Part 1

“Ask her out.”

“No.”

“She’s cute.”

“I know.”

“She’s smarter than you.”

“I know that too.”

“You like her.”

“Yes.”

“Ask her out, then.”

“No.”

“Fuck. Then lemme borrow your body, and I’ll ask her out.”

Brady dropped his pen on his desk in frustration. “Stop it. And don’t make me talk to you at work. Half the people here already think I’m half-baked.”

Ravi grinned, his specter growing more solid in his happiness. “Come on, buttercup, you’re starting to pine.”

“Of course I’m pining. Last time I checked, you’re transparent,” Brady complained, trying not think about how much he missed cuddling up to his boyfriend. He reminded himself — again — it could be worse. Ravi could have died , instead of … this. Whatever this was.

“You’re not pining for me. You’re pining for her. What’s her name again, Angie?”

“Mariángel. And you know that,” Brady said, exasperated. “Stop pretending she’s new around here. She’s been here longer than I have.”

“But you’ve been looking. And chatting. You’re not fooling me, princess. I’ve seen you check out her ass in the breakroom.”

“I do not.”

“I know what you look like when you check out my ass. Of course you are. If I were you, I’d be flirting.”

“You flirt with anything that moves, including the dog.” He slanted a dark look at his boyfriend. “Damn it, Rav, I’m not going to ask her out. Not with you like this.”

Ravi scowled, then clucked like a chicken. “Bak bak bak baaaak.”

Brady leaned back in his desk chair, raking both hands over his head. “Come on. Why are we even having this conversation? I’m not going to do this to you or to anyone else. This whole thing is impossible to explain. Hell, if we could explain it, we might be able to fix it.”

Though Ravi didn’t need the support, he leaned against the desk, his ephemeral form dimming in sadness. “I like her, Bradon.” Even as Rav faded in and out, he was still gorgeous. Dark hair with a tendency to curl when it got too long. Grey-blue eyes with lashes tipped in gold. Though his physical body at the hospital had become rail thin from all the muscle tone he’d lost while unconscious, Ravi’s specter kept the form he’d had at the accident.

Brady studied his boyfriend, finally picking up a clue that Ravi wanted this as much as Brady did. “Why now? I’m content to wait.”

Ravi seemed wistful. “I see connections now. Sort of. Auras? Not really. Ties like the one from me to you. She likes you. A lot. But maybe — maybe there’s more?”

“I’m not asking her out just to get intel. That’s creepy.”

Wincing, Ravi nodded. “That is creepy. Nevermind.” He shoved off the desk. “How much more work do you have? I want to get to the library tonight.”

“Thirty minutes, tops.”

“Later, alligator. I’m gonna go haunt the nurses.” Ravi faded away, with Brady holding his gaze until the last wishful impression vanished.

Brady sighed as he went back to his computer. He’d thought he’d covered his crush pretty well, but since Ravi had figured out how to manifest somewhere other than the house or hospital a month ago, Brady’d known his days were numbered. He was right, and by the second week of hanging around Brady’s office, Ravi definitely paid attention whenever Mariángel crossed their path.

In truth, before the accident, Brady had considered introducing the pair to see what might come of it. But though she might be open-minded, this — well — this was a little much for anyone to accept.

A promised half hour later, Brady unlocked the door to his SUV. Late September in Texas didn’t necessarily mean cool days and trees turning bright colors. But it was cooler than the summer, and the faint hint of sea salt in the Corpus Christi breeze had him breathing deep and long to shake off the canned office air.

“Hey, stranger.”

Brady knew Mariángel’s voice even from four cars away. She waved at him. In spite of the long day, she had a cheery smile for him as she tucked her blue-black hair behind her ear. He pretended his heart didn’t get a little zing at the sight of her. He held up a hand to wave back.

Ravi was right: Brady had a crush. And maybe Ravi did too.

Mariángel climbed into her truck — a classic Ford ‘78 in lime green — and he watched her go without realizing he did until she was gone and he was still holding his keys. Growling at himself in annoyance, he firmly squashed his feelings as he climbed in. He and Ravi had discovered the hard way that most people weren’t into poly relationships. And a poly relationship where one of them wasn’t corporeal? Brady groaned at the impossibility of it all as he drove out of the parking lot, pointing the car to the library.

He’d liked Mariángel the first time they met, when he’d been transferred into her division last winter. But it was a full two months later, when the frazzled team pulled together to meet a deadline, that he discovered her dry wit and slow smile that started in her deep brown eyes long before it was echoed on her dusky lips.

And then there’d been the car accident —

Brady shook his head, not wanting to think about that. Although, if there was a boon to be had in all this, Ravi got a chance to see Mariángel in her element. And since he and Brady generally had the same taste for smarts and smart-asses, it wasn’t hard to see Ravi liked what he saw too.

WIth a glance at the rearview mirror, Brady hit his blinker and turned left into the library parking lot. Now this was a hell of a way to spend a Friday night, but he’d do anything to get Ravi back in his rightful body.

Ravi appeared the moment Brady closed the door to the study carrel with a hip, carrying an armload of books the librarian had ordered for them. “Good,” he said with relief. “We got the one in from MacKinzie. That’s the one who spent all the time in South America with the Mayan descendents.”

Brady dropped the books on the table and pulled out a chair for Rav. “This still doesn’t feel shamanistic.”

“Maybe not,” Ravi said, settling into the seat. “But I’m going to look anyway.” He couldn’t turn pages, but Brady had mastered the art of reading his own book while flipping pages for his boyfriend. If either of them found anything interesting, Brady made note of it or took pictures of the pages to print later.

And if Ravi rested his hand on the back of Brady’s chair, Brady could pretend he felt the heat of his touch.

* * *

Mariángel tapped her pencil while she worked, listening to the footsteps coming down the hall. She wasn’t the only one who spent the occasional Saturday morning at the office and wasn’t surprised when Brady glanced inside, flashing her his usual smile and quiet “hello” as he passed by. She wrinkled her nose, wishing this was an open concept office layout. It was much easier to admire a cute butt without walls messing up the view.

In the months since she’d met him, her feelings had zipped straight past ‘like’ far enough that she planned to ask him out on a date today.

But first, she turned her attention to the latest poor apartment complex needing a good remodel. Though she loved her job at Symbiotic Design and clicked with her coworkers, it was these odd weekends at the office when she was up against a deadline that exhilarated her. Throughout the quiet morning, she worked steadily, fine-tuning the design she would present to the apartment owners later this week.

It had been on a Saturday morning half a year ago that she’d run into Brady in the break room that changed the way she looked at him. It hadn’t be the first, but any means, but for someone with a generally sunny disposition, Brady had looked like five miles of bad road with reddened eyes, pasty skin, and a scruffy five o’clock shadow.

He’d smiled at her like she was the best thing he’d seen in a month, and even exhaustion couldn’t hide his kind eyes as he gratefully took the coffee she set on his desk later that day. Deadlines had been met the following week, and the whole division had gone out for drinks after work that Friday. Brady had sought her out to thank her for the simple act of kindness.

In the months since, she learned over coffee and a crappy project they’d collaborated to fix that he had a dog he adored, was bi, and his boyfriend had been in a terrible accident a couple of weeks before their break room encounter. She’d been left with the impression that the boyfriend hadn’t survived, though Brady didn’t come right out and say it. She didn’t press, though she noticed the single photo of the pair still graced his pathetically empty office bookshelf that held nothing more than row of rough-hewn stone arrowheads.

Mariángel told Brady about the string of boyfriends who didn’t seem to understand that being perfectly capable of fixing her own problems didn’t mean she didn’t want a relationship. He grunted appropriately, agreeing that all men were assholes, and if one was bad, she should try seeing two of them attempting to negotiate housekeeping.

It took months for the sparkle to return to his eyes. When it did, her heart teetered every time they met up for lunch (every other week on Thursdays now), and it wasn’t unusual for Brady to set a coffee on her desk (usually on Mondays).

Mariángel would fully admit to having a thing for his broad shoulders. He had a habit of wearing short-sleeved shirts in the summertime that didn’t have a finger of give between skin and fabric.

She’d definitely caught him checking out her butt in the break room last week and again a couple of days ago. He’d turned pink as he poured up a cup of coffee, but he’d gamely made conversation with her. It didn’t quite cross the line from friendship to flirting, but was close enough to have a toe on the border.

Not even Mariángel’s mother would get her to admit she’d strategically dressed with him in mind today. She’d gone with the peep-toe beaded sandals and rolled up jeans that showed off the string of butterflies tattooed on her ankle. The embroidered white blouse flattered her straight black hair, both contrasting nicely with her skin. She didn’t wear much makeup, but a touch of lip gloss and mascara gave her a mental boost. And if nothing came of her idea and she spent the afternoon at the beach instead, she wouldn’t have a thing to complain about.

Mariángel waited until just before lunch to execute her plan. She rapped on Brady’s office door with a knuckle. He looked up, darting a glance to her left as he did. She followed his look, but there was only the picture on the bookcase. “Am I interrupting?” she asked.

“No,” Brady answered with a welcoming smile as he reached out and turned off his computer. “Ready to go home, I think. At this point, there’s nothing that can’t wait for Monday. How’s the design coming along?”

“It’s done. I think they’ll like the revisions.”

“It’s your design. Of course they will.” Brady stacked up a couple of folders and scooted his chair backward.

Steeling her nerves, Mariángel asked, “Got big plans for the weekend?”

Brady glanced up. “Not particularly. Gonna take my dog out to beach. I haven’t tracked enough sand into the house lately.” He lightly snapped his fingers, and a rusty, long-haired mutt popped out from under Brady’s desk. “Meet Jacob. He’s never met a shoreline he didn’t like.”

“Oh, I didn’t know you brought him on weekends.” She squatted, letting Jacob sniff her hand.“Hi, Jacob.”

“He moped around the house while I packed up. I couldn’t leave him behind,” Brady explained.

“With those eyes? I can’t blame you.” Scratching Jacob’s head while the dog’s eyes closed in bliss, Mariángel blurted, “There’s a haunted house on the USS Lexington for the whole month of October. Would you like to go with me next weekend?”

Brady sat up straight, clearly startled. “With you? Like a date?”

She licked her lips as she stood up again — and was gratified when his eyes followed the movement. “Yes. Unless I’m totally misreading things, in which case, we’ll go dutch, invite some friends and pretend that was the plan all along.”

He laughed with something like relief. “You’re not misreading things.” He scraped a hand through his dark blond hair, leaving it spiky and mussed, tension appearing in a faint frown.

Mariángel’s heart thudded. She’d hoped a haunted house would give them an easy slide from friendship to more. He darted another look to her left, and she wondered how hung up he was on his old boyfriend. But the sweet smile Brady gave her was new, prompting interesting thoughts that might be rushing things a bit.

“I do like you,” he said. “And yes, I’d love to go. But — ” he bit his lip, “I come with baggage.”

Mariángel flipped a hand up. “Don’t we all?”

Brady shook his head. “Not like this.” He held out his hand as he stood. “Are you free for the next couple of hours? I’ll show you, and if you still want to go out on a date, I’m game.” He held her gaze, waiting, a hint of a challenge in his clear green eyes that sent heat to her insides.

She took it, appreciating the way his broad fingers curled over her hand. “Let’s go.” Her heart thrummed in anticipation. Jacob wagged his fluffy tail as he escorted them out of the building.

* * *

Ravi whistled loudly when Brady followed Mariángel out of the office. In reply, Brady flipped him a finger from behind his back. Ravi still had a grin on his face when he remanifested where his body lay in St. Elizabeth’s Hospital, not so conveniently located at the wrong end of the JFK Causeway, if one lived on Mustang Island.

There were four nurses on his rotation, and Shondra was on the schedule now. He liked her best because she hummed or sang as she checked him over. She’d massage his hands as she gave him the beach report. It wasn’t a big gesture, but he didn’t mind hanging out here so much whenever it was her shift.

It was harder with the physical therapists. He didn’t like seeing how thin and weak his body had become. He definitely missed running on the beach, even if Brady let him sub in sometimes just to feel the sand on his feet. If they ever fixed this mess, he’d need months of rehab to get back in shape, and wasn’t that going to be fun?

Ravi parked in the chair and propped his bare feet on the bed while he waited, snickering about the look on his boyfriend’s face when Mariángel asked him out. Oh, yeah, Brady had it bad for her. And Ravi would be lying if he said he wasn’t hoping that something would come of this visit.

Before the accident, Brady had mentioned Mariángel’s name just often enough to ping Ravi’s radar. She’d earned Brady’s respect, that was for sure. Ironically, Ravi might have brushed it off if he’d been at home working on his next book. He and Brady had been together too long to worry about office relationships, and it was usually Ravi who introduced the idea of a poly relationship to interested parties.

But when Ravi had taken to hanging out at Brady’s office to alleviate his own boredom, he’d needed a good ten minutes to stop staring like a brainless idiot at Mariángel while she firmly put a vendor in place who needed a lesson in manners and modern thinking. She was all obsidian and copper, her Native American heritage clear in her cheekbones and pitch black hair.

He’d hovered in a design meeting the next day to see her in action. She’d made no bones about contributing her part, laying out intriguing choices and reworking ideas on the fly. Impressed, Ravi could only agree when Brady extolled her virtues over dinner that night.

They’d had flings over the years with willing partners — always as a pair — but they’d never found a third who would stick. To be fair, coming into a ten-year partnership was bound to be complicated for all involved. Still, Mariángel intrigued both of them enough for them to try.

A happy bark in the hall caught Ravi’s attention, and he sat up to give Brady a sly wink as he stepped inside, still holding Mariángel’s hand.

They made a beautiful pair. Brady had his grandfather’s height and powerful shoulders, a legacy from a Karankawan people of the longbow and water, along with his mother’s Irish coloring — all green eyes, dirty blond hair, and freckles everywhere. And oh, how Ravi wanted to see him licking Mariángel’s pretty tits, or better yet, burying his face in her slick folds until she came. If Ravi couldn’t have Brady’s hands on his body, seeing him get Mariángel off would have to do. For now.

Jacob bounced in place once, then jumped up on the bed to sniff Ravi’s body. He curled up to nap on his legs with liquid eyes, not understanding why his friend was still stuck in bed.

“You’re not the only one who wants him back, pal,” he said softly, ignoring the sad face Brady got when he overheard.

Only Mariángel’s reaction kept Ravi from keening in his own loneliness. She didn’t seem deterred by his comatose body. He breathed on his own, thankfully, so there wasn’t a respirator, but the feeding tube and ever present sensors couldn’t hide his wasted frame. Brady patted his corporeal hand, and then deliberately took the chair Ravi was in so that he’d have to scramble to get out of the way.

“Asshole,” he muttered.

Brady pulled the other chair over so that Mariángel could sit. “Mariángel Gutierrez, Ravi Patel. Ravi, this is Mariángel.”

“Delighted to meet you,” Ravi said cheerfully from the corner behind Brady, though Mariángel couldn’t hear.

To his surprise, she sat on the edge of the hospital bed, taking his hand in hers. “Hello, Ravi. It appears I have a little crush on your boyfriend. He assures me that’s not necessarily a problem with the two of you, and I must say, you’re prettier than I expected.”

“He’ll like that. I’m always twitting him about his vanity,” Brady retorted.

“He’s a looker,” Mariángel agreed. “Okay, so, I’m not totally weirded out by all this. Does this mean we’re a go for the Haunted House next weekend?”

While Brady sputtered, Ravi laughed aloud. “Tell her the rest. Then let her decide if you’re pulling her leg.”

“Um,” Brady said intelligently. “That.”

Mariángel crossed her arms, daring Brady with a you-can’t-shock-me look. “What else?”

Brady licked his lips, leaving them red and wet. “We’d gone to the bayfront for dinner. It was dark when we were walking back to the parking lot. There was a car. The driver wasn’t paying attention — texting, you know. He hit an electrical pole. We were on the other side, but the transformer and wires came down all around us. Ravi pushed me out of the way. He — ” Brady had to stop to pinch the bridge of his nose. “One of the wires whipped across the ground, catching him in the back. The relay shut off, but not before he was electrocuted. The driver helped me get Ravi out of the way, but Rav wasn’t breathing. His heart wasn’t beating.” Brady choked up with the memories. Mariángel leaned over to capture his hands.

Ravi tucked his own hands under his arms, furious all over again at his ghostly state.

“What happened?” she asked.

“We don’t know.”

Mariángel raised an eyebrow. “We?”

“All I could think of was a phrase I heard my grandfather say on his deathbed. So I said it. I thought it was a prayer — or maybe even a blessing.” Brady ducked his head in remorse, and Ravi knelt beside his chair. Brady gave him a half-hearted smile before looking back at Mariángel. “He lived. Somehow. By the time the paramedics got there, his heart was steady and he could breathe on his own. But he won’t wake up. Every brain scan shows his brain is only sleeping. The doctors keep telling me he could wake at any moment.”

“For six months.”

“Yes.”

She eyed him thoughtfully. “And where is Ravi’s spirit?”

Ravi softly whistled in appreciation, and Brady lit up like the sun itself. “At the moment? Squatting by my chair, waving his hand so I’ll hurry up and finish the story.” Brady deliberately turned to give Ravi a fond smirk.

Mariángel laughed as she peered in Ravi’s direction, trying to see him. “I think I will like your Ravi.”

Still holding her hand, Brady squeezed. “You believe me.”

“I don’t think you’re lying,” she countered. “You’ve made it clear that part of your heart is bound to this man. If you say his spirit is still here, wouldn’t you be the one to see him?”

Brady turned his hands up in acknowledgement. “Yes.”

“So what do you think happened?” she asked. “Surely you — both of you — have ideas.”

“Ravi thinks I said an old Karankawa incantation that attached his spirit to me instead of his body. But that doesn’t seem right, even if the Karakawa people came from the Caribbean, not the Plains.

“Your grandfather was Karankawan?” Mariángel asked, curious. “I know they’re native to this area, but I don’t know much about them.”

“I’d be surprised if you did. Most of them were killed in 1826, but a few women and children were forced into slavery. I’ve found a handful of other descendents. There’s a couple here in Corpus, but none of us know the language beyond a phrase or a few words.”

“That explains the flint arrowheads on your bookshelf,” she noted.

Brady grinned. “I’ve been finding them since I was a kid. I understand my ancestors liked the longbow for hunting and fishing. Sometimes Ravi and I go searching along the creeks. We usually find one or two.”

“Sounds like fun.” Mariángel tucked her hair behind her ear. “I hope you don’t think I’m the key to fixing all of this,” she said with a touch of annoyance.

With a snort, Brady shook his head. “No. I liked you before all this. I just wanted you to know the truth before we went out on a date, and that Ravi will probably be hovering somewhere close because he’s got a crush on you too.”

Irritation gone, she brightened. “So I’m dating both of you?”

“It’s a package deal.”

WIth a wicked smile, Mariángel leaned in to brush her lips lightly on Brady’s cheek. “Perhaps it will take two strong men to keep up with me.” Rising, she held out her hand. “Jacob looks like he needs to stick his paws in the sand. Want company?”

Ravi whistled, long and low. “You sure know how to pick ‘em, Bradon Reyes.” Though his heart ached at the way Brady lit up, it wasn’t because of jealousy. Envy maybe. Because he missed holding the asshole. But he loved Brady with everything he had, and if Mariángel made him happy, well, Ravi was all for that.

They had to break this stalemate somehow, even if it meant the worst for Ravi. Leaving Brady with someone to love made the thought tolerable, if only barely.

Part 2

The simple act of holding someone’s hand shouldn’t have distracted Brady as much as it did, but as he and Mariángel walked the shoreline while Jacob chased seagulls, his attention kept latching onto their entwined fingers. The friction of skin-on-skin sent his thoughts skittering straight to his dick, much to his embarrassment.

Mariángel chuckled when she noticed. “Brady, you’re never like this at work.”

“Because I’m never like this at work,” he muttered. “Do you remember when you got the keys to the car for the first time and you sat in it for a good twenty minutes because you didn’t know where to go?”

“Yes?”

“This is like that.”

“I see. So if I, maybe, pointed you in a direction, you might be relieved?”

Brady ducked his head and smiled.

Holding his gaze — and from this angle the setting sun lit up the flecks of bronze in her dark eyes — Mariángel lifted his hand to press her lips to the back of it. Her breath electrified his skin.

“Oh.” He licked his lips. “Can I kiss you?”

“Yes.”

Damn, but he adored her confidence. He cupped the back of her neck. For a moment, he simply breathed in her scent. And then he kissed her. Liquid heat poured through him as she pulled him closer, laying a hand on his chest. He nipped her lip. She licked inside his mouth. He tangled his hand into her hair, loving the rough silk of it.

They were both panting hard when she eased backward, eyes sparkling. “Points to Brady for knowing how to kiss.”

“Points to Mariángel for blowing my mind,” he admitted. Then he snorted with laughter as Jacob collapsed on the sand between them. It took a lot to exhaust the mutt.

Mariángel rubbed her hand over Jacob’s red-gold head. “Look like it’s time for somebody to go home. Can I go with him?”

Brady blinked. “I guess a dog isn’t a deal-breaker.”

“Only if a cat isn’t a problem. Mine’s old, crotchety, and insists on being in the middle of the sofa.”

“Should be interesting. Ravi had a cat when we first moved in, and we’ve talked about getting another one now that Jacob is out of the puppy stage.”

Mariángel lifted an eyebrow. “First date and you’re bringing up blending houses?”

Brady shrugged. “It’s been a long time since I’ve dated someone new. Figure it’s easier to get the hot-button issues out of the way. Ravi’s a lot more subtle.”

“Since you do the same thing at the office, I really shouldn’t be surprised,” Mariángel said with a smile.

“Ravi’s the dreamer who writes books and drags me along on his wild goose chases. I’m the pragmatic one who nags him into helping me rebuild the front porch.”

She tapped her lips in amusement. “I see. Kids?”

“It’s an option. I’d like one or two. With all hands on deck, I could be talked into more.”

“Agreed. I have family. Parents, a brother, a sister, and a whole slew of nieces and nephews. Can you deal?”

“It’s just me, but Ravi’s got a whole clan. I hope you like curry and family drama. There’s a reason we live on the island.” Brady nudged Jacob so that he’d get up. “Come on, buddy.”

Mariángel laughed as the dog reluctantly got to his feet. “I like curry and family drama.”

“You live in town, right?” Brady asked as they walked to where her car was parked right on the sand.

“I have a condo on the bay. View’s pretty.”

“Commute must be nice,” he said wistfully.

“Ten minutes, fifteen if I stop for coffee,” she confirmed.

He groaned, thinking about his hour-long commute across the bridge from Padre Island to Corpus Christi. “Living here always seems like a great idea at seven on Friday. Monday at six? Not so much.”

Brady gave her directions, and then nudged Jacob toward the pier that would take them over the sand dunes and to the house he shared with Ravi. They passed through two rows of condos to reach the neighborhood, made up of ancient crusty houses forever in need of a coat of paint. Brady had inherited the bright green pier and beam house, its two stories hovering in the air with an open carport underneath. Too many storms had inundated the island in the past century to make living on the ground floor logical.

Brady finished rinsing the sand and salt off Jacob as Mariángel parked behind the little Toyota Ravi kept under the house. She stuck her own feet under the water hose. Brady stared at her long toes dipped in gold for a moment too long, and she laughed when she slid a finger under his chin to get his attention. “You like feet.”

Yeah, he did. There was something about bare feet, home, sand, and eternal weekends. “I do,” he confirmed.

When they climbed the steps, Mariángel leaned against the railing, enjoying the breeze, her dark hair tugging this way and that. Brady wanted to touch it, but stuffed his hand in his pocket instead. There wasn’t much of an ocean view from here, but the salty air and trio of seagulls dotting the roofline defined the location as much as the sand and sea grasses bordering the house.

“Beautiful,” Mariángel decided, running her hand along the porch rail. “Let’s see your housekeeping.”

Brady wanted to peek inside first to make sure it wasn’t too terrible, but Jacob shoved him aside in a race to the water bowl. Really though, he didn’t have much else to do these days. He offered her a drink, and she took him up on a glass of ice cold water, her lashes fanning down as she swallowed. In spite of his own finished cup, his mouth went dry with want.

“Brady?”

“Mariángel.”

“In the interest of continuing the key issues discussion, I’d really like to fuck you. And if it doesn’t work, we chalk it up to an experiment and buy each other a drink as friends afterward.”

Brady raked his hand through his hair as Ravi popped into view behind Mariángel, his grey eyes wide. “Are you looking for casual?” Brady asked bluntly. “Because I like you a lot, but I don’t think I can do that.”

“Not casual. Expedient,” she insisted. “You’re in a relationship, which means you and I need to click on all points or this isn’t going to work for either of us.”

“What if it does work?”

“Then we begin as we mean to go on.”

Brady sat on the edge of his sofa, mind-boggled at her aplomb. “Why?”

Mariángel brushed his hair away from his eyes. “Because I like you, Brady. We have fun together. I like your work ethic, your loyalty, and — ” she framed his face with her hands, “ — clearly you love with your whole heart.” She tilted her head. “What I’d like to know is why you and Ravi want a third?”

With Ravi scowling at him like he was being an idiot, Brady focused on Mariángel, aware of the nervous thread in her question. He covered her hands with his. “The simplest answer is that we both like women. But that itch can be scratched, right?” He shook his head. “We want more than that.”

Putting his proverbial cards on the table, Brady told her, “Every moment I spend with you isn’t quite long enough. I’m tongue-tied around you because I want to impress you. You’ve worked hard to get where you are, and I don’t want to hold you back.” He swept a long look over her, from her bare toes to her lovely face. “I want you. And if that means letting you take me out for a test drive before you make a decision, I’m good with that,” he said lightly.

Mariángel frowned. “Don’t you mean a test drive for both of us?”

Brady shook his head. “If we’ve come this far and you don’t think I’ve got a few screws loose, I’m pretty sure about you. Plus, you know, maybe we can count all those lunches and coffees as dates,” he teased.

“Works for me,” she breathed. “Ravi,” she called out, “Pull up a chair. This is going to take a while.”

* * *

Brady chuckled, a raspy low laugh that sent delicious shivers through her. To be sure, the whole thing was a lot to take in, but she would deal with that later. Right now, she wanted to get her hands on Brady’s ass. She started with his lips instead, kissing him with her fingers scraping the stubble on his jaw. He sighed into her mouth before claiming it for his own. Mariángel changed angles so that she could savor his taste, needing more of his flavor. His shirt pulled tight where she dug in with her fingers.

WIth a soft laugh, Brady nosed along her neck, tugging the neck of her blouse aside to suck at the tender patch of skin below her ear. Oh.

“What do you like?” he murmured as he kissed her throat.

“That.” She shivered.

A thumb flicked over her nipple, making it peak even under the cotton of her shirt and bra. She let out a slow exhale at the zinging heat. “That.”

One hand drifted over her ass, fingertips sliding along the curve, making her twitch. “That.”

Brady laughed, breath washing over her neck. “Oh, we’re going to have fun.”

She tugged at the neckline of his shirt, encouraging him to peel it off. “I thought we already are.”

Without hesitation, Brady stripped off the shirt and dropped it on the sofa. She whistled at the broad expanse of skin and freckles. “Damn, Reyes,” she admired. “I’m gonna have to have some of that.” She fastened her mouth to his collarbone, licking a line to the circle tattoo on his bicep while her thumb traced the identical one on his opposite shoulder. With lines as wide as her thumbs, they made bold statements of Brady’s heritage. But questions about them would have to wait.

She echoed his earlier move, latching on to his neck to see what he liked. He growled as she sucked, his hands going under her blouse to skim across her waist. He tried to get her shirt off, but it caught on her elbow, and she giggled at Brady’s mortified look.

“Shut up, Ravi,” he grumbled. “I don’t need help.”

Mariángel let out a surprised laugh. “What’d he say?”

Brady turned pink instead of answering. “Ravi’s got a filthy mouth.”

She swallowed, wishing she could hear him too. A tiny voice inside her head worried. She’d been played before, but not a single warning bell had gone off this time. Really, it would make more sense for Brady to use Ravi as an excuse to use her for a quick fuck — and under the right circumstances, she might even have been game for it.

But that didn’t seem to be what he wanted at all.

Brady chased her worries away as he tugged off her bra, tossing it aside so that he could cup her small breasts with both hands. She was nearly flat, hardly needing support, but he seemed to be fascinated by the way her breasts gently swelled over her chest. With a finger, he traced the sensitive tissue, finding the edges that made her groan before cupping one breast so that he could mouth an already-hardened peak.

“Oh god,” she hissed at the electric sensation, a sound that changed into a squeak when Brady flicked his tongue over the tip. “Okay, yeah, I like that.” He suckled, alternating hard and soft until she panted, squirming, wanting to feel the bulge of his cock. When she couldn’t get close enough, Mariángel wiggled out of her pants and shoved them away.

Brady gaped, his mouth opening and closing like a fish. “Okay. Yeah, clothes off. I can do that.” He tugged his own shorts and underwear off all at once, letting his cock pop up proudly between them.

Mariángel cupped it immediately, wanting the heat and silk of it in her hand. There was something truly lovely about the weight of a nice cock. It flexed as she gave it a slow stroke from base to tip.

Brady clutched at her shoulders, groaning. “Oh, yes,” he hissed. “Damn. I am not going to last long this way.” He tugged her hand away with a grunt, jerking a thumb over his shoulder. “Bedroom. That way.”

She hesitated, and he stopped to look back. “You sure?”

He came back to land a scorching kiss on her mouth. “I’m sure.” He walked backward, leading her with hands and mouth until they landed on the bed, biting and sucking whatever flesh their mouths could reach.

They both shoved her panties out of the way until she had to shake a foot to get them to slide off the last inch. His slightly calloused hands skimmed over her thighs, sending shocks to her core.

Then she groaned, hating to interrupt the delicious sensations rippling through her. “I, uh, got tested after my last boyfriend and I broke up last year. I’m clean and have an IUD. I also don’t have condoms with me.”

Brady blinked. “Oh. Wow. Okay. Um. I guess I haven’t been tested in three or four years. It’s been just Ravi. But I have condoms. I think they’re still good.” He rolled over on the bed to yank open his side table drawer, fumbling and coming up with a handful of square packets. He squinted at the writing. “Not expired,” he announced, handing them to Mariángel while his mouth went back to toying at her breasts.

She barely glanced at the packages, too busy concentrating on the unholy sensations he coaxed with nothing more than his lips, tongue, and well-applied suction. Two fingers brushed against her clit, and she found herself far closer to tipping over the edge than she wanted yet.

“Damn it, Brady.” She shoved him so that he lay on his back. “My turn.”

Brady gave her that sweet smile as he sucked her flavor off his fingers. “You sure about that? I’d like some more, please.” The smile turned into a smirk, making Mariángel laugh as she leaned over to nip at the hollow of his hip.

All it took was a single lick from balls to the tip of his cock for Brady to beg for mercy. “Mariángel, it’s been months. I’m gonna be a poor excuse for a lover if we keep doing that.” His eyes suddenly went flat, and he grabbed a pillow off the bed to fling it at the chair on the opposite wall. “Shut up, Ravi,” he muttered.

Brady refocused on Mariángel, skimming his hands along her spine. “You’re so damned beautiful,” he told her, leaning into a heady kiss as he drew her up his body. Skin on skin, his cock brushing her stomach as she rose over him, she sucked on his lip, wanting.

Needing.

She straddled him. Together, they unrolled the bit of latex, and Brady squeezed the base of his cock to buy him a little more time. Mariángel rubbed her thumb around the head of his dick, making Brady groan.

“Not helping, Mari — ”

“Not trying to help. I want you. I want to see if you can make me come before you do.”

Brady pursed his lips as he went up on an elbow to steal another kiss. “Challenging me?”

“You seem to do best when you have a deadline.”

“Oh, I see,” he said with a chuckle. “So what makes you come? Fingers on clit? Is a dick enough? Or do you need a little oral stimulation?”

The idea of his mouth on her clit made pretty pictures in her head, but she really wanted his cock. “Let’s try a combination of the first two and see where we get.” Brady’s green eyes darkened as she settled the weight of him at her entrance, using a couple of her fingers to slide the head of his cock along her slit until they were both soaked.

“Mari — ” he pleaded, one hand sliding over her thigh and hip to brush her clit with his thumb.

She sank down, letting him ease inside with little rocking movements as he experimented with how he touched her nub. Circling her clit made her catch her breath as pleasure spiked, two fingers along either side shot sparks up her spine, but she forgot how to move when he started tapping on it. The steady rhythm made her squirm as need flared. “Brady — ”

“You gotta move, honey, or I’m gonna leave you behind,” he complained.

“Is that so?” she gasped out. A bead of sweat rolled off his forehead, and Mariángel leaned forward to lick it, trapping his hand between them. Planting her hands on either side of him, she circled her hips until he grasped them and thrust straight into her.

She shuddered as the sensations ricocheting through her. He fucked her with maddening patience, his pants echoed her unsteady breaths. Needing more, she dug into his shoulders, trying to urge him faster, but he locked his hands hard on her hips. “Brady,” she demanded.

“Now.” He dropped a hand to pluck at her clit, and she came apart with a low cry, her body clutching his in a hard tremble that shoved him right over the edge.

“Mari, Mari — oh shit. Mariángel. Fuck. Yes,” he chanted as he came hard, his cock throbbing just enough to stretch out her orgasm for another few seconds that seemed like forever.

In the aftermath, she wasn’t quite sure what to do. Brady solved that by pulling her down so that her head lay on his shoulder. “Stay.” It wasn’t quite an order, more of an invitation.

She did, adoring the way Brady seemed content to hold her close, his hands drifting along her back. The adrenaline of the afternoon escaped all at once, leaving her sated and sweaty as she dozed for what seemed like only a minute.

But when she woke, she was alone with a sheet pulled up to her waist. She stole it, wrapping it around her body as she peeked out of the bedroom.

The sound of typing led her to the back of the house, where Brady’s long fingers tapped on computer keys. His broad back stretched out a lime green t-shirt. As she rounded the corner of his desk, she saw he wore a worn t-shirt and boxer shorts. HIs bare feet were crossed at the ankle under the chair. Completely adorable, she decided. She hummed a little as she walked about the room, stopping to examine the books on the shelves.

“R. A. Patel.” Mariángel blinked. “Wow. Okay. I did not connect Ravi with the mystery writer.” Her mouth went dry as she discovered Brady’s boyfriend was a famous novelist.

“Most people don’t.”

“I love his books,” she admitted.

“What do you like about them?”

“That he keeps me guessing all the way to the end.” She lifted a shoulder as she turned around. “That doesn’t happen often enough.”

“Ah.” Brady leaned back in his chair to study her, a slow smile curving his mouth upward.

Taking a chance that he was being shy, because Brady seemed to like it earlier when she took the lead, Mariángel dropped into his lap, taking his face in her hands to kiss him thoroughly.

With a swift inhalation, he stopped her with hands lightly clasped around her wrists. “Mariángel.”

She pulled back in disappointment, but Brady didn’t let her get up. “Wait,” he pleaded. “It’s not what you think.”

There was something in his tone, a breathiness in his voice. A faint accent. Her mouth fell open. The office, the writing, the books all fell into place. “Ravi?”

A forlorn smile and shy nod caught her off-guard. He let go, though one hand dropped to her waist, lightly touching to keep her balanced on his lap.

“Where’s Brady?” she demanded, searching his face as if she’d find a sign of him.

Ravi returned her steady look. “He sleeps when I borrow his body. He’s been a wreck these past few months, but he crashed hard after you two — well, you know. You’re good for him.”

“Did you watch?”

With a sly grin, he ran his tongue across his lips. “I did.” His fingers twitched against her waist. “Gave Brady some pointers.”

Remembering the flung pillow, she noted, “That didn’t go over so well.”

Ravi raised an eyebrow. “Says you. He took my advice.”

“And what was that?”

“Told him to slow down. It’s been awhile since we got to appreciate a beautiful lady. He was getting a little too eager.”

This had to be the weirdest conversation she’d ever had. “I forgot you were there,” she admitted.

Ravi nodded, glancing away. “Well, I doubt it will be like this forever. I’ve got a book to finish. Gotta pay the bills, you know?”

“Do you do this often?”

“Mostly in the evenings. Keeps Brady from pining and I get to play with Jacob. I miss that mutt sleeping on my feet.”

Mariángel tugged the sheet up over her breasts to keep it from falling, fully aware of the hardening cock under her thigh.

Ravi followed the movement of her hand, then snapped his eyes back up. “Sorry.” His fingers flexed on her waist.

She huffed a laugh as she made to get up. “I’m the one who sat on your lap.”

“Stay.” Those were Brady’s eyes, but there was a desolate quality she hadn’t seen before. “Please. It’s been months since — ” He didn’t stop her, though, and so it was Mariángel who rested her arms around his shoulders. He sighed into her hair as he hugged her back. “Brady’s a good man. He’ll treat you right.”

“Any particular reason you’re shoving us together?” she asked softly.

“Same reason I’m trying to finish my book. I don’t know how long I’ve got.” The jerk of his fingers on her back seemed involuntary, and Ravi needed a couple of breaths to continue. “My connection to Brady — it’s fading,” he confessed. “I need to know he’s going to be okay no matter what happens.”

Mariángel shook her head, scrabbling for an answer when she hardly had a grasp of any of this. And to think that it was only this morning she’d planned to ask Brady on a simple date. “How long?”

“Weeks, at best.” He blinked, but not before she saw the shimmer of tears. “I’m out of answers. Nothing makes sense. Brady’s right. It’s got nothing to do with his heritage. I’m beginning to think it’s all a silly accident. Maybe the ghost hunters have it right, and I’m just a spook who needs to let go.”

Impulse had her lacing her fingers with Ravi’s as she turned in his lap to face the computer. “Okay. Show me what you’ve got.”

“You were clear that you aren’t the answer to all this,” he quipped.

“I’m not. But that doesn’t mean I’m not willing to help.” She shifted, still aware of his cock pressing against her ass.

“Sorry,” he said again, as he reached between them to adjust himself. “Brady’s not the only one who finds you incredibly attractive.”

With a quirk of her lips, she pressed a kiss against his stubbled cheek. “Careful. I might have my way with you tonight too. In for a penny, in for a pound, you know?”

He chuckled. “You’re something else, Ms Gutierrez.”

“You’ve seen me naked; Mariángel will do,” she retorted as he held her against his chest. She shivered, knowing she was wading in deep waters.

* * *

Mariángel’s long hair clung to Ravi’s hands as he reached over to pull up the notes he and Brady had compiled over the months. She freed him, tucking the errant strands behind her ear, but that only made them cling all the more.

“May I?” he asked, hands hovering over the back of her head.

She nodded, eyes wide with — challenge? nerves? Both, perhaps.

Ravi tucked his thumbs under the locks just over her ear and drew his hands together so that her hair made a thick bundle at the nape of her neck. It was old habit from doing his sister’s hair to weave a thin braid from a single lock to wrap around the top of the bundle to keep it pulled back.

When he finished, Mariángel fingered the neat ponytail. “How’d you learn that?”

“Big family.” As he eyed her bared shoulder and the graceful curve of her neck, he decided he’d made a mistake. Resisting the urge to taste kept him occupied while she scrolled through the notes on the screen.

She absently laced their fingers together.

To Ravi’s dismay, his cock didn’t show any sign of behaving and Ravi wasn’t entirely sure it was because of Mariángel alone or the fact he hadn’t touched another human being in half a year.

Experimentally, he leaned close enough to sniff Mariángel’s hair. The cinnamon and spice he inhaled fuzzed out his brain. His cock jerked in interest. She twisted around to give him a searching look.

Shit. He’d fucked up. “Sorry,” he grunted, leaning back in the chair. “Testing a theory.”

“And?”

“It’s not just a warm body in my lap because I’m touch-starved. It’s definitely all you.”

She laughed, a low, husky sound that didn’t help his predicament. “And if I told you I’m having the same problem? I’ve read your notes twice, and all I can wonder is what else you can do with your hands.”

Ravi let out an inelegant snort. “I’m game to show you.”

Mariángel shifted closer, so that her ass nestled right up on his crotch. “What about Brady? Will he mind?”

“I can say with one hundred percent certainty that he won’t.”

She arched a skeptical eyebrow at him.

He shrugged. “I asked.” That had been a long conversation when they’d first figured out what Ravi could do with Brady’s body. They’d drawn some lines along the way. This evening, Brady’d told him before going to sleep that if he and Mariángel could work things out, it’d be fine by him. “Close your eyes. Forget what you see. I want to show you how much I want you too.”

“Okay.”

The simple word punched him straight in the gut, and he lost his breath at Mariángel’s easy acceptance — of him, of Brady, of this whole weird situation. Wanting skin-on-skin, he stripped out of his shirt. She kept her eyes closed but shrugged out of the sheet so that it fell open to her waist.

Her head dropped backward against his shoulder, leaving him an unimpeded view of her pretty breasts rising and falling as she breathed.

“Beautiful,” he murmured. She shivered as he drew patterns along her shoulder before tracing a line between her breasts. The soft flesh gave under his hands as he cupped them, and she let out a pleased noise as he thumbed the tips. “Gonna get my mouth on those later, darling. Pretty sure you like to be licked right there. Saw Brady do it. You even screamed once.”

She let out a helpless laugh. “Brady said you had a filthy mouth.”

“He’s not wrong, sweetheart. Wait ‘til I’ve got m’ fingers buried in your cunt.”

“What’s stopping you?” Mariángel challenged, her eyes dancing as she looked over her shoulder at him.

“Well, now, nothing at all, doll.” He brushed his fingernails along her belly, flicking at the sheet so that it fell to the floor. With a little shifting, he got her to prop her thighs on top of his.

She sighed as she leaned back against him in the chair, her whole body laid open for him to touch. Her gift humbled him, and he desperately wanted to make her quake under his hands. “Hello, gorgeous,” he teased as he skimmed his hands over her thighs.

Mariángel worked a hand between them to circle the crown of his cock, and he bucked up in shock.

“Oh, don’t do that love. I’ll never show you a good time.”

She nodded, squeezing his cock once more, and then let go to reach over her head to lace her hands behind his neck. He whistled his appreciation at the way her arms nicely framed her breasts. He brushed his fingers along the edges of her cunt, just catching on the soft underside before feathering his fingers through the curls of hair at the top.

The hitch in her voice told him so much. He did it again, enjoying the slick gathering there. He brought his fingertip up to taste. “Holy hell, honey, you’re perfect.” He went back for seconds, this time sliding along her folds to drag an index finger along the deep crevasse along her clit. “Slick. Soft.” And he dipped a pair of fingers into her wet heat, adoring the clutching of those muscles as he worked his way inside.

One of her hands latched onto the nape of his neck. “Ravi — ” she breathed.

“More, baby? I can play here for a while. I love the way my fingers slide through your juices. There’s a little dip here that makes you twitch.”

“Ravi, come on. Touch my clit.”

“Oh, Angel, I’m nowhere near ready for that.” He eased inside her until his digits were surrounded by the velvet heat. “You’re not ready for that. You’re wet. So wet. But really, are you ready to come? I don’t think so. I think you like the way this feels, and I’m perfectly happy to keep right on doing this for a while.”

Mariángel clenched her legs just as she pulled on his hair. “Ravi, come on.”

“Mmm, want me to stop? I will.” He paused, though he didn’t pull his hand away.

“Fuck. No,” she hissed, her short nails scraping his neck.

He snickered and plunged his fingers inside her again — only to pull out and lightly rub a circle along her clit, from base to tip and back again. “Like that, beautiful? I want my hand soaking before you come. I want to feel your cunt sucking my hand in because you can’t get enough. I want your legs trembling because you don’t know if you want to open them wider or keep me inside.” He pinched her clit, then lightly rubbed it until Mariángel’s whole body tensed up.

“More, damn it. Ravi. I want you,” she insisted as he kept up the pace.

“I’ve got you, darling.” He braced his foot on the desk so that he had a better angle. Mariángel clutched his thigh with one hand and the arm of the chair with the other. His hand was soaked now, and she writhed in his lap, her ass dancing on his cock. “Come on, Angel. Let me see you.” He brought his other hand up to pinch at one of her nipples. With a low keen, she shook, her cunt clutching at his hand as she came with a hard shudder that left her shaking in the aftermath.

When she found her breath again, she closed her eyes and rested her head against his shoulder once more. “Gonna let me return the favor?”

“Not today, love.”

Mariángel turned just enough to let him see her smile. “When you get your body back then.”

Ravi closed his eyes, praying to his gods that they might find an answer. For him. For Brady. For Mariángel. “That’s a promise.”

Part 3

As Brady spread out the research they done across the table in Mariángel’s dining room, he had to swallow over the lump in his throat. He thought they would find some set of rituals, a prayer, or a spell that would put Ravi’s spirit back in his body. Instead, all they had was a dozen different possibilities and no real answers.

Mari’s cat, Edgar, leaped on the table to nose around the papers before sitting on the one Brady wanted to reread the most. The cat licked his paw, ignoring Brady he swished his tail, scattering a couple more papers so that one slid to the floor. Mariángel’s picked it up and shooed Edgar to sit in one of the chairs.

Ravi had finally admitted to Brady that he was losing his hold on this world. The faint guilty look in Mariángel’s eyes told Brady she already knew, and it was clear that Ravi’s spectral form wasn’t anywhere as solid as it had been a month ago. Not only that, Ravi had quit tagging along on Brady’s dates with Mari, though with sternly worded warnings to treat her right and not fuck it up over Ravi’s not-so-dead body.

Ravi’s humor could be morbid sometimes.

“Brady? You want something to drink? I made sweet tea,” Mariángel wheedled as she set down a composition book full of her own notes.

That was enough to distract him from his morose thoughts. Mari’s sweetened iced tea chased away the heat and humidity like nothing else in Texas. Brady’s mama had never quite gotten the hang of it, but Grandma Reyes had gotten him hooked years ago.

“Sold.” When Mariangel set the cup down on a coaster to catch the condensation sliding down the glass, Brady caught her hands in his to press a kiss on her knuckles. “Thank you.”

She flashed him a smile. “You’re welcome.” With a glance around the room first, she asked, “Is Ravi here yet?”

“No. I asked him to give us a little while longer to work.”

“Are we calling it work, now,” she teased with a sparkle in her eyes. One finger drifted across his knuckle.

“That’s never work.” He grinned. “Maybe a workout.”

Mari hooked an ankle around the leg of a chair and pulled it out, dropping into it so she could see the papers he’d spread all over the table. “All talk,” she chided. “You can prove it when we’re done. Now, what have you and Ravi decided?”

Brady sighed, wishing it wasn’t so easy to school his dick with Mari in front of him. And it was his own fault for falling in love while caught up in this crazy situation. But his heart ached in that way that means it’s the right answer, if not the one that was wanted. “It’s stupid,” he told her.

“More stupid than thinking you’ll find a magical incantation that’s going to invoke a god you’ve never worshipped into fixing things?” she replied, admonishing him in a gentle voice that was more matter-of-fact than that annoyed.

Reminding himself that Mari’s direct approach was one of the things he adored about her, he pinched the bridge of his nose, trying not to think about the way his heart ached. “Maybe.” He swallowed against the lump in his throat that had appeared again. “I think I have to let Ravi go.”

He was gratified when she looked away to blink away her own tears. “I know,” she agreed.

* * *

In a weird way, it was something of a relief to Ravi that they were no longer looking for answers. He finished his book and sent it off to his editor. He played with Jacob in the surf. He made dinner for Mariángel, stealing the occasional kiss while he diced onions and tomatoes for chole . They cuddled on the sofa, not really watching the home renovation show even though it was on TV. It was much more fun to talk about their families, trading stories about sibling and the parents, aunts, and uncles who managed them.

His time with Brady was harder. After what seemed like a lifetime of constant contact, not being able to touch was taking its toll on both of them — so much that Ravi had manifested in the hospital room only to find Brady with his head on Ravi’s thigh. Sleeping, but with shuddered hiccups that told their own story.

Was it any wonder that Ravi and Brady both held Mariángel close? She seemed to understand, not particularly minding who she woke up with in the mornings, even if she shooed both of them out while she showered.

Ravi tried not to manifest in her presence without Brady around to let her know. It didn’t seem fair to spy. But he’d certainly caught her studying the picture in Brady’s office, her thumb stroking over the faces of both men.

As Ravi’s connection thinned, the three of them took to hanging out in the hospital, bringing Jacob to keep them company. The dog became a fixture around Symbiotic Designs so Brady didn’t have to drive all the way home before visiting Ravi.

* * *

“Thank you.” Brady pressed a kiss on Mariángel’s forehead, her lips, and then wrapped his arms around her for a long hug — a brief moment stolen at their lunch break at work while they walked Jacob. “I know this hasn’t been easy.”

“Easy’s not really my style, Reyes,” she retorted, though with a curve of her lips to take the edge off. The love she’d found made it all worth it. Ravi had a wicked sense of humor and a romantic streak a mile wide. Brady’s work ethics echoed in his relationships. Mariángel found herself sliding straight into love with both men.

“Probably a good thing.” He stroked her cheek, and it was instinctive now for her to brush a kiss on his thumb in return. “I love you, Mariángel. I know it’s too soon to say that. But I do. Being with you is like finding the right key for the lock.”

There was no hesitation in her answer. “I love you. And Ravi. And whatever happens, we’ll deal, okay?”

“Okay. Ravi loves you too, you know.”

“Yeah, well, he can get his ass in gear and tell me himself,” she teased. She pressed another kiss to his lips, and then darted back to her office for another conference call.

That was at lunch.

An hour later, Ravi abruptly disappeared from Brady’s office. The short ride to the hospital had been harrowing as a vicious squall line of late October thunderstorm passed overhead, becoming more so when Shondra called to say Ravi’s vital signs were growing weak.

They dashed into the hospital, and it was with relief that Brady told her Ravi was there, a faint outline hovering in the room, lit up by the flashes of lightning through the window. Jacob jumped on the bed to sprawl on Ravi’s legs. Shondra was there, monitoring, and she nodded as Ravi’s heartbeat settled.

“Your dog is doing your boy some good,” she noted as she straightened the covers over Ravi’s still form. She ruffled Jacob’s head, got a swiped lick in return, and chuckled as she let them be.

Mariángel and Brady sat on opposite sides of the bed, each holding one of Ravi’s hands. She reached out to brush an oily strand off Ravi’s face. “You need a shave, love. Brady’s fallen down on the job.”

The tell-tale sizzle gave only a split-second warning before a massive bolt of lightning struck a tree just outside the window. There was a flash of light and the hospital was plunged into darkness, only for all the emergency lights to power on a moment later, amid a dozen alarms from life-saving machines and monitors

“Ravi — ,” Brady breathed, horrified as he stared at the flat line on the monitors. Jacob bolted upright onto four feet as Brady curled over Ravi’s body.

It might have been the obnoxious cacophony of prayers from two, or maybe three, rather desperate people, but really — they all agreed later — it was Jacob’s exuberant licking at Ravi’s face that did the trick.

The monitors on Ravi screeched as a withered hand came up to pet him. “Silly mutt,” Ravi complained in a scratchy voice. Brady’s head popped up in shock, happy tears already streaming down his cheeks as Mariángel murmured a fervent, “Thank you.” To whom it was directed at, she wasn’t sure, but it seemed right anyway.

Seconds later, nurses swarmed the room, making joyous noises as Ravi came fully awake. They swiftly checked him over, then Shondra shooed the others out to notify the doctor on call. While she did, Brady and Mariángel slid arms under Ravi while they adjusted the bed so he could see better. As weak as Ravi was, it didn’t take much for them to scoot him up on the bed. Jacob flopped squarely on his lap, resting his muzzle on Ravi’s chest. He stole a lick on any available patch of skin whenever Ravi moved.

Ravi tried to brush the tears on Mariángel’s cheeks with his left hand while Brady clutched his right. “This is better,” he announced, though Mari had to lean in to hear.

“Glad you’re back, asshole,” Brady told him.

“Had to come back, buttercup. Mariángel would get bored with you,” Ravi rasped.

“I might remind you who saw her first,” Brady retorted with a brilliant smile.

“Gentlemen,” she admonished the pair as she took Ravi’s hand in hers. Brady laid his hand on top, squeezing both lightly. She winked at him, then turned to Ravi. “So. It’s nice to put a voice to the face, Ravi Patel.”

Giving Brady a wink, Ravi let out a gravelly chuckle as he clutched their fingers. “Seems I’ve got a promise to keep, Ms Gutierrez.”

* * *

Annika Steele began writing at the age of eight, but abandoned her stories in college. A ridiculous number of years later, she stumbled across fanfic, put fingers to keyboard, and hasn’t stopped writing since.

Find her at AnnikaSteele.com and Facebook , or follow her on tumblr and twitter.