Her stomach rolled. “There’s a demon after Trent’s soul?”
Gage nervously rubbed the back of his neck. “Man, I hate being the bearer of bad news, but yeah, it’s possible.”
“But not likely.” Allison took Tina’s hand in both of hers. “In the five years I’ve investigated with D.A.P.S, we’ve only come across a nonhuman entity one time. And I’ve seen a lot of ghosts. A lot.”
Tina pulled her hand from Allison’s grasp and leaned into Trent’s side. “How did you stop it? What did you do to get rid of it?”
“Each entity is different,” Gage said. “To stop your shadow—”
“If that’s what it is.” Allison cut a sideways glance at Gage.
“If you have a shadow entity trapping souls in your attic,” Gage said, “stopping it will require a blood sacrifice from the person who summoned it.”
“Blood?” Tina’s head spun as her own blood drained from her face.
Allison slapped Gage on the shoulder. “Stop scaring them. Really, Tina, nonhuman entities are so rare, and based on the small amount of activity you’ve had here, I wouldn’t worry about it.”
She was up for anything to stop the paranormal activity. She’d participate in a séance, use a Ouija board, meditate…whatever it took. But if getting rid of the ghost involved blood in any way, her friends would have to do it without her. “So, what should we do? And please don’t mention the B-word again.”
“I think you should continue on the path you’re on,” Allison said. “If the shadow is the entity Gage thinks it is, it won’t bother anyone who isn’t part of Trent’s family. And if it really is just stress, it should stop bothering you once the house is sold.”
“So we need to sell the house.” A sinking feeling formed in her stomach. Her goal since she reunited with Trent had always been to sell the place, but part of her couldn’t bear to let it go. This old Victorian manor had brought them together. As silly as it sounded, losing the house felt like she’d be losing part of him.
“I think that will solve your problem,” Allison said. “And, just to be safe, Trent probably shouldn’t come here unless it’s absolutely necessary.”
Liquid pooled at the backs of her eyes, but she would not allow it to turn into tears. She held her eyes wide to keep the fluid in check and looked at Trent.
“Hey.” He glided the backs of his fingers down her cheek. “You’re the number one real estate agent in Michigan. If anyone can sell this place fast, it’s you.”
Of course she could sell it. She could find a buyer tomorrow and close the deal by the end of next week if she wanted to.
The question was, did she really want to?
If that’s what it took to keep Trent safe, then yes. She definitely wanted to.
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
“I guess I should’ve gone through all this stuff before we put it in storage.” Trent heaved another cardboard box onto the desk and flipped open the lid. “I don’t know why I was in such a hurry to sell my uncle’s house.”
Tina pulled a stack of papers out of the box and shuffled through them. “Maybe it was because you didn’t want to spend too much time dealing with me.”
He grabbed her hips and pulled her close. “If I didn’t want to deal with you, I would’ve called another real estate agent.”
She snaked her arms behind his neck and brushed a soft kiss across his lips. “I’m glad you called me.”
His stomach still tied itself in knots, scattering his thoughts, every time she kissed him. Why had he been in such a hurry? If he’d sold the house to a flipper and been done with it, Tina might have flitted out of his life as quickly as she had last time. “Me too. What exactly are we looking for again?”
“Diaries, letters…anything written by or about any of the previous homeowners that could give a clue as to why the ghosts are trapped in the attic.” She pulled from his embrace and rummaged through the box.
“So, you really don’t believe Gage’s theory?”
Pausing, she let the papers in her hands float down into the box. “I don’t want to believe it. Besides, I talked to Allie this afternoon, and she has another theory.”
Trent sat on the edge of the desk. “Theory number three. I’m intrigued.” Anything was better than a demon going after his soul. Gage exuded enough confidence that Trent didn’t doubt his suspicion could be true. Allison’s insistence on the rarity of non-human entities helped ease his mind, but still… He’d welcome a thousand different theories as long as none of them involved soul-sucking demons.
“Allie says people can trap spirits too. Sometimes on purpose, but sometimes not. So, it’s possible someone who lived there summoned the spirits, and then didn’t know how to—or didn’t want to—let them go.”
“You think my uncle did it.” The house did look like a scene from a horror movie when he inherited it. It wouldn’t have surprised him if his crazy uncle had summoned a few ghosts to keep him company.
“It would explain why the handless ghost lady told Allie I knew who trapped them. I found that picture of his wife and daughter on his desk. Maybe he was trying to bring them back.”
“That makes sense.”
“I’m glad you think so because I feel like I’m grasping at straws. The listing is scheduled to go live tomorrow, and I want to solve the mystery of the trapped ghosts before someone else inherits the problem. I’ve already sold one haunted house in my career, and that was one too many.”
He had to smile at her determination. “What if it wasn’t Uncle Jack?”
She reached into her briefcase and pulled out a stack of papers. “I’ve got information on every owner of the house since it was built in 1889. All their last names are Austin. Maybe the first names mean something to you?” She handed him the list.
He scanned the page and dropped it on the desk. “Not really. I never got into genealogy.”
“Let’s start with the first owners. Cox and Bertha Austin had the house built when they moved here from Virginia. He was a furniture maker, and they came to Michigan when he went into business with his younger brother.”
Trent chuckled. “What kind of a name is Cox? Poor guy. I bet he got the shit beat out of him in junior high.”
Tina smirked. “It’s not so bad. I went out with a guy named Dick Johnson once.”
He cringed. “And did he live up to his name?”
“He acted like a dick, so I never touched his Johnson.”
“Nice.”
She put the lid on the box and lifted another one off the stack. “What about Bertha? That’s a hideous name.”
He took the box from her and slid it onto the table. “Hey, that’s my car’s name.”
“You named your car Bertha?”
“She’s a fine piece of German machinery.”
Stifling a giggle, she pulled the lid off the crate. “Uh-huh. Oh, look. This box is filled with pictures. How neat.”
“You know what would be even more neat?” He stepped behind her and trailed his fingers down her back.
She cast a skeptical look over her shoulder. “What?”
“You, me, and a can of whipped cream.” With a hand on each hip, he pulled her backside to his front to emphasize his point.
She wiggled from his hold. “That would be messy.”
“And fun.”
“True. Hey, here’s a couple standing in front of the house before it was finished being built. I bet that’s Cox and Bertha.” She examined the picture more closely. “He looks like you.” She blinked a few times. “Wow. He really looks like you.”
“Let me see.” He took the picture from her hand and stared at the image. Cropped to show the couple from the hips up, the faded sepia photograph felt fragile in his hand. Though the paper on which it was printed was thick, the brittleness made it feel like it would disintegrate if he closed his fingers around it. He gingerly laid the picture on the table.
Great-great-great-uncle Cox—or however they were related—did look an awful lot lik
e him. Good thing he took after this guy, and not Uncle Jack. “I can see the resemblance.” The likeness interested him, but the woman intrigued him. She seemed so familiar, but he was certain he’d never seen this photo before.
Tina looked over his shoulder. “Bertha’s pretty. Too bad her name didn’t match.”
She was gorgeous, but it was more than that. There was something about her eyes and the way she wrapped her arm around the man’s waist. The ease with which they fit together. “She kinda reminds me of you.”
Tina snorted. “She has light hair and dark eyes. The exact opposite of me.”
“I guess you’re right.” He gazed at the photo one last time and placed it into the box. They looked like a couple in love—the direction he hoped his relationship with Tina was heading.
“And I am definitely not a fine piece of German machinery.”
“No.” He slid his hand up the back of her neck and tangled his fingers in her hair. “You are one hundred percent sexy American woman. I’ve had enough of this stuffy storage room. Let’s go grab some dinner and have a sleepover at your place.”
“A real date. I like the sound of that.”
“Do you have anything special in mind?”
“For dinner or for the sleepover?” She tucked her fingers into his back pockets and pressed her hips to his.
“Both. But we should probably have dinner first, or else we’ll never eat. Where do you want to go?”
“I’ve been craving Buffalo wings. Extra spicy with a side of fries. And they have to have be the bone-in kind. Boneless wings are just chicken nuggets dipped in sauce.” She crinkled her nose in disgust.
His mouth watered. “Woman, you are magnificent. Let’s go.”
* * *
Tina slid her key into the lock and pushed open her apartment door. Her heart pounded in anticipation as Trent followed her inside and closed the door behind them. Not bothering to turn on the lights, she slid her arms around his neck and pressed her lips to his.
A deep mmm sound resonated from his throat, and he pressed his hands against the small of her back, holding her close to his body. He trailed his lips along her neck and caught her earlobe between his teeth. “You’re not wasting any time tonight.”
The warmth of his breath on her skin gave her goose bumps. His masculine scent made her head spin. She could have this man every day for the rest of her life, and she’d never get enough of him. “I wasted three months avoiding you before. I need to make up for lost time.”
“Why did you avoid me for so long? I’m still not sure what I did to scare you off.”
She slid her hands down his arms and laced her fingers through his. She’d much rather have been using her mouth to taste this magnificent man, but she could spare a few words to settle his mind. He deserved the truth. “You didn’t do anything wrong. You’ve never done anything that wasn’t absolutely right.”
“What was the problem?”
She tugged him to the bedroom and gazed into his dark, trusting eyes. He’d been nothing but patient with her from the beginning while she’d played games with his heart. She cupped his face in her hands and stroked her thumb across his cheek. “I told you about my mom, and how I was afraid I’d end up like her.”
He nodded. “I wish you would have talked to me about it. I might have been able to calm your fears.”
“I doubt it. Not back then. When I look at you, all I can see is forever. I’ve never felt this way before, and, at first, it scared me to death.” She pulled him into a hug and rested her head on his shoulder. “I was afraid and stupid, and I ran away instead of facing my fears.”
“Are you still scared?”
“A little. But I promise you, I’m not going anywhere this time.”
He pulled her tighter to his chest. “Good, because I’m not letting you go.”
She lifted her head from his shoulder and smiled seductively. “You’re mine, Trent Austin.”
“And what are you going to do with me?”
With her hands on his firm chest, she pushed him against the wall and pressed her body to his. His arousal dug into her hip, and she slid her hand between them to caress his hardness. “I’m going to show you what forever with me will be like. I hope you can handle it.”
His lips brushed her ear as he spoke in a hoarse whisper. “Should I be scared?”
“Not if you can handle it.”
He swallowed hard and cupped her butt in his hands, grinding his arousal against her. Every nerve in her body flared to life, his touch lighting a fire inside her. She stepped away and slipped her shirt over her head to reveal the emerald-green lace bra she’d chosen to match her eyes. As she dropped her pants to the floor, Trent smiled his approval.
Still leaning against the wall, he unbuttoned his shirt and licked his lips. “That has got to be the sexiest set of lingerie ever made, on the hottest woman alive. I’m not sure my knees can hold me.”
She rushed toward him. “Are you okay? Are you having an episode?”
He chuckled and pushed from the wall. “I’m fine. But you might be a little breathless after I finish ravishing you.”
She caught him by the shoulders and pushed him onto the bed. “Not until I ravish you first.”
Straddling his lap, she yanked his shirt down his arms and tossed it to the floor. He wrapped his strong arms around her and kissed her long and deep. Unhooking her bra, he slid the straps down her shoulders, and she grinded her center against his hardness, sending tingling electricity straight to her womb. She needed him inside her so badly, her head spun. But she’d wait. She wanted to explore him. To taste every inch of skin, to show him just how much she appreciated his body before she gave herself to him.
She pushed his shoulders to make him lie back on the bed and finished undressing him slowly. Then she started at his neck and kissed her way down his body. The delicious taste of him made her mouth water for more. The feel of his soft skin and tight sinew beneath her hands sent her heart into hummingbird mode.
As her lips neared his navel, his breathing grew shallow. A single bead of moisture collected on his tip, and when she flicked out her tongue to taste him, he sucked in a sharp breath and clutched the sheets in his hands.
She’d never been so turned on in her life. Never gotten so much pleasure from giving. She reveled in the sounds he made. The way he responded to her touch. He moaned as she took him into her mouth, and he rose onto his elbows. She could feel him watching her as she sucked him, and that made it all the more erotic.
She’d planned for this to simply be foreplay, but as she increased her rhythm, and his muscles tightened in response, she had to see it through to the end. To give him all the pleasure such an amazing man deserved.
“Hold on.” He rested a hand on her head to slow her, but she didn’t want it to end until he was satisfied. “Seriously. Stop. Stop, stop, stop.”
He sat up, and she released her hold. “What’s wrong?”
“It burns.”
“What burns?”
He bit his bottom lip and fanned his crotch. “It feels like my dick is on fire. Fuck.”
“Oh, no. The Buffalo wings.”
He clenched his teeth. “Extra spicy.”
“They were so hot my tongue went numb. The spices must still be in my mouth.” Poor thing. She could only imagine what the heat must’ve felt like down there.
He groaned and squeezed his eyes shut. “Shit. When I said you were hot, I didn’t mean it literally.”
She stifled a giggle.
“I’m glad you’re enjoying this.” He stood and tiptoed in a circle, still fanning his dick.
She shouldn’t have been laughing. He must’ve been in pain, but… “I’m sorry. You’re just so cute.”
“I’m not cute.”
“Let’s get you in the shower. Hopefully it will wash off.”
* * *
The cold water pelting Trent’s dick combined with the burning sensation of hot wing sauce should’ve cured his ere
ction in seconds. But his view of Tina’s naked body, with her full breasts and curvy hips, kept him rock hard. The corners of her mouth twitched ever so often like she was trying hard not to laugh. Hell, once the pain went away, he’d probably laugh about too. Right now, though, it was all he could do to hold back the tears.
He ran his hand over his dick and groaned. “It’s not helping.”
“Use soap.”
He grumbled and lathered himself up, but the burning didn’t stop. “Still not helping.”
Tina washed her hands in the sink. “You probably still have some sauce on your hands. Let me help.” She stepped into the tub behind him, slid the curtain shut, and rubbed the bar of soap across her palms. She wrapped her hand around his shaft and stroked it a few times. “Rinse it off, and we’ll do it again. The burning is just on the outside, right?”
“Yeah.” He rinsed his dick and let out a breath as the burning started to fade.
She grabbed him again and gave him another few strokes, and this time he could actually enjoy the sensation of her soapy fingers wrapped around him. The tension in his shoulders released, and he couldn’t help but let out a moan.
“Is that a sound of pleasure or pain?”
“Both.”
“Rinse it again.”
“Yes, ma’am.” The cold water from the shower soothed his skin, but Tina’s supple body pressed against his back lit a fire in his core. The burn subsided to an almost-pleasurable warmth, as if he’d used one of those couple’s heated lubricants. This, he could deal with. But when Tina slid her soapy hand down his shaft for a third time, he wasn’t about to tell her to stop.
Instead, he closed his eyes and let her stroke. The warmth felt good now. Too good. And her breath against his ear gave him goose bumps.
“You look like you’re enjoying this. All better?” She kissed his neck, never slowing her pace.
“Much, much better.” The water washed the soap away, leaving only the sensation of Tina’s soft skin rubbing against his. “In fact…” He shut off the water and turned to face her. “I think we should go back to bed before things get too much better.”
To Stop a Shadow Page 14
