Falling for the Ghost of You(25)

"Have you ever watched porn?" he asks curiously, glancing at me when he should be watching the road.

"No!" I say quickly, blushing. "Only guys do that."

Zane chuckles. His gaze switches back and forth, from me to the road. "How old are you again, Violet?"

"Seventeen," I snap. "Why?"

"Sometimes you act much older, but then sometimes you seem so innocent."

I frown down at the warm bag of cinnamon rolls on my lap. I know he really means “naive,” but I don’t know what I said that would make him think that. Heck, I even said “vagina” in front of him. I guess if he’s comparing me to the women he knows, then I probably do seem innocent. I don’t see that as a bad thing—does he?

When we get back to the pool house, Zane goes in his room to get the movie, and I pop the cinnamon rolls in the microwave and close all the blinds. With the day already being cloudy and rainy, it gets to be pretty dark in the house. Perfect.

"I hear this movie's pretty intense," Zane says, coming into the room. "You sure you don't want a light on?"

I roll my eyes. "Uh-huh. Don't come running into my room when you get nightmares."

He smirks back. "Don't worry, little girl. The last place I'd run to is your room."

He puts the movie in the player while I glare at his back. What the hell does that mean? Is he trying to imply that he finds me repulsive?

I stomp into the kitchen to grab the cinnamon rolls. Oh, my god, they smell heavenly, all gooey and soft-looking. I stick them on separate plates and carry them into the living room.

Zane is sprawled on the couch. I hand him his plate then plop down on the recliner with my treat.

"What's up, Mercer? Why are you sitting way over there?"

"Because," I sigh. "It's comfortable."

Zane pats the cushion right next to him. "So is the couch. Come on. What if I get scared? You'll have to hold my hand."

I hesitate. I don't want him to think it's a big deal, but I know I won't be able to concentrate on the movie if I'm sitting right beside him.

Ultimately, I can't pass up the opportunity to be closer to him. So I shrug and get up. I casually plop down a few careful inches away from him.

He smells so good! That freshly cleaned laundry scent mixed with soap does funny things to my insides. I clamp my legs together to keep them from bouncing nervously.

To take my mind off his nearness, I take a bite of my cinnamon roll. My eyes automatically close in delight.

"Oh, my god," I mumble, my mouth full of edible heaven.

"Right?" Zane says, enjoying my reaction.

"It's so good!"

For a minute, I forget Zane is there. I am loving this cinnamon roll. It practically melts in my mouth, all that golden gooeyness overwhelming my senses. Yum!

I lick my sticky fingers afterwards, savoring every last bit. I've got my thumb in my mouth when I happen to glance over and catch Zane watching me intently.

My thumb comes out with an embarrassing popping noise. "I'm so sorry you had to see that," I murmur shame-facedly.

"Not a problem. Here, take mine, too."

I laugh and shake my head. "Just start the movie."

He continues to look at me instead. "I think I'd rather watch you eat."

I smack him on one rock hard bicep. Chuckling, he presses the remote and the movie starts.





I have been dying to see this movie. The trailer for it looked awesome, and it's getting really good online buzz.

But as the movie opens with a pan of creepy house, I find myself barely paying attention. I can't stop staring at Zane’s profile, trying to search for any flaws, but there really is none. I marvel that it was just the luck of the draw that he was born with that perfect face.

Well, that and a good gene pool.

"Eyes on the movie, Violet," Zane murmurs, keeping his gaze straight ahead.

Blushing furiously, I whip my head forward. I can't believe he caught me staring! Again.

Mentally scolding myself, I focus on the movie, and not on the gorgeous guy sitting next to me in the dark. I tuck my legs under me, and prepare to be terrified.

Okay, so the movie is about this family who moves into a creepy old house. Strange things begin to happen, culminating in the disappearance of their six month old baby. The teenage daughter does some research and discovers the house belonged to a satanic cult leader. Rumor has it that he built the house using the blood and bones of his followers.

The story's been done before, but the special effects are awesome. There are plenty of jump-worthy moments—especially when the girl gets sucked into another dimension in the house to find her baby brother.

It's totally creepy. I keep thinking there is something lurking behind the couch, waiting to claw my brain out. I want to turn the light on, but I can't, not after I made a big deal about how brave I supposedly was.