Demons are a Ghoul's Best Friend: Afterglow, Book 2 (18 page)

He choked back a weak chuckle. “That’s nice. Now why don’t you tell me what you really mean?”

“Damn it, Cheney, I’m serious.” Up on the elbow again. “Do I know why we’ve got this weird dream thing going? No. Did I deliberately set out to invade your privacy? No. Did I want to stop you from hurting? To help you the way you’ve helped me? Bet your ass.” Her fingers touched him, reassuring herself he was there, he was awake.

“You do help me.” His muscles loosened a little as she stroked him. “You help by being here. By sharing these nights with me. I thought I was doing okay alone.” He sighed as her hand drifted to his stomach. “I was wrong. God, I’m tired. Tired of this case and all the questions it raises that none of us can answer.”

“You’re frustrated.”

“You have no idea.”

“You need to relax.”

A different kind of tension rose around them as Pandora’s wandering hand moved even farther down and investigated the terrain south of Cheney’s border.

“I…” He gulped as she circled his cock gently, then sighed again as the soft strokes aroused him. “I guess I do, come to think of it.”

“Then let me help you.”

His body eased into a comfortable position as she moved to take him fully into her hand and bent her head over the hardening length of him.

“Okay.”

Cheney fought a brief battle with himself—and lost. He knew he’d been a freakin’ bear over the last few days. He’d been swallowed up by the frustrations and futility of the investigation, worked too much and drowned himself in way too much caffeine at the same time.

He also knew Pandora didn’t expect him to wait on her, hand and foot, but was about as independent as a woman could be while sharing a guy’s house.

That was all good and probably one of the reasons he was so crazy about her. She asked for nothing and accepted what he could and could not give. Ditto on his part. It worked and if it could work during a time like this…well, hell.

He had suffered guilt pangs, mostly when he slid into bed beside her and took her into his arms, only to fall asleep within minutes of her scent drifting into his nostrils. He wanted her fiercely. She lurked at the back of his mind during his every waking hour.

But he was driving himself to exhaustion. Sometimes maybe the magazines were right. A cuddle was as good as hot sex.

At this particular moment, however, with a part of his body rigid and erect and held in Pandora’s hand—fuck it. He was only a guy after all.

The drift of her breath across the swollen head sent shivers of pleasure up Cheney’s spine. He closed his eyes, sensing the brush of her hair on his naked skin as she bent to his cock. There was a swift heat from her mouth and her hand slid down to squeeze the base while—oh thank you
God
—she took him between her lips.

All thoughts of the case he was investigating vanished with the slick warmth of her tongue as she roamed up and down his sensitive cock. Her hands wandered, one squeezing him gently while the other caressed the sac beneath and teased the fragile contents with easy rolling motions.

She was attentive and he sensed a little hesitancy in her movements, as if this wasn’t something she was used to doing. Which went straight to his male ego and brought a smile to his face as she tentatively sucked as much of him as she could. The smile froze as the pressure from her mouth increased, tugging strings connected to just about every cell in his body as his balls tightened in response.

Opening his eyes, he looked down at her, the red hair glinting in the low light of the bedroom, her expression intense, her eyelids almost closed as she explored him. It was an image he knew would stay in his brain forever.

And it was absolute confirmation of his earlier epiphany, if he’d needed any. Pandora would be the only woman for him. The final page had been written, the book of his life now given a heroine and a potential last chapter filled with that happily-ever-after stuff he’d never completely believed. He wasn’t sure he believed it now, but with her…all things seemed possible.

Sure, he knew getting some really sweet oral sex made a guy emotional, and most often got him thinking with his dick instead of his rational mind. But this went beyond. Way beyond. She was
loving
him with her mouth, giving him a pleasure he’d neither expected nor demanded.

It was an act of genuine unselfishness, a delight that told him he wasn’t the only one falling deeper into whatever it was that held them together as a couple. The bliss she was creating relaxed him, and he slowly allowed that door in his mind to open. The one leading down the path to the inexplicable place where illusions became real.

This time, there was no illusion. There was only Pandora. And he hoped she’d accept his invitation.

As he drifted, torn between the physical plane of sex and the intense psychic pleasure, he felt her tense, then relax, her mouth still touching his cock, her tongue now running up and down the ridges and teasing the sweet spot beneath the flared head.

He sighed and shivered at the sensation—just as his essence felt hers join him in the heart of his Afterglow illusions.

She was there, not a spirit, not an image, but a warmth, a light—tangled with him in ways that defied explanation.

“Christ, Pandora.” He ground out the words as she took him closer to the edge. “I’m gonna lose it…”

She didn’t stop, didn’t pause, did nothing but continue the hot slick strokes with her tongue and mingled the light of her magic with his, an arousal he was at a loss to describe. With the twin assaults reducing him to a quivering jelly, he surrendered.

And let the orgasm sweep through him, his balls pumping jets of come through his cock and into her eagerly sucking mouth. It was an explosion that racked his body with lightning bolts of pleasure and even as he shuddered his mind was erupting into a chaos of lights and stars, a maelstrom he shared with the brilliance that was Pandora.

They peaked together, he riding the crest of physical release, she a part of the fireworks dazzling his brain. Somehow he could sense her presence, indistinguishable from his own talent, merging with it and soaring in tandem, inextricably linked on a different level of existence even while her mouth sucked him dry and she swallowed hungrily.

The link—if that’s what it was—opened a new dimension for Cheney. Sharing a sexual experience in such a unique way, with such a unique woman…there were no words.

And he still couldn’t find any when he collapsed and fell from the peak, the otherworldly sensations receding into the heart-pounding aftermath of release.

“Oh wow.” Pandora broke the silence as she moved back up the bed to lie beside him and cover them both with the sheets. “So that’s what it feels like when a guy comes.”

“Huh?” He stirred a little, pleased to find most of his body worked, even though his conversation skills were a bit lacking. Perhaps when his heart slowed down he’d do better.

“I felt it. I felt you come.”

“You didn’t have much choice.” Good. He’d managed an entire sentence, complete with a verb and everything.

“I’m not talking about the physical thing, although that was a lot of fun.”

“No kidding.”

“I’m talking about the—the
other
.” She paused. “The other thing. It was like something drew a part of me out of myself and into you. All of a sudden I could feel
my
mouth. I could feel what I was doing to you from your perspective.”

“Pretty damn fantastic, huh?” He summoned the strength to turn his head and grin at her.

She thought about that for a moment or two. “It was…strange.”

“Not from where I’m sitting.” He yawned. “Or sprawling, to be more precise.”

“I suppose we should talk about it.” She yawned too.

“There’s time yet.” He let his mind drift pleasurably. “No hurry.”

She obviously agreed, since the only answer was a soft snore.

Chapter Fifteen

Pandora hadn’t realized how much her life had changed in the short space of a week until Friday afternoon rolled around and she began packing up her paperwork.

“You done?” Samantha, her longtime assistant, poked her head in the door and blinked at the sight of her boss tidying up her desk.

“Yes, I think so. Unless you’ve got something else on the schedule for me I don’t know about.”

“It’s only two thirty.”

Pandora glanced at her watch. It was indeed two thirty. “Okay. It’s two thirty.”

“So how come you aren’t asking me for next week’s files to review?”

“Um…”

“If you’re finished up on a Friday afternoon, you always ask me for next week’s files.” Sam looked at her steadily.

“Jesus. I’m that predictable?”

“Yep.” Sam walked into the office and leaned a hip on the desk. “It’s a man, isn’t it?”

That comment surprised a sputter out of Pandora. “What the hell are you talking about?”

Completely at ease, Sam ticked off points on her fingers. “One, you’ve moved in with a
friend
since the fire and you haven’t moved out to a new place on your own yet. Two…” another finger bent down, “…you’ve been wearing your hair differently. Looser. Sexier.”

“Oh come on…”

“I haven’t finished yet.” Sam cut off her protestations. “Three, you smile when you think nobody’s watching you. And it’s
that
kind of smile.”

“What kind of smile? Smiles come in kinds now?”

“Sure do.” Sam nodded. “You’ve got that
I’m-getting-laid-and-it’s-the-best-sex-I-ever-had
smile.”

“Good grief.”

“And four, I caught you humming in the ladies’ room the other day.”

“I did
not
hum.”

“You did too. A happy hum. Couldn’t mistake it.” Sam grinned. “I know that hum. Hummed it myself a time or two.”

“Oh Lord.” Pandora crossed her hands on her desk and lowered her head with a groan. “You see too damn much.”

“That’s me.” Sam chuckled. “However, the good thing is that I say nothing. Confidentiality is my middle name.”

“No it’s not. Your middle name is Almeria. I saw it on your personnel file.”

“That’s neither here nor there. Stop deflecting, Counselor.” Sam waved away the objection. “You’ve got a man in your life and he’s good for you. I just wanted you to know that I’m happy for you and I hope it works out.” She shrugged. “And if you want to cut me loose early now and again so you can go play with him, I’m all for it.”

Pandora laughed. She couldn’t help it. “I should’ve known there was a personal angle in all this deep girl-insight stuff.”

Sam smirked. “Damn straight.”

“Okay.” She closed her case on the few papers she might need over the weekend with a bit of a guilty snap. It probably wouldn’t be touched until Monday morning, but some habits died a slow and lingering death. “You can go home early, Sam. Thank you. I’m not going to review a damn thing today. But—just so you know—I’m not going home to play with a man, as you so elegantly phrased it. I’m going home to relax and then figure out some of the insurance paperwork.”

“Cool.” Sam eased off the desk. “But, in my girl-insight mode, I believe it’s incumbent upon me to point out that you just used an interesting expression.”

“I did?”

“Yes. You said you were going
home
.” She flicked a quick knowing grin at Pandora and turned to leave. “Oh, one other thing.” She reached into one of the folders she held and pulled out an envelope. “This came in this morning. Perry wanted you to review the request when you have a chance.”

“All right. I’ll take it with me.” Pandora took the letter and stuffed it into her purse. “Enjoy your weekend, Sam.”

“I will. But probably not as much as you.” She snickered as she left the room.

“You can be replaced, you know,” Pandora yelled after her, smiling at the rude noise emanating from the outer office.

Sam had a point, though. Driving back to Cheney’s, Pandora thought about the conversation and realized she was indeed driving to a place where she felt completely at home. She had none of her
stuff
, no furniture, books or even towels that belonged to her. And yet there was a rightness about it, a sense of welcome and comfort that enveloped her the minute she pulled into Cheney’s driveway.

It was weird now that she was thinking about it, but weird in a good way.

She was smiling to herself as she opened the door and still smiling as she changed into jeans and a loose shirt, ready to kick back and relax.

Her briefcase sat smugly where she’d tossed it, and it could damn well stay there for all she cared. A cool soda and an absence of shoes—she was good to go. Nothing like getting a head start on the weekend. For her at least. God only knew when Cheney would be able to shake loose or even if he wanted to.

It didn’t seem that they were getting any breaks on the case and she had clearly felt the frustration seeping out of his pores all week. They were both dedicated to their professions. But she was learning to leave hers behind. He was able to do that more easily, but there were still times she sensed he was haunted by what he perceived as his failures.

This whole thing was a real eye-opening experience. For both of them.

She reached for her purse and pulled out that letter Sam had given her. Perry, one of the senior partners, didn’t pass stuff along idly, so he must have had a good reason to ask that Pandora review it.

She unfolded the paper and froze when she saw the signature.

Victoria P. Larson.

It couldn’t be a coincidence. Could it? She sat down at the kitchen table, pushing her drink to one side, checking the name scrawled on the bottom of the page. She hadn’t misread it. It was definitely from Mrs. Larson, a bold scrawl of old-fashioned script that was dark and clear.

With a tingle of apprehension she began to read the letter, which had been addressed to the law firm, not her in particular, thank God.

I am interested in reviewing and possibly altering the conditions of my estate and would appreciate assistance from a member of your staff, since your company has been highly recommended
.

Well, nothing out of the ordinary there. Pandora wondered why she’d gotten this from Perry, instead of one of the estate specialists. The next paragraph answered her question.