by Tara West
Katherine screamed, racing down the stairs. “Dr. Straw,” she cried as she helped him up, “are you all right?”
The doctor answered with a succinct nod as he brushed sand off his pants. He said nothing else as he turned and quickly hustled down the street.
Hands planted on her hips, Katherine marched back up the stairs, her riotous head of blonde curls bouncing across her back. Her golden hues dazzled while catching the last rays of the evening sun. God, how I had loved her hair. It was so much fairer than her sister’s. Add to that high cheekbones, full, sensual lips, and luminous green eyes, and no wonder so many Galvestonian men were eager to toss up her skirts. Still, I would have gladly traded Katherine’s beauty for Marie’s loyalty and kindness.
I slammed the door after she followed me inside our home. Though I suspected my neighbors already knew of my wife’s indiscretions, I would not confront her outside for all the world to see. Katherine deserved no such discretion, but for the sake of her parents, I choose not to call her out in public.
“Aedan, what’s gotten into you?” She threw her hands in the air, her eyes widening. She took my injured hand, turning it over in her own while examining the cuts and bruises with her gentle, feminine touch. It was the most compassionate thing Katherine had ever done for me. “What happened?”
“I struck Callum.”
She released my hand and stepped away, flinching as if I would strike her next. “Why?”
“You tell me why. Why, Katherine?” I was unable to mask the hurt in my voice. The pain of her deception was too much. “Why would you betray me with my own brother?”
“I betrayed you?” She snapped her head back as if she’d been hit with a verbal slap. “You goddamn hypocrite!” Her voice rose several octaves. “I know why you close your eyes when we make love. It’s my sister’s face you see, not mine.”
Thunderclouds blurred my vision, and I stared down at my pretty wife as if seeing her for the first time. “You would use your jealousy of a ghost as a reason to break our vows?”
“This is your fault for making me your bride and then sticking me in this shack!” She waved wildly around her at the simple furnishings I had paid for with honest, hard labor.
My internal temperature soared along with my ire. “I bust my back to give you fine things. The soles are falling off my boots so that you may have satin drapes and fancy teas.”
She stomped her foot like a petulant child. “I deserve silks! I deserve a grand home on Broadway Avenue. I will never have these things as your wife. Never, unless I earn them myself.”
Her gaze flitted to her new tea set sitting atop our weathered credenza.
For the first time, I got a good look at my home. Katherine said she’d gotten the tea set for a bargain. The brocade sofa I’d feared set me back a month’s wages, but that, too, Katherine said she’d found used for half price. Now I realized her gentlemen callers had paid for this finery.
Flaming pyres of rage shot through my skull as I bore down on her with a roar. “You earned these things as a whore!”
She did not even have the decency to flinch as she stood on her tiptoes and jabbed me in the chest. “And what are you, but a rich man’s dog? At the docks from dawn till dusk, earning barely enough to put food on our table while your employers profit off your blood and sweat.”
I stepped back, feeling as if her censure had shot an arrow of venom straight to my heart. “Who are you, and what has happened to the woman I married?”
She advanced upon me, biting her lower lip and batting thick lashes. Smiling seductively, she smoothed a hand down my chest. “I am that same woman, Aedan, only wiser.”
I shrieked back, sickened by her touch. “You are a damned fool, and so am I.”
Ignoring her cries, I hastened out the door, needing to put some distance between us. Never before had I struck a woman, but I was sorely tempted now to beat my bride within an inch of her life. It would do neither of us any good. My Jezebel was rotten to the core, and no act of heaven or hell would change her. A blustering wind had picked up outside, nearly sweeping the cap off my head. Horses whinnied and dogs howled. I squinted at the darkening horizon. A storm was brewing for sure. If only there was a wind powerful enough to sweep up the pieces of our shattered lives.
Purgatory Level Thirteen
Present Day
Ash MacLeod
I’m a good girl now. I’m a good girl now.
I had to keep repeating my new mantra; otherwise, I might forget it. I’m a good girl who does what she’s told and doesn’t step out of line. A lot of things have changed since my “ghosting incident” on level one, aka Earth, aka the land where weird is actually weird, and people don’t walk around with hammers lodged in their heads and parking meters sticking out of their chests. Did I mention I saw a guy carrying his head the other day? How the hell was he supposed to work his shitty Purgatory job and earn enough credits to get into Heaven when his head kept rolling off his neck? That seriously had to be a distraction.
Anyway, back to the changes. First off, my dog Jack and I were forced to leave my ghosting squad friends at Delta House and go live with the snooty Alphas. And by forced, I mean my boyfriend Aedan enlisted the help of my grandma and uncle to guilt me into transferring to a more “secure” team. Oh, yeah, my Grim Reaper boyfriend has practically got my family eating out of his hands now. My grandma thought it was just wonderful that her wayward granddaughter had finally found a nice man who could look after her. My uncle said he only wanted to see me safe. My grandpa has yet to meet my new boyfriend. I refused to bring Aedan down to level ten until Grandpa promised to put on some clothes. And, no, his faded cotton bathrobe didn’t count. It hardly wrapped around his bulging belly, sometimes exposing his rocks-in-socks, aka, black leather thong, especially when he had an itch, which unfortunately, was at least every ten minutes.
I guess I couldn’t pin all the blame for my new assignment on Aedan. My new squad leader, Shadow, who just so happened to be the big boss over all of the ghosters, stepped in after Aedan and I had a huge, unnecessary blow up and told me I either transferred to Alpha House, or I’d be fired. That left me with no other options.
Even though my Delta Squad friends sort of let me down by not following me and helping out with those demons at our last assignment, in their defense, they were following orders, and I was breaking them. Oh, yeah, and speaking of breaking the rules…. Even though I’d risked my eternal soul and battled scary demons and a freaky witch to save a child’s life, Shadow informed me I hadn’t earned any credits for that job. Zero, zip, nada, nothing, all because I broke orders to rescue a child. So not fair.
Back to my new assignment at the Alpha House, it sucked. It sucked big fat donkey balls. Alpha House was comprised of fifteen ghosters, and they were supposedly the crème de la crème, and, yeah, they knew it. In addition to fifteen ghosters, the Alphas also had three full-time Grims at their disposal. Oh, and there just so happened to be an opening for a new Grim, and guess who got the job? That was one of the “conditions” of me staying on as a ghoster. So I went from being a lonely loser who had to rely on C batteries and a latex wand for excitement, to having the boyfriend from Hell, or in this case Purgatory, who shadowed my every move.
Of course Alpha House had its perks, such as I had my own maid who made my bed every morning and cleaned the toothpaste residue out of my sink. And then there was the perk of having my boyfriend live in the suite across the hall from mine. I usually found myself in his bed around ten each night, and we’d screw each other’s brains out for the next few hours before I snuck back to my bed. Thank God Alpha House had thick walls.
Aedan always begged me to stay with him, but I refused, and, no, it wasn’t because I feared he’d choke on my morning breath or he’d hear me rip a loud fart in the middle of the night. I couldn’t stay because I refused to leave my black Lab, Jack, alone all night. I already hated the way he whimpered when I tip toed out the door. I got the feeling he waited by the
door while I was with Aedan. Apparently, dogs were a special rarity in Purgatory, and because my childhood best bud had waited all this time to be with me, I couldn’t leave him alone at night. Aedan had told me to bring Jack to his suite, but I didn’t want my dog staring at us while we were breaking in Aedan’s new mattress. Talk about a major mood killer.
Since Aedan decided to give up the apartment he’d been living in for the past century and, as he put it, step outside his comfort zone, we still hadn’t finished moving all the stuff to his new apartment. Seemed like a guy could collect a lot of shit when he’d been dwelling in Purgatory for over a hundred years.
So that’s how we found ourselves at his old apartment, gathering the remainder of his things and saying goodbye to our neighbor, Ines. She’d practically cried a river when Aedan told her he was moving out. Though she’s made it no secret she had a major crush on my guy, I couldn’t help but like Ines. She had been so helpful during my transition to Purgatory, even though she nearly caused my colon to implode after feeding me gluten. I felt like the awkward third wheel as Ines crushed Aedan against her padded bosom, her Adam’s Apple bobbing wildly as she choked on a deep, masculine sob and ended with a girly sniffle.
She finally released him and wiped watery mascara off her eyes with a tissue. “I have to get to my next appointment, Mr. Delicious.” Ines scowled at me before flashing Aedan a dazzling smile. “If this chica doesn’t treat you right, you know you can count on Ines.”
Ugh. I refrained from rolling my eyes. Ines still hadn’t forgiven me for breaking Aedan’s heart, and I guess I deserved it. In my defense, I’d been confused. Our relationship had gone from painfully awkward to hot and heavy without an adjustment period in-between. Actually, I still hadn’t adjusted to my new crazy afterlife, but of one thing I was certain. Aedan was a good man, a damn good man, and I wasn’t about to lose him again, even if I didn’t deserve him.
Ines offered me a half-hearted hug before whispering in my ear. “Treat him right this time.”
“I will,” I said, but her answering scowl wasn’t reassuring.
She blew Aedan a kiss before sashaying her hips out the door, slamming it behind her.
I worked hard not to roll my eyes. I didn’t know who I was more annoyed with, Ines for giving me a hard time, or myself for walking out on my boyfriend in the first place. Oh, well. No use dwelling on regrets. I’ve dealt with enough of them since I’d accidentally electrocuted myself and ended up on the thirteenth level of Purgatory. So far, meeting Aedan hadn’t been one of them.
I followed Aedan into his bedroom and helped him wrap an antique vase in tissue before setting it inside a crate. Yeah, cardboard boxes were a luxury in Purgatory. I was fairly certain Aedan had brought this crate with him from 1900. As I got a good look around the room, from his ornate mahogany bed with its intricately carved headboard, to the huge oak cabinet he’d referred to as a “wardrobe,” I realized Aedan had collected a lot of memories here. Too many. I wondered, not for the first time, why Aedan had chosen to live out his eternity on the top level of Purgatory, working a dangerous job as a Grim Reaper when he’d already earned enough credits to get into Heaven. I’d asked him more than once why he hadn’t ascended, but he always found a way to distract me with passionate kisses or mind-blowing orgasms.
“Are you sure about this?” I asked my boyfriend for like the umpteenth time. “I feel bad uprooting you.”
“You’re not uprooting me.” He shrugged before flashing a sheepish grin. “This was my decision.”
I grabbed a wad of packing tissue off the table and squeezed it in my fist. “Yeah, but you’re doing this for me.”
He pried the tissue away before clasping my hands in his warm, calloused grip. “You’re my woman, Ash. It’s my duty to protect you.”
I wanted to tell him weren’t in the 1900s anymore, but if it hadn’t been for his protection, I’d be some demon’s bitch right now. My knees weakened when I stared into those bright blue eyes, his strong gaze ever steady, just like him. I still didn’t know what I’d done to deserve his loyalty, but I was lucky to have him. With the exception of my sweet uncle and loyal dog, all of the other asshole men in my life had abandoned me. Plus, as an added bonus, Aedan sure made me horny. Very horny. No matter how many nights I spent in his arms, I just couldn’t get enough of his rock-hard body and sweet, soulful lovemaking. Since the first time Aedan and I made love, I’d realized all my other relationships before him had been nothing more than casual flings.
When his eyes darkened, and he wrapped a strong arm around the small of my back, pressing me into him, my worries were forgotten. He cupped my chin and planted a tender kiss on my lips, making my girly parts tingle with need. When he finally broke the kiss, my knees weakened at the smoldering look in his eyes, and then I bit my bottom lip when he nodded toward the bed. Good thing he’d left the sheets on, although I suspected they’d be thoroughly rumpled by day’s end.
He wordlessly eased me onto the mattress before unbuttoning my clothes. I loved the way Aedan took his time undressing me, slowly removing my shirt and unclasping my bra, squeezing each breast before lavishing them with kisses. He carefully unzipped my jeans before easing the denim down my hips.
I almost imagined we were back in 1900, and he was removing my corset and pantaloons. I giggled at the thought. When Aedan shot me a questioning glance, I shook my head and smiled. I wasn’t about to divulge my little fantasy.
He responded with a nip on my hipbone, then another on my stomach. My boobs perked like a double scoop ice cream sundae with hard little cherries on top as he crawled up the length of my body, nipping and licking. I sucked in a sharp hiss when his teeth scraped one pebbled nipple, then the other. He shot me a sinister smile before biting the swell of each breast, leaving red marks on my skin. A shiver raced up my spine when he took my nipples in his mouth again, this time tugging at the tender buds. He stretched them until I screamed, and then he stretched them again.
Damn, that hurt, and damn, I didn’t want him to stop.
I wondered what had gotten into my gentle lover that he was experimenting with torturous foreplay, but I wasn’t about to complain. In fact, if he wanted me to flip over so he could spank my ass a few times, I’d be more than happy to oblige. Oops. Guess my she-devil was showing. And they said demons weren’t allowed in Purgatory.
Much to my satisfaction, Aedan nipped and licked my breasts until they were sore and tender, and I was fairly certain my panties were soaked through. After a bit of swearing and coaxing on my part, he finally got down to business, pulling my jeans and drenched undies off. And that’s when the real torture began. Aedan didn’t just give good oral sex. He practically worshipped my girly shrine with lots of long, languid licks and the perfect amount of pressure as he stroked my swollen pearl before pinching it and rolling it between his thumb and forefinger.
I arched my back, bucking my hips against him as I sucked in sharp gasps. The pleasure was so exquisite, I never wanted it to end. Oh, but I did want that orgasm, so damn bad I had to beg for it.
And beg. And beg... until Aedan finally climbed up my body and seated himself between my thighs. I wrapped my legs around his back, so ready to welcome his thick erection. I loved the look on his face, a cross between pure bliss and agony, as he slid deep inside me, burying himself until our bodies were joined at that sweet, swollen spot that made the little heartbeat deep inside my slick channel start thumping. And the more he pumped, the more I thumped, until that thumping turned into a full-scale orgasm, a magnitude ten on the climatic scale. I screamed and stilled, but Aedan kept tunneling into me until my G-spot was pounding so wildly, I swear it reverberated throughout every fiber in my body. And when his ragged breathing turned into a grunt and he stilled, the head of his cock thrumming against the center of that tight bundle of nerves, my orgasm crested anew, squeezing him with erratic pulses and milking his seed deep inside me. After several glorious hammering heartbeats, Aedan rolled me over in his arms and kissed
me senseless. Our chests were still heaving and sweat was dripping down our brows, but hot damn I felt good. And to think, I used to hate working out.
Seriously, with sex this good, who needed Heaven?
After our breathing returned somewhat to normal, I stretched my sated body, turning to snuggle in his embrace. That’s when I noticed my boyfriend’s eyes were shut and his lips were hitched in a sexy, satisfied smile. His look of pure bliss warmed my heart, and I couldn’t help but lean up and kiss him. He mumbled something, but I didn’t quite catch what he said.
“What was that?” I asked.
He mumbled again, and that’s when I realized our hot sex must have knocked him out good, because he was obviously talking in his sleep. As much as I wanted nothing more than to spend the rest of the afternoon sleeping in my lover’s arms, I knew we had to finish packing and report back to Alpha House. Ghosters were only granted a few hours off each week, and Alpha House ghosters were allowed even less time. One of the downsides of our job; we never knew when we’d get called to a ghosting emergency.
I reluctantly sat up and shook his shoulder. “Aedan. Wake up, sweets.”
“I don’t want to.” He made the cutest pouty face ever. “Five more minutes, Mar.”
Mar. Who’s Mar?
I shook him again. “Aedan!”
He made this weird snorting sound, and his eyes flew open. “Wha-what?”
I pulled a thin sheet over my breasts and scowled down at him. “Who the hell is Mar?”
“Mar?” He scrunched his face as he struggled to sit up.
“Yeah, you called me Mar.”
He stifled a yawn as he leaned against the headboard. “I did?”
I let out a frustrated groan. So much for my orgasm afterglow. Nothing pops a girl’s ego faster than when her boyfriend calls her another name in bed. “Who the hell is Mar?”
