When eventually his lips slow against mine, I’m breathless. His words are hot against my mouth when he speaks. “Do you think—” he kisses my bottom lip “—it would be rude—” then my top lip “—to stay out here all night?”
I blink at the smoking leaves above us. The leaves we’re probably responsible for setting fire to. I release a sigh as my eyes move back to Chase’s warm gaze. “Sadly, yes. In fact … Ugh.” I cover my burning face with my hands. “Do you think they can see us from the house?”
Chase sits up and looks across the grass toward the lake house. “Well, if they can, it’s too late now.” My laugh is half a groan as I sit up and lean against him. He puts an arm around me and kisses my temple. We watch the last rays of sunlight disappearing in the distance before he says, “I guess we should go inside.”
“Yeah, we probably should.” We get up and walk hand in hand toward the house.
“Is it silly that I’m nervous?” Chase asks. “This is almost as intimidating as having dinner with your parents. And it’s been little more than a week since … since Vi and Ryn lost their daughter. They probably don’t even want us around.”
“They do,” I tell him with a reassuring squeeze of his hand. “They need time to themselves, but they also don’t want to be alone too much. Vi said she thinks the distraction of having other people around sometimes will help.”
“Okay.” Chase breathes out a long sigh and swings our hands between us. “Since we’re not currently on the brink of a magical disaster, there are so many things I want to show you in my world. I want to show you where I grew up. I want to take you to a movie, and to art galleries, and to every romantic destination mankind ever came up with—”
“—and the bagel place,” I add, remembering the bagels Gaius became obsessed with after Chase introduced him to them.
“And the bagel place,” he says with a laugh. Without warning, he grabs hold of me and swings me around. As a squeal escapes me, he places me on my feet, dips me down, and kisses me. Long and full and passionate. Then with one sweep, he swings me upright again. “Sorry,” he says with a grin. “Just stealing one more kiss before we go inside.”
“That’s okay,” I say, laughing and hanging onto him as the world spins around me. “You’re forgiven.”
Calla’s story is over for now, but look out for more Creepy Hollow books coming soon with a new main character! If you don’t want to miss out on any Creepy Hollow announcements, make sure you’re on my email newsletter list.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
Wow, this one really took it outta me! But God got me to the end again, as He always does. At its heart, Calla and Chase’s story is one of forgiveness and redemption, and I can only truly write of such things because my Father first forgave me (and continues to, every day).
Thank you SO MUCH, Kimberly and Heather, for taking the time to give me valuable feedback on every part of this story. I’m grateful for your willingness to help me out, no matter how tight the deadline, and for your encouragement.
Thank you to my amazing team of early readers who waited so long for this one!
And to all the Creepy Hollow fans out there, your enthusiasm helped power me onward to finish Calla’s story. Thank you!
And, as all my acknowledgements sections end ... Thank you, Kyle! Thank you for putting up with having ‘no wife’ while I worked waaaaay past my deadlines to get this one finished. Love you.
BOOKS BY RACHEL MORGAN
THE CREEPY HOLLOW SERIES
Bestselling YA fantasy series
Kick-butt faerie Violet is about to graduate as the top guardian of her class, but when an assignment goes wrong and the human boy she’s meant to be protecting follows her back into the fae realm, a dangerous plot is set in motion.
Magic, mystery, danger, action, romance … This series has it all!
An A to Z of Creepy Hollow Fae (Prequel Short Stories)
The Faerie Guardian
The Faerie Prince
The Faerie War
A Faerie’s Secret
A Faerie’s Revenge
A Faerie’s Curse
THE TROUBLE SERIES
Swoon-worthy guys, comical moments, witty dialogue, and hot kisses ...
This sweet contemporary romance series will sweep you off your feet!
The Trouble with Flying
The Trouble with Flirting
The Trouble with Faking
The Trouble with Falling
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Rachel Morgan is a South African author who spent a large portion of her childhood living in a fantasy land of her own making. After completing a degree in genetics, she decided science wasn’t for her—after all, they didn’t approve of made-up facts. These days she spends much of her time immersed in fantasy land once more, writing fiction for young adults and those young at heart.
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Rachel Morgan, A Faerie's Curse (Creepy Hollow #6)
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