Dark Secrets: A Paranormal Romance Anthology

by Colleen Gleason

  Scooting to the center of the mattress, she did as he’d demanded. She spread her legs. Let him look his fill, and shuddered at the way he devoured her with his eyes.

  “I want to hear my name coming from those beautiful lips.” The bed dipped and he centered himself above her. “I...need you, Celeste.” He pressed his arousal between her thighs.

  She arched her back as he impaled her with one long thrust of his hips. “So good,” she whispered against his throat, then nipped at his skin.

  “Very good,” he groaned as he began to move above her. Rotating his hips, thrusting slowly, deliberately.

  Not enough. She grabbed his ass, loving the way his muscles bunched under her palms. “Harder.”

  “Is this what you want?” he asked against her ear, then began pounding into her and taking her so close to the edge.

  “Yes,” she hissed, meeting each thrust. “Oh, yes.”

  Sweat beaded along his brow as he held her gaze and gave her what she wanted. Him. All of him. He filled her body with his hard arousal. He filled her mind, her heart with his unspoken emotions. She swore they coursed through her body with each sensual rock of his hips, searing her soul with unspoken, veiled promises.

  She wrapped her legs around him, locking him to her body, to her heart, and flew. The orgasm ripped through her, took her to a plain she’d never been in her life. Crying out his name, she let the intense pleasure shatter her, and hoped to God that in the end, he didn’t shatter her heart.

  As she rode out the ecstasy, the sheer erotic moment that sealed her love for him, he let himself go. With her name on his lips, he shuddered above her, staring into her eyes.

  Dazed, dumbstruck with so many tremulous emotions, she held his gaze, then worried about giving too much of her feelings away, held him to her breasts. Tears stung her eyes. She loved him. She needed and wanted him in her life. Yet John thought he wasn’t good enough for her.

  Stupid man, she thought as she held him tighter. He was everything she’d ever wanted, everything she’d ever needed. Now she had to convince him that she belonged with him, that they belonged to each other.

  Chapter 18

  WITH HEAVY-DUTY OVEN mitts covering her hands, Celeste pulled the baking sheet filled with chocolate chip cookies out of the oven, then placed it on the stovetop. The scent of melted chocolate suddenly overrode the smell of the buttery croissants and apple pie she’d baked earlier.

  Normally, her mouth would water. Chocolate was her biggest vice. Well, it was until she’d met John. The taste of him could become more addictive than chocolate, and that was a huge problem.

  Last night, okay more like today, considering it was six in the morning and they’d made love again sometime around the wee hours of two, was incredible. The sex...she’d never experienced anything more intimate in her life. Again, a huge problem.

  Not that she was complaining about how John had literally rocked her freaking world, but she did have issues with the way he’d still held back. She understood that he’d been through a bad time. Her heart nearly broke when he’d told her what he’d gone through during his final months with the FBI. But sometimes you had to cut bait and move on, which was something John had done by joining CORE. Yet he’d never really moved on like he seemed to think.

  She was a psychic, not a mind reader. But she sensed guilt still ate at him. She had no regrets in telling him he’d used what had happened as a crutch, and obviously he had no hard feelings, either. Considering he’d been hard and ready for her, not once, but twice.

  Still. Where would they go from here? Where could they go from here? She had too much pride to up and move for him, and it wasn’t as if he’d asked her to in the first place. Plus, she had her dad’s diner to run. Without her, where would that leave The Sugar Shack? Without John in her life, where would that leave her?

  Alone.

  Again.

  The timer dinged and she quickly pulled the pie crusts from the other oven. As they cooled she began mixing the ingredients to fill them. While whipping the chocolate concoction that she’d use for two of the four pie crusts, her thoughts drifted to Roy. What information would he reveal about her mother? She still couldn’t believe her mom had been in love with another man. Did her dad know?

  “Now I know why you smell so delicious.”

  She whipped her head toward the bottom of the staircase. John’s sleepy, sexy voice made her instantly regret not taking care of all her baking yesterday. She could still be in her bed waking up to his warm body and a few more orgasms.

  He came around the corner, dressed in the jeans and shirt he’d worn last night, and released a low whistle. “Hell of a set up you’ve got here. Two double ovens?”

  “I do all the baking for the diner at home. I’d rather do it out of the house than be stuck at the diner at all hours of the night trying to prep for the next day.”

  As he approached, her heart thudded with anticipation.

  He kissed the curve of her neck. “I was disappointed you weren’t next to me when I woke up.”

  “I was hoping to finish before you woke,” she said, and her breath hitched as he trailed his lips lower. “I would have slipped back into bed, then woke you up...properly.”

  “Properly?” he murmured against her collar bone.

  “Decadently.”

  He cupped her bottom, swiveled her around, and raised her on the big island she used for kneading dough and mixing ingredients. “I don’t know.” He dragged open-mouthed kisses along her jaw line. “Watching you bake turns me on,” he said, grinding his erection between her thighs.

  “Does it now?” She practically purred.

  “Mmm, I’m picturing you in nothing but that apron, and my cock between—”

  “Celeste? You down there?” Will called from the top of the stairs.

  Damn. “Yeah, Will,” she shouted back, then gave John a quick kiss. “Sorry.”

  “Don’t be. I’ll be back later. I mean, if that’s okay.”

  “Are you serious? Of course it is.”

  “Good.” He kissed the tip of her nose, then pulled away before Will reached the bottom of the staircase.

  “Morning.” He eyed the two of them with both curiosity and disgust. She got it. No one wants to walk in on one of their siblings fooling around, it was just...gross.

  “Morning,” they both said at the same time, then laughed.

  Will shook his head and smiled. “How long before you’re ready to leave?”

  “I’m going to head into the diner later. Roy’s stopping by for coffee. But I’d appreciate if you hauled what I’ve baked. Just give me a half hour to finish up and box the stuff.”

  “Will do.” He kept his eyes trained on John. “Holler at me when you’re ready.”

  After Will headed upstairs, John moved back toward her. He rubbed his palms along her hips and kissed her cheek. “Can I help with anything?” he asked as he slid his hand under her apron, then moved lower, cupping the apex of her thighs.

  She moaned at the friction, and let her head drop to his chest. “As much as I’d love to fulfill your ‘banging the baker’ fantasy, I’ve got to finish this up, so...”

  “All work and no play.” He nipped her earlobe. “Okay, what do you need me to do?”

  After John washed his hands, she had him boxing the croissants, cookies and apple pies, while she finished making the chocolate and banana cream pies. Normally she hated having anyone intruding in her basement kitchen, but she loved the way John’s big body was always in her way. The accidental touches, the way he brushed against her, the easy intimacy between them. She’d miss him when he left, and once again wondered how the hell they could make what they had between them work.

  After the last batch of cookies was boxed, she gave him a quick kiss. “Thanks for helping. But next time, if it doesn’t fit in the box, you don’t just eat it, you find a new box.”

  “Huh, so that’s how it works,” he said with a big grin.

  “I’m headi
ng out,” Will called down the steps.

  “Me too.” John gave her another kiss, this one a lingering, sultry kiss that had her toes curling and once again wishing they were back in her bed. “I’ll take some of these boxes on my way out.” He kissed her again. “I’ll call you later.”

  With a smile on her lips, she watched John’s tight butt as he ascended the stairs. She couldn’t wait for later, but right now, she had a heck of a mess to clean up before her coffee date with Roy.

  An hour later, showered and jacked up on caffeine, she paced the living room and wondered if maybe she should grab her mom’s journal. A part of her didn’t want Roy reading her mother’s words. They’d been her private thoughts, and as it was, she’d felt like a bit of a voyeur after reading them last night.

  Before she could decide, the doorbell rang. Her stomach somersaulted. She didn’t know why. After all Roy might not even know anything about Ian. But what if he did? How would it make her feel to learn about the man her mother had loved before marrying her father?

  Drawing in a deep breath, she opened the door and smiled. “Morning, Roy.”

  “Morning, honey,” he greeted her, and entered the foyer. As she was about to shut the door, he stopped her, then craned his head back outside. “Are you coming or not?”

  She frowned. “Who’s with you?”

  His green eyes held wariness and concern. “A friend I want you to meet.”

  Just then, a man who she figured to be somewhere in his early fifties approached. She studied him from his salt and pepper hair, to his bright blue eyes, to the tailored suit he wore down to his shiny shoes. “Sorry about that, I got caught up checking out all those little men you have surrounding your house like an army of soldiers. Hope you don’t mind that I tagged along with Roy.”

  “No,” she said, unable to tear her gaze from his as a weird sense of déjà vu tore through her. He seemed so familiar, yet she’d never met him before in her life. At least she didn’t think so. “I’ve got a full pot of coffee and plenty of fresh baked croissants in the kitchen. You’re more than welcome to join us. I’m Celeste Risinski.” She offered her hand.

  He took her hand, and she swore his eyes misted before he blinked. “It’s a pleasure to finally meet you, Celeste. I’m Ian Scott.”

  Pulling her hand from his, she looked to Roy, her temper flaring with betrayal. “What the hell, Roy?”

  “Now don’t get mad at me about this.”

  “Really? I called you last night hoping you could shed some light on my mom’s past. I didn’t expect this.” She waved her hand at the man she assumed was her mom’s former lover.

  “I see you’ve inherited not only you’re mom’s temper, but her beauty as well. Come on.” Ian took her arm. “Let’s talk this out. I think you’ll find what I have to tell you very interesting.”

  She eyed Roy, and the amusement in his eyes calmed her. Surprisingly, so did Ian’s charming disposition. Deciding she actually wanted to hear what Ian had to say, she led him into the kitchen.

  After he and Roy took a seat at the kitchen table, she drew in a deep breath, pulled her gnome coffee mugs and plates from the cabinet, then set them on the table along with the croissants. “So...” She filled the coffee mugs.

  Ian thanked her, then gave her a broad smile. “Gnome plates and mugs, too.” He smiled as he took a croissant. “Did you bake these?”

  “Just this morning,” she said, then grabbed a water bottle from the fridge. She’d already had enough caffeine, between that and Ian’s unexpected visit, her stomach was an absolute mess.

  After she took a seat, Ian stared at her. “What?” she asked, unnerved by the way he perused her. Not sexually, but as if she were a science experiment.

  “Sorry.” He shrugged. “I didn’t mean to stare, it’s just...your resemblance to your mom is truly uncanny.”

  She didn’t know what to say, even though a million questions buzzed through her head. So she blurted the first one that came to her mind. “How did you meet my mom?”

  “Roy told me about her journal. Didn’t she say?”

  “No, just that she’d worked as a psychic advisor for both the Baltimore police and the FBI.”

  His lips jerked into a quick, wry grin. “Well, I used to be FBI.”

  “Used to be?”

  “I’ll get to that. Back to your mom, I’m sorry for your loss. She was a wonderful woman.”

  “Thank you. And while I appreciate—”

  “You’d rather I skip the formalities and get to why I’m here, right?”

  She shrugged as her cheeks heated. “I don’t mean to be rude.”

  “You’re not. I’ve sprung a hell of a surprise on you this morning. So let’s get at it.” He gave her an easy smile. “I learned about Janice after she helped the Baltimore police solve a high profile case. At the time, I was working an investigation involving a serial killer. A detective with the Baltimore PD recommended that I contact your mom. So I did.”

  “You weren’t skeptical?” she asked, considering how most people had treated her over the years, and how John had first reacted to her gift.

  “A little. But at that point in my investigation, I was willing to do anything to solve it. Taking down that serial killer meant everything to me. It would seal my career with the FBI, and while it eventually did…I hold many regrets about it now.”

  She shot her gaze to Roy, who had his eyes narrowed on Ian. “How so?”

  “Did you know your mother was a medium?” he asked instead as he dropped a teaspoon of sugar into his mug.

  She froze, the details of her trances rushing through her mind. “No. I didn’t.”

  “Janice and her secrets.” He shook his head. “She should have told you, especially when she realized you shared her gift. But that was her way. Controlling. Secretive.”

  “My mother wasn’t controlling. We had a very open relationship. She was my best friend,” she said defensively. This man obviously had had a brief affair with her mom. He didn’t know her. At all.

  She looked to Roy for support, but he only offered her a sheepish shrug. “It’s true. With your mom, everything was on a need-to-know basis. Hell, she was worse than Ian, or anybody else I’d worked with during my stint with the FBI.”

  “You worked for the FBI?” Her head was spinning with even more questions. She’d never known what Roy did before becoming sheriff, and until now, had never thought to ask.

  “I did and so did your dad.”

  Wow. Her dad was former FBI, too. Her stomach did a double somersault this time. She knew her dad had been in the Navy, then afterward, she’d assumed he’d worked at her grandparents’ diner in Baltimore until he and her mom decided to move to Wissota Falls and open up The Sugar Shack. Now that she thought about it, she’d never asked why her parents had moved all the way to Wisconsin. Had they been running from something? Had they been running from Ian?

  “I can understand why my mom wouldn’t have told me about being a consultant to the FBI. She always downplayed her gift in public. But why wouldn’t my dad have told me about being in the FBI?” She thought about John. “Did he do something wrong?”

  “God, no,” Ian said. “Your dad was a huge loss to us.”

  “Then...” She shook her head. “Maybe you should start at the beginning. As it is, I’m having a hard time digesting all of this.”

  “Rightfully so,” Ian said. Stirring the teaspoon in his mug, he looked out the window. “Does Will still live above your garage?”

  “How do you know about Will?” she asked, and looked to Roy, who kept his eyes focused on the plate of croissants. Why were they both stalling?

  “I know everything about you, Celeste. I’ve made it my business.”

  “Why?”

  “Did you like growing up in Wissota Falls?”

  “Yes.”

  “Do you still like living here? You had a wonderful job in Madison after you’d graduated from college.”

  “Stop answering me with mor
e questions,” she demanded, crinkling the water bottle in her hand. “How do you know so much about me?”

  “I told you, I’ve made it my business.”

  “Again. Why?”

  He looked at her then, and the regret, the guilt in his eyes made her downright angry. “You’ve come into my house with more questions than answers. It’s time for you to either leave or say whatever it is you have to say.”

  A wistful smile crossed his lips. “So much like your mother,” he said, then with a deep sigh he leaned back in the chair. “That case I’d asked your mother to help me with wouldn’t have been solved without her. She was good. Very good. As a medium, your mom was able to slip into these trances and connect with the victims. Something Roy told me you’ve been doing with his current investigation.”

  “I’ve been doing that, but I didn’t do it on purpose.”

  “Neither did your mom at first, from what she explained to me. Somehow she’d learned to control the trances. Her ability to connect with the dead helped lead me to the killer I’d spent over two years tracking. During the time we spent together, your mom and I grew close. Actually, from the moment I met her, I knew I was a goner. She was a beautiful woman. Smart. Strong. I loved her dearly. I still do.” He cleared his throat. “Because of her, I was able to catch my killer, and secure my career.”

  “Why do I feel like there’s a big ‘but’ coming?”

  “Because there is.” He leaned forward, resting his arms on the table. “What I didn’t know was that Seth Ryker, a psychiatrist who had also worked with me a time or two, had learned about Janice. See, we’re going back thirty years, before we had a profilers unit. So I would consult with Ryker, hoping to gain some insight on who I’d been looking for. Only...only when he learned about your mom...”

  “He what?” she prompted.

  “He’d been running experiments on people who claimed to have psychic powers. I didn’t know this, and while I had been chasing after my killer, he kidnapped Janice.” A visible shudder tore through him. “When I found out, I was deep undercover, getting ready to make the biggest bust of my career.”