Flirty (3 page)

“Yes, you have my permission,” she said.

“Good, then I’ll go grab my gizmos and be right back.” He was about to leave, but turned back, real concern dancing in his dark eyes. “Will you be okay here, or did you want to come with me?”

Looking like the cat that swallowed the canary, Errol said, “Of course she’s not going to be okay. You need to keep her close, boy.”

Lex shook her head. She’d had enough coddling from her brothers and didn’t need the men here doing it, too. “No, Errol, I’ll be fine.”

“You ain’t fine. You got yourself a ghost. And you shouldn’t be alone in that big old house. Especially at night. I hear ghosts are more active after dark.” He poked Sam with the cane. “I’ll have a cot sent over and my boy Sam here will stay with you until the house is clean. Won’t you, Sam?”

Dark eyes locked on hers, and his mouth turned up at the corner, a half smile that warmed her blood and curled her toes. “If it’s what the lady wants.”

“Of course that’s what the lady wants. And don’t worry, lassie. You’re in good hands with this one.”

She shook her head, knowing that if this handsome, hormone-stirring man was sleeping in the room next door a mean old ghost was the last of her problems.

“No. I’m fine. Sam, you go get your equipment and, Errol, you go and play with that sweet great-granddaughter of yours.”

Errol was about to protest, but she pointed toward the shore. He followed the direction and smiled when he spotted Katherine. “Well, if you say so.”

He seemed to have a new spring in his step, and a wide smile on his face as he walked toward the path. Lex watched for a second, and was pretty sure she heard him mumble something about a month’s worth of rum as he went.

When she looked back at Sam he was grinning. “I think that man’s losing it.”

Lex gave a slow shake of her head, suddenly not so sure anymore. “I’ve got a sneaking suspicion he has all his wits about him, and then some. I also think he carries that cane so he can poke people with it.”

Sam pulled a face and rubbed his gut. “I think I’ve got internal damage,” he teased, and while she tried to focus on what he was saying, her gaze kept dropping to his bare chest. As heat moved through her body and she swallowed against the dryness in her throat, she hoped like hell that when he came back he had a shirt on.

Were all ghost hunters this buff?

“Are you okay?” Sam asked. “You’re getting really flushed.”

“I…uh…I was in the attic and it was hot and dusty. I just need to get a glass of water.”

He pointed to the house and gave a wink before saying, “Okay, you go get a drink and try to avoid a run-in with Ol’ Lady Landry before I get back.”

She thought about Errol’s ghost for a moment, then her thoughts shifted to the townsfolk and how they really didn’t want her messing with the Victorian house. Was it possible that someone was trying to scare her on purpose?

“Sam,” she said quietly when he turned to leave.

He twisted back around, and the smile fell from his face when his glance met hers. “Yeah, what is it?”

She shrugged. “You’re from this town and know these people better than I do…”

“And?”

“And I was wondering if someone could be trying to scare me on purpose. To drive me out of town. No one seems to like what I’m doing here.”

His face softened. “I don’t think anyone here would do that. But let me just get my gear, and see if Errol is on to something first, okay?”

After she nodded, he turned back around. As she watched him go, her gaze following his ass until he disappeared down the street, Lex walked back to the house. She opened the door and peeked inside. “Hello,” she whispered. “Is there anyone here?”

When her question was met with silence, she gave a hard shake of her head to get it back on right. Ghosts weren’t real! Shaking off her unease, she walked inside and glanced up the wide staircase as she made her way back to the kitchen. Even though she didn’t believe in ghosts, she thought it best to wait for Sam to return before she went up to check out her bedroom.

She paced the main hall, and within fifteen minutes, Sam was back. He’d changed out of his swimsuit and now wore a pair of khaki shorts and a T-shirt that had a picture of a spoon and said “Cereal Killer”. She held open the door for him and resisted the urge to roll her eyes. Some guys just never grew up.

Sam entered, carrying an armful of equipment. He stood in the foyer for a long moment, taking his time to look around. With his legs wide, and his eyes narrowed in deep concentration, it occurred to her that while he had a carefree nature, he took his job very seriously. He moved to the foot of the staircase and turned on some long wand-like piece of equipment. It made a high-pitched sound before settling into a steady beep.

He looked back at her. “Do you want to wait here?”

She shook her head and tried not to appear nervous. After all she didn’t believe in ghosts, right? “I should probably come. To show you which bedroom is mine.” Although she suspected a guy like Sam had no problem finding his way to a woman’s bedroom, and probably did it on a regular basis. Not that she cared. She didn’t.

The first step creaked beneath his weight as he began his ascent, and Lex stayed close behind. When they reached the top landing, she pointed to her bedroom. He gave the door a little push and stepped inside. Embarrassment flooded her when his glance strayed to her unmade cot and the stack of delicates that she’d rinsed by hand and taken off the line earlier.

His gizmo continued to beep steadily as he swept her room, then walked to the empty closet. He waved the wand thingy around inside and glanced up at the small, closed hatch overhead, one of the many access points to the attic.

“Your place is clean, Alexis.” He turned to face her but she was standing so close, he bumped her. She faltered a little but he slipped his arm around her waist to hold her.

“It’s…it’s Lex,” she corrected.

He smiled at her and his voice dropped an octave when he said, “Yeah, but I think Alexis suits you better.” His hand splayed over the small of her back, the soft stroke of his fingers on her sensitive flesh sending skitters through her body when he added, “It’s pretty, like you.”

Did he just say I was pretty?

“Nobody calls—”

“Are you saying I’m nobody?” he teased.

“Okay, fine,” she murmured and wondered what it was about this guy that had her feeling all silly and girlie inside. Maybe it was because she was standing inside a dimly lit closet with him, his strong arms around her waist as he anchored her body to his. Or maybe it was the way he looked at her, not through her like most guys, and didn’t want to call her by a boy’s name.

She wiggled to free herself from his arms, and if she wasn’t mistaken she thought she heard a low groan catch in his throat.

“So…uh…no ghosts?”

“No ghosts.”

“Maybe Errol really is losing it,” she said.

Sam cleared his throat and shifted his stance. Under his breath he grunted, “He’s not the only one.”

“What?”

“Nothing.” She backed out of the closet and he followed her. As he stood over her, crowding her, he said, “I’ll talk to the sheriff to see if any of the kids around town have been getting into mischief.”

“Thanks, I’d appreciate that. I guess that’s it then. I should probably let you get back to the beach party.”

With her pulse pounding hard at the base of her neck, she practically ran down the stairs. Sam followed her, and when they reached the landing, she hurried to the door, needing a reprieve from the hot guy who smelled like an ocean breeze on a warm summer day and stirred all her senses.

He opened his mouth to say something, but before he could get any words out, a loud scream sounded from upstairs. Frightened, Lex clutched her chest and nearly jumped out of her skin. Before she realized what was happening, she once again found herself all wrapped up in Sam’s arms. He dipped his head, his open lips so close to hers she could almost taste the sweetness of his mouth.

“It’s okay. I’ve got you.”

“What…what was that?”

He looked past her shoulder and up the stairs. “I don’t know, but why don’t you wait here and I’ll go check it out again.”

With her heart beating impossibly faster, her mind took that moment to revisit all the slasher movies she’d watched as a teen. “Have you never watched a scary movie?” She ran her finger over her neck in a cutting motion. “Whoever goes up the stairs alone is the first to get it.”

“Alexis, it’s okay,” he said, equal measures of warmth and amusement moving into his eyes. “This is what I do for a living, remember?”

“I don’t care. I’m still coming with you.”

“Fine, but just stay behind me.”

He gathered his equipment in one hand, and held her hand in the other.

“Maybe your gizmo isn’t working,” she whispered.

A strange sound rumbled in his throat before he said, “Oh my gizmo is definitely working.”

When she caught the humor in his voice she suddenly wondered if he was talking about his ghost-hunting equipment or something else entirely. But she had no more time to think about it when he positioned her behind him and guided her up the stairs.

She couldn’t deny that having him lead the way gave her a measure of comfort, and while she’d spent her whole life feeling suffocated by her overprotective brothers, there was nothing stifling in the way Sam was currently shielding her. In fact it made her feel all warm and safe inside, and she somehow knew that as long as he was with her, no harm would ever come. Errol had said she was in good hands with him, and deep in her gut, she knew he was right.

She kept tight on his heels, her chest practically pressed up against his back as they climbed higher. She breathed in his warm scent, and once again that delightful combination of sand and surf and something that was uniquely Sam stirred her body. When they reached the top landing, her bedroom door slammed shut with a resounding thud.

She gasped, but Sam just held her tight, and as he absorbed her tremors, it gave her a new sense of calm.

“Stay here,” he whispered, positioning her against the wall. His lips brushed her cheek, and every nerve in her body jumped when he put his mouth close to her ear to whisper, “Don’t make a sound.”

She held her breath as he left her there and moved to her bedroom door. He turned the knob and pushed, but it wouldn’t budge. He ran his palm over the door trim, his brow furrowed in concentration.

When he looked at her she mouthed the words, “What is it?”

He walked away from the door and glanced into the other bedrooms before tipping his chin to examine the hallway hatch that she and Errol had come down earlier. “I’m just checking for a draft. Do you have any windows open up here?”

“No, the windows are the original rolled glass and the trim has been painted so many times they’re sealed shut.”

Just then the bedroom door creaked open and they exchanged a long look before Sam inched his way into the room. She waited in the hall, every nerve on edge, but then he stuck his head out and said, “There must have been a gust coming from the attic.” He ran his hands along the edge of the old oak door. “And the wood is so old, it’s probably just swollen in this humidity.”

“Which is why it would have jammed,” she said, following along with his explanation.

“Exactly.”

“And I was up in the attic today,” she explained. “I was clearing out old boxes. I left the vent open and Errol was doing something to the access door.”

“There you go. That explains everything,” he said, even though it didn’t. Not really. Doors didn’t just jam shut, and then creak open on their own. He gestured with a nod. “I can go up and check it out if you like.”

“No, you’ve done enough.”

He pressed his hand to the wall beside her head, and a small tremor moved through her.

He must have felt it, because he asked, “Are you sure you’re going to be okay?”

“Yes,” she said, knowing full well that tremor had little to do with fear and everything to do with this man and how close he was standing.

He got quiet for a moment, then dipped his head. “I could stay the night if you like.”

“You…you want to stay the night.”

“You know, in case you have any more trouble, or in case Ol’ Lady Landry decides to make a visit. You heard Errol, ghosts are more active at night, and it’s best not to be alone in this big old house.”

“But your gizmo, you said it didn’t sense anything. Are you now saying it might not have been working properly?”

“Believe me, Alexis. My gizmo senses everything and it’s most definitely working properly.”

It was nearing late afternoon by the time Errol had a cot sent over and Sam finished doing a thorough check of Alexis’s house, sweeping it from top to bottom. Once he was convinced the place was ghost free and that no one was sneaking around inside, he’d tried to convince Alexis to go to Hauk’s bar with him. Even though the beach party was still going on at the far end of the shore, he wanted to go somewhere quiet for dinner and drinks, so he could talk to Jon and get to know his wife Lila better. She’d declined, telling him she had phone calls to make but insisted he go. In fact, she seemed eager for him to go.