“You’re the best, Maegan.”
After she left, the store was steady but nothing I couldn’t handle. I locked up at five o’clock like normal and headed home since Lyric, Memphis, Milo, and Andy were expected to arrive at six. Lulu and Rascal rushed to the door to welcome me home. Lulu would be excited our guests would be bringing their dogs with them, but Rascal would most likely hide under my bed until they left. Andy and Memphis adopted Chihuahua siblings, Bull and Gigi, and Lyric brought his Great Dane to town with him.
As I expected, Lulu sent up an excited bark when she saw her friends and the newcomer while Rascal ran so fast he was a blur of black fur flying up the stairs to safety. Elijah arrived home shortly after, sniffing the air appreciatively.
“Honey, I’m home,” he said, sounding like a husband on the old black-and-white sitcom reruns my nonna loved to watch. “I smell meatloaf, mashed potatoes, and green beans.”
“You smell the green beans?” Lyric asked in disbelief.
“I do when they come from Edson and Emma’s. They add bacon to theirs.” Elijah rubbed his hands together gleefully. “Let’s do story time while we eat.”
“What was the book event you held for Valentine’s Day?” Memphis asked me.
“Blind date with a book.”
“Let’s do that with the takeout containers. I pass them out blindly, and we eat whatever we get.”
“Give me the meatloaf and no one gets hurt,” Elijah playfully growled. At least I thought he was kidding. “Wait, don’t even bother opening them.” He took a deep whiff of the air and picked up a container off the table. “This one.” Elijah opened the container and his loud whoop signaled he’d chosen wisely. “The rest of you guys can do the blind date with a dinner thing.”
“Sounds good to me,” I said. “What about you guys?” Andy, Milo, and Lyric nodded in agreement.
We all dug in after Memphis passed out the containers. “Lyric has news he wants to share with you while we eat, and then we’ll begin our investigation.”
“I’m so excited to hear all about it,” I said eagerly.
“We’ve frequently talked about Anthony but discovering a second tycoon was living in the middle of nowhere really stuck out to me. What were the odds? What was the history between the two men, if there was one.”
I had never thought it was odd that a steel magnate, Wallace Bennington III, had made Blissville his home not long after Anthony Bliss established our town. We knew Blissville was a progressive town back in the day, but I could understand how it seemed strange to an outsider. “They definitely had history,” I agreed. “They were friends in New York City before either of them moved to Blissville. Anthony moved here with his family, and Wallace followed afterward.”
“I think the men were more than friends, Maegan. I think it’s possible Anthony did indeed run away in 1850.”
“Are you basing this on something you found or gut instinct?” I asked.
“A little of both. I looked through two years of newspaper clippings which included many photos of the two men. I think it would be easy for people to miss the fondness in their expressions if they weren’t looking for it.”
“Huh,” Andy said, sitting back in his chair.
“I compared photos of Anthony with Melanie to those of Anthony with Wallace, and there was a noticeable difference.” Lyric tilted his head to the side. “Also, Wallace Bennington III fell off the face of the earth not too long before Anthony disappeared.”
“He moved west, right?” Milo asked. “So many people had wanted an opportunity to find their fortunes during the California Gold Rush, but the rich just got richer, and the poor got poorer.”
“That’s true,” Lyric agreed. “The thing is, I spent hours online searching for information about Wallace Bennington III, and there was not one mention of him living in California. A man like him wouldn’t move west without buying a hotel or something.”
“True,” I said softly. “He announced his departure and the townsfolk accepted it at face value. What about his family? Weren’t they looking for him?”
“He was an only child and a confirmed bachelor. Once his parents passed away, there was no one to look for him. I did some digging, and he sold the newspaper for a song, most likely just to unload it. He sold his steel and iron works company for a shit ton of money though. It was enough to start over with a new identity and the man he loved.”
“Wow,” Memphis said softly. “That sounds romantic.”
Milo winked at him from across the table. “Then Anthony faked his death and followed Wallace west a year later?”
“It was more like eight months, but yes. That’s what I believe. Anthony relied on people believing he perished as part of the curse,” Memphis said. “I think the men changed their appearances as best they could and started over.” It was so cute how he’d become so caught up in the investigation. I knew a big part of it had to do with the man conducting the investigation, but that wasn’t all of it. I knew him well enough to know he was a sucker for a happy ending.
“Back then, it could’ve been as simple as shaving their faces and changing their style of clothes,” Lyric pointed out.
“If Anthony left here of his own free will, then who is haunting this house?” Elijah asked.
“That’s what we’re going to find out,” Lyric replied.
He and Memphis headed upstairs to the attic to begin their EVP session while the rest of us went outside to enjoy the nice evening. It looked like we were finally going to get a break in the heatwave we were experiencing. Andy and Elijah talked about their upcoming softball game with Milo weighing in about the likelihood they’d have an undefeated season. I mostly listened to them talking because my mind was stuck on the information that Lyric told me at dinner. Were Anthony and Wallace lovers? Had they planned an elaborate escape to live out their lives together on the West Coast?
“I better go make sure they’re not locked in the attic,” Milo said, rising from his chair dramatically.
“Don’t cause any more trouble,” I cautioned.
“I’m only heading in to see if I hear them banging on the door. I promise I do not have ulterior motives.” Andy and I snorted, earning a narrow-eyed glance from Milo that would make any cheesy television villain proud.
He was back in a few minutes with Memphis and Lyric following close behind him. “The gang’s all here,” Milo said dramatically. “What happened up there?”
Lyric opened his mouth to answer, but Memphis spoke up first. He talked so fast that I had a hard time following. It sounded like, “Elevated EMF readings…shadows moving…boxes knocked over…EVP session.”
“I’m going to upload the session into my computer to see if our ghostly friend had anything to say. I’d like to come back and set up some video equipment in the attic tomorrow morning. Maybe try another session tomorrow evening? Is that okay with you guys?” Lyric asked us.
We agreed, and he assured us he’d be over early enough not to interfere with our work schedules. I offered them dessert, but I could tell by their swollen lips and dazed gazes they were eager to get back to Memphis’s house to do more than play back the EVP session. Milo and Andy left immediately after them, giving me my first moment of quiet with Elijah since we left for work that morning.
“Alone at last,” I said when he pulled me into his arms. The scent of tobacco wafted through the air.
“Bug off, Anthony,” Elijah said. “I need some alone time with my woman.”
“You still think it’s Anthony’s ghost after what Lyric found out?” I asked.
“I’m a cop who believes in hard evidence and not speculation, Freckles. Until I have proof that tells me otherwise, I believe it’s Anthony’s presence.” A wide smile spread across his face. “I also believe Anthony got an eyeful up in the attic.”
“You noticed their swollen lips and dazed expressions, huh?”
“Freckles, Inspector Gadget wouldn’t need Penny’s help to figure that one out.”
I hugged his
neck tighter and giggled against his chest. “Could I possibly love you more?”
“I’ll let you give it your best shot. You’re not coming with us, Anthony. You’ve seen enough action tonight.”
“Guess what arrived a few days early in the mail?” I asked, waggling my brows.
“What’s inside?” he asked, eyes blazing with lust.
“I didn’t have time to open it.”
Elijah stepped out of my embrace and headed to the table by the door where I place the mail each night. He picked the box up and just stared at it for a few seconds. Then he lifted it by his ear and shook it. “Sheer baby doll negligee with matching lacy thong and a pretty lace bra and panty set,” he said as he returned to my side.
“What colors?” I asked, playing along with his monthly fun.
Like normal, he hoisted me over his shoulder and carried me off to our room where he would wait naked, hard, and horny for me to model my newest acquisitions.
WHEN I MOVED TO BLISSVILLE earlier in the year, I had worried the transition from undercover work to small-town detective would be difficult. Of course, I had no idea I’d meet Maegan and fall in love so hard and fast it stole my breath. Adapting to my new life was amazingly easy and waking up at seven in the morning never felt so damn good. Of course, some days Maegan was up and out the door to open Books and Brew before my alarm went off, but it wasn’t one of those mornings. Milo opened on Tuesdays, so I stayed in bed with my girl as long as I could, knowing she’d nudge me awake if I fell back to sleep with her tucked up against me. Once Maegan’s eyes opened, her brain fired to life, and she never went back to sleep.
“Shit! Elijah, wake up! We fell back to sleep. Lyric and Memphis might be here any minute.”
I jackknifed into a sitting position in time to see her sprint into our bathroom. So much for Freckles never falling back to sleep, but who could blame her after the night we had. I wanted to boast and brag that my bedroom skills kept her up all hours of the night, but it was the damn ghost. I mean, I rocked her world well and good, but I was considerate enough to let my lady get plenty of rest. Anthony didn’t give a fuck. He slammed doors, shifted boxes in the attic, and chain smoked his pipe in our room when we didn’t pay him any attention. Finally, at about three o’clock, Maegan sat up in bed and calmly said, “Anthony, I won’t be responsible for my actions if you don’t shut the hell up right this minute. Lyric doesn’t want to hurt you. He only wants to find out if you and Wallace made it to San Francisco, so why don’t you be a good ghost and cooperate with him.” Anthony’s response was to slam our bedroom door shut, but he stayed quiet for the rest of the morning.
“I wonder if they heard anything interesting in their EVP session,” I asked when I entered the bathroom. Maegan was already in the shower, and we’d leave Memphis and Lyric waiting on our porch for quite some time if I so much as looked at her wet, naked body.
“Jesus, even the way you scratch your balls in the morning is sexy,” Maegan said.
Wait? I was scratching my nuts in front of her? I looked down. Yep, I was brushing my teeth with my right hand while my left hand was definitely between my legs scratching my sac. “Huh, it’s a little soon for me to be doing that in front of you. I should act like I have a shred of couth until I can convince you to marry me.” That remark woke me the fuck up. After Brandy’s betrayal, I never thought marriage was something I’d ever risk again. It turned out I was wrong. I wanted every part of me, itchy morning nuts and all, to belong to only Maegan for the rest of my life and even beyond.
Maegan snorted. “Just name the time and place, buddy.” Did we just sort of get engaged? “Besides nut-scratching, what other goodies await Mrs. Elijah Markham?” I noticed she didn’t say Maegan Markham, yet, maybe she worried I was about to freak out and disappear like I did the first weekend after we fucked like animals. I did run from her, and she damn well knew it. “Please don’t tell me you’ll take your morning shit while I’m in the shower.”
I nearly choked on my toothbrush. “Freckles, I don’t even take a piss while you’re in the shower now, yet you think I’m going to shit with you a few feet away?”
“Elijah, you were in the military for a long time, and I’m pretty sure your privacy was limited.”
“True, but I’ve been a civilian long enough to know ladies would consider that a total dick move. I can assure you I will use one of the other bathrooms to take my morning shit if you’re taking too long to do unnecessary things with your hair and makeup.”
“Okay,” Maegan said agreeably.
“What things will you let slide, Freckles?” I asked when I heard the water shut off and the door open. Focus on shaving. Focus on shaving. Men woke up with a semi hard-on, and we fired that bastard up to full speed with very little prompting. “Can I expect a seventies bush within a month after our marriage?”
Maegan laughed so hard I worried she might rupture something. “You won’t have to worry about that, babe. I will permanently have smooth, hairless skin for the rest of my life.”
“Like a side effect from the chemo when you were seventeen?” I asked, looking over at her. She was more beautiful than any woman had a right to be wearing nothing but a towel wrapped around her body and another wrapped around her wet hair. The summer months had added new adorable freckles across her nose and cheeks. I wanted to kiss each and every one of them.
“No,” she said softly, making me worry I’d said the wrong thing. I hated that Maegan would never be able to carry my children in her womb, but not for selfish reasons. I didn’t need biological children to be a father, and I hated that she might doubt her worth because of her inability to give them to me. “I had laser hair removal treatments, so I’ll be smooth and bare for the rest of my life.”
“Wow,” I said in awe. Of course, I was imagining some Star Wars type equipment shooting laser beams across the room.
“Dude! They didn’t whack my hair off with light sabers,” she said with a knowing grin. I loved how she already knew the paths my mind took. Which was why she opened her towel when she had my full attention, showing off the most beautiful breasts I had ever laid eyes, hands, lips, teeth, tongue, and cock on. I’m pretty sure I heard my spunk let out a victorious cheer when I painted her luscious tits the previous night. “Hurry along, Elijah. You won’t want to be late,” she said, swaying out of the room making it impossible for me to tear my eyes away from her toned legs and ass.
“Tease!” I yelled after her.
I refused to acknowledge or relieve my hard dick and plotting a revenge fuck later that night sure as hell did nothing to make it go down on its own. Remembering Lyric and Memphis were probably on the way and would be back later in the evening deflated my cock a little, and Maegan hollering from the bedroom that I had another random unknown call on my cell phone took care of the rest.
Maegan was already gone by the time I dried and dressed. I could hear her talking down below as I left our bedroom. I recognized the voices that responded to her greeting. Memphis and Lyric had arrived, and Lulu’s delighted bark let me know the dogs were with them. Of course, Rascal nearly tripping me as he bolted up the stairs was another dead giveaway. “Sorry, little man,” I said after he stopped long enough to hiss and give me the middle claw. I knew I could make it up to him with ear scratches later.
“I assure you our bakery doors will always be open to you,” Maegan said to Lyric as I reached the bottom of the steps.
“Should I be jealous?” I asked. “All I’ve heard Maegan talk about since she sampled your baked goods is how skilled you are in the kitchen.” Learning Lyric liked to bake as a hobby was surprising but more shocking was that he made some of the best muffins I’d ever had. We not only invaded Memphis’s home on Sunday afternoon, but we also scarfed down half of the homemade muffins Lyric had baked for Memphis even though we’d just crammed our bellies full during brunch at Milo and Andy’s house before setting off to rescue Memphis.
“Kitchen is the key word there, Elijah.”
<
br /> “I know, Freckles. I love giving you a hard time. I’m going to walk my lady out, and I’ll be right back, fellas.” I placed my hand at the small of Maegan’s back and followed her out to her SUV. “You look beautiful in your white dress. People will see you and think what a lady you are, but I look at that dress and see it pushed up around your waist while I’m on my knees licking your pussy and sucking your clit until you come for me.”
“You’re evil,” she whispered. “Deliciously evil.”
“I’ve been planning my revenge fuck ever since you pulled that stunt in the bathroom.”
“Yeah? Is she someone I know?”
“Huh?”
“Elijah, a revenge fuck is when you go out and fuck someone else to get even with a person who hurt you. People don’t commonly use that term when having sex with their partner. I want to know whose ass I will be kicking after you exact your revenge.” God, how I loved my blood-thirsty Freckles.
I backed her up until she was pinned between me and her SUV. “Well, from now on revenge fuck has a new definition for us. It means I will get even every time you taunt and tease and leave me hard.”
“Okay,” she said casually, but the soft tremble in her lips showed she wasn’t unaffected by me. I placed my hands on her bare shoulders and felt her skin pebble beneath my touch. If I looked, her nipples would be furled into hard buds.
Maegan was expecting me to continue my sexual onslaught, so I switched it up on her by brushing my nose along hers and planting a gentle kiss on her forehead. “I love you so fucking much, Freckles. There will never come a day when I will want anyone other than you.”
She promptly burst into tears. “Oh, I’m so sorry,” she said when I took a half step back in shock. “It wasn’t what you said or did that made me cry. I love you too, Elijah. More than I ever knew I could.”
“Then why the sad tears?” Don’t ask me how I knew they were sad instead of happy; I just did.
“Lyric confirmed the ghost is Anthony,” she said after a few minutes. “He also learned Anthony was the one who was locked in the attic. Elijah, if he died here, then Anthony never made it to San Francisco to be with Wallace.”
The Lady Stole My Heart (The Lady is Mine, #2) Page 4