“Of course he does. Dude practically creams his pants when he’s got a new mystery to solve,” Thad chuckles.
“For fuck’s sake, you two. Knock that shit off,” Cole orders. He’s the only one the twins will listen to, with or without his power. He has this domineering quality to his personality and naturally gravitated toward the leadership position once he pulled himself out from the bottom of the bottle. “We’ve got a lot of work to get done, and something tells me this could be it. This could be where we finally get some answers. Knox, can you still feel her?”
I finish off my glass and hold it out for Levi to refill while I expand my sense of the room and beyond. Instantly, I feel her. This warm presence that’s surprisingly stronger than it was before. Her emotions swarm my own, and it feels like coming home, a thought that alarms me on a primitive level. It takes me a second to gather myself enough to describe what I’m experiencing.
“She’s just as confused as we are, and that seems to irritate her. But she’s excited too. She can sense that I’m linked to her,” I murmur, lost in my own thoughts and wondering why this all feels so damn familiar.
Her nearness puts me suddenly on alert, as if our conversation has summoned her. Curiosity, annoyance, and something else I can’t quite pin down swirl through me - each battling to be the victor of some emotional war.
How the hell do women handle this shit? Emotional roller coaster, my ass. It’s more like an emotional tsunami.
“Knox, what is it?” Cole demands.
“She’s here,” I reply quietly, “and she’s close.”
“Mack,” Cole snaps, “get an EMF meter in here now, along with a digital recorder.”
Macklin jumps off the sofa and rushes into the foyer, the opening and closing of cases accompanied by mumbled curses as he’s trying to find what he’s looking for. The rest of us remain silent - not wanting to scare her off.
Her amusement catches me off guard. As does her level of satisfaction – which I’m sure stems from the fact that she can get a rise out of us simply by being in the room. I put a stop to the smile that’s tempting my lips as her emotions mingle with my own. It’s becoming harder to distinguish the two.
Then I feel it. That unnamed emotion from earlier.
Attraction.
She knows I’m tuned into her, and she likes it. Suddenly, it feels like she’s right in front of me. Like if I reached out, I could touch her. A wave of longing that is not my own assaults me. Not just lust or desire, but this deep need to connect to another person. To touch and be touched. I’m practically frozen in place, my knees spread wide as I lounge on the sofa. My arm is slung over the side with the glass of Jack in my right hand. I tilt my chin up slightly, as if I can look her right in the eyes.
“Knox? What’s happening?” Cole asks from the sofa across from me, but I don’t look his way.
“She’s right here,” is all I manage to say.
There’s suddenly rustling around the room. People moving and shuffling about, but I don’t see any of them. My focus is on the space in front of me – on the woman who has captured my complete attention when I can’t even see her. A hint of vanilla and cinnamon settles low in my belly, stirring an arousal I wasn’t expecting.
A tingling starts on my left cheek, trailing down my chin and over the front of my throat. I swallow reflexively. It continues across my collar bone and over my left shoulder before flowing down my arm and pausing slightly on my inner elbow, swirling around in a small circle - which I find both playful and sexy as hell. It moves down my left forearm to my hand that is resting on my left thigh.
My gaze follows the movement as I let her explore, because that’s what this is. An exploration. Her reaching out to someone on the most physical level she’s capable of and I’ll be damned if I don’t like it and want more. My jaw clenches as I struggle to get a handle on my desire. Thank fuck for my jeans which are hiding the evidence of just how excited she’s got me.
“Dude. What’s going on over there? You look like you’re a little tense,” Levi questions.
“Bro, from the looks of things, bet those jeans are becoming damn uncomfortable,” Thad jokes.
So much for hiding anything.
The touch that had paused on my hand at Levi’s words starts up again. Whispering over my knuckles and down to my fingertips where she stops. My hand is pretty damn close to my cock, and I’m slightly ashamed to admit that I want nothing more than for her to explore that area a little further.
I look up and stare into the nothingness in front of me, and whatever she sees when she looks at me must give her the answer she needs. I release the breath I wasn’t even aware I’d been holding as the tingles move up my inner thigh and right over my erection, lingering there. Even over my jeans it feels as though small bursts of current are being sent straight to my dick, and I’m dangerously close to embarrassing myself right in front of my brothers.
“Fuck!” I moan out, dropping my head onto the back of the sofa. Her touch ghosts up and down over my shaft, and it takes all of my self-control to not buck my hips up into the invisible hand that I can all but see.
This is definitely a first for me. A fully clothed hand job given by an invisible woman. The guys will never let me live this down.
Right as I sense her amusement that is heavily laced with a desire of her own, a blast of those damn tingles courses through my dick, down and around my balls, and doesn’t let up. My hips jerk, my body taking over, while my left hand grabs hold of the cushion to give me leverage. I curse and groan loudly as I come – unable to stop myself.
The tingles slowly begin to fade away as my body recovers from one of the hottest – and fastest - damn orgasms of my life. I’m left breathing like I just ran a marathon, staring up at the ceiling wondering what in the actual hell just happened.
“I feel like I need a cigarette after watching that little show,” muses Levi.
Raising my head, I glance around the room, seeing all of my brothers standing in a loose semi-circle around the coffee table in front of me.
“Can she do me next?” Thad snickers.
Only a few seconds pass before his whole body suddenly jolts, followed by a bellowed, “Fucking hell, woman! You do not zap a man’s junk like that. I want the good shit Knox got.”
The rest of the guys chuckle as he rubs his hand over his scorched crotch.
“She’s highly amused right now,” I manage through my own laughter. I can practically feel her grinning in satisfaction.
“A woman with a dark sense of humor. I like it,” Levi proclaims.
Followed by Thad’s barely contained, “That’s so fucking hot!”
Bringing the glass of Jack up to my lips, I notice my hand shaking ever so slightly. Quickly, I finish off the drink, needing the alcohol to calm my rioting system. I’m relaxed yet wound tight at the same time. I’m not sure what to make of our ghostly woman or the fact that it seems I’m becoming as possessive of her as she is of us.
Our ghostly woman, Knox? Really?
“You care to explain what the hell just happened?” Cole asks, his raised eyebrow the only indication he’s not only interested but also amused, which is a rarity for him.
“Thought that was already evident?” I smirk lazily, knowing my non-answer is going to bug the shit out of him until he demands that I give him the details.
It’s then I notice the guys all have a piece of equipment aimed my way. So that’s what all the commotion was. Macklin has the EMF meter. Cole with the digital voice recorder. Levi has a thermal imaging camera, and Thad has a video camera.
Just fucking fantastic. This moment will be replayed and re-lived just to torment me for years to come.
“I’ve got to say,” Mack starts, “that was one hell of a show of power. She drained every single one of our batteries. And she’s got control too.”
“I would agree with that statement. Her control was phenomenal,” I respond, sending the twins into simultaneous groans of envy.
I release a long sigh.
“She’s lonely. Almost desperately so. She knew I could see her, figuratively, of course, and took advantage of the unique connection we seem to have. It was like…” I trail off, trying to come up with the words to describe the feeling of her ghostly hand on me in words that won’t make me sound as desperate for a repeat as I am. “Like all of her desire and need coalesced into this electrifying sensation, but there was no pain. Just really, really intense pleasure. I couldn’t stop my body from reacting. It’s like it recognized the feeling and welcomed it.”
That last part is what worries me the most.
“Now I need to get cleaned up.”
I feel her presence slowly fade away, satisfaction and a hint of sadness both trailing in her wake.
“She’s gone,” I murmur.
Her departure leaves me with an emptiness that doesn’t make sense. A lingering hint of vanilla and cinnamon remains, reminding me of my favorite snickerdoodle cookies, stirring up a longing somewhere deep inside me. I just want to eat her up. Which is beyond weird since she’s a fucking ghost.
“We should probably all head to bed and get some rest. Something tells me we’ll need to stay sharp around here,” Macklin suggests.
“Agreed,” Cole mutters. “Head to bed. That’s an order. We’ll figure out the rest in the morning after a good night’s sleep.”
The chill in the night air has me slowly coming awake, and for a second, I can’t remember where I am. After years of traveling and not having a home base, places start to blur together.
I’m in a fairly comfortable bed. Sheets and comforter must have been kicked off at some point as they’re tangled around my feet. I manage to open my eyes, though my body protests. Lying on my right side, I’m facing the only window in the room - which I confirm is closed - and can just make out the leaves from the ivy plant growing around the outside window.
That’s right. Illinois. Haunted house. Coming in my pants. A ghost who is quickly taking over most of my thoughts. Good times.
It’s 3:15 in the morning, and the illumination from the alarm app on my phone is the only light in the room. What in the hell woke me up? I close my eyes, roll over, and get comfortable, fully intending to go back to sleep.
The faintest shift of air in front of my face has my eyes flying open this time. For a moment, I’m frozen - my body refusing to move. I force my heart rate to slow down and my breathing to calm, even as panic grips me.
Because a few inches from my face, she sleeps. A slender nose, turned up just slightly at the tip. Her almond-shaped eyes are closed with long lashes brushing her transparent cheeks. Her lips are large and full, completely kissable, though they’re relaxed in sleep. With one arm bent under her head, the other is stretched out and halfway through my body.
I’ve found my wake up call.
Trying not to make a sound, I take in the rest of our little ghost, as there’s no doubt that this is she. I can sense her somewhere deep inside of me. Something urging me to close the gap between us.
Her long hair is in messy waves, flowing over her shoulder and spread out on the pillow behind her, the exact color lost in shades of darkness. She’s wearing a t-shirt with short shorts, but the simplicity of that does nothing to cool my rush of desire. This time I can’t even blame it on her. I feel nothing from her but a sense of peace as she sleeps, unaware of my inspection.
I slowly lift my right hand, wanting to know if I can touch her. Feel her. Is she responsible for the sudden drop in temperature, as ghosts have been known to be? Is she made up of mist or just shadow and light?
Just before my fingers brush over her arm, her eyes open. I can’t discern the color, as transparency doesn’t allow that, but they’re strangely beautiful in a haunting sort of way. She starts to pull her arm back, her gaze catching on my hand frozen in midair. Her eyes fly to mine, and I watch as they widen in surprise. Her lips part, and I should be ashamed of all of the ways my brain tells me I could put those pouty lips to use...but I’m not. Not one fucking bit. Because she wants it too.
She quickly shoots up to her knees, and I rush to follow, freezing when we both find ourselves kneeling on the bed, facing each other. I tower over her by at least a few inches. The fact that I can see the outline of the door through her hazy form is a little disconcerting, but now I’ve got a clear view of her spectacular ghostly body. My eyes roam. From the hair that lays in sexy waves down to the middle of her back, to the short shorts that stop at the bottom of her ass cheeks. Her t-shirt is tight, hugging ethereal curves that are starting to make morning wood become a reality, definitely something I never thought would be an issue in this line of work.
She’s younger than I would have expected. Maybe mid-twenties. The slogan across her shirt reads #GhostGirlProblems, and I can’t stop the tilt of my lips at her apparent sense of humor. Who is this delicious anomaly?
A small pang of sadness hits me when I realize that whoever she once was, those days have passed. She won’t get to leave this place unless it’s to find peace on the other side and will never get to experience the life she could have had.
She tilts her head as though she senses the sudden shift of my thoughts. She’s nervous and unsure, but I can also sense her surprise and a heavy dose of anticipation.
“I’m Knox,” I whisper, not wanting to startle her.
Her lips move, but I hear nothing.
“Wait. I can’t hear you. Say it again, slower.”
I watch those luscious lips intently as they form what must be her name.
“One more time.”
I receive a quick flash of frustration, but she tries again.
“Fay?”
She shakes her head and rolls her eyes. The irritation level in the room isn’t the only thing skyrocketing; my dick is rising with every movement of her perfect fucking mouth.
I watch as she tries one more time, putting so much emphasis on the last part that my face is hit with a blast of cold air.
“Did you just ghost spit on me?” I ask with obvious amusement.
Her eyes widen, and she throws her head back in soundless laughter. I desperately wish I could hear every noise this gorgeous creature makes.
Once her laughter stops, she starts to do something with her hands. Is she... signing?
I bring my hand up to run through my bed tousled hair because...shit! I don’t know what the hell she’s trying to tell me. I could yell for Macklin, but a part of me doesn’t want to have to share her with someone else - even one of my brothers - when I’ve just found her.
“I don’t know sign language.”
Her hands drop to her sides, and she just glares at me like this is all my fault. With another roll of her eyes, she uses both hands, maneuvering them until they’re in the shape of a letter.
“F. Got it!”
Her hands come back up in an awkwardly shaped A. Then a T. Then with one hand in the shape of some sort of squared-shaped C, she holds up one finger from the other hand in the middle forming an E.
“Fate?” I ask, thinking that there’s no way her name is a coincidence.
She nods enthusiastically, a beautiful smile appearing on her face.
“What are you doing here, Fate?”
She simply shrugs, shaking her head. The smile disappears, and wisps of sadness filter through our connection. So she doesn’t know much about her own situation either. Interesting.
“Is anyone here with you?”
Another shake of her head, along with a wave of total sorrow that damn near has me grimacing from its intensity.
“Maybe there’s something my brothers and I could do to help you. Would you like that?”
Again, more enthusiastic nodding.
“Let’s go see if the guys…” But I’m cut off by the bedroom door slamming open.
Suddenly, she disappears, leaving nothing but a trace of her scent behind.
<
br /> “Dammit, Cole!” I growl. “She was right here in front of me.”
“What the fuck do you mean, she was right in front of you?” he snaps back.
“I could see her. She was so fucking close. What the fuck, man?”
“Well, shit! The EMF meter outside your door started lighting up and beeping wildly, so Macklin thought we should check on you.”
It’s only then I notice Macklin behind him, shouldering his way into my room.
“Did she do anything to you? What did she look like? Did you talk to her? Why is she here?” His barrage of questions comes faster than I can even keep up with, and I run my hand through my hair, tamping down on my irritation born of disappointment from her disappearance.
“She didn’t do anything. She was…stunning. Much younger than I expected. But when I asked her name, she had no voice. She literally signed the letters of her name. Which is Fate – honest to God. And if that’s not intriguing enough, get this. She has no idea why she’s here.”
“That can’t be a coincidence,” Macklin remarks.
“No. I’m pretty sure it’s not. I was just getting ready to lead her to all of you since she said she’d like our help, but then asshole over there had to scare her off.”
Cole looks slightly chagrined at his rookie mistake, but rather than apologize, he immediately orders, “Let’s go get some of our equipment and scout the room. See if we can find anything unusual. Do you still sense her?”
I take a moment and reach my senses out to her. I’m still on my knees in the middle of the bed, surrounded by her scent and the memory of her smile. She’s no longer close by, but I’m slightly relieved when I feel that she’s just as disappointed as I am. When I lift my hand to push hair out of my face, I notice something on the inside of my left wrist. It’s a solid line broken only by two small dots in the center. A tattoo that I most certainly didn’t have just moments ago.
“What the fuck?” I ask no one in particular, staring at the offending appendage like it can give me an explanation.
A Fate Unknown: A PNR, Why Choose Novel (The Ghost Girl Series Book 1) Page 4
