Total pages in book: 171
Estimated words: 159050 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 795(@200wpm)___ 636(@250wpm)___ 530(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 159050 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 795(@200wpm)___ 636(@250wpm)___ 530(@300wpm)
The living room area at the front of the huge room welcomed them with comfortable-looking gray sofas and a set of tubular-shaped lamps hanging low over the coffee table. Several display cases and bookshelves—most made of cast iron or steel and glass—housed thick photobooks and several sculptures of skulls in crowns, only reinforcing the cool, masculine vibe of the entire space. Elliot’s eyes barely unglued themselves from the impressive entertainment center when he followed Knight inside, toward steps that led to an elevated area, which was partially obscured by a screen so tall it almost reached the ceiling. Made of steel and leather, it was oddly sexy in its own right, promising dirty things would happen in the bed that peeked out from behind the parting.
“Fuck me,” hissed Knight as he approached a large fridge and took out two bottles of beer. He pushed one at Elliot so abruptly the damp glass almost slipped through his fingers.
Elliot took in Knight in the dimmed lighting. He most certainly would enjoy a fuck right now. Was this why Knight had brought him here? Elliot had been annoyed at the way Knight rejected a kiss, but from a guy as hot as him he’d take what he could get.
“I know, right? He’s there. William Fane is there.”
“And now we need to find a way to make him not be there anymore,” hissed Knight. He handed Elliot the opener after using it himself.
Elliot popped the cap off and took a greedy swig of beer. His head was getting too hot from all the thoughts gathered in it, so he pulled off his wig. “He’s harmless, you’ve seen it yourself. We could talk to him. Ask him all we need to know about his life and his times. Who else gets an opportunity like this?”
Knight turned Elliot’s way very slowly, his mouth set into a thin line. “Talk to him? He’s a fucking murderous ghost. Can you imagine what could happen if he gained power? I don’t want any Paranormal Activity shit in my clubhouse!”
Elliot sat on the sofa and drank more beer to cool his head. Did William even appreciate Elliot’s wig? He himself had short hair. Maybe that was the way to go after all?
“He was a murderous man. That doesn’t mean he is a murderous ghost.”
Knight gulped down half of his beer in one go, as if in the process he could somehow wipe his mind. “You can’t know this. Shit, I can’t believe I did something this stupid,” he said in the end, looking at the floor somewhat helplessly.
Elliot grabbed Knight’s hand and pulled him to the sofa. “Listen, I know this is… unexpected, but how many people get to experience a thing like this? There is an actual real-life ghost that came to talk to us. I still can’t comprehend it, but this is amazing.”
Knight slowly sat next to him constantly tapping his fingers against his jean-clad thigh. “Jesus fuck, no one can know about this.”
Elliot nodded and his skin tingled when he thought that not only would he be sharing a secret with Knight, but also keeping it from the world, so that no one else could gain William’s affection. “It will stay between us.” All Elliot wanted was to go back down there, but he needed to pace himself. Knight was too freaked out right now.
“And no going back. I swear I’m gonna kill you if you do.” Knight put the cold bottle against his forehead and angrily tapped his feet against the floor.
Elliot leaned back in the comfortable sofa and drank some more beer to silence the needy pleading about to spill from his lips. Fine. He’d wait for an appropriate moment. “I’m just thinking about all the questions he could answer.”
Knight exhaled and put down the beer, staring at the opposite wall in silence. “How do we know he wouldn’t be lying? Besides, no one would believe us if we claimed our source was a ghost. That’s insane.”
“But we would know. And we could then always look for evidence to confirm what he told us. It would be easier to work backward like that.” Elliot inched closer on the sofa, eager to push his face into Knight’s fragrant long hair. That was the one thing Fane’s ghost was missing. This kind of fleshy, masculine scent that made Elliot want to spread his legs.
Knight exhaled and glanced at Elliot with his eyes narrowed into slits. “It’s fucking tempting. But I don’t trust the fucker. We don’t know what he’s capable of. Is it worth the risk?”
Elliot ran his fingers over Knight’s thigh, wary of any sign that he should pull away. The rejected kiss still burned too hard. “We don’t know how it works. Is he a shadow that would just tell you the truth, or is he an entity that has consciousness? I’m not saying I want to go back down there”—he so totally did—“but it’s worth giving it some thought.”