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Lifting up on his forearms, he looks down at me with a frown. “Shit. We forgot to take your temperature.”

I smile up at him. “It’s okay. It doesn’t matter.”

“It does,” he says. “We thought today was going to be the day, right?”

“I think so.” I skim my fingers up and down his back. “But truly, it’s okay. We took the appropriate steps, right?”

“But it would be nice to know for sure,” he says, his expression softening. “I don’t know when I got so into this baby-making thing, but I really want to get you knocked up. I want to sex a baby into you more than I want pancakes and bacon. And I really want pancakes and bacon. I skipped dinner last night.”

I grin. “Me, too. And pancakes and bacon sound amazing.” I wiggle closer to him, loving the feel of him softening inside me. “But let’s stay here for one more minute.”

“Or two,” he agrees, kissing my cheek before whispering in my ear. “I’m glad last night wasn’t a dream.”

“Me, too.” I tighten my arms around him. “I would have been so sad to wake up without you.”

He grunts and pulls back with a sigh. “Speaking of waking up without people. Seems Chip tried to leave in the middle of the night. Nancy went to make him breakfast this morning and couldn’t find him anywhere. His car was still there, so she assumed he must have gone for an early walk or something.”

I wrinkle my nose. “He doesn’t seem like an early walk kind of guy.”

“Yeah, he isn’t.” Zack rolls to the side, sliding out of me, but I stay on my back, wanting to give his swimmers the best chance possible before I head to the bathroom to clean up.

He reaches for his phone. “Which Nancy found out when Jed went into the studio a little later and found this…” He turns the screen to me, revealing a shot of Chip curled up in a ball under the recording deck, a dingy brown blanket drawn over his sleeping bulk.

“What the hell?” I ask with a laugh.

“Apparently, the ghosts told him to get the hell out,” Zack says, glancing back at the image. “Nancy said he was so ramped up it was hard to get the full story, but it sounded like he went upstairs to the attic and saw something up there. Something that scared him so badly that he ran for the stairs, fell down one flight, and then hobbled down the rest with a sprained ankle before limping across the grass to crash in the studio.”

My brows slide higher on my forehead. “Really? You think he saw something? What did Nancy say?”

“She apologized profusely and swore no guest has ever reported an experience like that before, but I told her not to worry about it.” He shrugs and tosses his phone on the mattress. “I figure each guest gets the ghost experience they deserve, right?”

I tilt my head, studying him out of the corner of my eye, debating how much to tell him. “Yeah, Chip wasn’t…very nice last night. He’s a big part of the reason I left. He painted such a dark picture of our future.”

“I figured,” Zack says, his jaw going tight. “I fired him via text this morning. Just the way he was looking at you before I went into the studio… I couldn’t stop thinking about it when I was trying to sleep last night. I don’t want a man who looks at women that way representing me or my business.”

Warmth rushing in my chest, I sit up and lean over to kiss his temple. “You’re the sweetest man. I love that about you. So much.”

“I’m sorry I left you alone with him.” Zack curls his hand around my knee. “That was stupid of me.”

“No, it wasn’t. You should be able to leave your manager alone with your girlfriend. That isn’t something you should have to second-guess.”

“But I knew he was a slimeball.” His voice is dark with guilt. “I thought he would behave himself because he wanted to keep me on as a client, but I shouldn’t have taken that for granted. I’m sorry.”

“It’s okay,” I assure him again. “I’m fine. He said some rude things, but he didn’t hurt me.” I smile. “And it sounds like he got his. Ghost karma seems pretty brutal.”

“Yeah, it does.” Zack hesitates, chewing his lip for a beat before he adds, “Is it crazy that it kind of makes me more excited about spending another week there?”

I laugh. “No, it isn’t! Me, too! I can’t wait to get back. I mean…assuming you want me to stay the rest of the week.”

He gathers me into his arms and pulls me onto his lap. “Either you’re staying, or I’m going back to Hidden Kill Bay with you. Those are the choices because I’m not letting you out of my sight. Assuming that’s all right with you.”


Tags: Lili Valente Romance