His first thought was to bring his heel down and crush her skull.
Anger burned out of control. It was almost too much to handle.
She picked up the knife and stood less than a foot from him.
“You bastard!” She blindly lunged the knife, slicing only through air. “Show yourself!”
If she wanted to see him, he was up for the challenge. He couldn’t remember the last time he’d shifted. He didn’t know if it was even still possible.
He conjured up the strength, prayed for it from those whom he knew were gaining favor of him.
The pressure was almost too much to bear. Power exploded into his head. Blood which had coagulated in his veins centuries ago, broke apart and flowed. It traveled from his heart, down his arms and legs, into his fingertips and toes.
His face grew first. Muscle grew over bone expanding chiseled features to a sumpter-like muzzle. Flawless teeth turned jagged and grew until they were at least two inches in length. His perfectly tanned skin turned cold gun-metal gray. His spine was next. It exploded out his back, as turned to appendages which sunk into newly formed wings. His legs shortened, along with his feet. Toes turned to claws that could rip Maggie Webb in two.
Cole then appeared.
He had Maggie's full attention.
The knife which she so protectively swung fell to the floor. Her mouth gaped. Her eyes were as large as dinner plates.
“Stay away from McGraw.” He growled, his words forced and strange coming from a mouth full of razor sharp teeth. “And Sarah Price.”
Relentless hatred built within him. It was almost impossible to handle, but that was expected. It came with the shift. Hatred gave him the power to transform and maintain this form.
He stretched his wings to their twelve feet wingspan. He fully intended to cut her with his talons, but it was too late.
She passed out cold. Or dead.
Cole didn’t really care.
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
Nathan paced a trail down to the stream and back. The anxiety built up within him was hard and unceasing. He walked back up the mountain and stopped when he was in front of his cabin.
Building this home had been an act of defeat. It had seemed logical at the time. He’d given up trying to find a way out of being trapped here. He’d accepted things the way they were, which was exactly what he’d done in life. Accepted his lot, even if he didn’t have to, because it was easier.
The only reason he’d enlisted in the King’s Army was because he figured he had no other opportunities in life. It had just seemed to be another easy way out. A quick way to earn money so that he could impress Jane. That sort of thinking had been the very thing that had gotten him killed.
Sarah would never require money to impress her.
The thought surprised him. He definitely regarded Sarah differently now. He didn’t know the exact moment his feelings had changed, and he didn’t specifically know how he did regard her. Sarah had become familiar, a habitual entity in his life that he’d quickly become accustomed to.
He didn’t want to leave her. It wasn’t because she was commonplace in his strange existence on Earth. And it wasn’t because leaving her would be just one more miserable thing in his life that he’d just accepted. Once he left Earth, he had no idea if he would ever be able to see her again. And he couldn’t bear that.
He knew now, at least he was almost certain, that he could get back home. Cole was right. All he had to do was think of the place he wanted to go. It made sense. After all, he could successfully transport himself anywhere on Earth. He didn’t know where home was, but he knew the people he loved were there. All he had to do was think about them.
He would take Sarah home with him.
Guilt set heavily upon him. If he took Sarah with him, it was unlikely she would ever be able to come back. He was as good as killing her. His world would likely alienate her. It was beyond comprehension to be in a world in which there was no refuge. He knew that, knew it down to his very bones. And if he brought Sarah with him, she would be just as detached as he was right now. She might even come to hate him for it.
But he couldn’t stay here. He’d told himself that he could learn to adjust, but now he realized that he didn’t possess either the knowledge or the power to adjust. It just wasn’t in him. For the first time in his life, he wasn’t going to accept his lot. He was going home.
And he was taking Sarah with him.
* * *
Sarah was waiting for Maggie in the diner. She checked her watch for the third time when the waitress approached her.
“Are you Sarah Price?”
“Yes.”
“A Maggie called for you. She said she can’t make it.”
“Oh.” Sarah watched the woman refill her coffee mug. “Did she say why?”
The waitress shook her head. “Can I get you anything else?”
“No, thanks. I’m all set.”
Sarah started on her third cup of coffee. Maggie had probably been called to work. Sarah wondered, though, if it wasn’t something else, if she really had to work or if she were just making an excuse not to see her. Maggie had no reason to avoid her, but maybe she didn’t want to talk about Nathan after all. If she felt that way, Sarah wished she’d just been honest with her.
She envisioned Nathan and wondered what he was doing this very minute, if he was fishing or working on his house. Something warm coiled in her. It radiated down her limbs, into her abdomen. Undoubtedly, she’d felt the same way toward Art once, a long time ago.
She thought of all the times her friends had tried to fix her up after her divorce. She’d only agreed to one date, and that had been a disaster. She hadn’t known what to say. The bar he’d taken her to had been creepy, and when he’d kissed her goodnight, it had been awkward and disappointing.
She never ran out of things to say to Nathan, and kissing him had been anything but awkward and disappointing. In fact, if he weren’t dead, she might even think she was beginning to fall in love with him.
She didn’t know which was more crazy, that she was falling in love with a ghost or that she was falling in love at all. Looking back at her marriage, she already knew that nothing good could come of it. It was wrong to have feelings for Nathan.
“Hello, Sarah.”
Sarah jumped. Nathan was standing right beside her.
“What are you doing here?”
“I was in the area.”
Sarah couldn’t help but laugh. There were times when she saw him as a little boy, and it was funny, but lately those times, like this one now, were appearing more and more.
“Would you like to sit down?”
Nathan slid into the booth across from her. She offered him half her turkey sandwich on rye, but he refused.
“You don’t eat, do you?”
“I don’t suppose I have need to,” he answered. “I can’t taste a thing.”
“At all?”
“Nothing.”
“Wow.” Sarah took a bite. She noticed the variety of tastes, deli turkey, provolone cheese, and mayo. “That would sure be a diet trick to make somebody rich.”
“I don’t understand.”
She waved her hand as she realized he didn’t understand her modern symbolism. She tried to imagine how it must be to have to adjust to even the simplest things like taste being gone. She couldn’t even imagine.
“Have you been fishing?”
Nathan’s smile was self conscious, almost shy. He leaned forward, lowered his voice. “I want to take you somewhere.”
Sarah was about to ask where when the waitress came over to take her plate. Sarah quickly straightened.
The waitress eyed her strangely. “Need anything else?”
Nathan stood up, moved directly in front of the woman and made a face. Sarah burst out laughing.
“Ma’am, are you all right?”
Sarah put her hand over her mouth to stifle her giggles. She pulled a ten dollar bill from her purse. “I’m fine.�
�� In fact, I’ve never felt better.”
The waitress took her ten and hurried to the cash counter.
Sarah noticed every gaze in the restaurant staring at her. Unable to see Nathan, they obviously thought she’d been talking to herself the entire time.
“I think I’ve worn out my stay here.” She looked at Nathan. “So where are you taking me?”
* * *
The fact that Sarah had agreed to allow Nathan take her somewhere surprised her. A few weeks ago, or days ago for that matter, she would have refused. Now she didn’t feel any fear of Nathan or what strange powers he possessed. She trusted him.
It had been a very, very long time since she’d trusted a man.
She left the diner and crossed the parking lot. She had just rounded her Blazer when she felt Nathan’s arm on her shoulder.
His expression was grave. “I need to take you somewhere.”
“So you’ve already said.”
“I want you to trust me.”
“All right.”
“You not afraid?” He seemed surprised.
She took his hand and led him toward her SUV. When they had gotten in and were headed down the highway, she glanced at him. Nathan looked as if he wanted to say something, but he remained quiet.
She drove to the foot of French Mountain and turned off the ignition.
“Why did you stop here?”
Boldness overcame her. She wanted to be alone with him, and this time she didn’t want him to push her away. It made no sense, but nothing about her relationship with Nathan did anyway. Perhaps it didn’t have to.
The air between them suddenly became as charged as the June humidity. Without speaking, she took his hand, brought it up to her lips. She touched her tongue to the end of his index finger. It was cold and calloused from a lifetime of hard work. She heard his sharp intake of breath.
His gaze smoldered into her. “Sarah…”
He was pushing her away. She could feel it in him even before he said the words. It was as if he’d dosed her with cold water. She wanted to make love to him. That was why she’d stopped here, in hopes that he would take her up to his cabin. For the first time since her divorce, she wanted the intimacy with someone other than her former husband.
His rejection was almost too much to bear.
She released his hand and reached for her keys in the ignition.
He touched her wrist before she could start the car.
Emotions raw and desperate welled up in her throat. She fought for words which refused to come. She wanted to know if Nathan pitied her. He came from a world where love was forever, where marriage was a binding arrangement for life, not just until two people grew tired of each other. She wanted to ask him if just for this afternoon if he could make her forget that she had once been cast away for another.
Nathan placed his hand on her shoulder. He worked up under her hair and slowly began to massage her neck. “Sarah, why did you drive here? Tell me what you want from me.”
She allowed him to pull her into the sanctuary of his arms. “Tell me.”
“You rejected me yesterday.” Her tone was accusing.
“I was afraid things would go too far.”
“Maybe I wanted them to go too far.” She pulled back and stared into his eyes. They were searching, fighting to understand her. “Take me to your cabin.”
“Are you sure?”
She nodded.
Within seconds, Nathan’s powers had them standing at the threshold of his home. Nathan held the door for her. Inside, the cozy fireplace and the stained-glass window danced beams of color across the quilt on his bed. She let herself in, sat on the edge of his bed and made herself right at home.
He was just standing there staring at her. All the courage she’d felt drained away. She struggled for something to say. She’d never asked a man to make love to her. It was something she’d never had to ask before. Would he think her easy? Maybe she was. Maybe the divorce had turned her that way.
She got up off the bed. “Thank you…” She coughed, “for bringing me here.”
“You’re welcome.”
Nathan closed the distance between them. He tangled his fingers with hers. “Can I get you something?”
“I want you to kiss me.”
When Nathan obliged, she didn’t care what he thought of her. His kiss was feather light, with lips that were barely parted, and she had to stand on her toes to reach him. He pulled away slightly.
Frustration welled in her, leaving her cold and disappointed. “What is it?”
“I want you to be certain.”
She confirmed her certainty by locking her hand on the back of his head and pulling him down to her. She kissed him hard, her tongue invading his mouth by a force that surprised even her.
She found his hand and brought it up under her tee shirt. His fingers were ice cold. They brought a moment of shock when he touched her, but she quickly relaxed. In the weeks since he’d come into her life, she had become accustomed to his touch. And today was different. Today it felt right.
His hands moved over her ribcage, rubbing up and down and building a heat low in her belly. “God, you feel warm.”
With one quick move, he pulled her shirt up over her head. He bent down and kissed a trail from her neck to her small bit of cleavage which her push-up bra created.
This was not her best bra. She really didn’t have any flashy undergarments anymore. She hadn’t any need of them since her divorce. Not that she had during her marriage either.
She held his face in her hands. Frantically, she kissed his nose, his eyes, his open mouth.
Nathan struggled with the clasp at her back. “How do you work this thing?”
“Here.” Effortlessly, she unfastened the hooks and eyes then closed her eyes as Nathan slipped the bra off her shoulders.
He pulled back slightly. She heard his sharp intake of breath. She opened her eyes to find him staring down at her. She started to fold her arms in front of her, but he grabbed her wrists and held her around out straight.
“No, don’t. You…you are lovely.”
She felt heat rise to her cheeks. Her breasts were nothing to brag about and to have someone call them lovely…She had never considered herself lovely. Not once.
Sarah touched his vest. Her hands were shaking so much she could barely get the first tiny button unfastened.
“There’s so many of them.”
With one swift movement, he pulled his vest and shirt up over his head. He cast the clothing on the floor with her shirt and bra.
She stared at his chest. Dark hair ran a trail from the span between his breasts down his abdomen where it disappeared under the waist of his breeches.
She spread open palms against his chest…skin over hard muscle…felt his heart beating beneath his breastbone. She saw him close his eyes. In breath was sharp and labored.
She ran her hands down his chest, over his navel, and across the waistband of his pants. She feathered her fingertips over his ribcage. Puckered flesh on his right side slowed her exploration.
“What’s this?”
He opened his eyes. “I was shot, remember?”
The fact that his scar remained shocked her. She pulled her hand away, then brought it back. “Does it hurt?”
“No.”
She bent, placed a chaste kiss on the scar. “I’m sorry they did this to you.”
She straightened to find Nathan staring at her. His expression was unreadable, but it was so charged that she couldn’t look away.
In one swift move, Nathan bent. His arm went around her bottom and lifted her off her feet.
Sarah gave a startled cry. “What are you doing?”
“Taking you to bed.” He tossed her in the center of the quilt.
With the grace of a mountain cat he crawled toward her, trapped her beneath him. A lock of his sand-colored hair fell over one eye giving him a look that was sexier than any man she’d ever laid eyes on. “That was what you wanted to d
o, wasn’t it?”
She tangled her hands in his hair. A heady, carefree sensation came over her. It suddenly occurred to her that with Nathan she could be anyone she wanted to be. She had always been reserved in bed, someone never to take the lead. Nathan was someone new, and he was someone with which no guilt could be associated.
Her eyes never leaving his, she reached for the four buttons in the front of his breeches, expertly unfastened them. His manhood popped out in her hand. He was hard and ready.
She ran her hand down the length of him. The skin was soft; a total contrast to his hard exterior. “You don’t—”
“What?”
Shyness overcame her, much to her disappointment. “Nothing.”
“What?”
“I-just…you’re not wearing underwear.”
A hint of amusement passed over his gaze which had just been hot enough to melt steel. “Should I be?”
“Do you…ever?”
“I’m not used to women wearing those things either.” He motioned to her bra on the floor. His hand guided her back to him. “Go back to what you were doing.”
Sarah felt him. She watched his eyes close as she gripped him. He was cold there too. The more she stroked him, the warmer he became. .
His whole body shuddered as she increased speed. “Do you like that?”
“Yes.”
“Do the same to me.”
Nathan expertly removed her khakis. His hands stripped away her conservative panties, found a place inside her.
The temperature of his fingers were unlike anything she’d ever experienced. If anything, it intensified the sensation. He found the center of her, and she jerked.
“Easy…”
She watched him as he stared down at her, stroked him faster as he increased the intensity. An ache centered in her stomach. It was an empty void which pulsed to the very center of her.
He trailed kisses down her throat, to her breast. She closed her eyes as he took her in his mouth, surrendered to his lead. Part of her wondered if all this was really happening. She never thought she’d be with a man again, never feel this…sexy, wanted. Needed.
Nathan rose up, parted her legs with his knee. “I can’t take his anymore. I need you.”
Ghost Of A Chance Page 14
