Good Will Ghost Hunting: Demon Seed [Good Will Ghost Hunting 1] (Siren Publishing Classic) (19 page)

The other pictures were of her as well, some even older than that one, two more with him in them. One of him and her in front of an antique car. From their clothes and the sepia tone of the photo, Kal had a feeling the car had been new when the photo was taken.

“Was she your wife?”

Kal watched his jaw work, the muscles in his neck tighten. He nodded.

“I’m sorry.”

He shook his head. “You didn’t know. I’m just…touchy.”

“Aidan said she was murdered.”

His shoulders slumped. He nodded, then turned away and returned to the kitchen.

Kal closed her eyes and silently swore. She already felt the wraith stirring deep within her, trying to fully awaken, the jittery buzz that would soon turn into an undeniable, uncontrollable craving. If Will Hellenboek was the only one who could take that away, she should treat him a little more kindly.

Kal followed him to the kitchen and stood in the doorway. “I’m sorry, Will,” she said. “Maybe if we go lie down and talk for a little while, it might help both of us.”

He still didn’t meet her gaze. He nodded, and she followed him to the bedroom. He walked to the bedside table and turned on a lamp. This room was as sparse as the rest of the condo, with a few pictures of Will and his wife on the dresser. Kal sat at the end of the bed and looked at him.

“Do you have a radio or something?” she asked, keeping her voice soft so he wouldn’t hear the shrill edge of her stress and the wraith fighting for control. She closed her eyes for a moment, took a deep breath, and tried to ignore the evil presence inside her. She kicked her shoes off.

He reached for the bedside clock radio, fumbled, and finally found a classical station.

“That’s fine,” she said. The lamp was bright though. “Can we turn off the lamp, maybe turn on the bathroom light or something?”

He nodded again and turned it off. In the dark he walked to the bathroom, turned that light on and pulled the door nearly shut. Then he returned to the bed and stood there, looking at her. Even in the dim light she saw his gray eyes glisten.

He looked near tears.

Kal patted the mattress next to her. “Please?”

He removed his shoes and sat without a word, his elbows on his knees, head hung, hands clasped. When she put her arm around him, he finally sobbed, his head in his hands, crying. Kal hated Ryan with a desperate passion, not just for what he’d done to her but for what he was putting Will through.

After a moment he put his arms around her and hugged her. They sat like that for many long, quiet minutes. Kal realized it felt right. It felt like she belonged there, with him. She closed her eyes and inhaled his scent, felt the warmth of his throat against her forehead as she nuzzled her face against his shoulder.

He pressed his lips to the top of her head. “I promise I’ll take care of you, Kal. I’ll keep you safe. I swear it.” He squeezed her tighter, and she felt the truth to his words through her very core.

“I know.”

“I’m not upset because of you. I hope that doesn’t sound wrong, but it’s not about you.”

“I know.”

He cried again. She sat with him, wishing she could take his pain away, feeling guilty that he would spend eternity in agony because of her. After a few minutes he released her and wiped his face with his hands. He took a moment to compose himself.

“I’m sorry, Will,” she said.

He shook his head. “Why are you apologizing?”

“I feel like this is my fault.”

He finally met her gaze. “It’s not your fault.” He took a deep, shuddering breath. “I’m going to kill Ryan one of these days. Fucking bastard, messing with people just to get what he wants.” He caressed her cheek, tucked a stray lock of hair behind her ear. “I’m so sorry, Kal. If I’d known, I never would have sent you up there alone. I never would have put you in harm’s way.”

“Shh.” She caught his hand and nuzzled it. His palm felt warm and soft. Kal closed her eyes and tried to relax. He wouldn’t hurt her. She kissed his palm before releasing him and scooting back on the bed where she lay down.

He looked at her. When she patted the mattress, he slowly moved to lie next to her.

On their sides they faced each other. She looked into his eyes and wished she could see past his well-constructed, stony façade, see the man AnnaBelinda could make smile in all those old pictures.

He found her hand and brought it up to his mouth, gently kissed it, feathered his lips across her healing knuckles with the lightest of touches. She shivered and snuggled closer, their legs touching. Heat radiated through their clothes, washing through her, pulling her closer, stirring the wraith.

“Please, Will,” she whispered. “It’s getting stronger.”

“You can feel it?”

She nodded.

He closed his eyes, touched his forehead to hers, and deeply inhaled her scent. “I’m sorry I can’t tell you I love you tonight, Kal.”

“I know. It’s okay.”

“No, it’s not okay. You deserve better than this.”

“Will, please. This isn’t your fault. Just…please. I want this thing out of me.”

She felt his breath first, warm and sweet across her flesh. Then his lips brushed hers, and electricity shot through her again. She’d kissed before, but the tender warmth of his reluctant gesture contained more heat than anything she’d ever experienced.

Nothing had prepared her for this. Maybe Ryan had done her a favor. If Will could elicit this much passion with such a chaste move, what else was in store for her this evening?

He pulled away and looked at her. “Are you okay?”

She nodded. “That was nice.” If only she could make him smile.

Kal caressed his cheek and leaned in for another kiss, which felt as electrifying as the first and left her gasping for breath.

Will put his arms around her and drew her close, gently tasting and exploring her lips. One arm cradled her to him, his other lightly rested on her waist. As her passion grew, she twined her fingers in his hair and pulled his mouth firmly against hers. At first he resisted slightly, his entire body stiffening. Then he relaxed and she felt his body mold against hers.

He even tasted good.

She hooked her leg around his, felt the heat from his body slowly work through her flesh. Instinctively she wanted to become a part of him, wanted him to be part of her.

When she tried to work on his shirt buttons, he gently rolled her onto her back and kissed her, working his lips down her chin, trailing lightly to the base of her throat where he paused. “Don’t hesitate to tell me to stop if something—”

“Will,” she gasped, “believe me, I don’t want you to stop!”

He carefully released her top button, kissed her bared flesh, repeating until her shirt lay open and loose.

She closed her eyes and kept one hand on the back of his head, her eyes closed, nearly breathless from his caresses. Was it always this good for people or was he just particularly skilled?

Using the lightest of touches, he laid his palm against her belly. “You’re beautiful,” he whispered.

She opened her eyes and found his cold, slate gray gaze had changed to a warmer, deeper blue, noticeable even in the dim light. “You don’t have to tell me things to—”

He laid a gentle finger on her lips and shook his head. “I mean that. You are beautiful. I’ve always thought you were beautiful. From the moment I first met you I was attracted to you.”

A warm fire spread through her. Maybe he couldn’t love her tonight, but he had noticed her. That was progress, right?

He kissed her again. This time his tongue lightly traced her lips. Hers parted, allowing him entrance, and she softly moaned. While he kissed her, his hand found and opened the hook on the front of her bra and she felt the material part, a cool draft brushing her flesh.

Finally breaking their kiss, he bent his lips to the soft swell of her breasts, gently kissing between them, making no move to either side. His breath stirred her, warming her. When his hand settled once again over her navel, she grabbed him and tugged it north, placing it over her left breast.

He gasped. For the first time she felt a solid bulge against her thigh. It hadn’t occurred to her before that he wasn’t hard, but now that he was she realized how large he must be.

His thumb rubbed her nipple, and it hardened and peaked, pebbling beneath his warm fingers, sending shockwaves through her, making her belly contract in a hot and pleasant way.

“Yesss,” she hissed into his mouth, hungry, eager.

He sat up, and she moaned with disappointment, then realized he was only changing position. He knelt over her, kissed the soft plain of her belly, worked his way north and replaced his fingers with his mouth as his other hand teased her neglected nipple into a similar state.

Kal’s body arched into him. Goodness, he could do this to her and they were still half dressed?

He alternated, taking her other nipple into his mouth and swirling his tongue around it, drawing another needy moan from her.

It felt like hours he did that, from one breast to the other and back again, making no move to undress or move further south. Not that she was complaining.

When she whimpered with need, he met her gaze. This time his eyes looked black and smoldering, steamy.

She nodded. He pulled her into a sitting position, cradled her while she eagerly kissed his neck. Skimming his hands up her back, he slowly worked her shirt and bra off until she was totally bare from the waist up. With her neck tantalizingly accessible he kissed her flesh, trailing gentle, nipping bites from her shoulder to her ear and back again.

Clutching him tightly, she dug her fingers into his back through his shirt. Suddenly, spending eternity with this man looked like a pretty dang good idea. Instead of chewing Ryan out the next time she saw him, maybe she should send him a thank-you card.

Kal sat back and kissed Will. Her fingers fumbled, but eventually found his shirt buttons. His chest was lightly dusted with fine hair, and when she slid his shirt off his shoulders, she ran her hands across him, relishing the feel, her hand brushing against his amulet. Will’s body felt firm and solid, but in the dim light she touched a few irregular bumps she instinctively knew that if she traced them with her fingers would turn out to be scars.

“Will, I don’t know what is supposed to happen later.” She took a deep breath. “I know I was sort of witchy to you sometimes. Now I know why you acted the way you did, but I’m still sorry I wasn’t nicer. I have always been attracted to you. Really. From when we met that first night.”

He studied her face and nodded. “Me, too.”

Kal touched his face and leaned in for another kiss. “I just didn’t want you to think… I mean, I know we have to do this but…” She closed her eyes and tried to summon courage to say the words. “I didn’t want you to think I was forced to like you. Because I already do like you, and I have been attracted to you. I just…I was mad at the network for forcing me to work on your show.”

Did the edge of his mouth slightly curl? “Thank you.”

Dang it, she wanted to make him smile. “So that’s okay, right? That we at least like each other?”

He nodded, but his mouth had settled back to its standard unexpressive line.

She held his palm to her cheek and kissed it, then carefully sucked each of his fingers, swirling her tongue around the digits and enjoying his soft gasp of surprise.

He swept her into his arms and kissed her, long and deep, then lowered her to the bed. When he broke their kiss, his lips blazed a trail down her chest, between her breasts, to the waistband of her jeans.

Kal relaxed and tangled her fingers in his hair, gently urging him south. The wraith had stirred again, a little stronger, and she didn’t want to be anywhere but here with Will, in his arms. Like him? Heck, that was a lie.

She loved him.

Now that Kal knew a few of the secrets behind Will Hellenboek’s wall, she wanted to love him for eternity and try to at least ease his pain, even if she couldn’t take it away. She couldn’t admit it to him now, it would heap more guilt on him. Wouldn’t it?

She’d felt the first stirrings at the cemetery, while staring at Abby’s grave. And at their dinner tonight, after getting over the hurdle of agreeing to do this, she could really look at him, see him for who he was. He was a man forced into a situation he couldn’t control. Despite his own pain, he wanted to minimize hers. Was willing to stay in pain to save her life. A man who hadn’t been able to move past his decades of grief. If he could love his wife this many years later, stay devoted to her when he had every reason to move on despite his pain, he was a man worth loving.

A man worth giving herself to.

He unfastened her jeans and kissed lower. When he slipped his fingers around her waistband, she lifted her hips so he could slide her jeans down her legs, leaving her only in her panties.

Will caressed her thighs, his hands scorching hot against her flesh. She wanted those hands where no man had been before. Kal sat up and grabbed him, kissing him hard. She rolled him onto his back and straddled him. His hard bulge pressed through his slacks against her cotton-clad bottom, his hands splayed on her hips.

She ground against him. “Can you read my mind?”

“Probably after. Once we’re soul mates.”

She kissed him again and closed her eyes. “I’ve never been with a guy before, Will. Ever.”

When she looked, she spotted the hint of a smile again. “I know, sweetie. That’s why we’re—”

She shook her head. “I mean, all I’ve ever done is kissed. Ever.”

His brow furrowed in confusion. “What do you mean?”

If she couldn’t say it to him, who
could
she say it to? “Will,” she whispered, “I’ve never…”

He spared her. “You’ve
never
had an orgasm?”

She shook her head and felt the heat of blush in her face, grateful for the dark room. “Remember, Ryan planned well. I was raised to be a good girl.”

A definite curl to his lips. “I thought preachers’ daughters were supposed to be pretty wild.”

She shrugged.

He flipped her onto her back, surprising her with his strength. “How much time do we have?”