Page 18 of Tall, Dark, & Ginger

“Yeah. I usually get a few hours though. It just takes a while to get there.” But not last night after an epic orgasm and a delicious sandwich. I slept so good I almost didn’t remember my name when I woke up.

We busy ourselves in the kitchen making ham and cheese sandwiches and chips, all of us gathered around the large island that is probably the only thing keeping most of us upright. My legs feel like heavy weights, but the company of my friends keeps my mood up.

“I can’t believe this all worked out like it has,” I say, suddenly and out of context.

Everyone stops talking and looks at me.

“What do you mean?” Indy asks.

“All of it. The house, the bar, that fact that twenty years in, we’re all still friends. It’s wild when you think about it.”

Indy grins. “Yeah.”

“And it’s growing,” Lowen says. “We’re adding new people to our lives.” He glances at Oakley, smiling. “People who make it even better.”

Oakley leans over and kisses his man’s cheek, and I’d swear he has cartoon hearts in his eyes. Seeing Lowen in love is freaking awesome. None of us thought he’d go any further than hooking up with Oakley, but now look at them.

My attention shifts to the entryway when a freshly showered Wren appears. My cock literally twitches at the sight of his damp curls framing his face, a t-shirt that’s a little tight so it shows off the softness of his belly and the pebbled texture of his nipples, and the ubiquitous basketball shorts.

“Couldn’t sleep,” he says.

“Want a sandwich?” Bane asks. “We have two left.”

Wren nods, padding over and squeezing between Jerryn and Salem for a place at the island. He grabs a sandwich and a handful of chips that he puts on a paper towel, and as he takes a bite, his eyes flicker to mine.

Is he replaying what happened between us last night the way I am? Does the taste of my skin linger the way his does for me? Does he want more?

Chatter fills the silence around us, both of us eating without contributing until Bane nudges me with his arm.

“What?”

He chuckles. “A customer told Jerr that there were rumors this place is haunted.”

“I think we’d know by now. We’ve been here over a year.”

“True,” Jerryn says. “But there was that weird rattling in the attic that Oakley and his team never found the source of.”

“It’s gone now,” I say.

“No it’s not,” Wren says absentmindedly as he pops a chip in his mouth, drawing all eyes to him.

“No?” I ask.

“I hear it from my room a lot. I figured it was old pipes or something.”

“We don’t have old pipes anymore,” Lowen says. “What do you hear exactly?”

Wren shrugs. “Sometimes it’s like a rattle, like you said, but other times it sounds like knocking.”

“Like knocking on a door?” Salem asks.

“Yeah. The windowpanes shake sometimes too. I thought it was a draft.”

“We don’t have drafts,” Lowen says, looking at Oakley, who shakes his head in agreement.

“Come on, guys.” I chuckle. “We’re not actually thinking the place is haunted, right?”

“Do you have a better explanation?” Bane asks.

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