Looked like I was driving back to Portsmouth on Monday after our haunted house adventure planned for this weekend.
“Great. I’ll see you then.”
“By—” The call ended before I even finished.
A small knock drew my attention instantly to my door. “Come in.”
I’d just set my phone down when Rose poked her head through the door with a smile on her face.
“Everything okay?”
“Yeah.” My head tipped. “Why—oh.” My shoulders sagged. “I just tripped trying to get to my phone.”
“Ahh.” She nodded and chuckled. “Call from Luke?”
I tensed. “Actually, a call from a realtor in Portsmouth about a commercial space that just went up for rent.”
“What?” Rose exclaimed with excitement and shut the door behind her. “You found a space? You’re opening your own store?”
Goodness Grindelwald, Rose and Dina would get along.
I held up my hands as I stood from the bed, gesturing that she needed to slow down. “I’m going to look at a space that I’ve been keeping my eye on for a while. But it just came up for lease, and the realtor said I could go walk through on Monday.”
“That’s amazing, Sage.” She rushed over to me and wrapped me in a big hug. “My fearless baby sister.” Her hold tightened briefly. “I’m so proud of you.”
“It’s not for sure,” I repeated. “It’s a big commitment, and I’m not sure I’m ready, but I’m going to go see the place and see how I feel.”
“Is that why you’ve been holed up here for the whole week working?” She pulled back and folded her arms, eyeing me with a questioning stare. “Because I for sure thought it was for a completely different reason…”
I met her gaze, but she didn’t say anything else, waiting for me to make the first move.
“If you want to ask me a question, Rose, you’re going to have to ask it,” I told her.
And give me a minute to figure out exactly how to explain why I’d done my best all week to avoid any unnecessary run-ins with my fake boyfriend.
“Fair enough,” she acquiesced. “What happened last weekend at pumpkin fest between you and Luke?”
Everything.
Nothing.
I groaned. It felt like there was one of those pumpkins lodged in my throat, toothlessly grinning as I tried to swallow.
“Nothing.” I walked back over to my desk and sank into the chair, letting my head tip back in defeat. There was no point in keeping this from her. If I kept it to myself, that meant it was special—that meant it meant something. And I knew better than to think that it did. “No, that’s a lie. We kissed. After everyone got off the hay ride and came inside.”
“You kissed? Like the orchard—”
“No,” I cut her off, wanting to laugh at past-Sage who’d thought the peck from Luke in my parents’ apple orchard had been earth shifting. Silly, silly Sage. She had no idea what a real kiss from him could do. “Like kiss kiss.”
Like flip the world on its axis kiss.
My sister was by my side in an instant, grabbing the arms of my chair and spinning it toward the bed, so she could sit on my mattress and face me.
“It’s not a big deal.” I brushed it off. “I mean, it’s still not something I’m going to mention to Callan because I don’t want him to be weird. But it’s—”
“How was it?” Rose interrupted me, demanding the juicy details. “Was it just a kiss or was there more? You did look pretty flushed when you came inside; I thought it was just because it was chilly out there. But, oh my god, Sage… you and Luke—”
“It doesn’t matter how it was,” I told her succinctly, repeating the words I’d said way too many times to myself over the last week whenever my mind drifted back to those magical minutes.
“What? How can it not matter? Was it not good? I can’t believe that after everything I’ve heard—”
“No.” I shook my head so hard a few strands of hair whipped across my cheeks. “I mean, it doesn’t matter because the kiss was just for show.”
I’d felt like Cinderella—Sagerella—in Luke’s arms. Like maybe I could be the princess that the handsome prince desperately desired.
And then Sean spoke. His words rang like the shrill midnight toll of the clock, reminding me that all that time was just make believe, and I was still just a pumpkin.
And Luke was only my pretend prince.
Rose blinked twice and then asked bluntly, “Was there tongue involved?”
My mouth fell open for a second before I snapped it shut. “I told you—”
“And I’m telling you that if the tongue was involved, there was no way the kiss was for show,” she informed me in the way older sisters did—like she would always have more wisdom about everything.
I felt the heat rise to my cheeks, so I purposely turned back to my desk and the necklace I’d been working on.
“I’ll take that as a yes.”
“Take it however you want, it doesn’t change the truth,” I mumbled, threading a bright blue bead onto the strand. “It was just a kiss, Rose.” One that felt like a dream. “I can’t read into it. Not when Sean was there. And not when Luke looks at me like a little sister,” I told her firmly, tacking on. “Just like Callan.”
“Just like Callan?” she balked and then laughed. “Sage, if you think the way Luke looks at you is the same as how our brother does, then we’ve got bigger problems than Sean. Much bigger.” She made a gagging noise. “Like incest bigger.”
I pursed my lips but didn’t argue—couldn’t argue.
Luke didn’t look at me like a sister—he looked at me in a way no other man had ever done before.
And those charming eyes were far more haunting than any ghost from my past.
“Knock, knock.” We’d hardly turned before Callan cracked open the door to my room. “I think our costumes—whoa.” He stopped and looked between the two of us cautiously. “Did I miss something serious?”
“Just girl stuff,” Rose answered, easily putting him off from wanting to know more.
“Okay then.” His chin dipped. “I just wanted to let you know our costumes came.”
My mood lifted and a smile broke over my face. “Finally!” I clapped and rushed over to the package he held out in his hand.
The three of us always coordinated our Halloween costumes into a theme. When we were younger, our parents made the choice. But as we got older and remained close, we took turns picking out what to dress up as for our annual visit to Laconia’s Mason Haunted House.
“I’m just glad we weren’t suckered into another Harry Potter variation,” he mumbled, and I swatted him.
Of course, for all my turns, I’d picked various casts of characters from the books, but this year, since it was Rose’s wedding, I’d told her to give me two choices of what she wanted, and I’d pick between the two.
Being the kind of sister she was, she’d suggested Harry, Hermoine, and Ron, knowing they were my go-to. But then she also mentioned that if we picked a different classic, Mike could be added to our costume clan.
And I couldn’t turn that plea down—nor the chance to welcome her fiancé into one more of our family traditions.
“You should just be glad that I didn’t decide to make you Toto,” I quipped at my brother, tearing open my package and pulling out the green and black gown.
It might not be Harry Potter, but I was still heading into this Halloween event with magical powers… as the Wicked Witch of the West.
And if I was lucky, maybe Luke would show up dressed as a frog. Maybe then I could stop remembering the way he held me… kissed me… and wondering if what we had could be real.
Chapter Ten
Luke
Damn.
My mouth fell open a little, and the rest of my body jolted with a surge of lust when Sage and her family walked through the gated entrance to the Mason Haunted House.
Held at the old Mason Mansion on the fringes of town, the haunte
d house was a favorite with locals during the spooky season because it was a twenty-one and over activity.
Rows of alcohol vendors lined up right to the front door, and each ticket to the haunted house came with two drink vouchers. They didn’t just want you scared inside the decrepit and devilishly decked out mansion, they wanted you shit-faced, too.
Which was good for me because Fantasy Brewing was one of those tents.
I’d been expecting a collection of Harry Potter characters again. After being friends with Callan for so long, I knew about the whole Halloween costume tradition and how Sage always picked personas from her favorite classic. But this year, she’d switched it up.
It was hard to miss Rose and her sparkly red shoes as Dorothy alongside Mike dressed as a very brawny Tinman, and then Callan as the scarecrow.
But Sage…
Her black gown might’ve made her fade into the background if it hadn’t been for the bold streaks of lime green on the round puffy sleeves, on the small tie around her waist, and on the inside of her cape; and because it was Sage, she’d even changed the laces on her black boots to match.
She tipped her head to talk to her cousin who was dressed in all pink as the Good Witch, drawing my attention to her face, and I couldn’t stop from smiling.
If the pointed hat resting on her pulled-back blonde curls didn’t give away her Wicked Witch character, her full face paint did. Her eyes and smile were bright against the green paint masking her pale skin, bringing a kind of vibrant life to her character that the Wicked Witch I remembered from the film never had.
But there was nothing wicked about Sage Walker except the way I wanted her.
She laughed, and my gaze lingered on her mouth.
If memories of the taste of her were all it took to make a man drunk, I would’ve been unquestioningly declared a Sage-aholic days ago.
We hadn’t had a chance to talk about that kiss at all since Saturday night, and I knew without a doubt that, in spite of work and other obligations during the week, she’d been avoiding me.
But that ended tonight.
I watched Callan turn and say something to her, making her laugh harder and press a hand to her chest.
A bolt of lust staked through me, and I gripped my fake wand a little harder, grateful that the dark robes of my costume were loose enough to hide the reaction of my lower half.
Stepping out from behind the Fantasy Brewing table, I nodded to Kenny, who was handling tonight’s shift for me, and made my way over to the woman I couldn’t stop thinking about.
A small smile tugged up the corners of my lips. Oh, this was going to be fun.
“Well, well, well, if it isn’t the Wicked Witch of the West,” I drawled nice and slow just as I approached the group, claiming Sage’s attention from Callan.
She did a double take when she saw me—black garb, wooden wand, and a noseless mask—and pressed a hand to her chest.
I did my damnedest not to let my gaze drift to her chest, but I was only a man. And it would’ve taken the magical strength of the warlock I impersonated to not look at where the pale swells of her tits strained against the neckline of the dress. The costume wasn’t made for a woman with perfect full breasts. And I was selfishly glad for it.
“Luke?”
My smiled widened at her surprise, even more adorable because her face was green.
“Should’ve known Sage would somehow sneak in a Harry Potter cameo tonight,” Callan drawled with a wide smile, clapping me on the back in greeting.
In another minute, all the greetings were done except for Sean who’d just rolled his eyes at me—not in costume himself—and turned his focus to Sage’s cousin, Donna. Then everyone split up to use their drink tickets before it was our time to enter the house.
“Voldemort.” Sage’s eyes slid to mine, swirling with a mixture of wariness and want.
“Shall we?” With a tipped grin, I extended my elbow.
She hesitated but then slid her hand into the crook, holding on to me gently.
“Very sneaky of you, Mr. Chambers,” she murmured, allowing me to lead her toward the Fantasy tent.
“You asked for him, Miss Walker,” I reminded her, dipping my head closer to her and adding with a huskier tone, “And I aim to please.”
I felt her slight tremble at my words as we stopped in front of the Fantasy tent, and I handed her a cup of cider, noting the way she took a sip immediately.
“Had I known you were going to dress up, I could’ve ordered you a monkey costume,” she offered sweetly.
“I assumed you would be doing Harry Potter again,” I confessed, tapping my wand on the side of my robe as we continued to walk. “But I can’t say I’m disappointed. The Dark Wizard and the Wicked Witch do make a good pair.”
Her throat bobbed nervously, but she quickly shook it off, taking another drink and then asking, “The real question is, in a magical battle between the two of us, who would come out on top?”
My whole body tensed with a violence that there was no way she didn’t feel.
Who would come out on top.
With my view of her gorgeous tits, my mind immediately jumped to the fantasy of her riding my cock in her wicked costume.
“The Wicked Witch,” I rasped. “No question.”
She laughed and shook her head, and I quickly reached up to steady her hat before she lost it. “Seriously? No way. Not against Voldemort.”
I caught her chin in my fingers, her laughter fading as my gaze bored into hers.
“She would when she looks like you.” She shivered, and I tipped my head closer to hers, her green nose an inch from my noseless mask. “My pretty.” I’d thought to make the movie reference, but the words came out deep and husky, rumbling with the strength of what I felt.
Sage’s eyes popped wide, and my blood began to buzz. Like heat lightning crisscrossing through the sky, our gazes clashed with desire for several long seconds, though there was no outward storm to show for it.
I’d given a ton of compliments in my lifetime, but none had ever affected a woman the way they did Sage. And the heat of proud possessiveness was almost as strong as the burn of potent lust I felt for my pretend girlfriend.
And then her head jerked forward and she declared, “You don’t need to say things like that.”
My jaw clenched.
“And if I want to?” My voice rumbled low, roughened from wanting her so damn badly.
Her lips parted slightly, but she refused to loosen her hold on the title staked to our relationship: Fake.
“You don’t.” Her eyes slid to the side, her shoulders slumping, and I caught our group of friends collected at the entry point, several of them, including Sean, watching us. “We should go inside.”
If Voldemort had nostrils, they would’ve flared right along with mine.
I was half tempted to wrap her in that damn cape and haul her over my shoulder, forget the haunted house, forget her family and friends, and take her somewhere so I could get to the bottom of this.
But she strode forward too quickly, her cape billowing behind her, and left me staring as she led the group into the haunted house.
Once we were inside the old Victorian mansion and the front door shut, the ambient light from outside quickly disappeared. The shadows that haunted the walls were given off by wall sconces that were purposely marred and dirtied so the light coming from them was minimal.
Tucked into the crevices of the high ceilings were small speakers echoing eerie wind, haunting creaks, and the soft creepy laugh of a child in the distance.
There were several smoke machines purring underneath it all, creating a layer of low-hanging fog that clung to your legs and kicked up as you walked through it.
As we moved through the hallway and ventured into the adjoining rooms, I could tell Sage was looking for anyone else to talk to—cling to—but everyone was already huddled together, splitting off in couples or as friends, and leaving the two of us trailing at the end.
�
��Sage—” My first attempt to get a word in with her was cut off by a zombie butler who appeared from one of the closed closets, scaring the whole group and sending Rose and her bridesmaids into a screaming fit.
Dammit.
Sage jumped too, clutching her hat before it toppled from her head.
“Rose is the worst,” I heard her mutter and chuckled to myself. “I don’t know why she insisted this had to be part of the events.”
With a huff, Sage veered from the group who was working their way from the living room back to the kitchen and detoured into the dining room.
There was no set path in the haunted house. Either way you went through the main floor led you to the back stairs and up to the next round of frights.
Glancing over my shoulder, I saw Rose burying herself in Mike’s chest, and the look on his face was the exact reason why Rose wanted this activity included.
And damn if I didn’t instantly wish Sage would turn to me like that. But apparently, her fake boyfriend was more frightening than the fake zombies the way she attempted to evade me.
“Hey, Luke.” Sage’s cousin dressed as Glinda stepped into my path. I angled my stance so I could keep an eye on my wicked witch as she got farther away from me. “Any chance I could hold on to your arm? I hate haunted houses.” She batted her eyelashes.
Shit.
I was struggling to remember her name, but when I saw Sean pull away from where he was talking to one of the other groomsmen, Danny, and follow Sage, I gave up trying.
“Actually, I’ve got to go save my girlfriend from an unexpected ghoul,” I ground out.
“She’s really your girlfriend?” If her tone didn’t give away her disbelief, the sneer on her face would’ve.
My jaw clenched. “What made you think otherwise?”
“I don’t know.” Her eyes dropped. I had a hunch exactly who made her think otherwise.
“Well, maybe you can cling to his arm instead,” I suggested with a tight smile and then stepped around her.
Jogging, I caught up to Sean and grabbed ahold of his arm.
“I think Glinda the Good Bitch is looking for you,” I told him, adding pointedly, “I’ll take care of my girlfriend.”
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