To Stop a Shadow (Spirit Chasers Book 2)

by Carrie Pulkinen

  She released his dick. “This was our first shower together.”

  He raked his gaze over her curvy body. “We’ll have to have a do-over. You didn’t even get wet.”

  “Oh, I’m plenty wet.”

  So. Damn. Sexy.

  She stepped out of the shower and led him back to the bed. “Lie down, and let’s finish what we started.”

  He climbed onto the bed and lay on his back. “As long as you don’t put my dick in your mouth, you can have your way with me.”

  “I’ve got a better place to put your dick.”

  “Why don’t you show me?”

  “I’d love to.” She straddled his pelvis and ran her hands over his body. Her touch ignited every masculine urge inside him, and his dick twitched in anticipation of feeling her wet warmth enveloping him.

  She rested her breasts against his chest and nuzzled into his neck as she lowered herself onto his cock. The tightness of her center wrapped around him sent electricity shooting through his limbs.

  “I love your body, Trent. You’re so sensual and sexy.”

  He loved her body too. And her heart. And her soul. Hell, he loved her. He bit his tongue to stop himself from telling her just that as she rose on her hands and gazed into his eyes. Her silky hair fell over her shoulder, and she smiled as she moved her hips up and down in perfect rhythm.

  She sat up straight and ran her hands over her own curves as she rode him. She was so confident. So completely aware of her own sensuality. She knew exactly what she liked, and she wasn’t afraid to ask for it.

  How the hell did he end up with such an amazing woman?

  She dropped her head back and closed her eyes as her ecstasy overtook her. Her legs trembled, and she leaned forward on her hands, her long, black hair spilling around him like a satin curtain. He gripped her hips and plunged himself deeper inside her. She moaned and lowered her mouth to his as his own orgasm rocketed through his body.

  Panting and slick with sweat, she collapsed on top of him and slid onto her side. God, he loved this woman. She had his heart in her hand, and all he could do was hope she wanted to keep it. She’d mentioned forever twice tonight. Hopefully she meant it.

  He traced his fingertips along her arm. “This kind of forever, I can definitely handle. The first kind…not so much.”

  She propped her head on her hand and brushed the damp hair away from her face. “I’m sorry I burned your dick.”

  “It was worth it. It actually felt good after you washed it a few times.”

  Mischief danced in her eyes. “So next time we have wings…”

  “Don’t even think about it.”

  CHAPTER SIXTEEN

  Trent pressed the home button on his phone and stared at the last text Tina sent him: I miss you. She’d sent the message nearly four hours ago, but those three little words had kept him distracted all morning. The same woman who, only a few months ago, wanted nothing to do with him was now sending him texts to let him know she missed him. A smile tugged at the corners of his mouth. He missed her too.

  Since he’d gotten back into the routine of his job, and Tina had listed the house, he hadn’t had an episode in over a week. He was even starting to get a little energy back rather than being exhausted and going straight to sleep when he got home. Of course, the excitement of seeing Tina in the evenings probably helped to keep him awake.

  The repairs on his own house were coming along, and he’d be able to go back home within the week. With all the stress finally lifting from his shoulders, combined with the new medication taking effect, his condition improved daily. He’d even managed to convince Logan to let him drive himself to work today.

  He stared out the seventeenth-floor window at the sparse traffic below. Cars whizzed by on the freeway. No back-ups. No accidents. Ann Arbor wasn’t that far away. If he took an extended lunch break, he could drive out to the house and surprise Tina. She’d had two showings this morning, and with one more this afternoon, she’d still be there.

  Before he could talk himself out of it, he grabbed his keys and headed out the door. He picked up a bouquet of lavender tulips on his way to the parking garage and made his way to the house.

  Tina’s Mustang sat alone in the driveway, which meant she’d be alone in the house. Though he didn’t believe Gage’s theory about a shadow demon living in the attic, it still made him nervous for her to be there by herself. Even Allison’s theory that his uncle might’ve summoned the ghosts and trapped them there didn’t settle well with him, but what else could he do? Hopefully Tina would sell the house quickly. With any luck, she already had.

  He jogged up the front steps and let himself in. Tina padded in from the kitchen, and her eyes lit up when she saw him.

  “I wasn’t expecting to see you today.” She glided into his arms and pressed her lips to his. “Did you leave Logan in the car?”

  “I assume he’s still at work. These are for you.” He handed her the flowers.

  “Thank you. They’re beautiful.” She sniffed the petals and furrowed her brow. “Did Allison drop you off?”

  “Nah. I drove myself.”

  She blinked at him a few times as if trying to choose her words carefully. “Did the doctor say it was okay for you to drive again?”

  “I haven’t had an episode in over a week.” He ran his hand up her arm and gave her shoulder a squeeze. “I’m okay.”

  “Does Logan know you drove here? He was supposed to be keeping you in line while I’m away.” Though she said it with a smile, the look in her eyes told him she wasn’t happy about him driving.

  “He knows I drove to work this morning. I didn’t see him when I left this afternoon.” He sighed and ran a hand through his hair. “I’m fine, okay? I wouldn’t drive if I didn’t think it was safe.”

  “I know, but…You’re not even supposed to be here.” She cast her gaze to the floor. “If there really is a shadow demon that wants your soul…”

  He hooked his finger under her chin and raised her gaze to his. “You aren’t starting to believe that, are you?”

  “I don’t know.”

  “Have you had the dream lately?”

  “No, I guess I haven’t.”

  “See?” He pulled her into his arms and inhaled her sweet floral scent. “There’s nothing to worry about.”

  “All right.” She pulled from his embrace and guided him into the kitchen. “I guess I can forgive you this time. You did bring these beautiful flowers. They’ll look great on the breakfast table.” She pulled a bouquet of silk flowers from a vase and filled it with water before arranging the tulips and positioning them in the center of the table.

  “Don’t you want to take them home?”

  She paused, a perplexed look falling across her features. “This house is starting to feel so much like home, I guess I forgot we don’t live here.”

  His stomach tightened at her use of the word “we.” The thought that she’d even consider living with him had his heart thrumming in his chest. “Aside from the ghosts in the attic, it does have a homey feel, doesn’t it?” But Tina could make a storage shed feel like home to him, as long as she was there. “How’d the showing go this morning?”

  She bit her bottom lip as a pink blush spread across her cheeks. “I might have screwed that up.”

  “I doubt that. What happened?”

  “They were a nice couple, and they seemed to like the house. But something about them didn’t feel right. When I pictured them actually living here, I don’t know. It didn’t settle well with me. I don’t think they were the right family for this house. That sounds crazy, doesn’t it?”

  He started to say yes, but he paused. He’d been so intent on getting rid of his burden, he hadn’t stopped to think about what it would actually feel like to let this house go. It had been in his family from the beginning. His ancestors built it, and no one but the Austin family had ever lived here. In fact, now that he thought about it, he couldn’t imagine anyone living here unless it was himself�
��and Tina.

  He shook his head. While it would be hard to let the house go, he could do it. But the woman standing before him…he couldn’t live without her.

  “Why are you looking at me like that?” Tina stepped toward him. “Are you mad at me?”

  “You are the most amazing woman I have ever met. If you didn’t think they were right for this house, then they weren’t.”

  She blew out a breath. “Good. Because, sometimes, I feel like I’m going crazy when it comes to this place. Oh, that reminds me. I wanted to show you something.” She opened her briefcase and handed him a faded sheet of paper.

  “What’s this?”

  “I couldn’t sleep, so I got up early this morning and dug around in the storage unit. I found it tucked inside Jack’s address book.”

  He scanned the handwritten page—all names, some written in blue ink, others in black. “These are the same names from the list of homeowners you found.”

  She took the paper from his hands. “Some of them are. Some weren’t on my list. What do you think the check marks next to the names mean?”

  “I have no idea.”

  “And look at this. Lucy and Emily. That’s your uncle’s wife and daughter. They’re circled in red pen. Why do you think your uncle made this list?”

  “I don’t know.”

  “What if these are the ghosts in the attic?”

  “You think Uncle Jack trapped his own wife and daughter in the attic?” It sounded even more ridiculous when he said it out loud. Sure, his uncle was crazy, but he wasn’t a soul collector. At least, he didn’t think he was. He cut his gaze toward the cellar door. Maybe he’d find some bodies in the basement after all.

  “There are no check marks by their names. Maybe they’re circled because they were next on his list. Maybe he was practicing when he summoned the others. I don’t know. Maybe he was so lonely, he was trying to bring the whole family together.”

  “But only the dead ones.” He took the paper from her hand and laid it in her briefcase. This had to stop. “I think you’ve been spending way too much time here. You should let one of your colleagues handle any showings this weekend, and we can take a trip. I wouldn’t mind a few days off. Maybe we can fly down to Mexico and spend some time on the beach.”

  “You think I’m crazy, but this list goes hand-in-hand with Allison’s theory.”

  “No, I don’t think you’re crazy.”

  “Look.” She grabbed the list from her briefcase. “Cox and Bertha’s names don’t have check marks.”

  “So?”

  “And look at the last name on the list.” She held the paper up and pointed to the entry. “That says ‘Trent.’ That’s your name.”

  “So it is.” There could have been plenty of reasons why his name appeared on that paper, but he didn’t drive all the way out here to talk about theories.

  “Why is your name on the list of ghosts in the attic?”

  “That’s not what the list is.” He took the page from her hands, folded it in half, and laid it on the table.

  She clenched her hands into fists. “How do you know it’s not?”

  “How do you know it is?”

  She blinked as if coming out of a daze. “I don’t. My God, I am going crazy.”

  “You’re not crazy, sweetheart. If I saw your name on a list like this, it would bother me too. But it’s probably there because he willed the house to me. Who knows what the crazy old man meant by this, but you know what?” He gripped her hips and pulled her close. “None of this will matter once the house is sold.”

  She inhaled deeply and relaxed into his embrace. “You’re right. I’ve always loved a good mystery novel, but real-life ones are apparently too much for me to handle. Were you serious about Mexico?”

  “Warm, salty air. Sun and sand. I could sure use a vacation.”

  “Me too.”

  “I’ll book it this afternoon.” Some time away from this place would do them both good.

  “That sounds fantastic.” She pressed a soft kiss to his lips.

  An image of Tina lying on the beach in a tiny bikini played in his mind. The sand in her hair. Her skin slick with oil and sweat. “How long until the next showing?”

  She glanced at a clock on the wall. “Two hours.”

  He rested a hand on her hip and slid the other one into her hair. “Is that bed in the master bedroom really a bed? It’s not just a cardboard box covered in a duvet, is it?”

  She grinned. “It’s real.”

  “Would it be wrong of us to make love in a rented bed?”

  She leaned in and pressed her lips to his ear. “We don’t have to tell anyone.”

  Her intoxicating scent and the feel of her warm breath against his skin made his knees weak in a good way. And when she nipped at his earlobe and tugged him to the bedroom, he knew without a doubt this was the person he was meant to spend forever with.

  She undid the buttons on his shirt and smiled as it dropped to the floor. “Even though I know what’s underneath the wrapping, it still feels like Christmas every time I undress you. This might be my favorite part.”

  “Hmm…” He pulled her shirt over her head and unhooked her bra. “If undressing me is your favorite part, I need to step up my game.”

  “Your game is great. I just really like the way you look naked.” She reached for the button on his pants, but he caught her by the wrist.

  “So you’re saying you’d rather look at my naked body than feel my lips on your skin?” He nuzzled into her neck and trailed kisses down to her shoulder while unzipping her skirt and pushing it to the floor.

  She inhaled deeply, running her soft hands up his chest. “No, your lips are great.”

  “Just great?” He slid her panties down her legs and gently pushed her onto the bed before undressing himself.

  “They’re amazing.” Lying back on a pillow, her soft, black hair fanned out around her like a flame. The afternoon sun filtered in through the sheer drapes, warm light accentuating her perfect features and making her glow like an angel.

  His angel.

  He climbed on top of her and kissed his way down her throat and across her chest, taking his time with each breast, hardening her nipples with his tongue. When his teeth grazed the sensitive pearl, she sucked in a sharp breath and a tiny whimper escaped her lips. He trailed his tongue down her stomach, her muscles tightening as he neared her navel.

  He stopped and looked up her. “Still think undressing me is the best part?”

  “Have you looked in a mirror lately? You’re hot as hell.”

  “Hmm…I’ll have to work harder.” He moved down her body, tasting, nipping, and kissing every inch of her soft, sweet skin.

  She spread her legs, and he settled between them, kissing and stroking her inner thighs, up one leg and down the other. When he reached her center, he paused, his lips a scant centimeter from heaven, and let the anticipation build. He could almost feel the desire emanating from her. Her need for him to touch her. To taste her.

  She arched her back, bringing herself closer to him, and whispered, “Please.”

  He pressed his lips against her, and she held her breath. As he slipped his tongue out to taste her, she exhaled a satisfied hiss.

  Holy hell, this woman was sexy. He couldn’t hold back anymore. He lapped at her sensitive nub, bathing it in the warmth of his tongue, reveling in the sweet taste of Tina. She moaned as he slipped his fingers inside her, writhing and wiggling as he brought her closer to ecstasy.

  Everything about her intoxicated him. The taste of her skin. Her scent. The sounds she made as she climaxed, gripping his shoulders and pulling him to her.

  “Make love to me, Trent. I need you inside me.”

  He rose onto his hands and pressed his tip against her. “Are you sure you wouldn’t rather just look at me? I’m hot as hell.”

  She grinned wickedly and hooked her heels behind his thighs, drawing him toward her. “I take back what I said before. This is my favorit
e part.”

  He groaned as he filled her, warm wetness sheathing him, squeezing him, as he made love to her. Their bodies fit together effortlessly. Their movements seemed flawlessly choreographed as if they’d made love thousands of times, yet each time felt new, like it was the first. Everywhere she touched him—the pressure, the friction—was sheer perfection. He loved this woman with every fiber of his being, and he’d make love to her every day for the rest of his existence if she’d let him.

  “Oh, Trent.”

  The rasp of her voice. The warmth of her breath on his skin. It was enough to send him over the edge. He quickened his pace, and she matched his rhythm beat for beat, clutching his back and crying out again as another orgasm overtook her. His head spun, and he squeezed his eyes shut as a tidal wave of ecstasy crashed through his body.

  He collapsed on top of her, gasping for breath as the elation subsided, a drunken calmness remaining in its wake. He rose up on his elbows and gazed into her bright green eyes. “I love you, Tina.”

  She bit her bottom lip, as if she were unsure of how to respond. “Allison always says if something is meant to be, it will be. That if the universe wants something to happen, it will happen, no matter how hard you try to stop it. I think she’s right.”

  He rolled onto his back, and she snuggled into his side, draping her leg across his waist. She loved him. He could see it in her eyes. Feel it in the way she touched him. She didn’t have to say the words. Not yet. Hell, he probably shouldn’t have said them yet either. It was too soon. God, if he’d screwed this up…

  She lifted her head and kissed his cheek. “Be patient with me.”

  “I’m not going anywhere.”

  “Except to Mexico.”

  “Only if you’re coming with me.” She was still holding back, but he could wait. She’d just said herself that if the universe wanted something to happen, it would. And he knew without a doubt that spending forever with Tina was definitely meant to be.

  He lay there with her for a while, relaxing in the comfort of her embrace. He must’ve dozed off because, when he opened his eyes, Tina stood next to the bed, fully dressed, watching him with a sweet smile on her face.