In one swift movement, he gripped my hip with his hand and planted the other on the back of the couch. He made love to me, slower and more careful than he ever did. Desperate sounds erupted from my mouth as I quivered underneath him.
The sound of a car pulling up to the curb snapped me out of the spell we were under. I pushed at his chest as the panic settled in. “Cade, wait.”
“It’s okay,” he cooed.
“No, but my dad’s home.”
“Shh, I know.”
As he picked up the pace, I could feel the warmth growing inside my body. His name fell from my lips.
“Shh, Briar.” His lips twisted into a boyish grin. He was in control. Not me, not the house, just Cade.
Outside a door closed.
Cade shook his head and moved his hand from the couch arm and placed it over my mouth as the world swirled around me. It pulled me over into a world of ecstasy.
“You have to be quiet,” he insisted with a laugh. He kissed me sweetly on the forehead and told me he loved me before disappearing into nothingness. The feeling of him being there, sweaty and slightly warm on top of me, and then the suddenness of him being gone, was like a shock to my system.
I sat up abruptly and snapped back into reality as keys fiddled in the doorknob. Straightening my clothes, I plopped back down on the couch like I had been sitting there all along.
My dad walked in seconds later. “Hey, honey.”
Holy shit that was close.
Chapter Twenty-Five
“Uh, hi Dad,” I replied, lowering myself even further down in the couch and hoping he’d go away.
“How was your day with Meredith?” He sat down on the couch near me.
“Fine.”
“Have you been working out?”
“What? No!” I pulled my scarf up onto my face and tried to hide my horrified expression.
“Oh, well, what did you girls do?”
“Ya know, girl stuff. Talked about boys, ate lots of yogurt.”
He crossed his arms and leaned back in the seat. “Speaking of boys. That Cade kid has been hanging around here a lot lately. Are you two dating?”
Well, if that’s what you call it. “Um, yeah, I guess you can say that.”
“He seems like a nice boy. I still think he needs to spend time with the both of us if he’s going to be here so much.”
The doorbell rang as if on cue.
That can’t be a coincidence.
He walked over and looked through the peephole. “Speak of the devil.” He opened the door and smiled at the person at the entrance. “Well hey there, come on in.”
“Thanks Mr. Summers,” I heard Cade say as he walked through the door. His eyes automatically moved to me, and he smiled before turning back to my father. “What’s up?”
“I was just talking to Briar about her day.”
“I’m sure it’s been very exciting,” he purred and walked into the room with a smirk on his face for only me to see.
My dad laughed, oblivious to what was going on. “As exciting as a day in the life of two teenage girls can get.”
I moved over on the couch to make room for Cade. The proximity to him was enough to make my skin heat up again. How was it I was still reacting that way to him? We spent so much time together I should have gotten use to how hot he was. How his hair fell over his forehead and down to the top of his shoulders. The perfect way his lips were shaped, full and sensual as they moved. The sharp features of his jawline and his nose, pulling together something that could be so childish yet so manly rolled into one.
“Don’t you think, Briar?” my dad asked, snapping me out of my thoughts.
“Huh? What?”
I caught the entertained smile on Cade’s face. “The house was a really good buy.”
“Uh, yes, yes it was.”
“I’m telling you, Cade, she hated this house just last week, and now she seems to like it. I don’t know what you’ve said, but I believe it’s worked.”
“I don’t know, Mr. Summers. I just know that I’d be heartbroken if she left,” Cade responded, running a cool finger down my cheek.
My dad stood up. “I guess I will go find something to occupy myself so you guys can talk. Dillon should be home from his friend’s house soon. Just let him in if you don’t care.”
“Sure thing, Dad.”
The second he left the room, Cade turned his eyes back to me. “So, what do you want to do now?”
“I can think of a few things.”
He dropped his gaze downward and smiled. “I can’t believe your dad left me alone with you; I have a feeling you’re going to attack me.”
“No more than you attacked me earlier.”
His hand moved up fast to my face, gripping my chin and making me look at him. “I’ve never made you do anything you weren’t willing to do.” He was serious.
“I know, I was just kidding. Calm down.”
“You wanna finish your movie?” he asked.
“Sure, if you want to, but first I need to clean up.” I ran into the bathroom and did just that, returning and sitting on the couch beside him,
He pulled me over to him, leaning me back on his chest, and wrapping his arms around me. He rested his chin on the top of my head. I relaxed in his embrace, content to just hang out with him. It was nice for us to be out in the open, not hidden in secret like it usually was.
“Do you think we should tell my dad?”
“About what?”
“About this house, you.”
“No, Briar. You can never tell him what you know. He’ll think you’re crazy and send you off.” His grip tightened, and he held me closer as if I might slip away.
“It’s okay, Cade. I’m not going anywhere.”
As the movie went off, I heart a frantic series of knocks at the door. Cade groaned in protest as I got up from the couch and grabbed my arm to try to pull me back down.
“Stop it.” I slapped at him playfully.
I walked over and opened the door. My little brother rushed into the room, words tumbling out of his mouth like a runaway train.
“He’s had a lot of candy,” Carla said, bright red lips smiling.
“Sissy, sissy, sissy,” Dillon said.
I scowled at the woman behind him.
She walked past me and into the room. She looked around as if she was searching for something, and her eyes settled on Cade. “Well, hello there handsome.”
“Get your skanky eyes off him.” I slammed the door.
“Very well, where’s your father?”
“In the study, I think.”
She stuck her nose up in the air and walked around me, disappearing down the hallway. I grabbed my little brother and stopped him in his tracks.
“Stop moving.”
“But Sissy! We went to the movies and we went to the park and we had some candy and some ice cream and and—” He jumped up and down under my hands, excitement buzzing out of him.
His eyes zipped over to the living room. “Cade!” He jerked away from my grasp and ran over to the couch.
“Hey, buddy,” Cade said.
Dillon jumped on him, and Cade fell to the floor.
I leaned against the doorway and fought every inch of the smile that tried to spread on my face. He was so good with Dillon. They rolled around on the floor, each laughing like a kid. He let Dillon gain the upper hand. He begged for mercy and put his hands up in a defensive position as Dillon continued to tickle him without remorse.
When Dillon looked up at me, he smiled even wider. “You can see him! You can see him!”
I moved my gaze from him and looked round the room. “What? Who?”
“Cade! You can see him! I knew it!” He poked Cade in the chest with his little finger. “You had better be nice to my Sissy.”
“No doubt, little man. I’d hate to make you mad.”
My brother hopped up to his feet and ran over to me. “Wait ‘till Daddy hears! He can’t see Cade.”
&nb
sp; I bent down to look him in the eyes, letting the importance play over my face. “Daddy has seen Cade okay? Don’t tell him he’s your invisible friend because he’s real.”
“Okay, okay.” He rolled his eyes at me. “Can I go play now?”
“Yes.”
He ran off to play without another word.
“He’s a tough little dude,” Cade said, walking over and wrapping his arm around me.
“You have no idea.” I moved myself until I was facing him and ran my hands up his chest and around his neck. “I think we should go listen to some music in my bedroom.”
“Yes,” he growled. He grabbed for my hand and started walking towards the stairs, his brisk pace pulling me behind him and making me scurry to keep up with him. He let go of me when we reached the stairs and bounded up them, taking several steps at a time. I laughed and walked up behind him. He was so much fun. So childlike at times and so full of life. Others times he was protective, angry, and dangerous. There were so many sides to him, but the loving fun side was by far my favorite.
Chapter Twenty-Six
Later on that night, I shut the door behind me so I could get dressed. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Cade lurk, but I pretended not to notice. I pulled out my black tank and matching red plaid boxers and slowly changed into them.
As I tugged the fabric down over my stomach, Cade appeared beside me. I never heard him move from his place in the darkness. He brushed my hair off to the side and placed his lips on my skin. His fingers settled on my waist as he led me backwards toward the bed.
“Are you tired?” he asked.
“No, not really, but there’s something I need to talk to you about.”
“Anything.” Cade spun me in his arms, sat down on the edge of the bed, and pulled me to him.
I placed my hands on his shoulders. “So, I saw this guy in town who tried to convince me to leave the house.”
Cade paused and looked at me. “Who was it?”
“I don’t know. Meredith couldn’t see him. That’s weird, huh?”
His silence spoke more than I cared to admit.
I pressed on. “He said that if the house wants me, it will have me. What does that mean, Cade?”
“Can we talk about this later?” He ran his hands up and down my sides, not stopping until he slipped his hand underneath my shirt. He was trying to distract me.
“No, I want to talk about it now.”
“Please? That’s boring.”
“You said we could talk about anything.” I tried to pull away from him, but in a second he stood up and pulled me down with him onto the mattress. His hand trailed up my body and grasped my hair.
“Wouldn’t you rather do something else?”
“Tell me what you know about this house, because now I’m seeing people that others aren’t outside of the house. That’s gotta mean something.”
He kissed me urgently, not wasting any time before moving his tongue into my mouth. He tugged at my hair and a small cry came out of my mouth into his. “I can’t think straight with you making those noises. If you want me to answer your questions, you’re going have to shut up.”
“What noises?” I asked, running my lips across his face.
He let go of my hair and grabbed my waist with both hands, slamming me down on the bed and pulling me underneath him. A short string of obscenities flew from his mouth as he followed me down onto the bed and pressed himself against me. I pushed at his chest to give me some room, trying to clear my head as he ground his pelvis against me, his hand moving underneath my top to work its magic. He wouldn’t budge. Keeping my hands on his chest, I pushed my whole body towards him in an attempt to roll him over.
“Is that the way you want it?” He pushed on the bed and flipped us over so that I was on top of him.
“When we get done talking.”
“Stop thinking,” he hissed and kissed me again.
“Cade, we need to talk.”
“Not now. Kiss me,” he demanded.
My body paused for a second, registering his words as they drifted into my ears, into my mind, and settling there. It was as if they flipped a switch in my brain and made me want him more. I lowered my lips onto his, kissing him passionately and trying to push the thoughts out of my mind. My hands flew to his shirt, unbuttoning and moving down to his jeans, undoing them as well. I moved my face down his body, planting kisses along it and pausing at the top of his jeans. Letting my eyes travel upwards, I saw him looking down at me, concern on his face.
“I don’t know how to tell you this, Briar…”
“What?”
“I think you’re seeing ghosts.”
“I know that, silly.”
He shook his head, his messy hair shaking about with it. “But you shouldn’t be seeing them outside of the house unless—”
I put my finger over his mouth to shut him up. “I don’t care about that right now.” What was I thinking? Had I lost all reason? I needed answers, but I couldn’t stop kissing him.
Cade put his fingers on my shoulders and pushed me back. “Shit, Briar, stop.”
“Stop?”
“Yes.” He pushed again, that time he moved me off him. With a sigh, he ran his hands through his hair and then looked at me. “I’m sorry, so sorry.”
I felt a desperate need inside me to touch him, to kiss him. So I did, kissing his neck where I could reach and trying to move them up his neck as he pushed me off him.
“Stop, Cade, I just want to kiss you.”
“I know, I know. Just stop. I’m sorry.”
“Stop apologizing and kiss me.” Something was wrong, I couldn’t think straight.
“It’s not that I don’t want to. I just. I can’t. I messed up.”
I paused and lifted my face to look at him. “What do you mean you messed up?”
“You just need some distance and you’ll be fine.” He rolled away from me and off the bed.
When he leaned against the far wall, my mind began to clear. Anger rose in me. There was something he wasn’t telling me.
“What happened just now?” I demanded.
He ran his hands through his hair and the tears started forming in his eyes. “I didn’t mean to sway you. Shit, Briar, it just came out.”
I froze. He’d ordered me to kiss him, and I had. I’d lost all sense of reality and focused on him. He’d influenced my mind and made me do as he asked. I’d read about how ghosts could do that, possess others and make them do what they wanted. My heart dropped to the pit of my stomach. Nausea rolled over me; I was going to throw up. He’d mind-fucked me.
“How dare you!” I exclaimed. I picked up a book from my table and hurled it at him. It smacked him with a thud and fell to the floor. “What the hell, Cade?”
“I didn’t mean to, I swear it. I’ve never done that before. I didn’t know I could—I—”
“Quit lying to me! I just started trusting you and you’re lying to me again! You can’t just control people. What kind of monster are you?”
He took a small step towards me. “I will tell you anything, just ask me. I’m so sorry. I love you.”
“Cade, we’ve talked about this! No more lies, remember?”
“Yeah I do…I just…I wanted to protect you. Ask me anything, I swear.”
“Okay, so you say I saw a ghost in town, but I shouldn’t be seeing them outside the house. Why?” I crossed my arms and waited.
Cade squinted his eyes closed and scrunched his face in pain, as if it physically hurt him to answer my question. “There’s something I’ve heard the ghosts whisper about…about a girl with the sight.”
“What sight?”
“I don’t know, Briar. The house does what it wants, picks who it wants, and takes them.”
My breath stopped, and my body froze. I’d asked him about that before, worried over it, but he had never told me the truth.
“You told me not to worry about that.” Accusation filled my words.
He shook his head. �
�You don’t have to. It won’t get you. I’m protecting you.”
“How can I believe you after everything?”
He lowered his eyes to the ground, his words full of hate. “Because this house is evil, Briar. It’s full of some otherworldly force that makes its inhabitants insane or something. I’ve made it clear that you are under my protection, that it could have anyone else. You gotta believe me. I didn’t even know if it would work, I mean, it’s an inanimate object, so how do you talk to it?”
I grabbed another book off my bedside table and threw it at him, hitting him harder that time before it fell to the floor. I’d given him everything, my trust, my love, my time, my body. All for nothing. The feelings I had for him smothered me, and I forgot to remind myself of who he really was: a murderer, a psychopath. He was a part of the house.
He ran over to me, bent down, and took my hand. “I’m begging you, please believe me.”
I jerked my hand back from him. “Don’t touch me.”
“Briar.”
“How can I trust you, Cade? How?”
“I don’t know,” he screamed, loud and vibrating through the room. “I was just trying to protect you! The less you know about this shit hole the better. It’s miserable here. It always has been, until I saw you. You’ve brought color to my dark world. You’re my beautiful briar rose. You’re lovely to look at, but there’s a fire inside you. If someone gets too close and treats you bad, you prick them with your thorns. I thought with me, you blossomed, and you loved me. Even though you won’t admit it.”
“You’re so full of shit!” I stood up and walked away from him. Anger seeped out of my skin. I needed time alone. I needed to think, and I couldn’t do that with him looking at me like a lost puppy.
He walked over to me and fell to his knees, grabbing my hand and rubbing his cheek along it. “Please, don’t hate me. I’ll do whatever you want me to do. Just please don’t leave me.”
I brought my hand up to the necklace he’d given me and held it tightly as I closed my eyes. “I don’t believe in ghosts.” I rubbed my eyes and fought back the stinging tears. “I don’t believe in you.”
“You can’t mean that, Briar. Please.”
Ghostly (Darkly Devoted Book 1) Page 15
