sent my heart rattling. My own feet mirrored his, taking a shaky step back for every one he gained. His chin was slightly tucked as he watched me flee with a half smile. One brow rose when my back hit a wall, like he knew something I didn’t.

Both his arms came up to bracket my head, close enough to cage me without any part of us touching. Every nerve in my body still lit up like we were. He leaned in, inhaling slowly, as if he were learning me by scent alone. Goosebumps erupted all over my body, and I couldn’t stop the trembling that began in my knees and worked its way up my thighs.

His nose brushed my shoulder, traced up the curve of my neck, and paused beneath my ear.

“Tell me to stop,” he murmured.

I didn’t. The words wouldn’t even form in my brain. It felt like every invisible thread that had been pulling me toward him finally drew taut. All those times I’d found myself watching him, searching for him, feeling him before I saw him—it all crashed together until resisting was impossible.

I tilted my head and blindly reached out with my hand to keep from melting into a puddle at his feet. That solid contact landed like a jolt, and my world narrowed down to two points: the solid muscle beneath my palm and his warm breath on my skin.

Wes exhaled sharply, and my magic responded before I could stop it. The light warmed, charged by the firestorm inside me. We were standing impossibly close now, so close that my hips knocked into his when I pushed even the slightest bit forward.

“You’re trouble,” he said, groaning quietly. It sounded like he lost a battle within himself. “I’m apparently into that.”

I wasn’t sure who moved first. I only knew that suddenly his hand was at my waist, and my breath left me in a soft, traitorous sound as our mouths met. The kiss was unhurried; careful in a way that felt deliberate rather than hesitant. I followed his lead and tried not to make a fool of myself.

His thumb pressed lightly into my side, grounding me as my knees threatened to give out, and when we finally pulled apart, his tongue languidly swiped across my lower lip. Wes rested his forehead against mine, eyes closed as he caught his breath.

“This is a bad idea.”

“Undoubtedly,” I whispered.

Neither of us let go. Eventually—reluctantly—he stepped back. My legs locked, and I pressed a hand to the wall to steady myself. Heart still racing and magic purring, it sat low and pleased beneath my skin. For once, it wasn’t trying to jump out and run amuck.