Big Easy (Cowboy Craze)

by Sable Hunter

  “Hey!”

  A reedy little voice floating on the air drew both their attention.

  “Read to me!”

  Jewel couldn’t help but laugh. “Saved by the ghost.”

  “Oh, you aren’t saved.” He stood and picked up his plate, moving near enough to Jewel that he could reach out and run the back of one finger down the side of her neck. “The matter at hand has just been delayed.”

  With a shuddering breath, she flitted away from him. “I’ll find those books.”

  While she was out of the room, Easy made himself useful and straightened up the kitchen, loading the dishwasher, and putting up the leftovers. A couple of times, a shiver would move over his body, causing him to turn toward Eliza. Both times, he found her watching him. The truth hit Easy like a wave, he recognized that feeling, a familiar chill that he’d experienced more than a few times in his life. Now, he knew who was haunting him. Wonder who/what it was before?

  “Here we go.” Jewel came hurrying in, bringing two small hardback books and giving them to Easy. “Two classics.”

  Easy took the books, glancing at the titles. “Are you kidding me? I didn’t even need a book for these. I could’ve told them from memory.”

  “Oh, really?” Jewel smiled, realizing how much she loved to look at him. He really was stunningly handsome. “I look forward to your renditions.”

  Easy made his way to Eliza, surprised to see her standing up, right on the edge of the circle. She seemed to be straining toward him, as if she couldn’t wait for him to arrive.

  “Okay. Sit on your cushion. We have Goldilocks and the Three Bears and The Three Little Pigs to read tonight.”

  For the next fifteen or twenty minutes, Jewel was entranced at what she witnessed. No one would believe it; the sight was truly otherworldly. The big, manly cowboy with his Native American good looks, sitting on the floor and reading fairy tales to a bright-eyed ghost who hung on his every word.

  Once he finished, Jewel was dumbfounded to see Eliza yawn and settle down on the cushion to close her eyes. She had no idea a ghost would or could sleep. This was new to her. All she could consider was that Eliza didn’t know she was dead, so she adhered as much as she could to what had gone on before. Moving softly to Easy, she placed a hand on his shoulder as he closed the well-worn book. “The End.” Somehow, she didn’t agree with that surmise. This felt much more like a beginning to her.

  Down, girl, she told herself. “You’re good at that. If you were anyone else, I’d say that someday you’d make some child a wonderful father.”

  “Who says I’m not having kids?” he asked, then wondered where the question came from. “I have to say, she’s the cutest ghost I’ve ever seen.”

  “I’d have to agree with that.” Jewel searched for something else to say. She didn’t have a roadmap to see what came next. “Do you want to show me how to use the camera now?”

  “Yea, sure.” Might as well get used to that…before getting down to more pleasurable business. He moved to her desktop computer. “If you’ll log on, we’ll download the app. The camera works on Wi-Fi. This could also work on an iPhone. I know we don’t have good service out here, but you could still use it to access the camera.”

  She nodded. “I understand.”

  With a few clicks of the keys, he downloaded the program they needed. In a few moments, Jewel could see outside the entrance to her house clear as day. “Oh, thank you! This will be great.”

  “You’re so welcome. Will certainly give me some peace of mind.”

  His obvious concern for her safety turned her heart to mush. “Oh, Easy. What am I going to do with you?”

  His eyes became hooded with passion. “I have an idea. How about you kiss me?” he whispered. “Come here.” Easy didn’t want to waste another heartbeat when his lips weren’t tasting hers. Clasping her arm, he tugged Jewel close, crushing his mouth to hers, his kiss a searing of possession and heat. To his relief, she melted into him, moaning into his mouth.

  The kiss was so soft, so tender, yet hot enough to light his whole fucking world on fire. Easy growled as he kissed her fiercely, lips parting, his tongue seeking hers, his hand sliding around her body as he pulled her tightly to him, like he’d never let her go.

  Because he didn’t know if he would. Ever.

  Easy kept on kissing her, ignoring all the questions, reservations – his damned history – her rightful qualms. Fuck them all. He kissed her until his breath ran out, before he pulled away to stare into her perfect face. Jewel was panting, fire in her eyes as they locked on him. There were so many questions that needed answering, so many things to say, but for now, all they needed was this.

  “Ooooo-oooo. I see you.”

  Easy started laughing. “I think we have an audience.”

  “We do.” She reluctantly stepped out of his arms. “I… Good timing, I suppose.”

  He cupped the side of her face, heartened when she leaned her head into his palm. “The only good reason I can think of to stop kissing you, is if I’m about to take you to bed.”

  As he moved to take her into his arms again, she slid a hand between them to stop him. “I can’t deny how much I want you, but this isn’t the best time.” She cut her eyes toward Eliza. “I probably should stick close to her.” Rubbing her hand longingly over his chest, she sighed. “Plus, I’d prefer to dress up for you and make our night special.”

  “Fuck, baby, you’re killing me, telling me you want me.” Easy didn’t even try to hide his disappointment. His throbbing cock was staging its own protest. “I understand. I’d just like to go on record and say that any night I’m privileged to spend with you would be more than special.”

  He was making it extremely difficult to call a halt to things. “Oh, Easy. You make it hard.”

  This brought a bark of frustrated laughter from Easy. “No, darlin’, it’s pretty safe to say you’re the one making it hard.”

  Blushing furiously, she nodded toward Eliza. “Little ears.”

  “All right.” He held up his hands in surrender. “I’ll be going. I have some things to do over at the house. Tomorrow, I’ll come home and freshen up. Be ready at six and we’ll go out on the town. Sound good?”

  She nodded. “Yea, sounds fine.” What would she wear? How would she fix her hair? Could she do her own nails? “I’ll be ready.”

  “Thanks for supper.” He started toward the door. “It was amazing. You’re a wonderful cook.”

  “Thank you and you’re welcome.” They moved slow enough that it was clear neither of them was ready to part.

  “I’ll call you before I go to sleep. Okay?”

  “You will?” The thought of talking to him in whispers while she lay in bed excited her more than she’d like to admit. “Why?”

  He shrugged, giving her a brilliant smile. “I’ll sleep better. I’ll dream of you.”

  Wow. “Okay.” Without saying more, she walked him to the door. Before he took his leave, he framed her face with his palms and he kissed her until the world fell away, leaving only the two of them and an aching need neither could ignore for long.

  * * *

  Once Easy was gone, Jewel finished cleaning the kitchen, then went to check on Eliza. To her surprise, the little spirit had vanished. Jewel was completely taken aback. This was totally unexpected. She didn’t even know it was possible. From all she’d been taught, the salt and red brick circle was impenetrable. A moment of panic assailed her. What if she’d returned to Bernadette’s? What if the specter wasn’t as harmless as it appeared?

  “Eliza?” Jewel called out. “Eliza?” She turned in a circle, dashing from one room to the other.

  “What?”

  Hearing the tiny voice coming from the living room, Jewel ran back to find Eliza right where she was supposed to be. “Where have you been?”

  “Here.”

  Her simple explanation made Jewel think. She’d hadn’t left, she’d simply…vanished. Of course. Manifestation required energy. Eliza dem
aterialized in order to rest. “Oh. Okay. I’m sorry. I couldn’t see you.” She wanted to sit down and ask so many questions. There was so much she didn’t know. Despite the millennia of conjecture between believers and nonbelievers alike, there was simply no handbook for this sort of thing. Jewel knew that no person would ever know the full truth of the mystery of life after death until they walked the valley of the shadow for themselves.

  “I couldn’t see me either.” Her face crumpled. “I miss my mama. She’s not here. She’s not anywhere.”

  Jewel’s heart went out to her. “Don’t cry.” She knelt next to the circle, wishing she could take the little girl into her arms. In that moment she realized Eliza possessed no special knowledge, she was as lost in death as most people are in life. We roll with the punches, never able to control fate or destiny. “All right. Try to get some rest. Tomorrow, I’ll work on a way to help you.”

  “Okay, Jewel.”

  With Eliza’s gift of a semi-transparent smile, Jewel realized she’d been given a great gift.

  Trust.

  Before heading to bed, Jewel felt amused at her decision to leave a night light on for Eliza. How weird it was to think the young ghost might feel a fear of the dark. “I think I need a vacation,” she muttered on her way to the bedroom.

  Once in her room, she didn’t bother with a light at all. The moon was bright enough to light her way. After a quick shower, she put on her gown and climbed beneath the covers, making sure her phone was in reach. Easy’s promise of a call hadn’t been forgotten.

  …At home, Easy whistled as he installed the night vision camera near the fireplace. He felt happy. Upbeat. Not even the fact an additional move had been made on the chessboard fazed him. He just countered that move with another one. “All right, Cotton. There you go. Want to make this interesting? We could sweeten the deal with a little bet!” A silly grin came to his face when he realized how accepting he was becoming of things he once would’ve scoffed at as impossible. “Wonder why?”

  Ah, he knew why.

  A certain blue-eyed girl made all the difference. She’d made him question a lot of his long-held beliefs.

  Glad of the cable man’s visit, he booted up his computer and plugged the landline into the cheap portable phone he’d been charging since walking into the door. He didn’t want to miss the chance to talk to Jewel before he went to sleep.

  After picking up his tools, he took the time to look up a few ideas of a restaurant for their date the next evening. He wanted something nice. Romantic atmosphere. Yet, close enough they could come home for the best part of the evening. “Here we go. Fermin’s. A perfect marriage of Creole and Italian cooking, served in an elegant atmosphere in one of the most historic buildings in Thibodaux, Louisiana. Sounds perfect.” Easy made a note to call and make reservations in the morning.

  Turning off his laptop, Easy made his way to the bedroom. All he could think about was hearing her voice again. He rushed through a shower, laid out his clothes for the morning, then dove between the covers with phone in hand.

  Checking on his cell for the number, he punched the digits into the receiver.

  One ring. Two rings.

  “Hello.”

  “Hey, treasure. Are you all snugged under the covers?”

  “I am. Are you?”

  “Yep. Things okay over there?”

  “Yes. Eliza’s fine. She disappeared and I panicked. After I called her name a few times, she materialized. I think they fade to save energy.” When she heard Easy chuckle, she huffed, “Yes, I know how weird this all sounds.”

  “Not half as weird as it looks, I’ll grant you that.”

  “Yea, I know. Believe me, I haven’t experienced anything like this before. In fact, I’m considering calling my mother for help. That should tell you how desperate I am.”

  “Why do you feel desperate?” His tone dropped to an intimate level. He knew she was telling him things from her heart.

  “Well, look at it like this… How do we feel when we hear a report on the news about a child lost in the wilderness? Or one that’s been stolen away from its mother? I don’t know about you, but it hurts me. I sit and imagine how scared they are, how panicked, how deserted. I want to do everything I can to help, to bring the child home safely.”

  “That’s how you feel about Eliza. She’s lost.”

  “Right. And not just for a day or a week. Eliza has been lost for decades. Who knows how long she just existed in the shadows until something about Rudy made her reach out to be heard?” Jewel let out a long, worried sigh. “I want to help her so much. I want to reunite her with her mother.”

  “Help her move to the light.”

  Jewel let out a small grumbling noise. “I’m just not sure there is some damn light. I have no idea why some spirits leave and some stay. Not a clue. We conjecture that its some tragedy, unfinished business, or they don’t know their dead. This may be true, and it may not be. I’m just afraid of not being able to help her at all.”

  “Well, honey, if you can’t do anything else, she could stay with you.”

  The way he said it, made Jewel smile. “Do you think being with me is a good thing?”

  Easy groaned. “Oh, definitely. I think being with you will be a momentous thing.” He let out a wicked little chuckle. “I sure enjoyed kissing you.”

  Jewel’s cheeks began to burn. “You did?” Hearing his whispered voice, she could almost smell the warmth of his skin, taste the fire in his kiss.

  “Yea, I can’t wait to kiss you again.” Easy ran an impatient hand down his abs, down to cup his cock and balls. “I can’t wait to touch you. Undress you. Love you. Kiss you all over.”

  With a gasp of surprised longing, Jewel yanked the covers up to her chin. The pure eroticism of his words made her feel vulnerable, available…eager. She didn’t remember ever feeling this way before. “I’m shaking. You have quite a way about you, Easy Blackhawk.”

  “I can’t wait to have my way…with you.”

  His voice was low, caressing, making Jewel tingle all over. “What will we do?”

  Thinking she meant for the entire evening, he laid out his plans. “Well, I’ll pick you up and we’ll go to Fermin’s.”

  “No, not Fermin’s.”

  Her quick negative response shocked Easy. “Why? I know you like seafood.”

  “Uh, it’s not that. Could we go somewhere out of town?”

  She didn’t have to say more. “Sure.” He was reading her loud and clear. She didn’t want to run into anyone she knew. “Any suggestions?”

  “How about Abear’s? It’s a few more miles, but worth it.”

  “Whatever you say,” Easy spoke to her softly. “What we eat or where we eat is not the main focus of the evening for me.”

  “Me either,” she confessed.

  “I’ll bring a bottle of wine home. After we eat, we’ll come back here and take a walk. I’ll pour you a glass of wine, then we’ll talk.”

  “Talk?”

  Easy grinned. She sounded disappointed. “Just a little. I want you to be relaxed when we…”

  “When we what?”

  Hearing the hitch in her voice, Easy couldn’t help but think something else was going on. “Are you touching yourself?”

  On Jewel’s end, her mouth dropped open, and her hand flew up in the air. “No.”

  “It’s okay if you are. You wouldn’t be by yourself.” He fisted his cock. A long, slow stroke.

  “Are you…?”

  “Oh, yea,” Easy almost purred the words. “I’m pretending it’s your hand touching me.”

  His admission made Jewel’s hand slide back down to pull up her gown. “You make me ache, Easy.”

  Groaning, Easy’s hand moved faster, his hips rocking softly. “Oh, honey, I’m going to ease that ache in a way no one else ever could.” He closed his eyes, his breath coming in pants. “I’m going to fill you up so good.”

  Jewel’s fingers were moving quickly, round and round the slippery littl
e button of her sex. “I want to touch you too. I want to see you. I want…” Her voice dissolved into a soft keening noise as she began to shake. “Oh, Easy!”

  Hearing her sexy moans and whimpers fueled Easy’s own orgasm. “God, treasure!” He bucked in the bed, his hand moving fiercely up and down as a rope of cum shot out of his pulsing cock onto his abdomen. “Damn…” In the throes of ecstasy, he dropped the phone. “Damn.” Easy made a grab for it as he collapsed against the pillow. “You still there?”

  “I’m here,” Jewel whispered breathlessly. “Did you…?”

  “What? Did I cum?” He chuckled and licked his lips. “Oh, hell yeah. How about you?”

  “Yes.” She blushed furiously. “I’ve never…done that before.”

  “What? Play with someone like this?”

  “Yea. Phone sex, I guess.” Jewel covered her face with her hand, her cheeks hot with embarrassment and excitement. “I’m blushing.”

  Easy smiled at the thought. “All over, I bet. All rosy. I bet your nipples are swollen and puffy, aren’t they?”

  “Yea, they are,” Jewel confessed, her hips dipping into the mattress. Her hand wandered down to cup her sex. She still felt so empty. Aching and tingly.

  “Do they want to be sucked?” he asked, then shook his head as his dick began to fill once more. Even though he’d just come hard, Easy was still so turned on, he was shaking with need.

  “Oh! Umm…” Jewel arched her back, like she was offering her breasts to him. “Yes, they want you. I want you.”

  Easy growled, turning in the bed, seeking pressure to alleviate the throbbing hunger in his cock. He was beyond tempted to go to her. The only thing holding him back was waiting for an invitation. “Oh, you’re going to get all of me you can handle. Do you want me to come to you now?”

  Across the way, Jewel’s eyes widened. She was sprawled in her bed, her gown around her waist, her sex wet. Perspiration dampened her body. Her sheets were twisted, her hair was a mess. “No, no, I’m not ready,” she stammered. “I mean, I’m a mess.”

  Hearing the panic in her voice, Easy sought to calm her. “It’s okay. Tomorrow will be here before we know it. You still want tomorrow to happen, don’t you?”