Chapter 5
You Put A Spell On Me
Ifull-on gawked at the finest ass I’d ever had the pleasure of ogling as Stevie walked away into the mass of people. I’d already thought the tight dress she’d worn was made to test me, and now I knew it was something I’d be begging her to wear going forward.
On my knees, if she desired.
“Fuck, coach, that one’s got a can on her, don’t she?” a familiar voice—fucking Jeb—said next to me.
I turned, grabbing his throat without thinking of where I was or who could be around as a witness.
“What did you just say about—” I caught myself before saying my mate and making this whole situation even more awkward since Stevie was still in hearing distance.
“Sorry, coach,” Jeb choked out, lifting his open palms toward me in a placating gesture. “Just trying to get a few minutes with you before you head into the festivities.”
“No,” I cut him off, squeezing ever so slightly on his throat before releasing him.
I put a slight growl into my voice before continuing, hoping to get my clear point across.
“I’m on a date. I have office hours for a reason.
Don’t bother me again. And especially don’t look at Stevie again.
Don’t think about Stevie. Don’t say her name.
Don’t let any part of you anywhere near her, or we’ll be having words without an audience. Am I clear?”
I heard Stevie let out a little squeak as I finished talking to, or threatening at this point, Jeb, but I didn’t take my eyes off him.
“Yes, sir—coach—sir, yes, yes of course,” he sputtered out before scurrying away like the little weasel he was.
I took a deep breath bracing for Stevie’s shocked and probably appalled expression at my unhinged behavior, but when I met her gaze, it wasn’t shock that had me pause, it was the blatant heat in her eyes.
Hope swelled in my chest and a sense of relief at her reaction. I tried and failed to tamp down the grin I felt coming.
Did my mate like how I took care of that creep who insulted her? Did she like seeing me give into my more dominant traits? Or was she only feeling her side of the incomplete mating bond that was already riding me hard as fuck to bite and claim her as soon as possible?
“I won’t apologize for handling someone who disrespects you, Stevie. Especially if they do it in front of me like an idiot.”
She gave me a once-over, scanning from head to toe before grabbing my forearm, leading me toward the lines.
“…And no touching the actors. They’re here to scare you.
You’re not here to hurt them. Every actor has a camera on them so if you physically touch them in any way, you will not only be banned from all seasonal Fishing Farm events going forward, but we’ll also release the footage so Maplewicket and the entirety of Al Gore’s internet will know what a loser you are for hurting a drama kid because you were scared. ”
Stevie let out a giggle, and I swooned a bit at the perfect sound. It was cute, sweet, and followed by a little snort that had me falling for her even harder. Could I make her giggle my new ringtone? I’d have to see if Lyle knew how.
“As a former drama kid, I don’t know whether to be flattered with the protective detail or insulted at the implication I’m so weak.”
“Why not both?” I replied with a shrug.
“Now, enter if you daaaAAaaAAaare,” the kid giving the threatening speech said before sweeping the black fabric open to the trail entrance. It’d been about three or so minutes since the group before us had ventured forth, their screams already echoing out among the others further along.
“Samuel.” I nodded at the kid as we brought up the tail end of our group.
“Ay, coach! How’s it going? Don’t go pissing yourself over the spooky scary skeletons in there, now.
” Samuel laughed at his joke before patting my back.
I shook my head giving him a once-over. He was an old player of mine and currently on his college’s baseball team.
He came back to town as often as possible for these holiday events, and it was clear he’d be a Maplewicket townie as soon as he graduated.
“I’ll still make you run the bases, Fishing. You think I don’t have Coach W’s number up at the U?”
The cocky little punk paled. I slapped his back, laughing as I led Stevie into the darkness.
“Old player of yours?” she asked after we made our way onto the beginning part of the trail.
It was a wide trail framed by cornstalks, some snapped in spots, looking rotten and not well kept.
The wide-open path that looked seemingly empty caused a bit of fear swirling in my gut.
I was mostly here to be the big strong male Stevie could cling to, but maybe she’d have me cozying up to her instead.
“Yeah,” I answered, ignoring the eerie emptiness of the path and focusing on my date. “Sammy Fishing. I knew as soon as he picked up a bat at T-ball that he’d get a scholarship wherever he wanted. Kid’s got natural talent.”
“Classic Fishing boy from everything I’ve heard.” She nodded as if she were in on the town gossip already.
“You’ve heard about the Fishing family’s brood of famous spawn, then?”
“Has to be something in the farm water, right?”
“Should we try to find some while we’re here? Get us a sip of that fame?” I asked to play along.
Stevie let out a little laugh. “I’m fine being under the radar, actu—” She stopped suddenly, looking ahead at a frail woman in a pale white nightgown holding an older style lantern slowly drifting down the wide forest path toward us.
The woman weaved silently in and out of our group that’d already managed to get several paces ahead of us, effectively separating us off into our own little party of two.
The woman in white floated in the air a foot or two above the ground, marking her as one of the many ghosts that the Fishing family had hired to haunt the trails for various events.
It wasn’t until the spirit was right in front of Stevie that she dropped the lantern, causing a burst of bright purple flames to ignite all around us in a circle before the woman fully unhinged her jaw, rolled back her empty eyes so only the whites showed, and let out the creepiest, unearthly screech I’d ever heard.
Stevie jumped in the air and proceeded to climb me like a tree to escape the flames and the nightmarish sight before us.
At that moment I knew that this suggestion from Lyle was a complete game changer. I’d have to buy him a beer for this because feeling my mate climb me? Especially since there wasn’t any actual danger, so I didn’t have to protect her.
Life changing.
I didn’t tell her the purple ghost-flame couldn’t hurt a human, or that this particular spirit was part of the Maplewicket haunting actors club that’d been around town for decades.
Stevie’s face was buried in my neck as the woman in white let her face return to the frail old woman who originally floated along the path.
She smiled at Stevie’s reaction, giving me a wink before ushering me forward to continue through the haunt.
I nodded at her before grabbing a generous handful of Stevie’s squeezable ass to hike her further up my torso.
“Oh my god! What am I doing?” Stevie mumbled, coming to her senses after we were a few paces away. She stiffened in my arms. “You can let go of me now, big guy. I’m so sorry. Ugh, how humiliating.”
“Why?”
“What do you mean why?” she scoffed, pulling away, staring into my eyes.
I had decent night vision as an orc, but she was probably straining to make out my features against the dimly lit haunted path.
“I got scared by the first creepy chick with a little fire, and then I proceeded to climb you like a jungle gym as if I’m—”
“Do you see me complaining, peaches?” I squeezed her tighter, digging my fingertips into her soft flesh, pulling her as close to me as possible. She had to feel how hard I was, and I gave less than zero fucks.
My body is already yours, Stevie.
She blinked rapidly, looking down toward my pelvis before meeting my eyes again, this time with humor showing in her expression.
“Should I be offended that you’re turned on by my fear?”
“It’s not your fear, peaches.”
She blushed. “What do you mean?”
I ignored every impulse to keep her as close to me as possible and let her slowly fall down my body until her feet were back on solid ground.
“It’s you,” I explained as she adjusted her dress. I looked her gorgeous body up and down, licking my bottom lip at the sight. “All of you.”