Page 90 of The Curse of Redwood
“Zeke? Please say something.”
His hand slid to the side of my neck as he peered into my eyes. “I loved Philip. He was kind and gentle and just sogood. He was the first person in my life to see the real me and love me anyway.”
The center of my chest tightened. I knew what was coming and tried to brace myself for impact. But you couldn’t fully prepare for heartbreak. Not really.
“Do I still love him? Yes.” Zeke pressed his thumb against my pulse. “But damn it all, I love you too. If having him back means I’ll lose you, then I decline with every ounce of my being. For it would still be your eyes I stared into. Still be your voice I heard. You’ve brought light into my dark life, Carter, and I will hold onto that light with everything I have in me.” He dropped his face to my neck, sending goosebumps along my skin. “I will hold ontoyou.”
There I went with the damn tears again. But I couldn’t help it.
“You love me?” I asked. “Really?”
“Yes,” he said, before kissing me lightly on the cheek. “If I’m being honest, I have loved you from the very first time I saw you. You wore a ghastly green hat on your head, and you were stuffing your face with every snack on the table. I never show myself during events at the mansion, but I had no choice. I had to meet you. To speak with you. I materialized and joined the celebration, and when your gaze lifted to mine, the earth quaked beneath my feet. The room of dancing people faded and all I saw was you.”
I sucked in a breath as his face came closer. Our mouths touched, soft and teasing. I got a bit dizzy, but for once it wasn’t caused by something sinister. I was reeling from the force of falling hard for Zeke.
“We never got to dance that night,” I said, once I could find my voice again. “It was over way too fast.”
He smiled against my lips. “I didn’t know you wanted to dance.”
“It’s something I’ve never done with a guy,” I said. “I mean, I’ve booty-danced in clubs and grinded on men while I did it, but I’ve never actually properly danced with anyone. Hey, where are you going?”
Zeke had pushed away from me and was walking toward the mansion. He looked at me over his shoulder as he stretched out a hand. “Come with me.”
I slid my hand into his. “Where to?”
“You’ll see.”
I smiled. The coldness of his skin against my palm felt so normal now. There we were, a ghost and a human, yet I’d never felt closer to anyone. We entered the mansion, and I was amazed by how light it was inside. Usually, a majority of the curtains were pulled shut but they were all open that day, letting in natural light.
“This is new,” I said, stopping to look around. “It’s like I’m seeing it for the first time.”
“You’ve not only caused a change in me, but in the mansion as well.” Zeke lifted our joined hands and placed a kiss on my knuckle. “Do you feel it?”
“I do.” The energy was different, still a bit heavy but lighter now. “You should open the curtains more often.”
“I will keep that in mind,” he said with a smile and guided me forward.
We walked through a large dining room, the table dusty and the chairs in need of a good cleaning, but it was still magnificent. It was more than likely the same room where Jasper killed his dinner guests. I quickened my steps to get out of there. After walking through an arched doorway, we passed through a small sitting room.
“Does the house unsettle you?” Zeke asked.
“Not as much anymore,” I answered, squeezing his hand. “When I think about the tragic history, it makes me sad, though. Speaking of history, are you still going to tell me about what happened to Philip?”
“All in good time.” Zeke led me from the room and down a hall. “But before I do, I want to enjoy this a while longer.”
Although a question was on the tip of my tongue, I refrained from asking it and instead observed the scenery. It was an area of the mansion we hadn’t visited in my time at Redwood, however, I felt like I’d been there before. The drapes and paintings on the wall were familiar. We reached a staircase and walked up. He laughed when I stumbled on a step, but he caught me.
“Such a clutz,” he said, amused.
“Why are you torturing me with a leg work out?”
He laughed again and continued up the stairs, leading me by the hand. Soon, we came to a set of closed doors and stopped.
“Ladies and gentlemen, may I present to you,” Zeke announced, placing a hand on the door and pushing it open. “The master of the house, Mr. Ezekiel James Warren, and his honored guest, Carter Jones.”
I grinned at his silliness but then gaped when we stepped through the doors into the grand ballroom. Sunlight streamed through the tall windows, hitting the marble floor beautifully. Without all the guests, it seemed even bigger.
Zeke held our hands higher as we descended the staircase. “I attended so many merriments in this very room. Birthdays, festive balls to celebrate Christmas or the coming of spring. Father threw me a coming-of-age celebration where I had to dress in a ridiculously expensive suit and parade around the room, speaking with every unwed young woman. We danced and our cups were never empty, yet it was such a miserable time.”
