When a Hitman Gets Haunted by a Ghost
Chapter 42: Too Much Heat for a Movie Night

Chapter 42: Too Much Heat for a Movie Night

Gabriel pressed pause, freezing the characters mid-action. One of the actors was facing the camera with a smug smirk, like he was mocking Gabriel.

"What are you looking at?" he muttered, pointing an accusatory finger at the screen. "I said I’m not dying a virgin twice."

He flopped on the couch, crossing and uncrossing his legs like he was trying to find a comfortable position on a rollercoaster.

Letting out a heavy sigh, he sank back into the cushions, idly twisting the cord of the lamp around his finger.

The lamp flickered again, throwing a momentary shadow over Gabriel. He shot it a warning glance, irritated.

"You’re partly at fault for ruining the moment. Just try blinking again, I dare you," he muttered, reaching for the switch, but then paused.

Hadn’t he turned it off earlier? Strange. Was it getting back at him?

Despite his annoyance, Gabriel felt a slight hum of energy in the air, as if a current were passing through his skin and bones. He shuddered, moving away from the lamp.

Something flickered in the corner of his eye, a strange shadow sliding by.

Gabriel froze, staring in the direction of it.

What the heck was that?

He shook his head and pulled a blanket over himself, his heart thudding in his chest. Whatever it was, he wasn’t going to check.

Perhaps it just was some type of post-traumatic event stress. Kant said he had seen shadows standing in corners after his friend died. That was it. Just a bit of paranoia.

Gabriel took a deep breath and slowly peeked out, the static crackling in his hair as the blanket slid off his head.

There were no shadows standing around. The flickering lamp had calmed down too.

Gabriel chuckled, his shoulders relaxing. "Yeah, I must have imagined it."

A moment of triumph settled in his chest, but then the floorboards creaked. His heart skipped a beat. Gabriel swallowed hard, the cord to the lamp twisted tight around his fingers, tension building.

Ding-dong.

Gabriel jumped. If he were a cat, the fur on his back would be standing straight.

"This is driving me insane." He rubbed his face, red with embarrassment as he hurried to get the door.

Kant raised an eyebrow, taking in Gabriel’s blush and wide eyes. "You look like you’ve seen a ghost. Looked in the mirror?"

Gabriel shot Kant a pointed look. "Will the ghost jokes ever stop?"

"Not in this life."

Kant stepped inside, his eyes flicking to the lamp as it went out with a soft ping, only to hum to life with an uneven glow. "That lamp still giving you trouble?"

"Not for much longer." Gabriel angrily unplugged it, pushing it away. "Did you take care of your urgent business?"

"All done," Kant replied, taking off his jacket. His movements seemed lighter and more relaxed than before, as if he had dropped off some heavy weight.

Gabriel tried not to linger on how domestic it all felt—like Kant was coming home late from work. It stirred the butterflies in his stomach, and they ascended all the way to his chest.

Kant hung his jacket, turning to find Gabriel standing in the hallway. "Should we finish the movie?"

Gabriel’s heart thudded. He’d planned this out in his head, but now his nerves were on fire. Instead of answering, he stepped forward, letting his silence be the answer.

Kant paused, watching Gabriel approach. The only times he’d been on the receiving end of this type of focused, direct stare were when someone was coming for his throat.

But this time there was no knife, no fist or gun. Only a determined, slightly clumsy step forward, their faces coming close.

Gabriel’s lips brushed against Kant’s. Soft, a little electric. His hot breath tickled Kant’s skin, expecting a response.

It took a lot of Kant to keep his heart rate in check. He inhaled slowly, parting his lips just enough to exhale before stepping away, but that’s when Gabriel closed the gap.

The kiss was languid at first, like a steady river flowing through the night. But Gabriel kept stirring up the water and rushing the current, sending Kant into dizzying waves.

Kant’s hands, still hovering between them from the aborted step back, refused to move to push him away.

When they pulled apart, Gabriel stared at him with a look that could’ve set the ground on fire. His eyes glimmered with something between mischief and an unspoken challenge.

"Again?" Gabriel tugged at his collar.

In an attempt to pace them and catch his breath, Kant stamped a kiss on the corner of Gabriel’s mouth.

"Hey," Gabriel chuckled, a bit exasperated, "you missed the target."

A part of Kant wanted to go along with it, to delay tomorrow and ignore all the realities aside from this one. Meanwhile, the rational part was telling him to stop here.

However, Gabriel had prepared for the sprint. "Aim properly." He leaned in again, his grip on Kant’s collar tightening as if to keep him from escaping.

Another kiss, deep and demanding.

It was as if the center of gravity had shifted towards Gabriel, drawing Kant closer, impossible to resist.

Kant told himself this would be the last one. He allowed his hand to cup the back of Gabriel’s head, his fingers threading through the soft strands.

The expensive, salon-like scent of Gabriel’s shampoo wrapped around him. He didn’t like the floral notes that distracted him from Gabriel’s personal smell, and he barely noticed himself pressing closer, seeking it out.

Taking it as an encouragement, Gabriel took the chance to explore. His hands slipped around Kant’s waist and trailed to his back, pausing for a bit before slipping under his shirt to trace his bare skin.

Kant sucked in a breath and tore away. Damn it. He’d let it escalate too far.

The back of his knees hit the edge of the couch, and he fell back. Gabriel quickly followed and climbed on top, one knee nestled between his legs.

"You have many scars on your back," Gabriel remarked, his voice deeper than usual.

"I—Yeah..." Kant breathed, struggling to reconnect with his mind.

The TV screen, having been paused for way too long, automatically switched off, dimming their surroundings further.

The blue eyes above Kant darkened in the low light, gleaming with something unreadable. Fingers toyed with his belt buckle, slow but restless, testing the boundaries.

Kant caught Gabriel’s hand before they crossed the point of no return. "Too far," he murmured, his voice steadier than he felt.

Gabriel paused, his eyes flickering. He seemed conflicted, trying to read him for a reason. "You don’t like it?"

Kant swallowed. His heart was still racing, skin tingling. He took a moment, forcing his mind to detach from the sensations, from the heat of Gabriel’s body and his gaze, the smell of his skin and the sound of his breath.

How had he allowed it to go this far? Even the faint touch of Gabriel’s fingers sent waves over his skin.