The Haunting

by Garcia, Nicole

  *********

  Kelly was folding her clothes into a suitcase. She had finally given up her dream of becoming a doctor. She was going to move back to the small town where she grew up and find an ordinary job. She didn't mind though.

  The owner of the network had stopped by the hospital to apologize to her personally. He had given her the check to share with Jace, Scott was also going to be compensated for all he went through. She was going to keep that check. That was until Jace made that speech when he thought she was sleeping. She’d heard everything he said and she cried for hours after he left her room.

  But, it made her feel good to give Jace the money. He needed it way more than she did. He had nothing to take care of his mother and brother. She had some money saved in the bank, not much but enough to live on for a few months so she could look for a job when she got home.

  The doorbell rang as she placed the last t-shirt from her drawer into her suitcase. She closed it and locked it. She dragged her feet across the hardwood floor and moaned. "Who the hell would be ringing my bell this late at night?" Tina was working her normal shift at the club and wouldn't be finished for a couple of hours so it couldn't be her.

  She looked through the peephole and saw no one there. As she walked away from the door it rang again. Kelly looked through the peephole again and still saw no one. "Who the fuck is it?" Still no answer. After a third time she just swung the door open not caring who it was. All she knew was that she was too tired to deal with this shit. "Look, asshole...."

  She stopped short seeing the man she had given herself wholeheartedly too. His sparkling blue eyes shimmering as the light hit them just right. The butterflies in her stomach began to flutter as he stood there looking delicious. That was the first thing that came to her mind when she saw him. Delicious.

  "Hi. I'm sorry to barge in like this, but your friend at the club told me I could find you here. I hope you don't mind."

  "No, come in. Can I get you anything?"

  "No, I can't stay long. I just came by to give you this." He pulled the check out of his pocket and handed it to her.

  Kelly help her hands up to protest. "No Jace . I won't take that. I gave it to you so you can take care of your mom. She needs it way more than I do."

  "My mother only has a month at most to live Kelly. It doesn't matter anymore. There's nothing left we can do for her."

  "Sure there is. She'll need to be in a hospital or have an on call nurse to administer pain medication so she can pass peacefully. I want you to have that money. I want you to take care of your mother and then move far away from here. You shouldn't be working for Cesar anymore."

  "I don't think I can do that."

  "Because there's something keeping me here."

  Kelly's eyebrows furrowed. "What? What's so important that you can't just pick up and leave? What's keeping you here?"

  Jace pulled her face close to his as he whispered against her lips. "You. You are what's keeping me here." He devoured her mouth. Their tongues dancing to the music only they could hear. He paused for a moment and looked in her eyes.

  Kelly wouldn't mind getting shipwrecked in the sea of blue that was now gazing at her. "Me? Why?"

  Jace let her go. He made his way over to couch. "Kelly, in my mind I know you should leave here without another thought about me. I can't give you everything you want or what you need for that matter. All I know is that my heart says something different. I would be a fool if I let go." He raked his fingers over his head. "Dammit Kelly. I'm so torn between wanting to be with you and doing what's best for you. It was a mistake coming here." Jace rose from the sofa attempting to walk out the front door.

  Kelly caught his arm and spun him around. "Why are you so scared to really tell me how you feel? No one is here. It's just you and me. Stop denying what your heart is clearly telling you what to do."

  "I can't give you anything Kelly. I am dead broke."

  "First of all, I didn't ask you for anything. What I want money can’t buy. The only thing I want is your love. Second of all, you are not poor anymore. You have a pocket full of money. One million dollars to be exact. That's more than enough to take care of your mom for now and to put me through medical school. If you really want to give me something, give me an education. This money can be a starting point for us. I will be able to make plenty of money being a doctor, then I can put you through school. Jace, even if you were destitute and living in a cardboard box, it wouldn’t change the way I feel about you."

  "What the hell am I going to go to college for? I'm not smart enough for that."

  Kelly took his face in her hands forcing him to make eye contact with her. "Yes, you are. I think you'd make a fantastic counselor for troubled kids."

  His smile warmed her heart knowing she was the cause of it. They didn't need money to be rich. They were rich with love. If he wanted her to stay she would, he wouldn't even have to ask twice.

  "Kelly, I promise to always take care of you."

  "I know you will, because you're a man of your word."

  Jace picked her up and she directed him towards the bedroom. He gently placed her on the bed. "Kelly, what's with the suitcase? Were you leaving? You decided to leave and I stopped you didn't I? I knew this was a mistake."

  Kelly grabbed his hand before he had a chance to leave and pulled him on top of her. She pushed the open suitcase in the floor as its contents spilled out. "You are not going anywhere. I was going to leave. I couldn't bear the thought of not being with you. It was your decision we shouldn't be together so I had to respect that. This isn't a mistake Jace. It's a gift. A gift we can't take for granted."

  Jace took possession of her lips, biting and teasing them. She lifted her arms so he was able to take off her shirt. He continued to kiss her passionately and worked his way down her neck to her curved mounds. His tongue glided across her pebbled pink bud while he caressed the other. The way he was touching her now was different than when they first had sex.

  He was taking his time to please her slowly. His slow sensual movements sending her into a frenzy. Every flick of his tongue was more enticing than the last. "Kelly, I want to take my time getting to know every luscious inch of you."

  "Jace, make love to me."

  "Oh, I plan to baby."

  Kelly scurried out of her sweatpants while Jace took off his t-shirt and jeans. He lowered his head placing feather light kisses on her thigh. He ran his tongue over the swollen nub between her thighs. Kelly threw her back in ecstasy clawing his head urging him to continue.

  Jace held her hands down at her sides "No no, I said I wanted to take time. He slowly stroked the inside of her thigh with his tongue.

  She thought she would come apart right then. "Jace, I need you inside of me."

  He climbed up her body bringing his manhood to the entrance of her warm, silky center of paradise. He teased her with his cock rubbing it up and down her moist folds. His playful smile proved he was enjoying the sweet torment.

  "Jace, stop teasing me. I need to feel you inside of me now."

  Jace plunged inside her hard and fast. Kelly felt her release rising. He changed the pace of his strokes, slowly stretching the walls of her tight passage. The feeling was no longer painful. She was the perfect fit for him now.

  His rhythm became faster and harder. Kelly knew his release was near and wrapped her legs around his waist. He grunted his approval. Her muscles began to tense bringing her sweet release. "Oh yes Jace."

  "Yeah baby. God you're so wet. I want to spill my warm seed inside of you."

  Kelly moved her hips in rhythm to his until he was brought to his own release. He groaned with satisfaction until she milked every drop from his cock.

  He rolled off her and laid on his side wrapping his arm around her waist. Kelly tucked herself into the comfort of his strong arms as they both drifted off to sleep.

  Epilogue

  Six months later

  Jace watched Kelly planting flowers in front of their new home. It wasn'
t anything fancy, but it was theirs. He wondered how he was so lucky to have such an amazing woman in his life. He was more than lucky, he was grateful.

  After their night of blissful lovemaking six months ago, Kelly had moved into the house where his mother and brother lived. She helped care for his ailing mother for the last two months of her life and from that moment on he knew he loved her.

  The funeral was small. Just him, Kelly, and his brother Evan had attended. They had made sure to buy his mother all the flowers she had once loved.

  It was a very hard time in his life. He would have never survived without Kelly by his side. He had kept his promise of sending her to school and she would start medical school in the fall.

  Evan moved into his own apartment not far away. Jace offered for him to stay with him and Kelly, but he wanted to be on his own. He couldn't blame him. He had given up so much of his time to take care of their mother.

  Jace ran over to help Kelly who was struggling with a heavy flower pot. He'd never thought in a million years he would be living in a beautiful home with a beautiful woman. It was peaceful. A sense of tranquility was something he hadn't experienced since he was a child.

  "Thanks. That was a lot heavier than I thought."

  "You know you really shouldn't be lifting heavy things in your condition."

  "I'm pregnant Jace, not dying."

  "Yeah, but still. I don't want to you hurt yourself. Just call me if you need anything."

  "Okay, I will." She pecked him on the cheek. "Is something wrong?"

  "Just thinking how lucky I am. You've given me a new lease on life. I could never tell you enough how much I love you. I will always be there for you and the baby. The two of you will never be left alone. I will be here to take care of the two of you until the day I die."

  Kelly's glowing smile melted his heart. He would do anything to keep her smiling like that. He'd never known such happiness had existed.

  "I know you will Jace. You have never let me down. You always have my best interest at heart and you will be an amazing father. I couldn't ask for a better man. And I love you more than words can ever explain."

  He pulled her close to him as she nestled her face in to chest. He kissed the top of her head. "And I love you."

  Jace was nervous about being a father. He hoped he wouldn't be total failure like his had been. One thing he knew for sure. He was going to be the kind of man his family could depend on.

  Saving Private Blue Prequel & Chapter One

  Prequel

  Billy laid on the ground looking up at the stars. If he were in a different situation it might have been something beautiful to enjoy but Kandahar, Afghanistan was a far cry from being in a peaceful place. Tonight he was not on watch duty, someone had taken that position while the other soldiers rested. Every night had been the same since the day he joined the Army, nights with guilt, loneliness, and heartache.

  He had missed Savannah terribly since he uttered the words “I don’t love you anymore, we have to go our separate ways.” He'd had no choice but to tell her that. If something had happened to him while he was on duty and he never made it back to her, she would have been totally heartbroken. He didn't want her to waste her life waiting to see if he would return home safely. He knew she would be home worrying every day and he wanted so much more for her. He wanted her to be happy, even if it wasn’t with him. Billy shook that thought out of his head. It made him sick to his stomach knowing that another man would be kissing her, touching her, and making her laugh.

  Before he was deployed overseas, he had asked his brother to watch over her. He asked Travis to take her to a movie once in a while just to get her mind off of him. Although Billy knew of his brother’s feelings for Savannah, it kind of gave him piece of mind that someone in the family would be looking after her. According to Travis’ last letter they had been spending a lot of time together since their mother had a stroke. Travis had written that Savannah was going to the house practically every day to help and cook food for her while Travis was at work.

  Billy had only gone home a couple of times since his deployment and she had never come over while he was there. His guess was that Travis must have told her he was coming. He felt in his heart it was a good thing she didn’t come over, because he wouldn't have been able to face her. The tears in her eyes when he left was enough to tear his heart in pieces.

  He reached in his pocket and took out the last letter he had received from Savannah. It was still unopened. He had never read any of the letters she sent him. He wanted her to forget about him completely. He was going to have to send this letter back just like all the rest. There were many times he wanted to open one of her letters just to see her handwriting and maybe smell the faint scent of sunflower perfume she used to wear.

  The first year he was away she sent him a letter just about every week. Then they became fewer and fewer. He was hoping she would stop writing him altogether and move on with her life. Thinking about him at all would only make her feel worse and he was sure of this because that was exactly how he felt.

  There had been plenty of days he wished he had never left in the first place. But, he wanted to be a man his mother could be proud of, and joining the Army was the only way he knew how. Quitting was never an option for him because his father was a quitter. His father left his mother when he and Travis were still babies. He saw how hard his mother worked to keep a roof over their heads, feed them, and buy them everyday necessities.

  Travis had been angry growing up and had some trouble with drugs but he soon realized that suppressing his feelings was doing more harm than good. Travis cleaned up, went back to school and now owned his own business, an auto repair shop not too far from their mother's house. He had been so proud of his older brother for turning his life around and taking care of their mother.

  Billy folded the letter from Savannah and stuffed it back into his pocket. He rolled up his jacket, put it behind his head, and closed his eyes. As he drifted off to sleep his last thoughts were of Savannah. Maybe she would be up looking at the same sky he was, wishing on the same star, and in some way they were together like they used to be.

  Chapter One

  (Two years later)

  The loud boom of fireworks were all Savannah St. Claire could hear. If there was one day she hated, it had to be the Fourth of July. That was the day Billy broke up with her and left home to join the Army. Four years had passed and the pain in her heart was still as fresh as the day he walked out of her life. She not only lost her boyfriend, but she had lost her best friend as well. There wasn't a day that went by where she hadn't thought of him at least once.

  Her parents had worried about her constantly, but she had learned to hide her pain behind a fake smile. She didn’t want anyone to know how distraught she really was. Why she still lived with her parents, she didn't know. She had let them talk her into staying with them until she finished college. Now that she had a college degree, she worked and was saving most of money, so it wouldn't be much longer until she moved out.

  Twenty-four years living under the same roof with her mother and father was enough. It wasn’t really her father who annoyed her, but her mother was the real pain in the ass. Always telling her what to do and how to feel. When Billy left, the very next day her mother insisted she find another boyfriend. She never understood Savannah’s feelings for Billy.

  Hopefully, her parents would soon be leaving for the picnic soon and then she could sit and wallow in her self-pity without being pestered. Savannah got up out of her bed, walked over to the window and slammed it shut. She waited for a few seconds thinking she had quieted the sound. After hearing another loud blast, she knew there would be no way to ignore it. Well, that was no use. She banged her head against the wall and grumbled loudly. Not only could she still hear the festivities going on, but it was starting to get hot in the room. There was no way in hell she was going to open the window again. At least the fireworks weren't as loud as they were when the window was open.


  She made her way across the soft plush pink carpet, her bare toes squishing the fabric. She reached for the dial on the air conditioner and turned it on. Placing her face near the vent she allowed the soft humming and the cool breeze to relax her. She looked out the window and saw her father loading up the car with food and some chairs, her mother following behind him.

  Her mother looked up at her window and she tried to dart behind the counter but it was too late. She was caught. She could hear her mother screaming her name from the driveway. She was so loud not even the closed window or the noise from the air conditioner could drown out that screeching. Savannah closed her eyes and bowed her head already feeling defeated before the day had even begun.

  Savannah walked over to the closet and threw on a pair of running shoes. She slowly made her way down the hardwood stairs and stood on the porch. She was intent on staying in the house all day, and even being a couple of steps from the front door was too much.

  “Ma, why are you yelling? What do you want?”

  Isabel St. Claire gave her daughter an angry look and demanded she give them a hand. “Don’t talk to me like that, help your father with the chairs before he throws his back out again.”

  Savannah smirked and really wanted to laugh out loud because her mother’s Spanish accent became more prominent when she was mad. “Fine, where are the rest of the chairs?”

  “They're in the garage, and don't roll your eyes at me.”

  As she walked to the garage she heard her father’s quiet voice chime in. “Isabel, give the kid a break. You know today is going to be hard for her. Don’t upset her more than she already is.”

  “She doesn't respect me John.”

  “Yes, she does. She’s a good girl and you should cut her a little slack.”