MisTAKEN Identities Paranormal Romance

by Allan, Sydney

  “Oh, I’m so sorry your mother is gone. I should’ve remembered that.” She tapped her forehead and smiled up at him. “I’m a space case tonight. Forgive me. Is it painful to talk about her?”

  “No, not at all.” Looking very thoughtful and intense, he traced the line of her jaw with a fingertip. “So, now that we’re talking about our families, you want to tell me about yours? We’ve been dating five years and I still haven’t met them.”

  Distracted by his tickling, exploring touch, she said, “That is kind of strange. Does it bother you?”

  “Yes.”

  “I don’t blame you. I’d wonder what was up if I was dating a guy who wouldn’t talk about his family. In fact, that happened to me once. I had this boyfriend and he wouldn’t introduce me to his parents. Now that I look back on it, I’m sure he was ashamed of me for some reason.”

  Jason scowled. “For what?”

  “I don’t know. Maybe I wasn’t blue-blooded enough for him. No big deal. I certainly don’t care now. And rest assured, I’m not trying to hide you. I would never be ashamed of you.”

  “That’s good to know. I’m not ashamed of you either. Quite the opposite. I’d like to show you off to the whole world. But you know, I’m an old-fashioned guy at heart. There are a few things I need to discuss with your folks before certain other things can take place,” he hinted with a nod.

  No way she could misunderstand what he was getting at.

  “I’ll see about giving them a call.” She didn’t know what else to say. Where was Monica’s legendary rich father?

  Did there even exist a rich father or was he another one of Monica’s imaginary characters? It wouldn’t be easy but she had to play it safe and answer Jason’s questions with vague generalities, at least until she could get some more information. One thing was certain—since becoming Monica, she hadn’t heard from a single family member, father, mother or sibling.

  “I don’t speak to them much at all. Can’t remember the last time, to be honest. Daddy’s always traveling,” she added, recalling the stories Monica had told her once about her father’s travels to the far east. “And Mother’s usually either in a spa somewhere or spending Daddy’s money in Europe. The woman’s house is like a gallery but she can’t resist the temptation of finding the next prized piece for her art collection.”

  His expression was very solemn as he nodded. “I guessed as much. Your folks were a lot like my father. They meant well, I’m sure.” He bent lower, slid his hands under her armpits and wrapped his arms across her chest.

  “Yeah,” she half-spoke, half-sighed.

  “I spent my childhood in boarding schools. I saw my father once a year, at Christmas.”

  “That’s terrible.” She couldn’t imagine giving birth to a child and then handing him off to someone and not seeing him but once per year. It was a miracle Jason had grown into the gentle, caring man he was and not a cold jerk. Since he’d been robbed of years of love, she figured he was due more than his share as an adult.

  She was eager to give it to him. Unfortunately, she had no idea if she’d have the chance. “My folks are no better than yours, I suppose. They have their lives and I have mine, not that I’m ungrateful for what they did for me. I have a terrific education, thanks to them. And a good job.”

  “So,” he asked, stroking her cheek with his thumb, “when you told me all these years you were visiting your family during the holidays, were you lying?”

  Oops! “Not…exactly.” The sound of the tractor in the distance caught her attention. The timing couldn’t be better. “Are we going back now?”

  Jason tipped his wrist and rested his chin on the top of her head as he read the numbers on his watch. “I think this is the last wagon of the night. We better catch it just in case.”

  “Okay.”

  Jason didn’t release her as he stood but pulled her to her feet with him. She leaned back for a moment, enjoying the way his strong bulk felt pressed against her. Then she bent to gather the blanket and trash.

  Jason wrapped a protective arm around her shoulder as they walked and whispered into her ear, “I know we’re supposed to be starting over, but how about going home and making love? It’s a perfect way to end this perfect night.”

  Jenny’s heart jumped into her throat. Tingles and heat waves zigged and zagged through her body in an instant response to his suggestion.

  How could she say no? That word was the last thing she wanted to say.

  Jason rested a possessive hand on her thigh as he drove them back to her place. With the frequent flirting glances and slight squeezes to her leg, his intentions were clear. Jason wanted nookie.

  Jenny wanted nookie.

  Neither one of them would get it. At least not if Jenny could somehow manage to resist. As his fingers inched higher, tickling her inner thigh, her ability to think quickly dissolved.

  “I’ve been waiting all night. I want to make love to you under the stars,” he murmured. His hand slid higher until it reached the juncture of her thighs. Through the thick fabric of her jeans he stroked her until she was a mass of spineless jelly.

  She felt herself parting her legs, giving him more access to the sensitive area. Waves of pleasure pulsed through her body as he rubbed harder. She moaned and let her eyelids drop over her eyes.

  Cloaked in darkness, she wallowed in the sweet joy of his touch and of the promises he muttered as he drove.

  “I’ve missed you, Monica. Missed you so damn much. I want to make you cry out my name as you come. We’ll come together like we used to.”

  The car stopped and she opened her eyes, surprised to see they were already at her house. Jason got out and opened her door for her. As she unlocked the front door, he stood behind her, his full length pressed against her. She felt the bulge of his erection pressing against her butt.

  She fumbled with the lock, dropped the key twice. When she bent over to pick it up, Jason held her hips in his hands and rubbed that bulge against her butt suggestively. She felt every bit of her resolve melting away.

  A little voice inside her head said, No, no, no! I can’t!

  A louder voice inside her head said, Yes, yes, yes you can!

  When she finally got the lock to work, she shoved open the door and practically ran through it, barreling through the living room in a desperate last-ditch effort to get away from him long enough to gather her defenses.

  He didn’t give her much time. After closing and locking the door behind him, he turned and grinned. “Oh yeah. I love this game! We haven’t played it in a long time. I thought you’d forgotten. Run, you little tease. I’ll catch you. I’ll make you pay for what you’ve done to me tonight.”

  Good God! What had she gotten herself into? What kind of kinky game was this? He was acting so different. So…aggressive. She liked it.

  Despite her rising temperature and the steady throb between her legs, she waved her arms and shook her head. “Oh, no. I’m not playing.”

  His grin was wicked, sexy, disarming as he took long, slow strides toward her. “You’re doing a fine job of acting. Been taking more classes?”

  Backing herself into a corner, she muttered, not so much because she was intimidated but because she was tempted, “Seriously, Jason.”

  He didn’t stop until he was standing inches away from her. He lifted his arms and pressed his palms against the wall on either side of her head, trapping her between the wall and his bulk. Then he leaned closer and kissed her.

  Sensation, sound, touch, taste, amplified until her brain was unable to register them. His tongue stroked and prodded. His hands explored her body. He unzipped her jacket and pushed it down her arms then kneaded her breasts and pinched her nipples through the remaining layers of clothing. They felt both too thin to protect her skin from his touch yet too thick to allow it to penetrate to her deepest nerve endings.

  Her throat constricted, blocking any words of resistance that might have tried to escape. She could merely moan. And that she did. More
than once. The sound echoed in their joined mouths.

  One of his hands reached to the top of her head and gathered a fist full of her hair and tugged slightly, urging her to tip her head to one side. He trailed kisses and licks and nibbles down her neck until her entire upper body was blanketed in gooseflesh and her legs were so wobbly and weak she was forced to cling to him in order to remain standing.

  The little voice in her head—the one that was growing more distant by the second—made one final appeal before declaring defeat. You can’t do this. It’s not fair to Monica or Jason!

  It was no small feat to speak whilst Jason performed magic with her body, but she managed to whisper, “Stop, please.”

  Jason paused for a moment, his gaze searching her face. “Are you still playing?”

  “No.”

  “What’s wrong?”

  “As much as I want to, we can’t do this right now.”

  “Why? Is it that time of the month? I mean, I completely understand if—”

  “Yes!” she said a little too enthusiastically. She sobered her voice as she explained. “I mean, I’m very sorry but I’m having terrible cramps this month. You don’t mind waiting, do you? We could…talk for a while longer if you like.”

  “No, that’s okay. I should probably get going.” He glanced at his wristwatch. “I’m catching an early flight tomorrow morning.”

  A chill crept over her arms and shoulders. “You’re leaving?”

  “For a few days. Will you miss me?”

  A deep ache settled in her belly at the thought of not seeing him. Maybe it had been only a short time, but to her it felt as if she’d always known him, as if he’d always been there. She knew there would be a huge empty void with him gone, no matter how long or short it was. “Yes, I will,” she answered honestly.

  “I’ll miss you too. But it’s business. I’ll be back Tuesday. I’ll bring you a surprise.”

  She took a second to wonder what kind of surprise a man like Jason would bring from a business trip. She guessed it would be better than an uneaten package of airline peanuts. That had been the one and only gift she’d ever received from a boyfriend before. And she’d thought it had been quite thoughtful. After all, it had been a meal-less flight and five hours long. The poor guy had gone hungry all that time for her.

  “That sounds very nice, but unnecessary,” she said, slumping onto the couch and reaching for the throw slung over the arm. She wrapped it around her shoulders.

  “I want to.” He sat next to her, leaned forward and, hot again, she threw off the throw and braced herself for another one of those soul-searing kisses. Unfortunately, or fortunately depending upon how she looked at it, all he gave her was a slightly longer-than-normal peck on the cheek. “I can’t wait to see your face when you open it.”

  “You’re very sweet.” She rested her palm against his jaw and tried to burn the expression she saw in his eyes into her memory forever. If she did eventually return to her old life as Jenny Brown, she wanted to remember how it felt to see that look on a man’s face—of genuine, undisguised love—for the rest of her life. It might be the only time she’d ever see it.

  “I’ll call you Monday night,” he said, standing.

  She forced herself to her feet and leaned into him, wrapping her arms around his middle and pressing her ear against his chest. His heartbeat was a soft, steady thump in her ear. The sting of tears burned her eyes.

  It was only going to be a few days. She couldn’t really understand why she was getting so emotional. It wasn’t like she’d never see him again…unless…

  Trying hard not to look like a clingy, whimpering whiner, she followed him to the front door, gave him a breathy “good-bye and thanks” and watched him get into his car and drive away.

  And then she went to bed.

  Sunday dragged by as she sat by the phone waiting for his call. By eleven Sunday night she gave up, assuming he wouldn’t be able to call her until Monday like he’d promised. Monday, she went to work and she and Monica worked together on their projects. They swapped what-I-did-over-the-weekend stories. A little guilty, Jenny intentionally left out Saturday night’s date. For some reason, it just felt wrong telling Monica about the date, kind of like she was cheating or something. However, she did mention that Jason was keeping in contact and left it at that.

  She wasn’t exactly sure how she’d proceed. Falling in love, marrying, having Jason’s children. That sounded like heaven. The perfect life. If it meant living out the rest of her life as Monica, then she was willing to make the sacrifice. She wondered if Monica would ever forgive her.

  Monday night, after a short phone conversation with a jet-lagged Jason, she tossed and turned, restless. Her face and hands itched which didn’t help. Desperate for some sleep, she smoothed on some calamine lotion and returned to bed. But like when she was sick, what dreams she had as she drifted in and out of a shallow slumber were strange, vivid and lifelike. Sometime after three in the morning, she peered at the clock one last time before falling into a deeper sleep.

  Tuesday morning, she woke to the sound of morning rush hour barreling down the nearby freeway. At least the burning itch was gone.

  Chapter Ten

  “Damn it!” she yelled before she’d even opened her eyes. No doubt about it, she was back home—in Jenny Brown’s apartment. The loud traffic and scratchy Army blanket had been dead giveaways long before she’d bothered to look.

  Everything else was probably back to normal too.

  Ready to confirm her suspicions, she threw off the covers and glanced down at her chest.

  Back to barely-there double As, thighs that were a tad too meaty to be considered sexy, and a tummy that was a little soft and lumpy to be seen in the light of day. Ultra-white from lack of sunlight, it reminded her of a slightly molten marshmallow. “Hello there,” she said to her less desirable parts, not exactly clear how she felt about being back to her old self and old life.

  There were reasons to celebrate—like her lighter workload and hopefully solid financial status, assuming Monica hadn’t maxed out all her credit cards and buried her under a heap of debt already.

  But then there was also the obvious drawback, and it was a biggie—a whopper.

  Jason.

  Not in a hurry to get to work, for the first time since she’d started there, she took her time dressing, checking out the new clothes Monica had stocked her closet with, and fighting to style her new haircut after an extra-long, extra-hot shower.

  Thanks to the switch, she figured she’d be facing an exuberant Monica at work this morning. Although Monica had stopped complaining about Jenny’s less-than-glamorous home and lifestyle, she knew Monica had to be relieved to have her beautiful home and boyfriend back.

  Of course, that meant Jenny had a little explaining to do, even more reason to drag her feet.

  Resisting the urge to call in sick, Jenny finally forced herself out the front door. Her new car wasn’t a Lexus, or a Honda, but it rode reasonably well and it had a certain sex appeal. The heater worked great too, blasting toasty air after the car had been running only a few minutes. Nothing rattled or clanked when she went over the speed bumps in her apartment complex. That was a bonus.

  When she got to work and settled into her cubicle, she missed the spacious office a little bit, but not too much. Thankful for the fact that Monica hadn’t come gleefully screaming the minute Jenny had arrived, she set to work immediately. Evidently, Monica had some more important matters to attend to.

  But there was one small drawback—she sure missed their morning brainstorming sessions, having Monica to toss ideas back and forth with. Over the past week, they’d become quite a team and she’d produced some of the best work of her career. Everyone, including herself, had been impressed. Would she be able to continue without Monica forcing her to really exercise her mind and come up with original and exciting layouts?

  Resolved to do her best, she set to work on her first project, a coupon advertisement for
a pet store, but right away she found her mind wandering.

  Where was Jason? What would he say when he called tonight? She missed him so much even her teeth ached. Her innards felt hollow yet heavy at the same time.

  Then another thought occurred to her. Monica would be the one to welcome him home with a hug and a kiss, not her. That thought did nothing to lighten her gloomy mood.

  Shit! She had no right to be jealous but she was anyway. Even though she’d assumed someday she’d return to her life, a part of her had hoped… Oh, there was no use dwelling on the impossible.

  Monica’s life was Monica’s again…and so was Jason.

  “Hey, we need to talk,” Monica whispered from behind her, reminding her of where she was.

  “Maybe later. I’m pretty busy right now.” She moved the mouse around and pretended to be hard at work, knowing full well Monica could see her screen was blank.

  “It might be just me, but I’ve found it’s easier to use the software when it’s running,” Monica teased. “What’s wrong? Aren’t you happy to be back to your life? After all the crummy things you said about mine, I figured you’d be dancing in with bells on.”

  “Sure, I’m very happy.” Even to herself, her voice sounded dead flat. She decided to look busy for real and at least get her design software loaded. It took a few minutes for it to open.

  “You could at least say thanks for all the hard work I’ve done with your hair, makeup and clothes,” Monica said, sounding hurt. “It wasn’t easy losing those five pounds, you know. I swear your body is addicted to sugar. I had to throw away practically everything in your cupboards to keep from bingeing.”

  Funny, she’d completely forgotten to eat this morning.

  “Thanks,” Jenny said. “That was very kind of you, making such a painful sacrifice.” She turned to glance over her shoulder. Monica’s face was swollen, red and covered with terrible-looking oozing blisters. “My God! What happened to your face?”