Tales From Mysteria Falls

by St. Giles, Jennifer

  The longer they road, the more she clung to him. Not because of fear, but because of just how good he felt. Her thighs hugged his, her arms wrapped him tight, and her hands splayed across his chest, absorbing the feel of his hard muscled warmth and the beat of his heart.

  The scenery passed in a heart-racing blur, so she closed her eyes and gave herself over to the pulsing pleasure of being with him. Long before she was ready to end her ride on the Phantom, long before she was ready to unglue herself from his hard, male body, JD pulled to a stop in front of the opera house and killed the engine. Instead of getting off, he sank back against her as if reveling in the feel of her. They sat there long enough for the situation to become obvious. Any longer and they’d have to do something about the desire gripping them both.

  Krisana forced herself to slide off the bike. He didn’t help matters by keeping a steady hold on her arm. His assistance kept her hip pressed intimately to his thigh and the brush of his thumb across her wrist challenged her ability to think.

  Once off, she took a step back, but gained little distance from him. He slid off the bike in one fluid move and stood a breath away from her. He unsnapped the helmet and eased it off her head. His hand brushed her neck in the process then cupped her chin. His blue gaze studied her, searching for an answer to the sensual sparks between them. Her lips parted as his gaze dropped to her mouth, welcoming this seductive stranger who made her senses sing at perfect pitch and in harmony with his. She thought he was going to kiss her and her mouth went so dry she couldn’t even swallow.

  Jameson knew he’d lost all control of the situation. God, how he wanted her, needed her. The only thing that kept him holding back was the fear of losing her.

  “Enjoy the ride?” he asked as he ran his thumb across her bottom lip. The feel of her sweet body pressed tight against his throbbed inside him. She’d cranked the desire between them to a high the moment they’d met by running her hands over him, searching to see if he’d been hurt. Yeah, he hurt. Everything inside him ached—hard.

  Riding with her on the Phantom had been a mistake. From now on, any future ride would be less than perfect unless her body was enveloping his.

  “Yes,” she whispered.

  “Good,” he said, stepping back to keep from wrapping himself around her and taking them both on a different kind of ride. He wouldn’t stop at a kiss. He knew it, so he didn’t dare cross the line until she was ready for him. He was dying to run his fingers through her silky hair and sink himself deep into the heated pleasures of her body. He wanted to drive himself into her until there was nothing left for either of them to give.

  She turned to the opera house as if looking for something to save her from him. He shivered as he followed her gaze, knowing she’d find no salvation amid the mortar and glitz.

  “Do you believe in ghosts?” she asked as she slid a set of keys from her pocket.

  He smiled. “I see the old man has been talking.” He set his hand over hers, feeling the race of her pulse as he eased the keys from her fingers. “Let me usher you in and let’s just say that I believe the old man is a haunted man.” His voice wavered and he had to turn away before she saw the shadows in his eyes.

  Setting his hand against the small of her back, he led her up the stairs, his heart pounding with both anticipation and dread.

  “Haunted by Anya, you mean? Who was she? What happened to her?”

  He sighed as he slid the key into the lock. “That’s for the old man to tell,” he said. “You need to hear the story from him. Meanwhile, I think we should mark this historic occasion with a little fun. Close your eyes.”

  “What?”

  “Close your eyes. To truly appreciate the magnificence of the opera house, you need to see it as a whole. There are paintings and photographs in the lobby that will spoil the fun. I collected them to help me restore this place.”

  “You restored it?”

  “You don’t think the old man would just give it to me,” he said, grinning at the surprise on her face. He bent down and scooped her off her feet to cradle her in his arms as he pushed against the door. She gasped.

  “Close your eyes,” he warned, as he carried her over the threshold. Holding her close, he drank in the sweet, fresh scent of lavender and rose she wore, as he crossed the lobby and pushed his way into the opera house, wondering just how far his control would stretch. Setting her on her feet, his resolve crumbled and he bent to claim her lips.

  “Oh, oh, oh!” she said, not even realizing his intent as she swung away from him, her eyes wide with pleasure. He sighed as he tried to shore up his resolve to keep his distance. Being here with her again was harder than he thought it would be.

  Krisana couldn’t believe her eyes. The opera house was more than beautiful—it was exquisite, every detail of it. Her dreams had been fuzzy images. To see the real thing was incomparable. She could already hear voices ringing clear and true as the power and passion of music filled the room. She moved toward the stage and what had to be the largest pipe organ in the world. The sound would surely reach heaven. She didn’t have a feeling of tragedy or loss that she’d experienced when touching the door earlier, only one of joy.

  “You did this?” she asked, turning to look at JD with new eyes. “You restored this to such glory? It’s magnificent. Was the place in bad condition before?”

  “A fire and years of neglect had ruined it.” He shrugged as if it hadn’t been a huge accomplishment. “It’s what I do. I fix things. No miracle here.”

  She shuddered. A fire? Had that been what she’d seen when she’d touched the door? She kept her gaze on JD, drawn as much to him as to the splendor of the place. There was a great deal more to him than a phantom bike and take-me-anywhere-you-want bedroom blues.

  He turned away. “Would you like to play the organ?”

  She shook her head. “No. Piano is my forte. I wouldn’t be able to do it justice, but I can’t wait to hear it. Can you play?”

  “Some. What do you want to hear?”

  “Anything.”

  “You got it,” he said. He grabbed her hand and led her down into the orchestra pit. As she followed, she wondered if she were descending into temptations from which she’d never escape. The play of his hard muscle beneath his black shirt and leather pants when he moved had her imagining what he’d look like naked.

  She forced her gaze from his body to take in the magnificence of the place again. This time she focused on the amazing chandelier centering the stage. It appeared to be thousands of glass and silver icicles on fire with multi-colored flames. “That is beautiful!”

  He followed her gaze. “Pure crystal and silver.” He motioned to a hydraulic gearbox set against the wall closest to the stage. “Those dials control the chandelier; they dim the lighting, change the color of it, or lower it for dusting or repair.”

  “Why do you have a red X taped over it?”

  “Waiting for a repair man. I think there’s a leak in the system and it can’t be trusted until it’s checked out. Silver is damn heavy and I don’t want to take a chance of the chandelier crashing.”

  She gazed back at the chandelier. “It’s almost as amazing as the organ.”

  “Nope,” he said shaking his head, amused. “That doesn’t even come close to my baby here.” He lovingly ran his fingers over the ivory keys as he settled on the bench. Shedding the jackets she wore, she joined him.

  He played a few notes and the grandeur of the sound sweeping over her was heaven itself. She expected him to play something grand and classical. Instead she got “Bohemian Rhapsody” and “Born to be Wild.” They both ended up singing the melodies with abandonment and laughing at his rock antics.

  Mid-laugh, a feeling of déjà vu swept over her. She remembered watching a man play, singing with glorious joy and laughing, him chasing her backstage and upstairs to an iron bed and making love to her. The dream was so vivid that she felt as if it were happening at that very moment. She could smell the man, taste the heat of his
kiss, feel the hardness of his body and almost climaxed from the passion of his touch.

  JD suddenly stopped playing and turned to face her. “What wrong?”

  She blinked. “Uh, it was nothing.”

  “You stopped singing and you’re as white as a ghost.”

  “I just…thank you for playing.” She stood on watery knees. “We should finish seeing the rest of the place.” She followed a pathway she didn’t even know she knew. She went to a door at the back of the orchestra pit. That door led her to a dim corridor.

  JD didn’t say a word, but she heard his steps behind her. Reaching a spiral staircase, she began to climb. At the very top, she found herself in a spacious loft, high above everything. The room was empty. No iron bed; no furniture; only cushions on the wide ledge beneath the magnificent stained glass window that painted beautiful colors across the room.

  She walked over to the vibrant image of Penelope and Odysseus in a passionate embrace. The couple’s devotion to each other had been unwavering. This loft had been Anya and James’s retreat from the world.

  JD stood at the door, arms crossed with a scowl creasing his brow. “How did you know this room was here?”

  His question seemed like an accusation.

  “I’ve seen it.” She sighed, turning from the window. “I’ve had dreams since I was eighteen. Dreams of a place—like this. Do you think it’s possible for ghosts to haunt your dreams? Or do you think I’m crazy for even suggesting such a thing?” Her gaze fell to the heavy cross at his throat, again feeling as if she should recognize it.

  He strode determinedly her way, his blue eyes intent and demanding. “I don’t think you’re crazy at all, but I know damn well I am. Kris, if we don’t leave right now, I’m going to do what I have been aching to do since the moment we met. I’m going to kiss you and when I start, stopping won’t be easy. I know you feel this intense attraction, too.”

  Then what is stopping you? she wanted to ask, but didn’t. What kind of woman made love to a man she’d met only a few short hours ago?

  A twenty-five year old virgin who was about to explode from the world she’d boxed herself into. You’ve never let yourself live, or allowed any distractions in your life. You’ve never met a man you wanted this much before, either. You want him more than you want to sing at the moment. That has never happened before.

  Still, she couldn’t say the words, and he turned from her, his hands fisted.

  Whether it was this place and her dreams over the years, or just him and the overwhelming attraction she felt for him—both in body and in spirit—she couldn’t let this moment pass without knowing him deeper. Moving to him, she placed her palm and cheek against his warm back. “Kiss me,” she whispered.

  His back stiffened and he groaned. Stepping away from her touch, he faced her, his blue gaze tortured with guilt. “I’m sorry, I coerced this. I’ve shouldn’t have—”

  All Krisana heard was that he wasn’t going to kiss her. After she’d leapt over the ledge of caution, he was going to leave her freefalling in this strange world in which she’d hung in limbo for too long. Rushing to him, she slid her arms around his neck and pressed her lips and chest to his.

  He responded like wildfire. Wrapping his arms around her, he lifted her higher to meet the full force of his desire. His mouth opened and his tongue sought hers in a kiss that demanded everything from her in an erotic tangle of give and take, thrust and parry, and devouring submission. The room spun and time seemed to stop, leaving them cocooned in a moment of pure passion.

  Perfect pitch, perfect harmony, the melding of their need played like music in her soul, making her heart sing. She slid her hands into his thick hair and wrapped her legs around his hips, bringing the core of her sex closer to the hard, throbbing heat of his erection. He backed up until he sat on the window seat, enabling her to straddle him. A rainbow of colors painted them. Her heart thundered and every part of her ached for more of him. Sex-to-sex he thrust against her need as his mouth left hers, and kissed his way down her neck. A quick upward yank on the hem of her shirt, gave him access to her breasts.

  His groan was deep and primal as he pulled down the lacy cups and exposed her nipples. She arched her back, offering herself to him and he claimed her. His lips covered one breast and sucked her deep into the heat of his mouth as his tongue lashed her nipple. His hand cupped her other breast, squeezing her nipple until she cried out in ecstasy. Waves of pleasure rippled through her, bringing a gripping climax. Stars blurred her vision as her body, spirit, and soul soared.

  She opened her eyes to find JD staring at her with awe, as if she was the most beautiful woman in the world. He was breathing as heavily as she was. His face was flushed, his pupils dilated and the raw sensual edge to his demeanor was razor sharp, almost predatory. Yet, he leaned forward and brushed her lips reverently.

  Before either of them could speak, a dark shadow appeared at the window. Krisana cried out, but it disappeared in a flash, leaving a shiver of fear that stole away her pleasure.

  “What is it?” JD twisted around, his gaze searching. Seeing nothing, he turned back to her confused and assuming the worse. “There’s no reason to be frightened. I would never harm you.”

  She shook her head. “It wasn’t you. There was a dark shadow hovering outside the window.”

  “Tell me exactly what you saw,” he said, pulling her close.

  “I don’t know. It was just a blur. There and gone before I could focus on it. Maybe a cloud passed before the sun and I just imagined it. It wouldn’t be the first time today that I got spooked over nothing.”

  JD’s passion disappeared beneath a deep frown. He urged her up and helped her dress. “Tell me about them.”

  “It’s silly really.” She told him about the raven and about Martha’s rescue bat.

  “I don’t think it silly at all.” He sighed. “With your dreams and other things combined, we can both say something beyond the normal is happening. Do you agree?”

  She nodded, so relieved that he put into words what she’d been unable to say.

  “Promise me you will tell me. If anything else frightens you, no matter what, okay?”

  He looked so serious that she agreed and felt compelled to tell him what happened with the door. The story deepened his frown. “We had better go now. We can come back tomorrow, if you like. The rest of the place is just bathrooms, a kitchen, storage, and the gardens, of course. The gardens are remarkable.”

  She followed him down the spiral staircase and after collecting his jacket, he hurried her to the motorcycle. When she passed through the lobby, she caught glimpses of the pictures there. Several of them showed the place destroyed by fire.

  Fear snaked a cold hand down her spine and she hurried her step.

  Jameson was torn between exhilaration and deep worry.

  Singing with Krisana, playing for her, and laughing with her had taken him so back in time that he’d actually felt as if he was with Anya. And when Krisana left him to lead the way to where he and Anya had often made love, his control had snapped.

  He’d nearly blown his cover by demanding how she knew about the room and threatening to kiss her. He’d reacted as Jameson, a man who’d been waiting for her for decades. And not as JD, a man who’d just met her. She’d been so caught up in her own hauntings that she hadn’t noticed.

  He didn’t know how it was possible that Krisana had dreams of their life together, but now that he knew it, his hope for their future soared. Her response to his kiss had brought him to his knees. For so long he’d ached to hold her again, to see and feel the beauty of her passion. He’d been unable to resist her, even though he feared he was taking advantage of the attraction between them. He could lose her if he rushed her into a physical relationship before involving her heart.

  Worse, he was sure some sinister element was stalking her. And he damn well was going to find out who or what.

  Chapter Four

  The ride back from the opera house with JD was
just as intensely sensual as the ride there, but this time an undercurrent of emotion stole away the abandoned fun. Laughter had disappeared beneath a heavy cloud of need.

  There were no lingering touches as he helped her take off his helmet. His gaze barely connected with hers while they collected her bags from her car. Irrationally, she wanted to grab him and kiss him, deeper and harder, but didn’t because she herself didn’t know what she wanted to have happen next. She was so confused.

  She followed him into the castle, wanting to be back in the opera house where he’d carried her over the threshold, made her laugh and sing.

  Martha greeted them. “It’s a wonder if you don’t both catch pneumonia—out riding in the cold—and you with no jacket.” She frowned at JD. “You missed the lunch I prepared. Would you like me to fix it for you now?”

  He stopped abruptly and Krisana bumped into him. “I hadn’t realized we had. I’m sorry. The decision to go see the opera house was last minute.”

  “No problem. Lord Daniels took a tray in his room. He said he’d like to see Miss Krisana later in the observatory.”

  JD swung around. “I’ve been negligent as a host. Are you hungry? The Old Man had Martha prepare a special lunch, and I forgot all about it. Unfortunately, there’s something I need to take care of before dinner tonight, otherwise I would join you.”

  After everything that had happened today, Krisana needed some time alone to digest it all. “Would it be too much trouble to have a tray in my room?”

  “No, dear.” The elderly woman peered closer. “You look as if you could do with a rest. I’ll bring it up shortly, along with a pot of tea to take the chill off.”

  “Thank you,” Krisana smiled. Martha shooed them up the stairs as she left and JD continued to her room on the second floor.