by Norris, Kris
Payton scoffed, ignoring the instant flash of heat where his hand brushed her skin as she stepped back, once again crossing her arms over her chest. “I’m not Daphne and I certainly didn’t call you because I needed Fred to ride to the rescue. And in case I didn’t make it clear on the phone, these aren’t a bunch of creepy guys dressed up in masks.” She paused. “This is real.”
Blake chuckled as he matched her stance, his muscled arms emphasizing the sheer size of him. “Now that’s the Payton I remember—stubborn with a healthy dose of brass balls. But in this case, you’re going to have to try and be patient—”
He held up his hand when she tried to cut him off.
“Look. I’m more than aware of how hard it was for you to call for help. The girl I remember would have rather cut off her own arm than ask for a hand. But this isn’t something we can go into blindly. Leaving like I did in the middle of the night means I didn’t get a chance to do any research on this place, and after my last outing with Avery, I can attest that knowing what you’re getting yourself into is half the battle. The last thing I want to do is endanger your life by angering some evil spirit that’s attached itself to your energy signature. So for now, you’re just going to have to trust me. Besides, I’ve been living on muddy coffee and Doritos for the past twelve hours. I’d really appreciate something that has more nutritional value than a damn cardboard box.”
Payton gave him a small smile then looked away. Damn, she’d somehow forgotten the part where she’d roused him from sleep at four AM, not to mention the fact he’d driven all night and day just to get there. Dinner seemed pretty reasonable at this point, and if she wasn’t careful, he might just regret agreeing to come in the first place.
Blake’s hand curled over her shoulder. “Would you stop worrying about whether it was right to call me and just relax. I’m here, and unless you toss my ass out, I’m not going anywhere until your problem is solved.”
She turned on him. “How did you know I was thinking that?”
“Lucky guess.” He motioned to her. “The hunched shoulders, clenched fists and blush gave me some hints, too. Look, I’m not going to think you’re crazy or leave if these spirits don’t jump out and yell boo at me in the first five minutes. I’ve been shadowing Avery long enough to know that the only thing more fickle than a ghost is a beautiful lady.” He nodded toward the door. “Can we go get something to eat now?”
“Were you always this charming?”
“Yup. You just never noticed.”
Oh, she’d noticed, she just hadn’t been able to act on it. “A mistake on my part.” She walked over to a small table beside the door and grabbed her purse and keys. “Come on. There’s a nice place within walking distance.”
Blake followed her over, stopping her before she opened the door. “If it’s all the same, I’d rather drive to somewhere closer to the city limits…if that’s okay with you.”
She raised an eyebrow at him. “Sure, I guess. There’s a Mexican place at the other end of town, close to the hills. It’s not quite as polished but—”
“Sounds like the place for us.” He settled one hand on her wrist. “We can take the truck…just in case.”
“Just in case of what? You suddenly need to exorcise the devil or something?”
He smiled, nodding. “Or something.”
Blake opened the door, extending his hand toward the truck. Payton glanced back at the room, before heading out. What the hell had she gotten herself into and it wasn’t just the ghosts she was worried about.
Chapter Two
Blake drove the truck toward the hills, the steady hum of the tires filling the suddenly awkward void. What had started out as good-natured conversation had become an oppressive silence and he wasn’t sure how to make the first move. Avery had always been the consummate playboy, who had never seemed to falter around women. Compared to him, Blake felt like a teenager again, sitting beside a woman who had starred in more than a few of his fantasies. Being this close—inhaling the subtle scent of her perfume, listening to the steady rasp of her breath—only made his heart thrum harder against his ribs. God help him, but Payton Scott was killing him, and she hadn’t done more than smile.
He sighed, glancing at her in the passenger seat. Golden hair framed her face, accentuating the bright blue of her eyes. The Nevada sun had added a touch of color to her skin and he smiled at the sprinkling of freckles along her nose.
Payton must have felt him staring and turned, her face silhouetted by the setting sun. Strands of hair fell across her eyes, and she brushed them away as she gave him an amused smile. “What?”
“Nothing. Just wondering why my brother ever let you out of his sight, let alone his life.” He gave her a sideways look. “You don’t turn into a werewolf or anything, do you?”
“Of course not.” She chuckled. “Actually, it was more of a mutual decision.”
“Ah, the old ‘we’re better friends than lovers’ scenario.” He winked this time. “Be honest. You’re just saving his dignity for him. Avery’s a lot of things, but crazy isn’t one of them. And leaving you would have been insane.”
The subtle smile on her face widened, the brilliance of it accentuated by the hint of blush creeping up her cheeks. “How did I manage to forget how charming you Smith boys can be?”
He shrugged. “It’s a genetic thing.”
“Right.” She sighed, the small puff of air fluttering the wisps of hairs still dangling around her face. “Actually, I’m not trying to save his fragile ego. We really did agree that being together wasn’t in the cards for us. Just not the right chemistry.”
“Seriously? I always thought you two broke up because your dad got transferred to Washington D.C.”
“We made it seem that way, but we’d stopped being a ‘couple’ long before that.”
“Okay. Now I’m really confused.” He pulled into the restaurant parking lot and shoved his truck into park, wondering if he’d ever really known the lady sitting beside him. Obviously, his account of the past was far different than hers. He unclipped his seatbelt and turned to face her. “Why would you and Avery pretend to be together if you weren’t?”
She gave him a stunning smile. “Because your brother is a nice guy.”
“Now you’re just creeping me out because the Avery you’re describing isn’t the brother I grew up with.” He raised an eyebrow. “Maybe you were both abducted by aliens. That would explain a lot.”
She laughed. “And you’re just as crazy as you were in high school. And no, I’m not an alien. The truth is, the guy I dated before Avery was still pretty hung up on me. Being your brother’s girlfriend kept the jackass at bay. Avery knew this and suggested we keep up the ruse until I left town.”
Blake nodded. “That sounds a bit more like him. Despite his obvious flaws, he does have an overinflated sense of honor, which isn’t necessarily a bad thing.”
“Guess that’s a genetic trait, too, or do you make it a habit of helping out all of Avery’s past girlfriends?”
He gave her a wicked smile. “You’re my first, sweetheart.” He chuckled, half turning away as he added, “And depending on what I’ve gotten myself into, my last.”
Payton slapped his shoulder as they jumped out of the truck and headed for the door. Her small hand found his, sending a spike of heat pulsing through his body. He fought against the hard punch of lust that tumbled through his gut, remembering the fear he’d seen in her eyes earlier. He was here to help her out of a possibly dangerous situation, not lure her into his bed. Hell, he didn’t even have a bed, yet.
Blake shook his head, twining his fingers through hers when a cold breeze rustled his collar. He pulled them to a stop as he glanced around the lot. Though the sun had set, the last rays of grayish light were enough to see the leaves of the trees resting listlessly on the branches. Whatever had brushed against him wasn’t simply the wind.
Payton squeezed his hand. “Everything okay?”
“Sure. Let’s get inside.
”
He followed her, keeping her close as the server led them to a small table near the back. A large window framed one side, the view stretching toward the dark hills. A sliver of waning light glistened above the peaks, casting long, finger-like shadows across the table.
Blake pulled out Payton’s chair, loving the way she smiled at him then he took the seat across from her. The server lit a candle centered between then, laid down two menus, took their drink order then left, mumbling under her breath. Blake watched Payton gaze around the room, intrigued by the way she seemed to study everything, when another brush of cold air coasted across his shoulder, making the candle flicker. Payton gasped and turned, looking behind her.
Blake glanced over her shoulder at an empty table. “What’s wrong?”
A frown creased the small lines around her mouth as she shrugged. “Nothing, I just…”
“Just what?”
“It felt like someone pulled my hair.”
Blake nodded and reached into one of his pockets. Payton gave him a strange look as he placed the small unit on the table and pressed a button, illuminating a red light.
She glanced at the device then back at him. “What’s that?”
“A digital recorder.”
She furrowed her brow. “I tell you I think someone pulled my hair and you pull out a recorder?”
He smiled, drawn to the way the skin on the bridge of her nose crinkled as she stared at him, her lips pursed, her eyes narrowed.
He pushed the unit a bit closer to her. “It’s for recording EVPs.”
“EV whats?”
“EVPs…electronic voice phenomena. Spirits use the white noise on the recorder to convey messages. The unit amplifies those sounds so I can see if there are any friendly, or unfriendly, energies following you around.”
The creases deepened. “So you’re saying that thing records ghost voices?”
“Pretty much.”
She eased back in her chair. “But if it was a ghost that tugged on my hair, wouldn’t it be one that haunts this restaurant, not one from my gallery?”
Blake sighed and leaned forward, bracing some of his weight on his elbows. “Usually ghosts attach themselves to a place, be it a house or an area close to where they died. This means they’re somewhat limited to the distances they can travel. But sometimes they can attach themselves to a person’s energy. This allows them to follow that person from place to place, even town to town.”
“Jesus, Blake. You make it sound as if there’s some evil spirit stalking me or something.”
He tensed his jaw in an attempt to keep his expression neutral. God, if she only knew how true that could be. “Just think of it as me covering all the bases.”
Payton nodding then inhaled sharply. “That’s why you wanted to go across town to eat…so you could tell which kind of haunting it is.”
“Now you’re thinking like a paranormal investigator.”
Her mouth pursed into a delightful pout. “But how will you be able to tell if the ghost is from the gallery or not?”
He smiled and pointed at the recorder. “I left another one of these on the small table beside the door when I sent you out to the truck ahead of me. I’m hoping I’ll get some overlap to help answer that question. Either way, it’s a place to start.”
Payton shook her head. “You know, if someone had told me a few months ago I’d be sitting here with you, discussing ghosts, I would have told them they were crazy.” She relaxed back, exhaling a slow breath. “Maybe we could talk about something else for a while.”
“Sure.” Blake waited as the server returned with their drinks and took their order before he asked what had been racing through his mind since she’d first called. “So tell me, what happened to make you pack up your life in DC and head to Virginia City?”
The fine lines around her eyes deepened ever so slightly as she stared at him, a light blush coloring her cheeks again. “What makes you think anything happened?”
He snorted, taking a long pull of the beer he’d ordered. “Sweetheart, my family wasn’t the only one with old-world money. You said on the phone that you’d put every last penny you had into the gallery, which means you aren’t getting any help from your family. It doesn’t take a genius to figure out something happened that made you run away.”
“I didn’t run away. I liberated myself.”
“You can call it whatever you want, but it still equates to you breaking ties.” He reached forward and cupped her hand in his, surprised at how small her fingers felt next to his. A strange sensation fluttered through his chest, and he nearly pulled his hand away in surprise. For some reason, the thought of her alone, this far from home, bothered the hell out of him. He gave her fingers a light squeeze. “Come on, Payton. I don’t scare easily.”
Her focus drifted to where their hands connected, her gaze becoming distant, as if she was looking through the table instead of at it. Tears gathered behind her eyes, but he had a feeling she wouldn’t cry, not here. “Let’s just say that my father and I have a very different vision of what my life should be like. And it got to the point that I couldn’t live trying to meet his expectations anymore. So I packed up my car and headed here. I’d heard this is a sort of artist’s mecca and honestly, the price was right.”
“Right up until you realized you’d gotten more than just a gallery.”
Payton snorted, pulling her hand back as she crossed her arms over her chest. “You know something, Blake? Only you could sit there and make me look like the crazy person for not believing in ghosts.”
“I don’t think you’re crazy. In fact, I think it took a lot of guts to leave everything behind and start fresh.” He shivered as another cold breeze tickled the side of his face. “I just hope we can find a way to put these spirits to rest before they decide to up the ante.”
Payton’s face paled slightly. “What do you mean, up the ante?”
Blake cursed under his breath. The last thing he needed to do was spook her, especially since he wasn’t even certain what they were facing yet. Though the fact something had seemingly followed them here didn’t bode well.
He gave her a reassuring smile. “Let’s not worry about that. Besides, you were the one who wanted to talk about something other than ghosts.”
She released a slow breath, once again placing her hands on the table, her left one reclaiming his. “Why don’t we talk about you?” She took a sip of water. “I couldn’t help but notice you aren’t wearing a ring. Does that mean you’re still single?”
He quirked one side of his mouth. “It does.”
“Any particular reason why?”
“I suppose work doesn’t leave me with much free time.”
“If it was important to you, you’d find the time.”
He glanced out the window, watching the last of the orange fade into black. “Maybe I’m looking for a certain kind of lady.”
Payton laughed. “After working with ghosts all day, I’d think any woman who wasn’t mostly transparent would be an improvement.”
He chuckled. “If only women were that simple. Believe me, I have a better chance of understanding the spirits than women.”
“Ah, we’re not that hard to figure out. All you have to do is read our minds.”
“Right.” He drew a deep breath, inhaling the hint of floral sweetness. “So what about you? Did you leave anyone special behind?”
She shook her head as the color returned to her cheeks. “If you call a cheating bastard someone special, then yes. Otherwise, he was just another reason to leave.” She sighed. “Honestly, I haven’t had much luck with the few men I’ve been with. Guess I don’t understand men any better than you do women.”
“Hey, we’re simple. Food, sex and sleep. And not necessarily in that order.”
Payton shook her head, easing back in her chair as the server returned with their food. Blake frowned as the loss of contact sent a pang of longing through his body, stiffening his cock against his jeans. Damn, wh
at was it about this woman that grabbed him by the balls and refused to let go. He hadn’t seen her in years, yet the spell she’d cast when he was seventeen was still there. And the worst part was, she had no idea she’d even enchanted him.
He groaned quietly, half wishing he hadn’t heard the phone ring the other night when the server turned toward him, a bowl of soup in her hand. Blake felt the sudden shift in temperature a moment before he saw the bowl shake. He reacted, sliding sideways as the dish shimmied then tipped. It surged forward, hitting the edge of the seat before crashing to the floor.
A disembodied growl sounded behind him followed by a burning sensation along the back of his neck. Amidst the chaos of the waitress mumbling her apologies, Blake grabbed the salt and tossed a handful across his shoulder. Something akin to a howl rasped in his ear, before the air stilled.
He caught Payton’s worried glance as the waitress dabbed at his chair, muttering another round of apologies.
“Don’t worry about it. I’ll just wait for the burritos and rice.”
The girl gave him a timid smile then rushed off, her ponytail swaying back and forth across her shoulders.
Blake looked back at Payton. “Guess we’re not the only ones having an odd night.”
Payton glanced at the smudge of soup on the floor. “She didn’t drop that bowl, Blake. The damn thing flew off her tray!”
Blake winced at the sharpness of her voice. This wasn’t looking good. “Payton—”
“Don’t. Don’t lie to me because you think I’m already freaked out.”
“I wasn’t going to lie to you. But you might want to keep your voice down before everyone else starts running from the restaurant. The last thing we need is for the good sheriff to show up.” He leaned in. “Let’s just try to enjoy some food. Then we’ll head back to your gallery and see if we captured anything on the recorders.”
