Ghosts of the Falls (Entangled Ever After) (4 page)

Chapter Six

Jade made her way back along the path, forcing herself to think positive. Aaron had gotten a couple pages into the exorcism, and though it must have put Dutch through tremendous pain, it wasn’t enough to do a spirit as strong as him any permanent harm. When the bindings wore off, Dutch would recover.

The adrenaline rush ebbed, and the scrapes and cuts from her fall made themselves known. Her knee throbbed. Grit mingled with blood on her palms. Her cheek stung.

Halfway back, warm air brushed her neck. Her breath hitched. “Dutch?”

“I’m here,” his quiet voice said. “Meet me at the cabin.”

She ran, taking care of her footing. Bursting through the door, the sound of water running reached her ears. “Dutch!”

“In here.”

Jade hurried to the bathroom and found him bent over the sink, soaking a washcloth under the steaming faucet. Dressed in his brown pants and boots, he appeared unharmed. She touched his shoulder. “Are you all right?”

He met her gaze, pain evident in his eyes. “I’ll be fine.” He dabbed the warm, damp cloth on her cheek. “Thank you for intervening, but I wish you hadn’t gotten hurt.”

In the mirror, she caught sight of the gash on her face and winced. “How did you escape the bindings so fast?”

“He didn’t bind me. He just started in on the exorcism, which in itself overpowered me. No offense, but he’s stronger than you.”

“He is, unfortunately.” She wrapped her arms around herself. “And he’ll be back.”

“Who is he?” Dutch rinsed the cloth under cold water, folded it, and pressed it against her cheek.

“My older brother, Aaron. Every generation, the firstborn turns out the strongest in terms of clairvoyance. My younger brother, in turn, isn’t as strong as I am.” She lifted her hand to the cold compress. “I should be the one taking care of you.”

He cocked his head and his lips curved into a weary grin. “There’s first aid for a partial exorcism?”

“No.” She leaned back against the doorframe. “I’m so sorry about tonight.”

“You forget, I want to be exorcised.” He sighed. “Just not like that. With you, it was on my terms.”

She turned away and met his gaze in the mirror. “Aren’t there other things you want?”

“Prior to today, no. But now…” He pressed against her back, brushed her hair aside, and nuzzled her neck. Waves of heat rushed down her body.

He lifted a hand from her waist and cupped her chin, coaxing her face toward his. His lips touched hers, light contact at first, then he leaned into her. His deep brown eyes held her gaze as they kissed. Slowly and without breaking contact, she turned to fully face him and wrapped her arms around his neck.

He broke the kiss and his gaze traveled down her body. “Are you hurt anywhere else?”

“I landed pretty hard on my knees.” She bit her lip and reached for her zipper.

Easing the fabric over a sharp ache on her kneecap, she stepped out of her jeans and dropped them on the hamper. Her blouse didn’t cover her white lace panties.

“Hmm.” Dutch knelt and ran his fingers across the lace, down her hips to her tender knee. “The skin isn’t broken, but you’ll have a good bruise.” He pressed his lips to the spot.

She sighed as he kissed his way up her leg. He paused halfway up her thigh and met her stare. The light over the mirror accented the green specks in his otherwise earthy eyes.

“Keep going. Please.” She wove her fingers into the slight curls of his hair.

He pressed his lips to the lace that covered the lowest point of her belly and ran his hands up her hips. The firm pressure of his work-hardened palms instilled tingling heat deep into her flesh, searing her nerves. His fingers slid under the edge of her panties and pulled the dainty fabric down to her ankles.

She kicked the garment into the corner as he got to his feet. His hands traveled up her backside, under her shirt and up her back. He kissed her, sucking her lower lip into his mouth as he scratched his fingers over her bra.

“Off,” he said, his tone husky enough to be a growl.

The demand kicked the speed of her breathing up a notch. Any other time, she’d smack a man for giving her blunt orders. But now she reached behind her and flicked the tiny clasps free.

“Jade.” He leaned back an inch, hitting her with the full force of those eyes. “It’s been a long time for me. I won’t have much control to offer you if we go any further.”

“I’m not going to stop you.” She was so afraid she’d lost him tonight. “I want to be with you.” She unbuttoned and pushed his pants down, grasping the length of him in her hand. With a throaty whisper, she added, “And I want you to lose control.”

Dutch stripped off her shirt and slid her bra down her arms, his movements quick and rough. He kicked off his boots and pants, picked her up, and headed for the back door.

Outside, the night air remained a comfortable temperature. Overhead, no moon shone, but the stars gleamed brighter for its absence. Dutch set her down on the cool grass. Tall, thick bushes around the cabin offered privacy.

He claimed her mouth and rubbed his body against hers, his weight and warmth a sinful comfort. Smoothing her hands over his chest and back, she sucked on his tongue.

Pausing, mischief filled his eyes. He grinned and vanished.

“Wha—”

“Sh.” He remained on top of her in his incorporeal form, an invisible, coiled energy, his power level so much more intense than any other spirit she’d ever brushed against. Unlike weaker spirits that created a drop in temperature, he smoothed heat over her body like a bath of self-warming cream. A hint of electrical charge raised the tiny hairs on her arms. He spared no inch of her, touching her everywhere at once, the sensual caress driving her to stimulation overload.

She writhed and whimpered. The sweet friction intensified, as if he were squeezing her. He backed off for a second, only to focus on her nipples and her core. When he reached inside of her, she gasped loud enough to scare crows out of the nearby tree.

“Do you like this, Jade?” his voice murmured in her ear, satisfaction in his tone.

“Yes.”

The vibrant warmth settled on her mouth.

Dutch materialized mid-kiss, unfortunately with his pants on, but he stripped down and kissed her again. She sighed and wrapped her arms around him, grateful for the return of his weight.

“I need you now.” He kissed her, filling her mouth with his tongue.

She ran her hands down the contours of his back and grasped his bottom. He bit at the sensitive skin below her ear as she wrapped her legs around his waist. He pushed into her body with a smooth, firm thrust.

Tightening her grip on his backside, she buried her face in his neck to hide a grimace. Being as aroused as she was didn’t make up for the years she’d gone without sex.

He paused, pulled out, and eased back in slower than before. The urgent edge to his touch turned tender as he brushed his hands over her skin, massaging, and tended to her nipples with licks and bites. Her muscles relaxed under his touch and the discomfort lessened.

“Feel better?” he whispered into her shoulder.

She lifted her hips, taking more of him inside. “Yes.”

“Good.” He held her face in his hands. He kept kissing her as he moved, alternating between slow, deliberate strokes and a driving rhythm that had her scratching his skin. Without breaking stride, he pinned her wrists over her head with one hand, supporting his weight on his elbow. Having her hands restrained left her unable to do anything except feel his body in and around her, his every movement heightening the glorious tension where their bodies merged. His free fingers found her right breast and teased her nipple, sending shocks to her core.

The sensation overload gathered and burst free in an orgasm that left her twisting in the grass, fighting for breath.

He finished, then wrapped his arms around her body.

After lying still long enough for their breathing to settle, he carried her inside. They showered away the grass and dirt before curling against each other in bed. Jade fell asleep with her face tucked against his chest, refusing to let her thoughts drift to the looming fight with her brothers.

…

Dutch woke with his arm across Jade’s gently curved shoulders and couldn’t resist squeezing her tight against him. She woke, grinned, and stretched. She ran her fingers down his face and neck. “You’re still here.”

He widened his eyes. “Of course. You think I’m the kind of man who’d make love to a woman and run off?”

“No, not at all. But do you always sleep in your corporeal form?”

“Ah.” He lifted his arms over his head in a lazy stretch. “No. I usually just drift in the air. But last night I wanted to stay with you, and my natural form would have kept you up.”

“You don’t lose your form when you fall asleep?”

“Nah. Maintaining either form is easy. It’s the act of switching back and forth that requires concentration.” He combed his fingers through her hair, recalling how she’d flushed and squirmed under his incorporeal touch. “I wish I could have met you as a normal, living person. I haven’t come across anyone so lovely in my existence, and I’m not referring just to your beauty.” He ran a finger down her neck, between her breasts, and across her belly. “Your laughter makes me feel alive again in a way this manifested body never has. Just lying next to you gives me…”

She touched his cheek. “What?”

He swallowed. “I was going to say, ‘a reason to live.’ Lying here with you, it’s so easy to think like I’m not dead.”

She moved her hand to his throat and pressed her fingers into his skin. “You have a pulse.”

“It’s an illusion.”

“No, it’s not. This power you have, it gives you life.”

He ran his thumb over her bottom lip. “You give me life.”

The morning-after glow left her features and her tone thinned. “Do you still want to be exorcised?”

“No, not as long as I have you.” He positioned his body over hers, braced on his hands and knees. “Will you give me more than one night, Jade Clarence? Many nights?”

“Yes.” She glanced away for just a second. Hesitation? Something was on her mind. She pulled his head down and kissed him, her brow furrowed despite the passion in her touch. “Aaron will destroy you. He’ll also fire me. This assignment was a test to see if I could continue with the profession. I don’t know what to do, Dutch.”

“Sh.” He nibbled on her neck. “We’ll find a solution.”

He dispatched his corporeal form.

“Dutch?” She bolted upright.

He materialized at her back, brushed her hair to the side, and kissed her neck. She twisted around, but he vanished before she could touch him.

“Hey!” Pseudo-fury filled her eyes. She got out of bed, and he materialized with his hands on her bare backside. She whirled around and her arm shot out, her hand raised as if to slap him despite her wide smile, just as he disappeared. “Just wait until I get my hands on you!”

“Missed me.” He wrapped his arms around her from behind and pulled her down onto the bed in his lap, kissing her nape.

She squirmed away, laughing, but he pulled her body under his, holding her arms above her head.

“Kiss me.” He lowered his head, stopping short of touching her mouth.

She did. As she lingered against his lips, he released her wrists and she wrapped her arms around him. Rematerializing had clothed him in his pants and boots, so he reached for his buttons.

A knock on the front door jolted them both into a sitting position. Every muscle tense, he leapt out of bed.

“Jade?” A male voice called out, but not the voice that had inflicted so much pain the night before.

“It’s Jeremy, my other brother.” She got to her feet. “He’s more reasonable than Aaron.”

He arched an eyebrow. “Shall I go or stay?”

“Stay. We have nothing to hide from Jeremy. Hopefully, he’ll help.” She raised her voice. “I’ll be right out, Jeremy!” She rushed into the bathroom with her clothes in her arms.

Dutch donned the shirt he’d worn at dinner and went to the door. On the porch, Jeremy’s eyes narrowed from behind a pair of fashion lenses, his sleek city-boy look out of place in the rustic setting, despite his Native American features.

“Oh, sorry, I must have the wrong—”

“She’ll be right out, Jeremy.” Dutch invited the exorcist inside.

Jeremy stepped into the kitchen, folded his arms, and cocked his head. “And you are?”

“Dutch. We spoke on the phone the other day,” he said as Jade hurried into the room, wearing jeans and a loose green shirt that swirled around her arms. He let his corporeal body vanish and reappeared at her side, an arm around her waist.

“The client?” Jeremy muttered as if to himself. “Aaron said Jade had met a spirit that could materialize. I couldn’t believe it.” His gaze shifted to Jade and back to Dutch. “What about the motel?”

“I made sure everyone got out safely, and the building should’ve been condemned, anyway.” Dutch explained his original plan to be exorcised and finished by saying, “Things have changed.”

Jade leaned against him and rested her hand on his chest. He kissed the top of her head.

Jeremy leaned against the counter and rested his face in his hand. “Ah, shit.”

“What is Aaron planning to do?” Jade’s voice sharpened.

In silence, her brother rubbed his face and pushed his glasses up his nose.

“Jeremy!”

“He’s gone up to the falls. The park officers told him where to find the grave. He’s going to use the slave incantation.”

Jade staggered and Dutch supported her weight with an arm around her waist. He glared at her brother. “The what?”

“Aaron thinks having a spirit as powerful as you at his disposal will be useful, both for research and as a tool,” Jeremy said, his voice calm. “This particular incantation will make you a slave to his will. A puppet.”

Dutch’s muscles tensed, sending a sharp pain up his neck.

Jade took a deep breath and held it, a hand to her face. “No, he’s not,” she said, very much like feisty Tinker Bell, Dutch thought. “I’m going up there.”

She stormed for the door, Jeremy on her heels, and she snatched her car keys from a wall hook on the way. Dutch dematerialized and whispered in her ear as she got in the car. “Don’t worry, sweetness, I will deal with Aaron.”