LOVELORN SPIRITS
(The Paramours #3)
Christine Rains
Lovelorn Spirits (The Paramours #3)
Christine Rains | 2nd edition | Copyright 2017
Kindle Edition
First published by Ellora’s Cave in November 2015.
All rights reserved. This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This ebook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. If you’re reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please return to Amazon.com and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.
This book is a work of fiction and any resemblance to any person, living or dead, any place, events or occurrences is purely coincidental. The characters and story lines are created from the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously.
Summary: The Paramours - ghost hunting with a kiss.
Vivian Ray does not like working with the suave Miles Walker, but he's the best medium in the paranormal business. When they are possessed by a pair of passionate ghosts, Vivian and Miles realize they might have feelings for one another. But it's difficult to separate their own emotions apart from the spirits', and Vivian doesn't want to believe she's in anything more than lust with Miles. There's something much more dangerous after them, though, and if they can't help the ghosts work through their past, the investigators could lose their own lives.
Edited by Susan Edwards
Cover design: Allyse Leodra (photography from Shutterstock)
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Chapter One
“Is this the part where we take off our pants?” Miles smirked at Vivian and pointed his chest-mounted video camera at her as she glowered.
God, Vivian hated that man. Miles Walker was all cock and bull. Meaning cocky and full of bullshit. She wanted to strangle him with his expensive silk tie. Seriously, who wore a suit ghost hunting?
She pushed all the sharp remarks down inside. Unfortunately she needed his unique psychic skills. Miles was a medium with retrocognition. So if the spirits didn’t speak, he could potentially pick up the past through his other ability. And he was extraordinarily good at what he did. She’d love to call him a fraud, but he had proven he was a genuine psychic on several occasions.
It was the only thing she respected about him. Other than his fine taste in clothes. No matter how inappropriate they were for their work.
“No, our pants will be staying on, thank you.” Vivian’s words came out clipped. “We’ll be doing a standard investigation tonight, as I’ve already explained. I’ve done a daytime sweep of the lighthouse with my team with no activity—”
“Of course.” Miles snorted and swept the beam of his flashlight around the bottom floor of the lighthouse. “It was day, after all. Spiritual activity occurs at night. You should know the basics by now, my dear.”
Vivian’s cheek twitched. If she took the gorgeous bastard to the top and pushed him down the stairs, no one would care, right? They both knew it didn’t matter what time it was. Some ghosts appeared at certain times, but that was not the norm.
Wait. She called him gorgeous. And yes, he might be good-looking in a sort of Tom Hiddleston sort of way. Those intense bedroom eyes, kissable mouth and sexy devilish grin. But his attitude made him an ass.
“I know my business.” Damn. She adjusted the camera attached to her chest harness. Why did she have to agree to air this investigation live?
“I’m sure you do, you little minx.” Miles chuckled and walked slowly around the room.
Breathe. Stay calm. She couldn’t kill him. At least not on a live broadcast.
Miles drew his fingers along the big desk, which was clear of any tourist paraphernalia at the moment. “So tell me the scary story that goes along with this place.”
It was far from scary. Tragic would be the word Vivian used for it, but she doubted he would know the difference. “Well, you know I can’t give you the details of who lived here and what happened. You’re supposed to tell me that. What I can tell you is that lighthouse keepers have always claimed to hear noises and see dark shadows, and have felt a menacing presence. There are also stories of helpful and playful orbs.”
“Ah yes,” he said as he laid a hand on the side of the wrought iron circular staircase. He cocked his head to the side as if listening. “Two spirits. Young and in love. All they want is to be with one another.”
A rattling knock came from below the desk. Finally some activity.
Vivian didn’t say a thing. He was right. In 1885, a young married couple was caught in a fire on the second floor. Rescuers found their charred bodies clinging to one another in the remains of the bed. Authorities suspected foul play, but no one was ever convicted of the crime.
A second rap sounded from the desk. Sharper and with more force.
“Frisky spirits. Just the type you like, hm?” Miles winked at her.
That was it. She wasn’t going to take any more of his snide remarks. Yet when she opened her mouth to say something, he held up a hand to silence her. She bit her tongue and her hands clenched at her sides.
He furrowed his brows. “They died horribly. Something dark stalked them, killed them.” He suddenly pepped up, mounting the stairs. “The second floor. That’s where we need to go. That’s where it happened.”
Miles led the way up the twisted staircase. Their footsteps echoed, making it sound like a small army was climbing the steps. There was something in the air, too. Vivian breathed in deeply. She caught the barest whiff of smoke.
The second floor was the lighthouse keeper’s quarters. They were tiny, consisting of a kitchenette, bathroom and bedroom. No one lived in the lighthouse anymore, but it was kept as it once was for tourists. By the light of day, the brightly painted rooms were cheery, and a person could never tell there had once been a fire inside. At night, everything loomed, drenched in shadows.
Vivian wasn’t afraid of the dark, but the hair on the back of her neck stood up. Her camera flickered with static for a few seconds. It was a good sign—as long as the cameras didn’t go out.
Reaching the top, Miles stumbled and steadied himself with a hand on the door frame to the bedroom. “Something doesn’t want me here. Something big and bad.”
He groaned and held his head with a hand. Vivian reached out to him and hesitated. The man did have a taste for the dramatic. Okay, more like a giant’s appetite. Was he putting on an act now? If he was, he did a marvelous job of it.
A shiver went through her, and she glanced over her shoulder with the strong feeling someone was watching them. With some hauntings, she got the creepy-crawlies, but the feeling of another presence here was strong. She turned in a circle and peered all around, but could see nothing.
“His. All his.” Miles hissed out the last word and made her start.
“Are you okay?” Vivian touched his arm, very aware of how hot he was even through the material of his jacket. Like someone who had a fever. “Miles?”
“In here.” He snatched her arm and yanked her into the bedroom with him. Moonlight streamed through the window and dust danced in its beams. The door slammed shut behind them.
Vivian started, pulled free of his grip and spun around. What the hell was that?
“Better. I can breathe.” Miles sucked in a deep breath and let it out slowly.
At least one of them could breathe. Vivian sucked in a few gulps and shone her light in all the corners. Nothing
. Just a bed, a dresser, and a plain vanity without a mirror.
Miles took hold of the post of the brass bed and turned his head to stare at it as if in a trance. “Here. In here was where it happened… They spent a lot of time in here. Laughing, talking, loving.”
The smoke smell became stronger. Vivian put a hand over her nose and made a slow circle to catch the entire room with the camera. Maybe if they were lucky, they’d catch the orbs zipping about or even a full-body apparition.
She faced Miles and made certain he was in the center of her camera screen. “It did happen in here. What else are you feeling?”
He rubbed his face. Once, twice, and then three times. “Life was so good when they were together. She was his light.”
Something zipped by out of the corner of her eyes. Vivian tensed and stepped closer to Miles.
Coughing, he yanked at his tie. When it didn’t budge, he did so more frantically and knocked his camera askew.
“Miles? Are you all right?” The scent of smoke grew thicker and the air drier. Vivian covered her mouth as she coughed, glancing back and forth. No fire. No sign of smoke in the air, but her eyes watered and stung.
A loud bang on the door made her shriek.
“Miles!” She reached for him and he grabbed her hand. Her heart raced as she fought to stay in control of her fear.
“Katherine.” His eyes were wide and shimmering. His usual hard features had softened. A crisp accent transformed his voice into someone else’s. “Katherine, I love you. I love you so much.”
Good God. He must be channeling the spirit of the husband, Adam Green. And her camera was still running. This was supernatural gold.
But did she play along to get the ghost to talk?
Vivian didn’t get a chance to think about it before an orb zoomed down from the ceiling and ran smack into her forehead. The world went momentarily black.
Chapter Two
It had to have been only a few seconds. Ten or fifteen. It might have well been a lifetime.
Vivian’s mouth was mashed to Miles’. They kissed and wept at the same time. All this time apart, now they could finally touch one another, hold each other. Every other problem was nothing in the face of the magic of the moment.
She murmured that she loved him and peeled his harness off. Loved him? He was an egotistical… No, not Miles. Her man, her love.
He unbuckled her gear and threw it to the floor, camera and all. Kissing her more deeply, he pulled her hard against him. “Katherine. It’s been too long.”
The dead wife. He thought she was Katherine. And everything in her believed he was the love of her life. Vivian had never felt this way about anyone. So head over heels in love that it made her want to cry with the joy of it.
She couldn’t stop kissing him, couldn’t get enough. “I need you, darling.”
Miles groaned against her mouth and shrugged out of his suit jacket. Next he yanked her long-sleeved shirt off and kissed over the tops of her breasts as he directed her to the bed. “Beautiful. So beautiful.”
Blushing as she always did at his compliments, she tugged his shirt out of his pants and ran her hands over bare skin. So sumptuous, so wonderful.
They fell back onto the mattress. The bed squeaked loudly, but that was the way it had always been. The skreak of the springs made her smile rather than annoying her. Together they could make the bed sing such pretty songs.
Romantic sentiments and gooey heart-melting fantasies were not Vivian’s style. This sweet soul filled her with them, and rather than revolting her, it made Vivian long for it herself.
Possessed. That’s what she had to be. There was no way she’d think these things otherwise.
Miles clumsily removed their shoes, pants and underwear. Not at all the type of lover she imagined him to be. Not that she ever really thought about it…more than once. Or twice.
Vivian still had on her bra and he his shirt and tie, but it didn’t matter. He wiggled between her legs and his thick cock nudged her clit. She gasped and ground up against him. Had she ever been this hot before? This wet?
Wait. Was she just about to have sex with Miles Walker? Oh no. No, this was not happening.
He bumped her hyper-sensitive nub again.
Oh yeah. It was going down.
She drew her fingers through his soft, blond hair. Didn’t Miles have black hair? But not Katherine’s man. He was a handsome honey blond. She could imagine him standing in the sun by the sea, holding her hand and smiling. Now that was a glorious specimen of manhood.
And oh God! He prodded her again. So was that.
Vivian angled her hips and wrapped one leg around his waist. “Yes. Oh please, yes.”
Both of them cried out as he thrust into her. He kissed her, tongues twining, as he held himself deep within her. He shook with the force of holding himself in place.
Relishing the feel of him filling her, she knew they could not waste these precious moments together. She squeezed his shaft and whispered for him to make love to her.
“Your wish is my command.” Miles smiled against her mouth as his hips began to rock against hers. After a few pumps, they found their rhythm. Nothing at all like the awkward removal of clothing. This was smooth, so natural.
Vivian moaned as they moved together. She trailed her fingers over his shoulders, neck and back. He wasn’t built big like some other men, but she never wanted one of those brutes anyway. He was lean and sexy, having spent lots of time swimming in the sea. Remembering him in his swimsuit caused her to heat up even further.
The smell of him was fresh like newly fallen rain, but as his body slicked with perspiration, there was that other masculine odor she adored. A hard-working man. Was she the only woman who liked a sweaty guy?
The beat of the bed’s song grew louder the faster they fucked. The mattress cradled her body as she writhed under him. So good, so close.
“Katherine. Oh, Katherine!” Miles cried out and plunged hard into her as he came. His body jerked with his climatic spurts and rubbed her in just the way she needed. Her blissful wail joined his.
She clung to him even after she floated down from her orgasmic high. Kissing him tenderly, she stroked his face as if to memorize every finely etched feature. A great pressure filled her chest so that it felt like it might burst. God, she loved him so much. Why did life have to be the way it was?
There was one thing she never got to tell him. One thing he always wanted. She smiled and nuzzled her nose to his. “Darling, I’m pregnant.”
Having not quite gotten his breath back yet, Miles’ gasp stuttered. “What? Pregnant. Are you sure…?”
Vivian laughed and hugged him. She had counted the days just right. Besides, just as her mother had always said, a woman knows these things. “Yes. You’re going to be a daddy.”
He blinked and then whooped in celebration. “We’re going to have a baby!”
Miles bounced them on the bed, making her laugh even more. Just to see him happy like this, it was all worth it. He’d been so sad this past year, but things were going to change. They had to change for the sake of their child.
A huge bang on the bedroom door made them freeze. Terror seized her.
No, it couldn’t be him.
A second bang. The door nearly flew off its hinges.
Not now. Please not now.
Miles placed his body in front of hers, hiding her behind him.
The door flung open and she screamed at the darkness that poured inside.
Chapter Three
Katherine fled Vivian’s body as soon as the shadow entered the bedroom. The spirits and the darkness were gone before she could scream again. Several people ran up the stairs, shouting their names.
Her name. Vivian. She was in full control of herself again.
She pushed away from Miles who still remained on his knees in front of her staring at the door. His chest rose and fell quickly.
“Vivian!” Claire dashed into the room with Zendal right behind her. Two of Mi
les’ associates followed, cramming into the tiny space and shining lights in her and Miles’ faces. All of them gaped at the pair of them on the bed.
“I’m fine. Just grab my clothes for me.” Not that Vivian was shy or overly modest, but she needed to cover herself. To forget she just had sex with Miles. How did she let this get out of control?
There was about five seconds of stunned silence before someone spoke.
“Yeah, okay.” Claire scooped up Vivian’s things from the floor and brought them to her. Her gaze was questioning, but Vivian would tell the Paramours what happened later. Claire handed Vivian her clothes and then picked up Miles’ pants, holding them out to him. “Nice…” Her eyes drifted down and she smirked. “Tie there, Walker.”
Miles turned his head to her and rubbed his face, answering absently, “Yes, thank you.” He took his pants and held them in front of himself as he rose from the bed. He shook his head roughly and his eyes focused to look at his friends. “Did you get that all on video? I know the cameras were there.” He gestured to the equipment on the floor. “But this was—”
“Please say that didn’t go live.” Vivian pulled on her shirt first and then fast slipped into her panties. She was not looking at him. Refused to look at him. The world did not need to see, or even hear her fucking Miles. Nor did anyone need to know it was the best sex she’d ever had.
Or the best Katherine ever had? It was difficult to separate her emotions from those of the spirit that had possessed her. But it was better to believe that Katherine felt that way. Vivian didn’t want to think what it would mean if she had those feelings.
Don, Miles’ tech guy, shook his head. “Sorry. The feed went out right after you called her Katherine. We tried to get into the building, but the front door wouldn’t budge.”
“I was ready to scale the fucking wall to get up here. Nina was freaking out over what she felt inside.” Claire gave Vivian a hug once she had her pants on. “You better go out and let her know you’re okay.”
Lovelorn Spirits (The Paramours Book 3) Page 1
