“Oh, pish,” said Iva. “The spirit— I really wish I could give her a name; hopefully we’ll figure out who she is soon enough. Anyway, the spirit was quite benign, all things considered. She just wants her story to be heard and understood, that’s all. It was very clear to me, Hollis, that she had no intention of harming me.”
“While she was leading you down the stairs into the darkness,” Vivien reminded her.
“Now, Iva,” Hollis began, his voice stern and his eyes wide.
“Vivien, it’s time to go,” Jake said, desperation in his voice as he bolted to his feet. “Really. The steaks will be ruined. It’s been great seeing you all—and thank yousomuch for all the information about the ghost—”
“Youknow about the ghost, Elwood?” Ricky said, standing up. “Have you seen it?You?”
Jake froze, and Vivien would have convulsed with laugher if he hadn’t looked so incredibly pathetic, all frustrated and trapped and trying to be polite—and if she hadn’t felt her heart smoosh and flutter for him.
Damn. She was beginning to think even industrial-strength shampoo wasn’t going to help her wash him away.
“I’m really hungry,Elwood,” she said, rescuing him. “I think we’d better get those steaks in the oven before they’re ruined. Mr. DeRiccio, I hope you’re feeling better,” she added, and, with the pièce de résistance that she knew would be their escape hatch, she leaned over and kissed Jake’s pop right on the cheek, just above his soft mustache. “Enjoy your flowers, Mr. D. I’ll be checking on them to make sure they aren’t drooping tomorrow, all right? So get them in a vase right away.”
“We’ll see you tomorrow afternoon at the book signing, right, Vivien?” said Iva, in an obvious last-ditch effort to keep them there.
“Oh, right—yes, thanks for the reminder. I’m looking forward to meeting TJ Mack,” Vivien said cheerfully. “I’m a huge fan.” And without giving any of the older folks a chance to waylay them again, she took Jake by the arm and towed him off the deck.
“Make sure you go into Hot Toddy beforehand,” Iva called after them. “It’s right up your alley.”
“Will do,” Vivien hollered back. “Quick, let’s go,” she said, diving into the passenger seat of Jake’s car.
To her surprise, he didn’t say a word during the eight-minute drive to his house. She wondered if she’d somehow offended him or upset him—even though she knew he wasn’t that touchy sort of person. At least, he hadn’t been eleven years ago…
He was still silent when they got to his house, and Vivien was beginning to think she’d really effed things up somehow when he got out of the car wordlessly and strode over to open the front door without even looking at her.
She went inside, feeling more and more awkward and unsettled by the moment, and watched as he moved swiftly to the kitchen counter. He picked up the meat package there and tossed it into the fridge, then turned to her.
“Jake—” She barely got the syllable of his name out when he had her plastered up against the door—the nearest upright surface—gripping her hips, his mouth on hers, drowning out whatever she’d been about to say.
“Oh my God, thank you, Vivien,” he said after an eternity of slick, deep, lustful kissing while she melted under his touch.
He began to nuzzle his way down the side of her throat, making her brain turn even mushier. Her knees buckled embarrassingly, but fortunately, he was holding her against the wall with his solid, warm body. She gripped his arms, reveling in the solidness of his biceps and the texture of his lips and tongue along her neck and shoulder as heat and pleasure sizzled through her.
“I thought we would never get out of there…” he murmured, sliding his tongue lazily around the rim of her ear as she shivered against him. “And have I mentioned how sexy you look in that little blue dress you’re wearing?”
His lips were doing amazing things to her, and she could hardly hear the words coming out of his mouth between nibbles, nuzzles, and nips as he slid his hands up beneath her skinny-strapped sundress, sliding them over her quivering belly.
“Jake,” she murmured, barely able to form thoughts, but needing to taste him, too, to touch him… It wasn’t fair that he had his hands all over her and she couldn’t pull herself out of the hot pleasure haze to do more than cling to him so she didn’t collapse onto the floor. What he was doing to her was…well, it was insanity.
It was as if no days or years had passed between the last time they’d had their hands on each other more than a decade ago—he smelled, tasted,feltthe same—and yet it was new and fresh and different—andhotas hell. Dear God, she wassohot and wet and swollen, and he was only kissing her.
“Jake,” she said again, twisting her face away so she couldthink.
“Vivien?” He stilled, looking down at her with an arrested expression.
“Bed” was all she could manage. “Please. Now.”
He growled agreement deep in the back of his throat and swept her into his arms. Moments later, she was tumbling onto the massive bed, Jake following.
His weight atop her was a pleasure she welcomed, a feeling she remembered: the way his leg slid just so between her thighs, pressing up against her at the warm, throbbing juncture there…the way he propped himself up on the left side, just enough to keep from crushing her, but close enough that he could capture her mouth as his right hand slid up to cover her breast, to find her nipple through the lacy bra she’d chosen, and to rub his thumb over it. He knew—remembered—just how to tease her, how she liked it, how even the gentle pinching and flicking of that tight, sensitive tip made her hot and ready and desperate for more.
She fumbled the buttons of his shirt free, suddenlyneedingto move her hands over his warm, taut chest, and to cover the corners of those square, muscular shoulders with her palms. She sighed because it was so familiar and yet different, and her eyes stung a little when she realized they’d lost so much time.
So much time.
He seemed to feel the same way, for all at once, impatience took over for both of them. In a few frenzied moments, they dragged away all the clothing—shirt, shorts, dress, bra, panties, briefs—and at last…atlast…Jake slid his warm, smooth, hard body along hers, covering her, skin to skin, curve to muscle…and Vivien suddenly felthome.
