Page 9 of The Haunting Plot

“This is ridiculous. I can’t believe I’m entertaining this. If you’re that gullible, I know a prince who’d like to talk to you about an inheritance.”

I chuckle. Fuck, I like getting under her skin. “You know, you really shouldn’t speak ill of the dead. They might hear you, and the last thing we need is a ghost boo-hooing.”

She bites her lips as if she’s trying to contain something. At this point it could be a witty retort or a laugh, and I’d welcome either if it meant I could get an honest reaction out of her.

She pushes past me, and her hand presses against my chest as she leaves the room. Ghosts may not be real, but the spark I feel at her touch definitely is. I hold my breath so her intoxicating scent doesn’t permeate my nostrils again. I’m forty-six; I should not be tenting my pants at the mere whiff or touch of this woman.

“And then there’s these.” She gestures to a pair of stained-glass windows at the end of the hallway.

I rub my eyes, trying to make sure they’re not playing tricks on me. “Are those…”

“Dick windows.”

Clutching my side, I wheeze through my laughter. “Oh fuck, that’s funny.”

She pins me with an icy glare. “It’s not funny.”

“It’s kinda funny.” I step closer to the windows, marveling at the craftsmanship. “You can’t get rid of these. They look original to the house.”

“I can’t have my kids in a house with dick windows. Luckily they haven’t noticed them yet, but as soon as Jonah does, there will be no shutting him up about it. And if I decide to make this a rental once we move back home, no one is going to want to stay in a house with giant stained-glass penises. And they’re red too. The shadows they cast in the late afternoon are obscene.”

Laughter spills out of me. “Fuck, I need to see that.”

“No one needs to see that.”

“You’d be surprised at what people are into these days. There are rentals all over these mountains with red rooms. These would be perfectly at home in one of those places.”

Her eyebrow lifts, and I can’t tell if she’s confused, turned on, or about to yell at me.

“You do know what a red room is?”

She huffs. “Of course I know what a red room is.”

“Color me intrigued. Tell me more.” I love watching her stoic persona slowly crack, either in exasperation or interest.

“I’m not elaborating. This is hardly an appropriate conversation for me to be having with my potential contractor.”

“You started it with the dick windows.”

Her jaw drops. I like flustering her. A little too much. I cross my hands in front of my growing bulge.

“You’re staring at those windows an awful lot. Are you envious of how big they are?”

“I was just admiring the craftsmanship. They look a little on the average side to me, honestly. So back to the sex dungeon. How dirty are we going with this thing on a scale of vanilla to ‘Choke me, daddy’?”

Raven swallows, choking on her saliva as she pounds her chest several times. “There’s no way I’m letting you build⁠—”

“They’re fairly common in mountain rentals. Couples want to get away and live out their fantasies. You could do that here. Leave the dick windows and really play into the theme.” I walk into the nearby bedroom, gesturing with my hands to help her see my vision. “Install some swings, add a bed with restraints, stock the room with one-time-use toys. Just be sure to hire a good cleaner to hose things down after each guest.”

When I glance back, there’s heat in her eyes. What naughty things is she picturing? My eyes travel lower as I take her in.

She snaps her fingers in front of my face, pulling me out of my leering. “Eyes up here, buddy. I’m not building a sex dungeon. I don’t even know if I want to keep this as a rental or sell it, but I’m absolutely not adding a red room to the house I’m sharing with my kids. Those aren’t the kinds of swings I need you to install.”

“Wow. Didn’t take you for a prude.”

She cocks a hip. “Excuse me?”

“There’s nothing wrong with sexual exploration or a healthy sex life. Adults are allowed to explore their desires and fulfill their needs, regardless of whether or not they have kids. And there’re these things called locks. I could install one on the door of your red room for you. And I’d be happy to help you pick out furniture for that room. If you need help.”