Chapter Four
“ A xe. Well, actually, my name is Axelle, but I just go by Axe. Axelle sounds like a guy’s name, although Axe isn’t really any more feminine. I guess that’s what happens when your mom gives birth and dips out, leaving you behind for your dad to raise.” Realizing I was rambling, I snapped my mouth closed and looked up at the ceiling.
It was those stupid green eyes of his. They were a siren’s trap, calling me to reveal my deepest thoughts.
Ha! Joke was on him. Deep thoughts were something I’d given up in favor of using my full energy for reading. So he was going to end up regretting any inner musing he pulled from my mind. Like why didn’t we call a yeti’s dick a penisicle ? And if vampires didn’t have blood flow, how could they get an erection?
“Axe. I like it.” The man held out his hand. “I’m Lochlan, but you can call me Loch.”
“It was a pleasure to meet you Loch.” I shook his hand, then picked my book back up. “Enjoy your visit here at the library. If you can’t find something, ask for Tilly. She’s the nice one.”
Lying back down, I opened my book and pretended to focus on the crisp cream-colored pages. In truth, I was finding it hard to think of anything other than the scent of fir trees and leather that drifted around me. His scent.
“You’re dismissing me?” Lochlan asked, a hint of surprise in his voice.
“I’m sorry. You caught me at a busy time.” He probably wasn’t used to having girls ignore him. Hiding my smile, I flipped another page.
Loch remained quiet for several minutes, watching me read. Then he hopped off the shelf, and from the corner of my eye, I watched as he pulled a book from another large metal shelf. Lowering himself to the floor, he opened the dusty cover and began slowly thumbing through the pages.
Interesting. He didn’t seem like the reading type, but who was I to complain? I’d gotten what I wanted—peace and quiet to read my book.
Five hours later, I closed the book with a happy sigh. It had been even better than I’d hoped, but now I would have to wait months for the next book in the series.
Slinging my legs over the side of the shelf, I stretched.
“How was it?” The sound of Loch’s deep voice had me clutching my chest.
“You’re still here?” I yelped.
He shrugged and flipped another page in the giant tome he was reading.
Curiosity piqued, I drifted to the floor and soundlessly moved to sit beside him. Leaning forward, I skimmed the page he was reading.
“Ancient travel routes and temple locations?” I read aloud, then turned to squint at Loch.
He closed the book and set it on the floor beside him. “There’s a lot of ghost activity in town and we are trying to figure out the cause.”
“The guy from yesterday is with you?” I asked. They were the first two people who were able to see me since my death, so it made sense they would have arrived together.
“Yes. You left quite the impression on Rhodes yesterday.” Loch reached up and tucked a stray piece of hair behind my ear. “And I can see why.”
“Oh?” I breathed as my stomach twisted itself in knots.
My mind was still hazy with romance, and I was finding it difficult to remember my resolution to not get distracted or sucked into guy drama. Especially with this gorgeous man’s scent tickling my nose and his attention focused on me as though I were the most fascinating woman on earth.
It was intoxicating.
I’d finished a book today, and my head needed time to bask in the story before I started my next. So maybe it wasn’t the worst thing to let myself enjoy a bit of human interaction… How much trouble could that get me in?
“I’m sure you meet a lot of interesting people—er, ghosts.”
“We meet a lot of ghosts, but there is something different about you.” Lochlan rested his head against the wall.
His expression was open, allowing me to see the curiosity glinting in the mossy green pools of his eyes.
“Because I’m not hungover?” I asked.
“What?” Loch’s forehead creased.
“You know what I mean! Every ghost I’ve bumped into since I kicked the bucket has seemed like they have the world’s worst hangover. They shuffle around, squinting at the light, mumbling under their breath, shying away from loud noises, and stumbling through walls. Aren’t all ghosts like that? Or just the ones I’ve met?”
Loch burst out laughing, and I watched, mesmerized by how every movement he made could be so perfect. Yep, he was definitely book boyfriend material.
“I never thought about it that way, but you’re right. Ghosts do act like they just woke up after a two-day bender. Probably because the moment their bodies die, they begin to lose energy.” Loch playfully squinted at me. “So what makes you different, Axe?”
I shrugged. “This is the first I’ve heard of ghosts losing energy. I was a lightweight when I was alive, so I have no idea why I’m not hungover in death too.”
He rubbed at the five o’clock shadow on his jaw. “How long have you been dead?”
“Three years.” I answered, a little distracted and a whole lot flattered by the way he was giving me his full attention.
How many insta-love stories had I read in the past three years? If I had to guess, probably close to two hundred. And every single time, I wanted to kick the leading female in the butt for not taking the hot man up on what he was offering. This was my chance to be adventurous and just go for it, but here I was doing the same thing as the women who frustrated me in books.
Loch rested his hand on my upper thigh, giving it a playful squeeze. I was pretty sure he meant for the gesture to be teasing, but it was hard convincing my body of that when I hadn’t been with a guy in five years. It didn’t help that I spent every single day reading love stories that stirred my heart and body with all sorts of desires.
I closed my eyes for a moment, soaking in the heat that was radiating from where his palm rested against my thigh. As a ghost, I was always cold. I wasn’t freezing or in pain, but still, it was hard to ignore how comforting it was to feel warm… to feel almost alive again. It was a struggle not to wonder what it would be like to have more of his body touching mine. Or how amazing it would feel if there were nothing between us.
Whoa. Slow your roll, Axelle! I forced myself to put a stop to the dangerous direction my thoughts were moving in.
“Did you enjoy it?” Loch asked.
Confused, I blinked at him. “Um… what?”
Surely I hadn’t spoken out loud.
“Your book. You were so focused while reading it that you barely moved for hours.” Loch jerked his chin at the book I’d set on the floor beside me.
“Oh!” I gasped, retrieving the book and turning it over in my hands.
It was a relief to discover I hadn’t humiliated myself by blabbering my inner thoughts as I was prone to do since only Wasabi could hear me.
My relief was short-lived.
“Did you have a favorite part?” Loch asked.
His eyes, which had been so intently focused on mine, suddenly slid down to my mouth. Absolutely flustered, I dropped my gaze to the book in my lap.
“Yes, it’s… um…” I tried to think of even a single scene from the book, but it was no use. My brain was too busy wondering what his lips tasted like. “It’s big.”
Seriously, Axe? Come on, you can do better! My inner pep talk only added to the chaos inside my head.
I turned the book over. “And hard.”
“That’s what she said,” Loch crowed, his chest rumbling with laughter.
Embarrassment flooded my body. The overhead lights flickered, then with a pop, they went out. I was thankful for the cloak of complete darkness, since it gave me time to compose myself.
I like it big and hard? I mouthed the words, crossing my eyes and scrunching my nose as I mocked myself. Open wide, Axe! Let’s see how much further you can shove your foot down your throat.
Dropping my head back against the wall, I looked toward Loch, taking advantage of the darkness to admire the man.
With his high cheekbones, gleaming skin, chiseled jawline, pale hair, and sultry lips, the man looked like he belonged in a Middle Earth kingdom. Honestly, if he’d sprouted a set of fluffy white wings, I wouldn’t have been surprised.
He was one of those pretty people who were painfully attractive. Even if I was having the best hair day, and I perfectly nailed the winged eyeliner on both eyes, and I slid on a pair of jeans without having to do the wiggle dance to get them over my hips, I’d still feel like a frumpy bridge troll in their presence.
My eyes traced the lines of his face before focusing on his lips. With his thumb rubbing soft circles on my upper thigh, I was having trouble thinking about anything other than how long it had been since I’d been kissed.
I wished I had the confidence of the strong female characters in my books. They knew what they wanted and had the courage to go after it. I wanted to straddle his lap, sink my fingers into his hair, and capture his lips in a kiss. But I wasn’t brave or spontaneous, so I remained motionless beside Loch.
My internal struggle came to a screeching halt as a male ghost in a pinstripe business suit walked through the wall and into the archive room. Without looking left or right, he strode across the floor and through the wall that led to one of the library’s storage rooms.
Before either of us could comment, a young woman in denim shorts and a crop top walked through the wall directly behind us. She bumped into me, the movement pushing me away from Loch. For her part, the woman didn’t seem to notice. Rubbing my arm, I stared at her back as the ghost disappeared through the same spot on the far wall.
I was jostled again when a third ghost, this time a man wearing swim shorts and a sun visor, strolled through the wall.
“That’s weird,” I murmured, staring at the wall the third ghost had disappeared through. “I don’t think I’ve ever seen three ghosts in this room.”
“Yeah. Unless there was a mass casualty disaster nearby, this isn’t normal.” Loch’s denim jeans rustled as he stood. “I’m going to go check it out.”
Reaching out, I caught his hand. “It’s dark and you don’t know the library. Maybe I should check it out, since I can see just fine in the dark?”
“I can see just fine in the dark. Perk of not being human.” Loch winked, lifting my hand to his lips and placing a soft kiss on the back of it.
My mouth opened and closed, but no words came out. Did that mean he knew I’d been checking him out? A horrible thought slapped me in the face. He’d watched me make faces at myself. I went pale, which was saying something since I was dead.
Loch smirked, then turned and headed toward the door.
“Why not follow the ghosts?” I tried to clear the lump of embarrassment from my throat.
“Because I can’t walk through walls.” He opened the door, causing light from the hall to stream into the room.
Apparently, my electrical surge earlier had only blown the lights inside the archive room, which was good. The first time I’d lost control of my emotions and surged, I’d accidentally fried three computers and blew every light bulb in the building.
Loch blew me a kiss, stepped into the hall, and closed the door behind him. With him gone, I felt like I could finally take a deep breath—which was absolutely ridiculous since ghosts didn’t need to breathe and I only continued the motions out of habit.
Not wanting to sit alone and dwell on my awkwardness, I jumped to my feet and headed toward the spot the ghosts had vanished through.
“This is exactly the kind of distraction I was trying to avoid,” I muttered under my breath, glancing around the storage room.
“Is that why you’ve done your best to ignore me today?” An arm snaked around my waist, pulling me back against a hard chest. “Aw, boo. Are you struggling to resist me?”
“Loch!” My yelp of surprise came out more like a moan—a sound that encouraged him to double down on his flirting.
Wrapping both arms around my middle, Loch bent and nuzzled my neck. Heat rushed through me, raising my body from room temperature to almost alive. It was glorious, and a whimper tumbled from my lips.
I quickly clamped my mouth shut, but it was too late. Loch knew my willpower was wavering. Cradling my body against him, Loch brushed his lips against the bare skin of my neck.
“W-we are supposed to be looking for ghosts,” I whispered, my voice quivering.
His chest rumbled with a soft growl. “You can keep looking, but I’m already holding the ghost I wanted to find.”
Holy Headless Horseman!
Being in his arms was like being caught in quicksand. Except I didn’t want to escape from him.
Come on, Axe. Where’s your spine?
A man could be fun, but having one would make it even more impossible to get through my to-be-reads. Swallowing hard, I reluctantly wiggled from his arms. Not trusting my legs to carry me, I floated a few feet away from him.
“We can’t get side-tracked. You’re in town to figure out what’s up with the ghosts. This is our chance to get more information.” I was proud of how confident I sounded, despite my regret that I’d never know where things might have gone if I’d stayed in his arms.
Loch studied me for several long seconds before nodding. “Okay. We’ll focus on work. For now.”
Outwardly, I rolled my eyes, but an electrifying thrill zig-zagged through me.
We spent the next five minutes maneuvering our way through dust-covered boxes that had been arranged into haphazard stacks. Twice, I caught a glimpse of a ghost from the corner of my eye, but they disappeared before I could follow them.
The overhead lights hissed then whirred as they flickered to life. Blinking hard in the sudden light, we spun toward the door to find Tilly standing there with her arms folded across her chest.
“Sir? What are you doing back here?” she demanded.
“Uh-oh. You’re in trouble,” I teased, knowing she couldn’t see or hear me.
Loch shot me a sly look before smiling at Tilly. “I’m sorry, miss. I’m terrible with directions, and I got confused when I left the archive room. I guess I turned the wrong way.”
He rubbed at the back of his neck, causing the hem of his shirt to rise and giving the librarian a peek at his toned abs. Catching his bottom lip between his teeth, he looked at her with his big green eyes.
I snorted. “Come on! There is no way she’s going to fall for the innocent puppy eyes from a guy who looks like a sexy stripper!”
Tilly gave a girlish giggle and patted her hair. “Oh! It happens all the time!”
It was my turn to cross my arms over my chest. “No it doesn’t.”
Tilly couldn’t hear me, but I caught the twitch at the corner of Lochlan’s mouth.
“Well, the library is closing in a few minutes, so let’s get you back to the lobby.” She waved for him to follow her, then bustled down the hall.
Loch waited until she was far enough away so she wouldn’t overhear him speaking to me. “I’ll be back later tonight to look around.”
“Sounds good. I have plans, but I wish you success.” I grinned and headed toward the archive room.
Loch’s eyebrows rose. “You have plans?”
“Yep.” I grinned over my shoulder at him. “I have a date!”
Not giving him a chance to respond, I disappeared into the shadows.