Double Dating with the Dead (23 page)

When he moved to her other breast, she slid her hand from behind him and moved it so that she could touch him. He gasped when she slid his foreskin down, then back up. She enjoyed giving him pleasure. Enjoyed seeing the look of pure ecstasy on his face as she continued to stroke him.

In one motion, she pushed him to his back, not that he put up much resistance. She'd always known he was a pushover. Grinning, she slid down his body, kissing and caressing every inch of the way until she was as far as she wanted to go.

She lay on her side, staring at him. He groaned. She smiled.

Lightly, she ran her fingernails on each side of his erection. He arched his body. She blew her breath over him, then watched as his hands gripped the sheets.

Enough torture. She repositioned herself until she was on her knees. She licked up him, then down.

“Ahh…”

She'd thought he'd like that. But that was only the start of what she wanted to give him. She took him inside her mouth, sucking, feeling the smooth texture of him against her tongue. This was nice. She was enjoying herself as much as he liked what she did to him.

“Enough,” he moaned. “I have a condom in my pants pocket.” He made to reach for it, but she got to it first.

“Let me.” She got it out, then sat back on her heels beside him on the bed. She tore the foil packet with her teeth, watching him. When she had it out of the package, she rolled it over him, slowly sliding it down.

“You're going to be the death of me, woman.”

“No, never, but if you'll let me, I'll take you to heaven and back.”

Not waiting for a response, she straddled him, positioning herself over him, then lowered her body. Slowly, she moved up and down him. He filled her. She clenched her inner muscles. He moaned and squeezed her waist. She increased her movements. She tightened again and again. Ah, God, it felt so good. She lost herself in the incredible sensations. Heat spread over her. Hot liquid heat until her body felt as if it would explode into a million tiny pieces.

The first orgasm rippled over her, becoming stronger and stronger until she had to cry out or explode. He grabbed her waist harder, rocked his hips against her, then cried out as he came.

She melted against him, tears filling her eyes as she laid her head in the curve of his neck. This was right, this was good.

“I think I saw angels,” he said.

T
rent snuggled next to Selena's warmth as morning light streamed into the room. He sensed that she was awake. “Good morning.”

She sighed. God, he loved the way she sighed. The sound washed over him, sending shivers up and down his spine.

“Morning.” Her voice still held the last vestiges of sleep. “Coffee,” she groaned, dragging her eyes open.

He grinned. “That's not exactly what I was thinking about.”

“Need food…and coffee.”

“As in food, I gather you mean doughnuts?”

She stretched like a contented cat. “Chocolate covered.”

“I'll make a deal. I'll run and get the doughnuts if you'll start the coffee.”

“Deal.”

“Besides, I want to get some flowers for a certain lady.”

“Ahh, that's so sweet. I love flowers.”

He chuckled. “They're not for you.”

She rolled partially over and frowned at him. “And just who is this other lady?”

“Matilda. She told me you'd fallen into the well. If it hadn't been for her…” He didn't even want to think about it. “I thought you'd left with Paige.”

She shivered. “Then throw in another bouquet from me.”

He climbed from the bed and pulled his clothes on. Selena lay there just watching him. He liked the way she watched. Coffee first, doughnuts and then sex. Lots of sex.

It didn't take long for him to finish dressing and drive to the doughnut shop. He grabbed a dozen chocolate-covered doughnuts, then headed for the nearest florist. Matilda reminded him of daisies. He bought two bouquets and hurried back to the car.

Maybe he and Selena would take Matilda and Hiram out to dinner one night as a thank-you. They probably lived on a fixed income and didn't get to eat in a restaurant that often. Yeah, that sounded like a good idea.

He pulled in front of the hotel, cut the engine and grabbed his purchases before getting out.

“Is she okay?” Matilda asked.

He smiled. He hadn't seen her come from around the corner. “Selena is fine.”

Matilda smiled. “Good.”

“These are for you.” He held the flowers out toward her.

“They're so pretty. I love daisies. Hiram will enjoy them, too. Put them on the kitchen table where me and Hiram can see them.”

He stumbled to a stop. Oh, damn, Matilda wasn't all there. Old age, forgetfulness. No wonder the fire boys or an ambulance hadn't shown up last night. She'd probably forgotten to call. He cleared his throat. “We'd like to take you and your husband out one night…for supper. As our way of thanking you.”

“Haven't you figured it out yet?” she asked.

He'd play along with her. “Figured what out?”

“Why, that I'm a ghost, dear.”

He sucked in a deep breath. Oh, God, it was worse than he'd thought. “You probably haven't talked with Selena, but we've come to an understanding. She believes in ghosts. I don't.”

A man appeared beside her. He just appeared. From out of the blue. Trent stumbled back a step, blinking to clear his vision.

“Hey, young whippersnapper, whatever Matilda says you can believe. I've never known her to tell tales.” He chuckled. “Maybe stretch the truth a mite, but she ain't never lied or nothin'.”

“Oh, Hiram, you always have been a sweet talker.”

They were both gone in the blink of an eye.

“I told Matilda she was going to scare the hell out of you. Personally, after all you've said about me and Wesley, I wasn't that concerned.” The woman perched on the rail of the porch. Blond hair, red dress trimmed in black ruffles. The same woman from last night. The one Selena had claimed was a ghost.

He closed his eyes. Coffee. He always had at least one cup before he was fully awake. But he hadn't this morning because he wanted to get the doughnuts and flowers. He'd open his eyes and she'd be gone.

He opened his eyes, and not only was she not gone, but there was a cowboy lounging in one of the rockers.

The cowboy tipped the brim of his hat. “You can call me Wesley.” He grinned.

“Selena!” She was playing a joke. That was what all this was about. There had to be mirrors or something or…

“What?” Selena came rushing out the door. “I could hear you all the way to the back…” She skidded to a stop on the porch. “Oh.”

He waved his arm. “Oh, is right. What the hell is going on? You put the mirrors out here while I was gone and—”

“There aren't any mirrors. This is Dixie and Wesley. I've been trying to tell you.”

Selena didn't like the way he looked. He didn't have a bit of color in his face. She turned to Wesley and Dixie with her hands on her hips.

“Don't give us that look,” Dixie said. “Matilda started it when she told Trent she was a ghost. Then her husband, Hiram, showed up. Then they disappeared right in front of him. So if he has a heart attack, they caused it, not us.”

She looked at Trent. “Matilda is a ghost?”

“Ghost?” he mumbled.

His color looked worse. It had gone from pale to kind of green. Not good.

“Maybe he's had enough of a shock for one day,” Selena told Dixie and Wesley.

They took the hint and vanished. She trotted down the stairs and took Trent's arm, patting it reassuringly. “Don't worry. I felt the same way the first time I saw a ghost. Well, not exactly the first time because I didn't actually realize it was a ghost. But later I sort of felt…ill. You get used to it,” she assured him as she led him into the hotel.

“Those are pretty daisies, by the way.”

“All this time Matilda was a ghost?” His forehead furrowed.

“Yes, Trent.”

“And so are Dixie and Wesley. You weren't lying.”

“Now you're getting it.” She smiled. He didn't look comforted or as though he really understood what she was saying.

She sat him at the table and hurried to the coffeepot. Maybe drinking something would make him feel a little better. Oh, yeah, give the man caffeine. As if he hadn't already suffered a jolt. At this point in time, she doubted it could do him any more harm.

She carried the cup of coffee over to the table and set it in front of him.

“My whole adult life I've been trying to educate the public to scams, but ghosts are real,” he said as if he was talking to himself, trying to reason through everything. “My books are all wrong. My career is down the drain. Pffft. Over with. Finished.” His shoulders slumped.

She opened the box of doughnuts as she sat across from him. “Actually, I've had a little more time to think about this,” she said in between chewing. Man, she loved chocolate-covered doughnuts. “You could write about your paranormal experiences.”

“You knew I'd eventually come around?”

She smiled at him tenderly. “No, but I was hoping. How else would a relationship work between us if you didn't believe in what I do?”

He nodded, took a drink of coffee and then looked at her again. “We do have a relationship, don't we?”

“Yeah.”

“Ahh, that's so sweet,” Dixie said.

“Jesus!” Trent's hand shook so badly he spilled his coffee.

“Dixie, do you have to just pop in like that?” Selena glared at the ghost as she grabbed a dishcloth and wiped up the spill, then sat down again. First they refused to let Trent see them; now they were making themselves at home.

Okay, technically it
was
their home, but now that Trent knew ghosts existed she'd rather he not have a heart attack.

“I was just being nice.”

“Yeah.” Wesley popped in, sitting in the chair across from Trent.

More coffee spilled on the table. She grabbed the dishcloth again. At this rate, she wouldn't have to worry about Trent caffeine overloading.

Wesley grinned. “Howdy.”

Trent's face lost a little more color. He reached forward, running his hand through Wesley.

“You're getting a little personal there, fella.” His hand slid down to his holster.

“Sorry.” Trent looked down at his hand, then back at Wesley. “I just apologized to a ghost.”

Wesley frowned. “You don't think we have feelings just because we're dead?”

Great, Trent had begun to sweat, and he looked as if he might toss his cookies any second. Selena stood, hands on her hips. “Okay, go. He needs time to adjust.”

“Fine.” Dixie rolled her eyes and left, Wesley right behind her.

“It'll be okay, Trent.”

He shook his head. “Nothing will ever be okay again.”

She moved to his side and wrapped her arms around him. “We still have each other.”

Some of his color returned.

“Yeah, I guess you're right.” He frowned. “They haven't been watching us…you know, when we…made love?”

“Of course not. Ghosts aren't interested in that kind of thing.” Too much information might send him to the state hospital. A little here, a little there was much better. She wouldn't mention Dixie and Wesley were sex-starved. That might not sit well with him.

“They don't come around that often, do they?”

“Oh, hardly ever, and now that we've found their bones they'll walk into the light and we'll never see them again.”

“Good.” He sighed. “I'm sorry.”

“For what?”

“For not believing in you.”

“I'll let you make it up to me.” She scooted onto his lap and pulled his mouth down to hers. She had a feeling they would have lots of time to do makeups.

One year later

“I love you, Mrs. Sanders.” Trent opened the front door of the hotel. “Happy wedding day.”

Selena smiled as he scooped her up and carried her over the threshold, then set her on her feet. “I'm so glad we decided to postpone the honeymoon until we could move into the hotel.”

“Are you sure? We still have a lot of work before we open it as a bed-and-breakfast.”

“I don't care. I love the old place. It has character.”

“As long as it doesn't have ghosts.”

“We gave Dixie and Wesley a proper burial. I'm sure they're in a much better place.”

“What about Hiram and Matilda?”

She paused. “I'm sure they're long gone. Their job was to take care of the hotel, and they've done that. We're the caretakers now, and I think they know.”

“Good, then it's just you and me.” He grinned wickedly. “I'll race you upstairs.”

She didn't think she could love anyone more than she loved Trent right now. He'd completely changed his point of view and now wrote about the paranormal—in a good way. His book had already hit the bestseller lists. She knew it was only the beginning.

With an equally wicked grin of her own, she raised the hem of her wedding dress and took off toward the stairs. “You're on,” she called over her shoulder.

“You're cheating.”

“I know.”

 

“Don't they make a lovely couple?” Dixie asked.

Wesley nodded. “You think we should've told them burying those old prospectors' bones wouldn't have a thing to do with us crossing over?”

“No, we'll let them get settled in before we spring the news on them that we're going to be around for a long, long time.”

“Now, you two be good, hear?” Matilda scolded. “They're good kids, and I don't want you scaring the daylights out of Trent. He's still not used to ghosts.” She dusted her hands on her apron. “I have to fix Hiram his supper, so promise me no shenanigans while I'm gone.”

“Okay, okay,” Dixie said, shaking her head. “We'll be good.”

Matilda left in a puffy pale green cloud.

“Do we really have to be good?” Wesley asked.

Dixie raised her eyebrows. “Me, good? Have you ever known me to be good?”

His grin was slow. “Damn, I love you, woman.”

Dixie glowed. Of course he did—for all eternity.