Chapter 8 #3
He tried to recall the message, but could see Mia had already seen it. When her typing dots didn’t immediately appear, he sent another message.
Sorry. Bloody autocorrect. Obviously, I meant doing. What are you doing?
Haha. Of course you did. In answer to the question you didn’t mean to ask… not much. Because in answer to your actual question… I’m about to get into a bath.
A nice long soak with lots of bubbles?
Yes, actually, and a glass of wine. I’ve been told I carry tension in my back, so trying to relax a bit more.
If anyone deserves a bit of self-care, it’s you, Jemima.
Thanks. And still nope.
Damn.
LOL See you later.
She sent a smiling face emoji.
The rush of tingling cold hit him again, and he watched as a string of emojis appeared – all of them inappropriate and nothing he’d send, especially not to Mia. He had the strong impression she wouldn’t appreciate peaches or splashy aubergines. He quickly deleted them, and replaced the message.
Looking forward to seeing you later.
Me too.
Unless you want help scrubbing your back?
The message appeared in a blur of letters and had sent before his hands had stopped shaking. ‘What the hell?’
Nah, I can manage thanks.
Fair enough
He cursed as he sent the reply to Mia. If whatever it was that was taking control of his phone had blown his chance with Mia, he’d steal one of Phe’s books and work out how to bind whatever it was to something truly terrible… like the toilet plunger.
Besides, I’m still looking forward to longer.
He sent the reply quickly, and was careful to lock his phone, and that seemed to work, but he kept it in his hand where he could see it as he stomped out to the main room.
‘Something wrong?’ Rayenne asked.
‘I can’t believe I’m about to say this, but I think my phone might be possessed.’
‘What?’
‘It started typing and sending messages.’
‘That’s very unusual.’
Mist sighed. He’s early. Joy of joys.
‘Who is?’
‘We call him Frank. He’s a poltergeist. He sort of lives here.’
‘Lives here?’
‘Resides might be a better term,’ Rayenne added. ‘As he’s well and truly dead.’
‘Is he dangerous?’ Aiden asked.
Only if you like peace and quiet and order. Mist sniffed. He rearranges things. And tries to be helpful.
‘He and his friends usually don’t arrive until later in September – when we start getting the pumpkins out,’ Ophelia added. ‘They really like pumpkins.’
‘We start decorating for Halloween in September? That early?’
Rayenne shook her head as Mist grumbled in displeasure.
‘We’re not?’
Samhain, Aiden. The original version. Not Halloween.
‘But yes, we do start decorating that early – just a bit – and then really pull out all of the stops after Mabon.’
Autumn equinox, Mist added.
‘Right. Thanks.’ Aiden nodded. ‘So, do I just have to put up with this?’
‘You can switch your phone to fingerprint or face recognition lock,’ Ophelia suggested. ‘That’s less easy for them than just reading a pin code over your shoulder and using that.’
‘Are you telling me I now have to worry about ghosts stealing my passwords to mess with my phone?’ He dragged his hands through his hair. ‘I don’t know if I can handle this. It’s all getting too weird.’
‘It’s not always so… challenging. I promise.’ Rayenne offered reassurance. ‘Magic can be mischievous, but it is usually good-natured.’
‘But I’m still being hacked by a ghost.’
I will have words. Mist stood and stretched. It sounds like someone needs to be reminded of his manners.
‘Thank you, Mist.’ He was touched by the unexpected display of affection from the cat.
Just this once. As you have only been awake a few weeks. Afterwards, you will have to learn to deal with it yourself. Or befriend Edward.
Yeah, that was more like the Mist he knew. ‘Who’s Edward? Another ghost?’
‘No.’ Ophelia smiled. ‘Edward’s a medium. He runs the ghost tours.’
‘Obviously.’ Aiden shook his head. ‘Poltergeists, mediums, over-spelled scrubbing brushes and talking cats. Whatever next?’
Do you really want to know?
He gulped. ‘I… don’t know. Maybe not?’
Good decision.
By the time he reached Mia’s, confusion was losing out to amusement. And when she opened the door and smiled at him, everything settled calmly into place.
‘Hey, good bath?’ He shut the door behind him and took in her outfit – leggings, fluffy socks, a baggy sweater, her hair piled up messily and… ‘Are these the glasses I’ve heard so much about?’
‘Yeah.’ She worried at the cuff of her sweater. ‘I thought about putting my lenses back in, but then I remembered someone telling me that a real man shouldn’t care…’ She watched him, the lenses enlarging her eyes so the challenge in them was clear.
‘Right, so you’re testing me. You want to see how much of a “real man” I am?’
She blushed slightly, even more adorable than usual. ‘I’m not sure I’d put it quite like that. I just didn’t think you’d care if I looked a bit geeky.’
‘Mia.’ He brushed a kiss against her cheek before sitting on the stairs to take off his boots. ‘You are the furthest thing from “geeky” I’ve ever seen.’
She made a rude noise. ‘I know what I look like. You don’t need to lie about it.’
‘I’m not sure you do. You’re gorgeous. In fact…’ He shot her one of his cheekiest grins. ‘Any chance you’d do the sexy librarian thing for me?’
‘Not a clue what you’re talking about.’ She shook her head.
Aiden hung up his jacket with a shrug. He guessed that fantasy would have to stay in his head for another day. And maybe someone else. He tried to ignore the tickle under his skin over his shoulder blade.
‘Hey, Aiden?’ Mia waited until he looked up. ‘Are you paying attention to me, Biker Boy?’
He nodded, wordlessly, his mouth suddenly dry.
She lowered her glasses to peer at him over the top of them for a couple of seconds before taking them off.
Moments later her hair tumbled down and she shook her head, sending the silky waves cascading over her shoulders.
Just when he thought she couldn’t get any hotter, she smiled at him slowly.
‘Were you thinking something like this?’
‘Fuck.’ His exclamation was an admiring sigh, and his heart thudded in time to the other growing, throbbing ache demanding his attention.
‘Tut tut. Manners, Mr Griffiths.’ She tucked one arm of the glasses between her lips and sucked on it.
‘How the hell can you think you’re geeky?’
‘Years of being told that I was as a child.’
‘Yeah, well, kids are morons at times. You are seriously hot. Come here and I’ll show you exactly how hot I find you.’ He strode towards her and grabbed her, dragging her against him in a searing kiss that would leave her in no doubt about how he felt.
‘So you don’t mind the glasses?’
‘Nope.’ He kissed her again.
‘And the freckles?’
‘They’re gorgeous. Just like you. And if I have to count – and kiss – every single one of them to convince you of that, then that’s what I’ll do.’
‘There’s a lot of them,’ she warned, teasingly.
‘Oh, I think I’m up to the challenge.’ He pushed her back against the wall and kissed her again, parting her lips to swirl his tongue around hers in the way that he’d already learned made her knees go weak.
He used her slight wobbliness to his advantage, sliding one leg between hers, making her groan.
When eventually she broke away, they were both panting.
‘Anything else you’d like reassurance on? Your hair? Your eyes? How good your arse looks in those leggings? No? Any other questions?’
‘Nope.’
‘Good girl.’
Mia flopped against Aiden, still spread out across his lap, half-leaning on the back of the sofa and shaking and panting from the intensity of the pleasure still reverberating and pulsating between them.
He breathed heavily against her neck, his heart pounding against her breast while she shivered, waiting for the stars to recede enough that she could think or see properly. He shifted and she whimpered when he withdrew his hand from between them.
‘Princess.’ He caught her face between his hands, smoothing back her hair from where sweat had stuck it to her skin before pulling her down into a scorching kiss that sent another shivering jolt of pleasure through her. ‘You are incredible. If this is what you think geeky is, then geek out.’
‘I missed you calling me that.’ She collapsed against his shoulder and buried her face in the crook of his neck, not sure she could move even if she’d wanted to. His hands, with his clever, clever fingers, stroked over her shoulders and down her back, tickling over her ribs to her hips.
‘Then I’ll happily never stop again. But we can’t stay here like this, Princess.’ The words were hot against her ear, and she wanted to complain. She was comfortable and he still felt so, so good. ‘I need to move to deal with things.’
Right. Her brain caught up with what he was saying, and she struggled to get her legs to co-operate. He helped, lifting her, and she had to bite her tongue to keep from whimpering at the loss of him.
‘Do you mind if I use your bathroom, or did you want it first?’
‘No, you’re fine.’ She’d have to move soon, but she wasn’t sure her knees would behave just yet.
While he headed to the bathroom she looked around – wondering where her clothes had ended up.
Despite what they’d just been doing, she didn’t really want to prance around naked – though she guessed he’d be nothing but complimentary.
Giving up, she settled for wrapping herself in the blanket she kept on the sofa.
Aiden grinned at her when he came back in. ‘Found this in the hall.’ He dangled her jumper from his finger.
‘Thanks.’ She grabbed it and stumbled to the bathroom, still trying to get her legs moving properly, for once grateful that the old house’s layout meant it was through the kitchen – she wasn’t sure if she had regained enough co-ordination for stairs yet!
By the time she came back in, jumper back in place, Aiden was perched on the arm of her sofa, back in his jeans. He grinned when he saw she was still moving awkwardly. ‘Legs a bit stiff?’
‘A little. But totally worth it.’
‘Glad you feel that way. Come here?’