Chapter Seven

Chapter Seven

I’d date me.

Mainly because I put out.

—Meme

As if she hadn’t shaken me enough. As if she hadn’t upended my world and sent me spiraling, she had to throw her impending doom into the mix. I sat dumbfounded, unsure of what to do. What to say.

“Halle,” I began, but she cut me off.

“It’s okay. I knew it was coming.”

Words wouldn’t form in my mouth. Not that I knew what to say if they would. I tried to see into her mind, to figure out what she was thinking, but I wasn’t that kind of psychic. “How?” I asked at last. It was all I could get out.

“How did I know it was coming, or how do I know it’s coming in precisely two months?”

“Either,” I said, flustered. “Both.”

“I don’t know. Something has changed. The apparition is getting more aggressive. Angrier.”

“How do you know?”

“Just everything that happens.”

“Like what?”

“I don’t know,” she said, clearly growing frustrated with my questions. “Just usual ghost stuff.”

“Like what?” I repeated.

She released an annoyed sigh. “Mostly cabinet doors slamming shut. Objects moving in the night. Water overrunning the sink. The usual. But sometimes…” She chewed on a nail before finishing her statement. “Sometimes, I wake up naked with no memory of taking off my clothes.”

A sharp, simmering rage settled deep in the pit of my stomach. Now I knew for certain none of this was supernatural in nature. Not that I needed additional proof, but it was nice to have backup. The departed didn’t drug people and then strip them in the middle of the night. Sick, deranged stalkers did.

Her cheeks flushed a bright pink. She was embarrassed, and that made me even angrier. “Nothing ever happens. It’s not like I’m being assaulted or anything.”

I wondered how she could be so sure. “Assault comes in many forms.”

She hugged herself and shook her head, unable to even contemplate such a violation.

“When you were upset at the gas pump, you said it was because you got an alert that your house was on fire,” I said, changing the subject.

“Yes, but it wasn’t. I get alerts all the time, and they are only true about half the time.”

Because Meacham was toying with her. Sending her on wild goose chase after wild goose chase. Wearing her down in preparation for her staged suicide. “How is he getting more aggressive?”

“He’s been leaving death threats.”

“Death threats?” That was new. “What kind?”

“Notes. Sometimes, on a fogged window. Other times, in spilled sugar. Just wherever he can.”

“Your father didn’t say anything about that.”

“You spoke to my father?” When I nodded, she shrugged a timid shoulder. “I haven’t told him.”

“Why not?” I asked, appalled.

“I can’t put my dad through any more. This has taken over his whole life. And with my mom’s death? I just can’t.”

“What do the notes say?”

She pulled her lower lip between her teeth, stalling. She stalled some more when she said, “I can’t always read them.”

“Halle,” I warned.

Her shoulders deflated as she released a surrendering sigh. “At first, they were just numbers. They started right after my mom died. The number twelve kept popping up. But a month later, it changed to an eleven. Then a ten. Then a nine.”

“A countdown.”

“Yes. Every month for the last year, he’s been counting down. And now we’re at number two.” She leveled an accusing gaze on me. “And you’ve known since the first time you laid eyes on me.”

“Not the first time,” I said, slightly offended. “What makes you think they’re death threats? They could mean anything.”

“Because the other note he leaves is pretty explicit. It’s just one word. Payback .”

Ah. Now we were getting somewhere. “Halle, what happened seventeen years ago? What changed your life so dramatically? And who wants payback?”

She shook her head and looked away, tears shimmering in her eyes.

I leaned onto my elbows and put a hand over hers. “Halle, I know this is hard, but please trust me.”

“It’s not that. It’s not that I don’t trust you. You’ve earned that and then some. But if I tell you what happened, what I did, you won’t want to have sex with me anymore.”

I almost snorted. Clearly, she didn’t understand the male thought process.

But I needed to chill. I was pushing her too hard. I wanted her to bend. Not break.

The furball started whimpering at her feet. Halle picked her up, nuzzled her, then set her in the box she’d brought along with a dry towel from the bathroom. With a full belly, the furball settled immediately and went to sleep.

Halle straightened and walked over to stand in front of me. “Is that a yes?”

“No,” I said, taking in every curve she had to offer. She smelled sweet, like jasmine. “It’s a hell yes.” I put a hand on her hip, the heat from her body soaking into my skin as she straddled me.

With hesitant fingers, she tested the abrasion on my jaw. “Are you sure this is okay? You were hit by a truck yesterday.”

“I was sideswiped by a truck. Huge difference.”

She nodded and grew thoughtful as though making calculations in her head. Now was not the time for math.

“I’m pretty sure you’re a supernatural being,” she said, completely serious. “That you’re not real and will disappear as soon as all of this is over.”

“I have several friends who are supernaturally inclined. I am not one of them. And I’m not going anywhere.”

She buried her fingers in my hair and covered my mouth with hers. I’d never welcomed a kiss more in my life. My pants tightened as she sank farther onto my lap. She tasted like cherries and Sprite.

She broke the kiss without warning and looked down at me, her brows drawn. “You have to tell me if I hurt you.”

“That’s my line.”

“Pinkie swear?” She presented her pinkie for me to swear on, and I tried not to laugh.

After wrapping my pinkie around hers, she nodded and asked, “Okay, what’s next?”

“What?” I asked, taken aback.

“Well, we kissed, and…I mean, I know what’s next.” She laughed at herself and waved a dismissive hand. “Kind of. I’ve just never actually done it.”

“Holy fuck.” I lifted her off me and set her on the bed like she was contagious.

She fell back, the skirt of her dress flying over her head. It was a nice image, but…

“Are you…?” I couldn’t even say the words—not out loud. So, I whispered, “Are you a virgin?”

She patted her dress down and looked up at me. “Technically, yes.”

I stood motionless for a solid minute before raking my hands through my hair and pacing. “This isn’t possible.”

“Why?” she asked, suddenly self-conscious, incessantly smoothing her dress as though the act were a coping mechanism.

“No,” I said with a breathy laugh. I shook an index finger. “No one who looks like you is a virgin at… Wait, how old are you?”

“I’m twenty-nine, and I’m offended. What does that have to do with anything?” She kept vigil with a chastising scowl as I paced back and forth in front of her.

I stopped as realization dawned. “Wait, is this a I-don’t-want-to-die-a-virgin thing?”

“No.” She stood and started gathering her belongings. “How shallow do you think I am?”

“Then what is it?”

She faced me, her neck and cheeks a brilliant pink. I almost felt guilty for my reaction. Almost. “This is a you-are-the-most-beautiful-thing-I’ve-ever-seen-in-my-life-and-I-want-to-lick-every-inch-of-your-body thing.”

Holy shit, she was direct. After taking a moment to process, I let a grin lift one corner of my mouth. “Why didn’t you say so?”

The glare she fired at me like a scud missile suggested she was not amused. “I believe I did.” Her blue eyes shimmered with unspent tears, twisting a knot inside my heart. “I said things out loud to you that I’ve never said to anyone. And you’re upset that I’m technically a virgin?”

“I’m sorry.” I pulled her into my arms and rested my chin on the top of her head, but she remained stiff, refusing to yield. I’d have to work hard to make reparations. I’d have to… “Wait.” I set her at arm’s length. “Why are you only technically a virgin?”

Her chin lifted in defiance. “I messed around with Peter Scarsdale in ninth grade. We got to second base.”

I didn’t know whether to laugh or laugh really hard. I didn’t want to offend her any more than I already had. How had this stunning creature remained untouched for almost thirty years? Then it hit me. The incident. Whatever had happened to her must’ve scarred her worse than anyone realized. I pulled her stiff body into my arms again. I would have to tread carefully. Take this slow. Proceed at a snail’s pace.

“Can we have sex now or not?”

I coughed into a closed fist to disguise a burst of laughter I couldn’t have stopped if I’d tried. My life had gotten so weird after that hell demon possessed me, and then this angel showed up and flipped everything upside down. We would figure out how to cheat death. How to stop fate. And the first step was putting Paul Meacham behind bars.

Actually… I set her at arm’s length again. The first step was seeing to this exquisite being who had a few supernatural powers herself. Namely, dissolving men’s bones with a single glance.

I lifted her chin, her blue eyes shimmering in the sunlight, and pressed my mouth to hers. She remained as stiff as the suspension on a Harley-Davidson hardtail until I slid my tongue between her lips and dove deep inside her. She melted against me and even went so far as to grab handfuls of my T-shirt for stability.

After walking her back to the bed, I eased her onto it and sank to my knees in front of her. She wrapped her arms around my neck and tightened her hold when I tried to pull back. I let her take the lead for a moment as she explored my mouth, at first hesitantly and then with more fervor, tilting her head and pushing her tongue against mine. Her fingers found their way into my hair and held me still as she tried various techniques, almost as though she’d been studying up and wanted to experience them all. Which, oddly enough, worked for me.

While she practiced mouth-to-mouth, I went to work on the chest compressions. I unbuttoned the top of her dress and thanked the gods for front-clasp bras. I unhooked it and watched as two gorgeous orbs spilled out. And I thought she couldn’t be any more perfect.

When I brushed a thumb over one nipple, she gasped from behind the kiss, pulling in cool air between our lips. When I broke away to run my tongue over that same dusky peak, she cradled my head to her chest, her breaths coming in quicker and quicker succession. When I slid a hand under her dress and up her thigh, she parted her legs and eased forward on the bed until my fingers found soft curls.

Which meant she wasn’t wearing panties. I had to pause and take a moment as blood flooded my erection, hardening me even further. It had been a while. I almost came in my pants when I felt the slickness and warmth of her folds.

I held her to me and put my mouth at her ear. “I’m going to make you come, okay?”

“But you’re going to join me, right?” she asked, her voice breathy.

I shook my head. I couldn’t. Not until I knew what’d happened to her. I didn’t want to trigger any bad memories, and she didn’t need a rutting stag taking advantage of her. “Next time.”

She leaned back and frowned. “But I want to lick you.”

A grin spread so far across my face it hurt my abrased jaw. “You can lick me next time.”

She made a whimpering sound of protest, which quickly turned into a moan as my fingers slid inside her. She tightened around them, and I had to take deep, purposeful breaths just to keep the possibility of spontaneous ejaculation at bay.

“Are you okay?” I asked before proceeding.

She breathed out one word that reflected her personality to a flawless degree. “Exceedingly.”

That’d do. I hooked an arm under one knee and slid down her body, kissing her inner thighs until I reached her perfect center. I slid my tongue along the silky folds and then brushed it across her swollen clit.

She squirmed and strengthened her hold on my hair as if it were the only thing keeping her on this earthly plane.

I pushed my fingers deeper inside and suckled her clit, circling my tongue slowly at first and then with more speed. She grabbed the bedspread on either side of her and stilled, her breath suspended as her muscles tightened around my fingers, pulling them even deeper.

The orgasm hit her hard. She arched her back, her body seizing until she cried out, until she drove her fingers into my hair again and bucked in unison with each trembling ripple as the orgasm pulsed through her, creating exquisite wave after exquisite wave.

I eased onto the bed next to her. She returned to earth slowly, her chest rising and falling as she stared at the ceiling.

“Are you okay, sweetheart?” I asked, a little concerned.

“Why on God’s green Earth was I still a virgin? Why did I wait so long?” Her astonished expression had me crying on the inside. “I had no idea.”

I raised onto an elbow. “Wait, are you telling me you’ve never had an orgasm?”

“Is that bad? Is there something wrong with me?”

“No. I’m just surprised. I mean, you’ve never even…” I let my voice trail off.

She mirrored my position and rested her head in her hand. “You forget, I’ve had a ghost watching my every move since I was twelve.”

One more clue. She’d been twelve when it all started. What’d happened to make her believe she was being haunted so deeply? What’d happened to make her neglect herself and her life so much? “Is that why you’re still a virgin?”

She dropped her gaze to a loose thread on the garishly patterned bedspread. “Let’s just say, there’s a reason Peter Scarsdale only got to second base.”

I sat up in alarm. “Halle, what happened?”

“It’s silly.”

“Tell me.”

She pulled at the thread as she spoke. “We were in our basement, watching a movie, and we, you know, started kissing.”

“Okay.”

“And he started feeling me up.”

“Okay.” I wasn’t actually sure what constituted second base, but it sounded legit.

“And I started feeling him up.”

“Gotcha.”

“And then it happened.”

“What happened?” I asked softly.

“The man. The ghost made his presence known.”

“How?”

“The usual. Flashing lights. Volume blaring. Banging sounds.”

It would seem Paul Meacham got jealous. Fucking perve.

“Peter freaked and ran out of the house, leaving me in the basement alone. He called me later and asked me what happened, and I made the mistake of telling him.”

“You told him you were being haunted?”

“Yes. I thought… I thought he cared about me. The next day, he told everyone at school, and I became a laughingstock. Even though he was scared shitless at the time, he made sure everyone knew I was crazy.” She raised her chin, and I fought the urge to kiss it. “I learned my lesson. I never told anyone again—not until my parents a few months later. So, did I ruin the mood?” she asked, biting her lip, the action so provocative I licked my lips in response.

“You want more?” I asked, impressed.

“I want you.”

I eased away from her. “Halle, you’ve been through so much.”

She sat up, too. “I get it. I really do. You don’t want to hurt me because I still have my V-card.”

“That’s part of it, yes.”

“And you think I’m too fragile to go all the way.”

“It’s crossed my mind. I just don’t think you need anyone taking advantage of you right now. Especially a horny biker with a record.”

“So, you don’t get to come? Because I gotta tell you, that’s the most amazing thing I’ve ever felt.”

“I’m glad you enjoyed it,” I deflected. “I’ll be here all week.”

She emitted a husky laugh, lowered her head, and gazed up at me from underneath her lashes. “But I still want to lick you.”

She had a serious oral fixation. Honestly, it was like she was made for me.

“And I want to make you come.”

My insides bucked at her bold confession. “You don’t have to. I’ll live.”

“Do I need to give the definition of want? I want to give you an orgasm.”

“You know how?” I asked, the question a clear challenge.

“I told you, I have Netflix.”

“They show that shit on Netflix?”

“Well, it’s more implied, but I think I get the gist of it. And you can tell me what I’m doing wrong.”

“So, this is like a lesson.”

“More like a hands-on workshop.” She reached out and ran said hand along the outline of my erection, causing a spike of pleasure that surprised me with how powerful it was.

I covered her hand with mine and squeezed. “Are you sure about this?”

She offered me a smile that was part kitten and part jaguar as she rolled onto her knees and crawled between mine. It was my turn to look up at her. Her clear blue eyes. Her ripe mouth. Her delicate, defiant chin. She bent her head and kissed me long and hard before sliding her hands to the button of my jeans and unfastening them. She slid the zipper down, slipped her hand inside, and encircled my erection with her fingers.

I hissed in a sharp breath as blood surged under her touch.

“Am I doing this right?” she asked, teasing me with a spectacular pout. When I only nodded, she pushed my jeans over my hips and shoved me against the headboard. She did the pouty thing again. “Now, tell me if this hurts.”

I was so lost in the moment, I had no idea if she was serious or not. But when she bent down and took me into her mouth, I almost exploded right then and there. And, holy hell, she was right. She did get the gist of it.

Blood rushed into my cock like a flood tide, and I spilled a drop into her mouth. A point of fact we didn’t talk about. What would happen when I came? Where should I empty myself?

My breaths came in jagged gasps as she tested how much of me she could take into her mouth. She encircled the base of my cock with one hand and cupped my balls with the other, her teeth grazing the underside of my length as she swallowed almost the entirety of me. My muscles spasmed with each plunge, and I was close to orgasm, but we hadn’t talked about the inevitable end.

Without breaking contact, I cupped the back of her head with my hand, threw one leg over her, and laid her back on the bed, straddling her head with my cock still in her mouth. I did it so I could control where I came, but she grabbed hold of my hips and pulled me farther inside. I suddenly realized control was the last thing I had a hold of.

Before I could stop her, before I could warn her of coming events, the sharp sting of orgasm swelled in my abdomen and rocketed through my cock. Pleasure burst through me like a dam breaking, and I came, still cupping her head with one hand and bracing myself against the headboard with the other. I groaned as I spilled my seed into her mouth, worried how she would take it, but she kept hold of my hips, refusing to release me, and swallowed every drop.

When the spasms ebbed, she eased her hold, and I fell onto the bed next to her in awe.

“That’s it,” I said, dazed and confused. And still panting. “I’m subscribing to Netflix immediately.”

She laughed out loud. “I may have watched a how-to video this morning.”

“This morning?” I asked, surprised.

“This morning.”

“You’re a really quick study.”

Her lashes floated down shyly to fan across her cheeks. “I wanted to be prepared.”

I rolled toward her. “Halle, you didn’t have to do that.”

The smile she laid on me would’ve melted a lesser man.

It was me. I was a lesser man. She reduced me to a puddle of primordial goo in three seconds flat.

“You have no idea how much I wanted to,” she said. “And it was, I don’t know… I don’t want to sound cheesy.”

“Tell me.”

“It was strangely empowering.”

Her statement surprised me at first until I realized I understood. “I get that. I felt the same going down on you.”

A curious smile spread across her face as she gazed at me. “Have you always been this handsome?”

I laughed. “You’d be surprised how often I don’t hear that. Have you always been this beautiful?”

“Now it’s your turn to be surprised. I’ve never found anyone I wanted to share this moment with. I’m glad it was you. I wanted to experience this kind of surreal magic at least once before I die.”

My chest tightened at the reminder. “I’m going to do everything in my power to keep that from happening.”

She frowned at me. “That’s not why I did this, Eric. I don’t expect anything from you. Dad and I will figure it out. If my death can be avoided, so be it. If not, that’s not on you. I don’t want you to feel obligated just because you have this gift.”

“Gift?” I asked. I’d never seen it as one. Especially since changing fate had proven far more difficult than I ever imagined. Zachary Church was an exception, not the rule.

“You’re a gift whether you see that or not. I hope you find happiness wherever you go.”

“You sound like you’re saying goodbye.”

“Not at all. I hope you stay longer, but I don’t want you to feel—”

“Obligated.”

She nodded. “Exactly.”

I had every intention of staying a while and getting to the bottom of Halle’s last moment before it happened. I decided to give it one more shot before calling it a day. There was always tomorrow. “Halle, can you tell me what happened when you were twelve? Can you tell me how all of this started?”

She rolled onto her back and stared at the ceiling, but when next she spoke, her words didn’t quite register. They didn’t fit, like a dissonant note in a favorite song. She yawned as fatigue took over and then said softly, “It all started when I killed a man in the woods.”