Fearless In Love

The laser lights led them along a hallway, where a door opened suddenly and a mummy grabbed for Noah. He squealed and jumped and wrapped an arm around Ari’s leg. “It’s the mummy from the museum,” he whispered with awe.

The mummy retreated, and the door slammed. It had been so lifelike that Matt thought a real person might be under all those bandages.

The house was filled with eerie sounds, doors slamming, and things that went bump in the night. The laser lights herded everyone along the designated path of mummies, ghosts, vampires, shapeshifters, fire-breathing dragons, headless bodies, or sometimes just dozens of eyes staring out, blinking, coming closer, closer. The long zigzag hall ended, and they were forced up a set of steps. Hands reached out to grab, and Noah was constantly shrieking with delight and terror.

Upstairs, they were handed blindfolds by a woman dripping blood, and they entered an old-fashioned gag room with bowls of fake eyeballs and beating hearts and entrails that you stuck your hands into. Noah laughed and screamed and ewwed. Ari shrieked right along with him, especially when Matt put his cold, wet hand on the sliver of bare back between her skirt and top.

She slapped at him and pulled her blindfold down far enough to playfully glare at him. Of course, he wasn’t wearing his blindfold. How else was he supposed to find her?

They toured bedrooms that turned cold and beds that rose off the floor while ghostly sounds surrounded them. The old attic rattled with chains, and bones rolled across the floor. And everywhere, gory, scary creatures jumped out unexpectedly.

Noah was thrilled, shouting and giggling all the while. Clawed hands grabbed his dinosaur tail, pretending to drag him away, until Ari rescued him from the beast.

At last, they exited out a side door that led them through the graveyard filled with eerie sounds and ghostly clankings, finally making it down to the drive just as another busload of partygoers was climbing up the front steps.

“That was so fun.” Jeremy bounced as excitedly as Noah.

“Daddy.” Noah tugged hard on Matt’s hand. “I wanna go again.”

“Me too,” Jeremy cried with equal enthusiasm.

“Aren’t you hungry, buddy?” Matt asked. “I’m starving so bad it hurts.”

Will elbowed him. “You always are.”

“We’ll take him back through.” Susan leaned down to Noah. “I was so scared I want to do it all over again.”

They were about to part, half of them heading to the bus to go down, the other half following the group who’d just entered, when Charlie appeared out of nowhere. Sebastian was right behind her, his hands on her.

Sebastian always had his hands on Charlie, and for the first time, Matt understood why. He felt the same way about Ari, and with a light tug on her skirt, he signaled her to come with him rather than following the others back into the house.

“That was brilliant, Charlie.” Daniel grabbed her up in one of his bear hugs.

“I’ve never had so much fun building anything,” she said, laughing. Wearing overalls after obviously putting the final touches on her magnificent creation, she hadn’t dressed in her costume yet. Neither had Sebastian. “Will had all the workmen out here, and I just figured out the stunts. He hired a troupe of actors from the high school to play the monsters grabbing people.”

“You all outdid yourselves,” Susan said. “Charlie, dear, where’s your mother? I was so hoping to have a nice chat with her.”

“The party is too much for her to handle,” Charlie explained, curling her fingers around Sebastian’s. “But we’d love for you and Bob to come for lunch at Magnolia Gardens tomorrow. Mom wants to show the place off to you. They have a marvelous Sunday brunch.”

“That would be wonderful.”

That was all the chitchat Noah could handle, tugging on Susan’s hand. “We’ll talk later,” Susan said, then let herself be led away. “Don’t worry, Matt,” she called. “I’ve got him until we find you again.”

“We’re holding up the next busload.” Will clapped Matt’s shoulder. “And we’d better get this guy some food before he wastes away to nothing.”

Yes, he was starving. For Ari. On the bus, he slid into the seat beside her and worked like hell to keep his hands to himself on the short drive. Back at the house, he walked toward the food since it was expected of him, but instead of piling a plate high, he circled the table and headed for the other door.

“If you don’t want me to grab you right here,” he murmured to Ari, “you’d better follow. Or I’ll be forced to drag you off.”

“You’re incorrigible,” she said, a pleased lilt in her voice.

They waded through the crowd toward the back hall and down the spiral staircase to Will’s media and game rooms. At the far end, the basement gave way to the pool deck, and Matt led Ari around the corner to the changing rooms Will had built for his pool guests. Opening a door, he nudged her inside.

“Are you crazy?” she whispered.

He locked the door, then gathered her into his arms, nuzzling her neck. “Crazy for you.”

Chapter Twenty-Five

Matt kissed her long and hard, pushing her up against the wall, holding her there. Giving herself over to him completely, she wrapped her arms around his neck, kissing him until she couldn’t breathe, until her body was melting against his. The small changing room turned into a sauna from the heat they generated, and the little coins on her skirt jingled against him.

“We should get back to the party before anyone realizes we’re missing,” she said. But she clung to him because, God help her, she didn’t want to go back.

“I need to love you first, or I’ll go crazy. I’m barely keeping it together as it is.”

He raised the material of her skirt, the coins tinkling harder and faster—like the beating of her heart at the word love falling from his lips. Sliding his hands up her thighs, he palmed her sex.

“God.” He closed his eyes as he slipped his fingers into her panties and touched her the way she was dying for. “You’re so ready for me. Always so hot and slick.”

She knew she should care that the party was going on all around them, that Noah was out there somewhere and Matt’s family was nearby—but she simply couldn’t. When Matt touched her, everything else ceased to matter.

“Your skin is so soft.” He dragged down her panties, letting them fall to the floor so Ari could step out of them.