Chapter 13

13

“No,I’m not sleeping in here,” Harlow said with a nervous chuckle. “You have to rest.”

Cash, who was standing just inside his bedroom door, tightened his grip on her hand and tugged her a little closer. “But then you’ll have to get up multiple times to check on me. Wouldn’t it be easier if you just slept here and set an alarm? Then you can just roll over and make sure I’m still breathing.”

“With my luck, you’ll be rolling on top of me all night,” she said, shaking her head, even as her body screamed for her to give in to his request. Every night since they’d separated, she’d missed the weight of his body next to her at night, the sound of his breathing, the knowledge that he was right there next to her when she needed him. But it had been well over a year since they’d been together, and that meant she didn’t trust either one of them to follow the healer’s orders. “I know you, Cash Moses. You won’t be able to keep your hands to yourself.”

“What if I promise to behave?” he asked, trying and failing to look innocent.

Harlow let out a loud laugh. “You’re a terrible liar, Cash. You’re going to have to hold off for one more night.”

“Damn,” he muttered under his breath, and without waiting for her to leave his room, he tugged his shirt off.

Harlow’s gaze landed on his well sculpted pecs and then moved to his six pack abs, and she couldn’t help the little gasp she let out.

Cash’s lips twitched into a self-satisfied smile.

“You’re evil,” she said, and although she knew she should retreat, give him privacy to get ready for bed, her feet seemed to be glued to the floor.

It wasn’t until his hands went to the fly of his jeans and he started to undo the top button that she finally took a step back and said, “I’ll be back in a couple of hours to… ah…” She couldn’t tear her gaze away from his hands as he slowly lowered the zipper on his jeans.

“To do what, Harlow?” he asked, sliding his pants over his hips, leaving him in just his black boxer briefs.

“Um…” She licked her lips, knowing she was making a fool of herself. She was hot all over and her fingers twitched to start stripping her own body of her clothes.

Cash draped his jeans over a chair near the bed and then took a step closer to her. He reached out and brushed her long dark hair off her shoulder and said, “You’re still here. Does that mean you’re going to stay?”

“No. Nope,” she said suddenly and spun on her heel. “I’ll be back. Just… get some rest.”

He was still laughing to himself as she shut the door and then just stood there, sucking in air.

“Evil,” she whispered as she pressed a hand to her chest, trying and failing to get her heartrate under control. At least she knew she’d made the right choice in deciding it was best not to sleep in the same room. Although at this rate, she thought she might be the one who couldn’t control herself instead of Cash.

Goddess above, that man was gorgeous. She didn’t know how she’d found the willpower to leave his room, but she had, and now she needed a cold shower. Or else she might just find herself back in his room, unable to keep her hands to herself.

* * *

Harlow staredup at the shadows on the ceiling, listening to what sounded like footsteps on the wooden floors. The old house had periodically been making settling noises all night. And ever since she’d settled in on the couch, she couldn’t stop wondering if the noises were actually Aunt Jane or some other spirit. It was making it so that even when she nodded off she woke right back up, her ears straining for any strange sounds.

She’d never get any rest at that rate.

It was just past two in the morning, and she’d already visited Cash twice. She’d woken him up, checked to be sure his eyes weren’t dilated, and then quickly retreated so that she wouldn’t be tempted to crawl into bed with him. Goddess knew, he wasn’t making it easy on her. The last trip up there, he’d been lying in only his boxer briefs with the covers kicked off him. His gorgeous body was even more muscular than she remembered, and she wondered if he’d stepped up his workout routine.

Then he’d opened his sleepy eyes and given her that sexy half smile as he tugged her until she was sitting right next to him. His body heat and familiar scent had almost lured her into staying right there, but when his hand started to roam over her thigh, she’d jumped up and retreated back to the couch and the sounds that kept her wide awake.

Harlow had never been afraid of ghosts before. When she was a kid, spirits had shown up regularly to talk to her and she’d never thought twice about it. In fact, for a while when she was very young, she hadn’t even realized they were spirits. They were just people she knew. But eventually it became clear that other people couldn’t see her friends, and her grandmother explained that she had a gift.

Spirits had come to her for all different reasons. Some just wanted to talk. Others wanted help finding their loved ones. And then there were the ones who didn’t know they’d died and needed someone to help them cross over to the light. Those were the most draining but also the most rewarding.

She was in college when she met Cash. He’d been fascinated with her gift. And while he’d seen his share of ghosts, he’d never opened himself to help them before he met Harlow. Once he’d witnessed her help someone cross to the light, he’d been all in, and suddenly spirits were coming to him for help, too. The show had come about after they’d helped a spirit connect with a loved one who was a studio executive. Not long after, they started filming Paranormal in a Small Town, and people came to them for help either to contact a spirit or with clearing their spaces of unwanted spirit activity.

It was exactly what they’d been doing before, only they were on television and being paid for it.

Even when spirits were hard to deal with, Harlow hadn’t ever been fazed. No, that had happened after Imogen had been possessed and Harlow had nearly lost her life fighting the spirit. After that, Harlow stopped inviting spirits into her energy. And now, the unknown of what a spirit might do sent a shiver of fear down her spine. What if a random spirit she encountered was stronger than her? What if she herself was possessed or worse?

What would happen to Imogen?

That was why she stayed away from any spirit who tried to seek her help now. She just couldn’t forgive herself if another spirit she invited into her life hurt her sister again.

Creak, creak, the floors groaned.

Harlow ground her teeth together and got up once again. This time she made her way to the kitchen and rummaged around in the cabinet until she found a box of her favorite herbal tea.

Her favorite.

In Cash’s house.

He didn’t drink tea. Or at least he hadn’t when they were together. She supposed Shaun might, but the box was still wrapped in plastic and no one had opened it. Had Cash stocked his cabinet with the tea on the off chance she came over one day? She thought it was more than likely, and her heart swelled with love for the man who was sleeping upstairs. Even though she’d walked away from him, he’d never completely given up on her. She’d thought he had when he didn’t call after she’d left the note, but she believed him when he said he hadn’t received it.

Everything inside of her ached for this thing between them to work out. She’d only been going through the motions of living the past year. Already, after only a few hours of letting him back into her heart, she felt whole again.

Sitting in the kitchen, sipping her tea, Harlow’s eyes began to water from fatigue. She should lay back down on the couch and try to get some rest, but when she heard that creak, creak, creak again, she knew she’d never drift off. Not when she was listening to see if a spirit was going to end up standing over her.

Maybe she’d feel better if she was upstairs with Cash.

Harlow laughed to herself. Of course she’d feel better. It was the only place she wanted to be. The creaking of the wood floors started again, and that was enough to finally convince herself that if she wanted any sleep at all, she was going to have to face facts. It wasn’t going to happen on the couch.

She rose from her chair, set her mug in the sink, and resigned herself to the fact that she needed Cash. Likely more than he needed her in that moment.

Harlow was halfway up the stairs when the wind picked up outside and rattled the windows, making her jump. She froze for just a moment before she ran up the stairs and into Cash’s bedroom.

He sat straight up in bed, blinking at her. “What’s wrong?”

“Nothing. I… oh hell,” she said with a grimace. “Your house is making noises, and it startled me. So if you promise to behave, I think I’d like to sleep in here.”

“You don’t want me to lie, do you?” he asked, his voice gruff with sleep.

“Stop,” she said as she climbed into bed on the other side of him and checked her phone to be sure her alarm was set before placing it on the nightstand.

He laid back down and curled into her, rolling her over so that he was spooning her from behind.

Harlow knew that she should ask him to move and put some distance between them, but instead, she placed her hand over his and closed her eyes. Finally, she was right where she belonged.