“The reason I’m here is because the owner wants to prove there are no ghosts.”
“Right.”
“Because he thinks the house won’t sell if it’s haunted.”
“Right again.”
“So we prove it’s haunted and he’ll be more inclined to let you have it!” she finished on a note of triumph.
Pierce smiled. “That has possibilities.”
“Of course it does. When I film tonight, you stand so that I catch just a glimpse of you, maybe in the big mirror.”
“No more than a flicker. But enough to see the shape of a person.”
“Perfect.”
That afternoon Jane left the history lessons and taught Pierce something of modern life so he could offer a plausible story as the latest Newland offspring. He was a quick study and had a wicked sense of humor. Jane found herself laughing until she cried at the stories he told in his turn of his life on Earth and beyond it.
She wiped her eyes. “I had no idea ghosts could get up to such things.”
“Why not? We’re human after all. Why would we leave our personalities and all our faults behind?”
Around six o’clock she looked at her watch. “Tell you what,” she said. “Let’s go pick up a pizza. It will give you a chance to see the town and knowing how to order a pizza is a life skill that will be useful.”
She drove carefully, trying not to swing around the curves or stop too abruptly but even so, for the first couple of miles, Pierce hung on to the grab bars for dear life. He saw her glance at his white knuckles.
“Sorry. I had a car but it traveled not much faster than a galloping horse.”
“I understand. Try to relax. It’s very safe at this speed.”
She drove around the town of Cove Bay and Pierce recognized a few of the old streets. There were even a couple of stores that he remembered, even if they had changed name and function.
They picked up the pizza and cold sodas and consumed them back at the house in the warm dusk. Pierce was enthusiastic about the new taste sensations.
“Tell me some more about your life,” she said as she picked up another slice. “What did you do, besides taking your cousin to baseball games? Did you have a job?”
“I had a job. I was expected to go into the family business when I left college.”
“And did you?”
“Eventually.”
She waited while he selected another slice of pizza. “But first I wanted to see something of the world.”
“Where did you go?”
“Europe, of course. I did what they called the Grand Tour in the nineteenth century. Major capitals, good restaurants, cruise ships.”
“Sounds wonderful.”
He shook his head. “No, I was disappointed. The sites were glorious of course and I had all the money I needed but I felt there was more. I hooked up with a group of people who were planning to open schools for boys in the slums in major cities. We rented buildings, bought books and hired local teachers.”
Jane watched the emotions flicker over his face.
“I even taught for a few months back here in the States, not that I was much of a teacher.” He wiped his lips on a paper napkin. “After a while I decided I could do more good by making money and channeling it to the organization. So that’s what I did. I came home and joined the family business. The difference was I now had a motive for making lots of dough.”
“Did you make a lot?”
He laughed. “I made a pile and sent half of everything to the schools. That was the problem.”
“Problem?”
“With my stepmother. She didn’t agree with what I was doing. Said I was wasting her boy’s inheritance.”
“That’s why she killed you.”
“Yup.” He tossed the soiled napkin into the empty pizza box.
Jane sighed. “I’m sorry.”
“Hey, don’t be sorry. If she hadn’t poisoned me I’d have lived on, probably died at a ripe old age and never met you.”
“True. I wonder what happened to the schools you supported.”
“One day I’ll try to find out.”
Jane resolved to help him when she had internet access but at the moment she didn’t want to embark on the explanations that would entail. It was nearly ten and she got out the video camera.
“I thought of something else,” she said. “I’ll rub a little Vaseline on the lens so that it looks all misty and slightly out of focus. They’ll know there’s something there but not quite what it is.”
They rehearsed a couple of times and Jane wiped out their first try as too jerky and posed. By the third or fourth attempt they got it right and Pierce materialized in the mirror as a very realistic-looking ghost. Could a ghost be realistic?
Chapter Five
Jane reveled in the warmth of Pierce against the length of her back. When they’d finished filming they had settled into her narrow cot, speaking little, touching gently. Love that night had been sweet and tender. They had both been tired, nerves strained by what had happened to them. Their bodies came together as much for comfort as from lust. After they lay like spoons, one of Pierce’s hands cupping her breast and the other flat on her stomach. Every so often his muscles gave a tiny twitch as he sank into sleep and her body responded with a ripple of desire.
She closed her eyes. She had to get some sleep if she was to keep her wits about her tomorrow when she took Pierce back to her town. But her brain wouldn’t quit.
For a day and a night she’d tried to be blasé about spending time in the house, and then forced herself to take meeting a ghost in her stride but she had to confess that her nerves were more than a bit frayed. As for Pierce, she had no idea what mental and physical strain was involved in coming back to the world after you’d been dead for decades.
As she lay in Pierce’s arms and listened to his even breathing, she racked her brain for anything she’d ever read or heard about ghosts. Of course there weren’t too many examples of one coming back to life and taking his place in the world. Was that because it never happened? Or because the ones who did it were so clever they slipped into a new community with barely a ripple? Stephen King had some pretty horrifying stories about people coming back to life, but when they returned they were evil and terrifying, not drop-dead gorgeous and hungry for sex.
From what he’d told her and what her mother had said, Pierce had disappeared eighty or so years ago. His body had rematerialized and there was nothing wrong with it as far as she could tell. In fact, it was absolutely, smashingly all there. But did that mean he would continue his life cycle as he should have done all those years ago? Would he age like any other human? Or would the process accelerate because he was already ancient? Or would he stay young and virile, frozen in time while she gradually grew older?
The thought made her draw a deep breath.
“Can’t you sleep?” Pierce’s voice murmured in her ear and his hand on her abdomen moved to her thigh. A trail of sparks followed along her nerve endings.
She muttered something about being close to dropping off.
“I can put you to sleep.” He kissed her ear and then she felt the tip of his tongue trace the edge of her lobe. His fingers tightened on her breast and she felt his cock swell against the cheeks of her bottom.
Immediately a rush of moisture spread between her legs. Pierce murmured in contentment and pushed two fingers between her thighs, searching for her clit. He found it and nipped the soft flesh between his fingers then began to stroke gently, rhythmically. Jane gave herself up to the delicious sensations in breast and pussy.
The pressure of his hand made her arch against him. He held her firm while continuing to pleasure her.
At last she could take no more. The heat built up in her belly while the relentless rubbing on her clit sent more flickers of fire deep into her. The wave began low down and spread up through the lips of her vulva, burning everything in its path until she cried out and arched again in his iron grip.
> “Is that better?” he whispered.
She could only nod, still feeling his cheek against her hair.
“Best sleeping potion there is,” he said.
She was already drifting, her body completely relaxed, her head empty of any nagging thoughts. She felt him settle against her again and she slept.
Something woke Jane very early the next morning. She and Pierce were still folded together. He had been with her now for almost two nights and a day. So far so good.
One ray of dawn light penetrated the gloom of the room where the drapes had not been completely closed. She lay for a while on her side watching it spread a golden glow over her backpack and their discarded clothes.
Her body ached with a delicious throb between her legs when she moved but her head was clear as a bell.
A noise outside brought her fully awake. She slipped out of Pierce’s embrace, dragged her T-shirt over her nakedness and walked to the window to peer out. The sun was still behind the trees on the far side of the lawn but it promised to be a glorious day. The patrol car edged past the house once again. They were certainly faithful but they hadn’t caught the intruder. Of course, strictly speaking, Pierce wasn’t an intruder since he belonged to the house. She supposed the law firm hadn’t considered that possibility. She smiled to herself as she stretched her arms over her head and turned back to the bed. Pierce lay on his side, eyes open, watching her with the same small grin curving his mouth.
“What is it?” she asked, but she knew the answer. She just wanted to hear him say it.
“I want to fuck you.”
“I thought you’d never ask.” She took the few steps to the side of the cot and pushed him onto his back. Hitching up her T-shirt, she straddled him, her hands on his shoulders. “My turn,” she whispered. “Leave it to me.”
His cock was already large and swollen, jutting toward her like a gorgeous missile seeking a target. She positioned her pussy over it and let her wetness brush over him. He gasped and seized her hips, trying to pull her down onto him. She pulled back. “You have to let me do this. Take your hands away.”
“All right.” His mouth twisted in a grimace that looked like pain but he let go of her.
She rode him, laving him with her juices, pulling away, sliding him into her slowly then retreating again only to ram him deep inside her. Reveling in the power she wielded, she refused to let him come, although he begged her and she felt her own climax building, cresting deep inside.
He groaned and bit his lip, crying out when she let him into her, moaning when she slid away. It was wonderful.
At last he could bear it no longer. Despite her protests he seized her hips again and forced her onto his throbbing, pulsing cock. It was steel-hard and hot, wet with their combined juices. As he rammed into her she could hold back the tempest no longer and they shuddered, shouted and climaxed together.
The heater had remained on during the night so there was enough hot water for a bath and for Pierce to shave. Both were a bit subdued as they washed, packed up Jane’s cot and ate the last of the food. Jane made instant coffee right in the mugs with a kettle of boiling water.
Pierce watched with interest. “Sorry it’s only instant,” she said. “We can stop off in town for something better.”
He picked up a mug and sniffed at the steam. “Smells like coffee.” He took a sip. “Almost tastes like coffee.”
She passed him the sugar bowl. “You’ll find a lot of things are made now to be quick and easy but we lose a lot of flavor for the convenience. Some people buy organic.”
She explained what that meant as they finished their scanty breakfast and rinsed the plates and cups. It was only eight-thirty when Jane took a last look around. The water heater was shut down, all the windows securely bolted, the garbage scooped into plastic bags for disposal. Is this where there should be discussion about her taking him back?
She drew a deep breath. “This is where things start to get interesting,” she said. “We have to convince the law firm that the house is haunted and then establish your identity.” She couldn’t help a little clutch of fear in the base of her abdomen. So much could go wrong. Not only might Pierce find it difficult to become a legal resident of the present year but she worried about what might happen when he saw all the gorgeous women out there. He’d been hungry for sex and she’d been right at hand, willing and more than ready for him. Sexual mores had certainly changed over the last century. A good-looking wealthy guy would have to fight them off with a baseball bat. Where would that leave her? Why hadn’t she thought of that? Because she’d been dazzled by his charm and by his obvious desire. But that desire might fade as soon as he realized she wasn’t the only one available to him.
“Penny for your thoughts,” Pierce said.
She shot him a quick smile. “Nothing. Just thinking about where we should go first.” She picked up the last bag of garbage and the pack with the video camera. “Got it all mapped out,” she said cheerfully. “Let’s go.”
Jane steered the car back toward town. She’d arrived at the house late Tuesday afternoon and spent two nights filming as she’d been instructed. Motherly Abigail had told her the offices closed at noon on Friday so she had to return the camera on Friday morning. The shots were all digital, timed and dated, so they had only the rest of Thursday to get their story straight.
Jane glanced at Pierce in the passenger seat beside her. His window was down and the breeze ruffled his hair. He still wore his tweed suit but he’d left off the starched collar and the tie. She stole a peek at the smooth skin on his throat and her hand gave an involuntary movement on the wheel as if drawn to touch it. She moistened her lips. His skin would be like brown silk under her fingers and lower down, his abs would be rock hard…
A car horn blasted her out of her fantasy and Pierce yelped in alarm. She jerked the wheel to restore the vehicle to the correct lane and let out a deep breath. A small sports car scudded past her, driven by an elegant woman who made a rude gesture, obviously furious that they had almost drifted into her lane. “Sorry about that.”
She felt Pierce’s hand on the nape of her neck. He massaged the tender spot at the top of her spine and she shivered. “You’re too tense,” he said. “Just relax.”
“On the contrary, I was too relaxed. Not paying attention to the road.”
His eyes were on the cars around them as the traffic thickened. “Extraordinary,” he murmured. “Would I be able to buy one of these?”
“I don’t see why not, once you have a bank account and can get a license.” The mention of the everyday necessities brought her back to the stomach-churning problem of how to pass him off as a contemporary man.
It was almost lunchtime on a warm day and the girls were out in their skimpy dresses, enjoying the sun. Jane shot Pierce a sideways glance. His eyes wandered everywhere, never stopping on one person for more than a few seconds.
He shifted in his seat, his hand still warm and comforting on her shoulder. “The skirts are very short, aren’t they?”
“Right.” She didn’t want to pursue that.
“Some of them are bare at the waist.”
“Belly buttons are fashionable, especially with a ring.”
“You mean, right in the—” He pointed to roughly where his navel would be.
“You got it.”
“Extraordinary,” he said again. Then he looked at her. “You don’t have a ring in your belly button.”
“No, I’m not into those kinds of fashion. I’ve never even considered it.”
“It might be interesting.”
At that moment she signaled to slide into the lane to make a left turn and braked at the stop sign. “Where would you like to go first?”
“Somewhere with a bed.” His fingers played under her hair and another frisson snaked down to her belly.
“I could find you a motel.”
“Us.”
“What?”
“Find us a motel, whatever that is.”
&n
bsp; The light turned green and she pretended to concentrate on her driving. Her heart rate had notched up again. Damn, she was conditioned to respond to every suggestion he made and she’d only known him for two days. What did that make her?
She made herself focus on the here and now, not what might be once they were in a motel room. “A motel is a hotel where you can drive right up to the door of your room.”
“Clever.”
She drove a few more blocks and turned in where a flashing sign announced “Vacancy”.
“Stay here. I’ll check you in.”
The teenager behind the counter at reception wasn’t the slightest bit interested in her or her companion. Jane gave a credit card, collected a room key and returned to the car. “I’ll show you the room and then we should get you some new clothes.”
She had asked for a quiet room and the one they were given was shielded by a stand of trees from the parking lot and from the pool. She could hear some children shouting and splashing but couldn’t see anyone.
Pierce took her bag from the trunk. She placed a hand on his arm. “I won’t be needing that.”
Replacing it, he slammed the trunk closed then followed her in silence into the room. He gave the fittings a cursory glance, nodding when she pointed out the bathroom and explained how the shower worked.
“The water will be hot all the time.”
Nodding again, he removed his jacket and threw it on the queen-sized bed. The drapes were closed, making the standard room dim and intimate.
She put the key on the dresser and stood awkwardly, unnerved by his silence. “Is anything wrong?”
He flashed a grin. “Not as long as you’re here.”
He began to unbutton his shirt and pulled it from the waistband of his thick pants.
“What are you doing?”
“You said I needed new clothes so I might as well be rid of the old ones.”
“That’s not what I—”
Before she could finish he shucked his pants, slid his arms from the sleeves of his shirt and took a step toward her.
He took her in his arms and she lost all the scanty willpower that remained to her. She took a moment to savor the feel of his naked chest against her, the sensation of her breasts pressed hard to him, the brush of dark hair under her cheek. His hand caught her chin and lifted her face to his. His lips came down on hers, his tongue thrusting boldly into her mouth.
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