Page 27 of Boats, Moats, & Root Beer Floats

The kitchen fell quiet without her in it.

“Girl’s got me spinning.” I said softly. “Stay out of the bedrooms tonight, Al.”

The dry cutlery on the rack rattled. I grinned. “Thanks for not stacking anything weird in our paths.”

The cutlery rattled once and stopped. I took that to mean our resident ghost had left the room, or at least retreated to the unused wing of the castle for the evening. Pleased as I was that he gave us our space, I was still intrigued about his history. This place belonged to him, and that history was what I was here touncover after all. His was just a little further back than I had expected to delve.

Lindy emerged from the pantry holding two giant schooner glasses overflowing with dark liquid and ice cream.

“What the hell did you make?” I took one glass and the spoon she handed to me.

“Root beer floats,” she said proudly. “There was that case sitting there and I figured it was fair game.”

“Looks good to me.” I leaned in and sniffed. “Did you test this first?”

Lindy laughed, throwing her head back. My heart ached in my chest at the sight.

“Hell, no I didn't test it. It could be terrible. I didn’t check the use by date on the root beer either, but the ice cream was in-date because I just bought that today. Together?”

“Why not?” What was worth the risk of an instant death at the hands of the root beer god compared to more laughter from this woman?

“Alright. One, two…” Lindy counted us in and we both took sips at the same time.

Fizz shot up my nose followed by a lump of ice cream.

“Oh, wow. Sassafras. That’s um…”

“Powerful. Yeah.” Lindy nodded, coughing behind her hand. She giggled and swiped at my mouth. “You’re messy.”

I leaned in and licked her top lip. “Same, love.”

She stilled, and I took the chance to step back.You’re a lot,she’d said earlier.

If scaring her off was on the cards I didn’t want to risk that, at least not just yet. There was a long night ahead of us and this Christmas Eve would be a night we would both remember for a damn long time, if I had my way.

Picking up my glass, I attacked the ice cream with my spoon. “Once you get used to the flavor it’s pretty good,” I acknowledged.

“Good, because there’s a whole case of the stuff in there.” Lindy shivered.

I grabbed the scarf I’d taken from her before, back when she fell apart in my hands. Hell, just thinking about her bare skin put me back in the same state I’d been a few minutes ago when I kissed her until her lips turned red and swollen. Forcing my mind to clear, I wrapped the scarf around her neck, looping it loosely and leaving her plenty of space the way I thought she wore it.

“Is that right?” I asked gruffly.

“Yeah.” She looked up at me, all wide eyed and soft lips coated in ice cream and root beer.

I am totally screwed.

I reached for her at the same time as she discarded her dessert, both cups jingling as they clashed together on the tabletop. Our bodies crashed in the same fashion, her rising up to meet my mouth as I pulled her into me.

“Upstairs with me, Lindy. Now.” I squeezed her waist. “I’d do this here but…” I drew back to kiss the corner of her mouth, her breaths coming too fast against my lips. “I want to take our time. Alright?” I whispered, slowing it right down as she panicked.

Lindy knotted my shirt in her fists, tugging me closer even as her eyes squeezed shut and she nodded. “Alright.”

I cupped her cheek and kissed her slower, walking backwards through the doorway and into the hall, bringing her with me. My hip hit the edge of something. Not that I noticed the pain now, but I’d feel it in the morning.

The moment we stepped away from the residual heat of the kitchen and the oven where I’d spent the afternoon baking forher and the work crew, the cold settled in. I kissed her a little harder, squeezing her waist when she moaned prettily for me.

“Right. Bedroom. Blankets?” she asked hopefully. “No ghost though.”

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