Ghosts (A Christian Yelich Story)

Chapter Twenty-Two: The Audacity

"I'm going to go shower. See you in our new room?" Christian leaned down to kiss my cheek.

Our meeting had just ended, and I wanted to catch up with Lindsey and James, two people who mattered a lot to me. "See you very soon." I squeezed his hand, and he smiled before leaving the pub. I was glad he seemed less nervous than he had been when Lindsey and James showed up out of nowhere.

Lindsey and James were both smirking at me. "Hannah recruited us to protect you from Asher, but it looks like you're doing just fine," James said while trying really hard not to laugh.

"Shut up." I knew I was blushing.

"Who is he?" Lindsey asked. "I don't recognize him. I recognize some of the others."

"He's a baseball player. A very good one going off the little I've read. His name is Christian."

"That explains why I don't recognize him. What is baseball? What are sports? Anyway, he's cute. And gangly. Exactly your type. What's going on between you two?"

"We should talk about it off camera," I muttered.

Lindsey rolled her eyes. "Oh, come on! You can't leave us hanging."

"Not much is going on. We're just very physically attracted to each other, I think? I'm not sure, honestly."

"You really didn't need us." Lindsey elbowed James, grinning widely. "Do you like him?"

I sighed. "Yeah, but I don't want to. Actors and athletes are one in the same."

"Should have stuck with the comedians," James retorted.

"They do seem better at fidelity. You win there."

"Maybe we could all get breakfast in the morning?" James asked.

"Sure, but don't grill him. I think he's a little stressed about being surrounded by so many ghosts of boyfriends past."

"Understandable. I'll be mostly good."

"I missed you guys a lot."

"We missed you too. So much that we're going to hunt ghosts on an ABC reality show together thousands of miles from home." Lindsey pulled me into a hug

"I'll see you guys bright and early? I have to work out with Christian at 10:00."

"A workout, eh?" James raised his eyebrows suggestively. "We'll meet you for breakfast at 8:00. Bring the love toy."

I punched James on the shoulder. "You're the worst."

"I know."

We parted ways, and I made my way back to Christian.

***

When I got to our new room, Christian was already showered and in bed. He had one of my books in his hands. "I'm trying," he said.

"Are you pretending to read for me? That's so sweet."

Christian laughed. "I read a whole chapter!"

"I'm very impressed." I hopped into bed next to him.

Christian smiled at me before planting a kiss on my lips. "How are your friends?" he asked.

"I think they're good. Pretty sure they came to protect me from Asher, which was nice of them, I guess? I didn't need them here, though." I shrugged.

"I'm sorry if I came off as a little jealous. It's just a lot to process." Christian ran his fingers through his hair with a concerned look on his face.

"What are you so worried about?" I asked. He looked so genuinely concerned that his expression made me feel concerned. Before he could respond to my question, I leaned over to whisper in his ear, "I'm not going to stop fucking you, Christian. I'm all yours for this experience, and you can do whatever you want to me." My mouth found his, and he put his hand behind my head to pull me closer to him.

"Good," he responded breathlessly as we broke apart. "I think we need to get rid of the 4:00 am rule. We're just wasting time."

I bit my lip. "Christian . . ."

"Annie, I want you so fucking bad right now. Let's not play games." He licked his lips and looked at me so intensely that I wanted nothing more than to give into his pleading brown eyes.

"Do you want a real sex tape? This is how you get a real sex tape," I muttered.

Christian rolled his eyes. "We could sue, and you know it. Come on, Annie." He pulled me on top of him.

"No," I said sternly before pushing him away from me. "We can't."

"Maybe Asher's right, and you're nothing but a cocktease."

My jaw dropped at the audacity of his words, and, rather than entertain him with a response, I fled the room as quickly as I could.

What. An. Asshole.