* * *
He stood back, peeking around the corner of the bookshelf as the woman from the house sat in front of the library computer. Someone passed him and moved quickly by as though they found him to be distasteful or scary. He avoided public places as much as possible, especially in the daytime, but he couldn’t seem to stay away from her. Her screams from the other night still filled his ears and tightened his loins.
He turned his attention from the wary people giving him a wide berth back to the young woman who seemed to hold his attention captive. The sunlight shone through the wooden blinds, streaking her black hair with silvery highlights. Her brown eyes twinkled with barely contained excitement as she set her papers beside her on the table and clicked the mouse to bring the computer to life.
He’d followed her all morning, watching where she went and who she spoke to. He couldn’t seem to stop looking at her. With her dark hair, olive skin, and dark eyes that tilted up at the edges, she had a slight Asian appearance.
She ran her delicate hands down her thigh, rubbing them against the denim of her jeans as she waited for the computer to fully boot. The fan kicked on, blowing some of her papers off the table. He rushed forward and grabbed them just as she leaned over as well, causing them to almost bump heads.
“Oops,” she said with a laugh as she quickly sat back up.
Her gaze landed on his face, and she gasped briefly, before quickly composing herself. It was a reaction he was familiar with, which is why he avoided the public.
He handed the paper to her, and she accepted it with a sweet smile that made his gut clench painfully. She didn’t back away from him as most people did. That surprised him. The old familiar hunger roared to life as her fingers softly brushed against his. Her scent filled his senses as he imagined all the things he would do to her when he got the chance.
“Thank you,” she said, but he didn’t miss how she moved back, putting a little more distance between them.
“You have to watch those fans,” he replied. He glanced down at the paper and the sketch of a young girl as she set it back on the table. “Are you researching something or someone?”
“Well, both actually,” she replied. “You wouldn’t happen to know anything about the Hayworthe House would you?”
“That big monstrosity out on Morris?”
“That would be the one.”
He shook his head. “I’m afraid not. All I know is it’s been empty for a long time. Sorry I couldn’t help you more.”
She shrugged, smiling slightly. “That’s okay. I’m Lisa,” she said, holding out her hand.
He stared at it for a second before grasping it within his. No one had offered to take his hand in a long time. Her skin was warm and soft. He brushed his thumb over the purple color of her nails as he continued to hold her hand within his grasp. It was the first friendly touch he’d experienced in years, and he didn’t want to let it go.
“I’m Joshua,” he replied, shocked that he’d actually told her his real name.
Revealing himself in any way was something he never did, and he’d done it twice today with her. Once when he picked up the paper, and the second when he’d revealed his name. She was dangerous to him. All the more reason to be rid of her in his own special way.
“Well, it was nice to meet you, Joshua,” she said as she pulled her hand free.
He’d held on to her hand for too long. A slight wariness appeared in her gaze as she watched him, and he immediately tensed. She could feel something was off with him, so he needed to be careful. He would need to get close to her again if his plan of abducting her was going to work.
“It was nice meeting you as well,” he replied. “I should probably let you get back to work.”
She nodded but still smiled sweetly as he walked away, leaving her to the computer and her research. This wasn’t the time or place for his plan, but if he stayed close to her, watched her, eventually it would be.
Chapter Fifteen
Alana opened the door to the Chinese restaurant and perused the dining area for the twins. She spotted them almost instantly sitting at the far side of the room, their heads bent close in quiet conversation. She wondered what they were discussing so intently. Aiden spotted her first, and he raised his hand, waving her over.
She drew in a quick, nervous breath. Already, her body hummed with the memory of how they’d made her come in her dream. Would it be that way in real life? Would they set her on fire as they had in her mind?
Noah turned to watch her over his shoulder as she made her way slowly across the room. The way his dark, sultry eyes raked over her body sent shivers of awareness to every inch of her flesh. Aiden, at least, kept his desire more under control. Noah left no doubt he wanted her and apparently didn’t care who saw.
She approached the table, and both men stood. Aiden softly kissed her cheek while Noah pulled out her chair, allowing her to finally get off her shaky legs.
“We’re glad you could make it,” Aiden said as he returned to his seat.
Noah brushed his lips along her neck just below her ear, causing goose bumps to rise along her arms.
“I’m just glad you didn’t tell us to take a flying leap,” he whispered.
“The thought crossed my mind,” she replied, her lips twitching slightly. “The two of you alone can be very persuasive. Together you’re quite overpowering.”
“We don’t intend to be,” Aiden said as he signaled the waitress to come take their order. “The buffet here is great. I hope you like Chinese.”
“I love it,” she said, swallowing down her jitters.
They were in a public restaurant. What could happen? She noticed the restroom sign at the far side of the dining area and almost giggled out loud as she imagined a stolen moment or two in a locked bathroom.
God, I’m so screwed.
An older Chinese man approached the table, waving off the young woman who was about to wait on them. “Sheriff, Councilman, it’s good to see you today.”
“Hi, Sam,” Aiden replied before nodding to Alana. “This is Alana James, the young woman who’s investigating the house.”
His face lit up with a wide smile as he clasped his hands in front of him with excitement. “The ghost hunter?”
Alana smiled, always happy to meet a fan. “Yes.”
“I just love to watch your show. It’s so much fun.”
“Thank you,” Alana said with a chuckle.
“Lunch today is on the house,” he said.
“Oh, no,” Alana began to argue, wanting to pay for her food, but he waved her words away with a quick swish of his hand.
“I insist. Can I get you something to drink? Tea, soda…”
She glanced at Aiden and Noah. “Could I get a beer?” she asked.
He smiled and nodded. “Of course. Best in the house. Councilman, a beer for you?”
Aiden nodded. “Sounds great, Sam. Thanks.”
“Sheriff?” Sam asked.
“I’m on duty, Sam. I’ll just have sweet tea.”
Sam nodded. “Coming right up.”
Alana watched him go and shook her head with amusement. “He seems like a nice guy.”
“Sam’s great,” Noah replied as he watched Sam as well. “He’s been here a long time.”
“He works with Noah a lot with the youth program Noah started,” Aiden said.
“Youth program?” Alana asked, curious as to what made these two tick.
Noah shrugged, obviously trying to dismiss the whole thing as nothing. “It’s just something I and a few of the business owners started to help keep the kids out of trouble.”
“Does it help?” she asked.
“I like to think so,” Noah replied, his lips lifting into a grin.
When he smiled, it softened his whole face, making him appear younger. She peeked over at Aiden. He caught her watching him and winked. The heat of a blush moved quickly over her cheeks as Sam returned, placing drinks on the table.
She grabbed hers
and downed two quick sips, hoping it would help to calm her nerves. The twins made her jittery, but not necessarily in a bad way.
What had her most frazzled was the fact that she wanted them. Right here, right now. How was it that they could do this to her without even laying a hand on her? She’d lost her mind, that’s all there was to it. A temporary case of lustful insanity.
She welcomed Aiden’s suggestion they check out the buffet. Choosing her food gave her something to think about other than being sandwiched between them. Once back at the table, she felt calmer and determined to learn a little more about them.
“So?” she began as she stabbed her fork into a bite of sweet and sour chicken. “What’s the deal with you two?”
“What do you mean?” Noah asked.
“Well. Any other siblings, parents?”
“No,” Aiden replied. “It’s just the two of us. Parents died a long time ago. We were mostly raised by our grandmother. You?”
Alana grinned. She should have known they would want to ask her questions as well. “Mother lives in Florida. I’m an only child.”
“How did you get involved in ghost hunting?” Noah asked.
She pointed her fork at him playfully. “That answer is easily found on my bio page on the Web. This is supposed to be an investigation into you two, not the other way around.”
“I would think that would work both ways,” he replied, his eyes twinkling with humor.
“Fair enough. I got into ghost hunting after investigating my first paranormal romance.”
“That’s right,” Noah said with a nod. “I almost forgot you also write books.”
“My newest one comes out in November. This is actually my last ghost-hunting adventure until next year. My publisher has me going on a book signing tour November, part of December, and January.”
“Can that be postponed?” Noah asked.
“Why would I?” she asked, curious as to where he was going with that question.
Noah shrugged. “I was just curious. You never know what might happen between now and then.”
His intense gaze held hers captive for a couple of seconds before she looked over to Aiden, who shrugged before taking a bite of shrimp.
“That sounds a little ominous,” Alana said, turning back to Noah.
Noah snorted with amusement. “I didn’t mean I was going to lock you away or bury you somewhere in the house.”
“Well, that’s good to know.”
“I can’t speak for Aiden, but this isn’t just a one-night-stand deal for me, Alana, and I don’t think it is for you, either.”
“I agree,” Aiden said.
“I don’t know what this is,” Alana replied. “I don’t know what to think of any of it. I slept with Aiden not really seeing it as anything other than fun, then you approach me and offer a ménage relationship, which is something I’ve never even remotely considered in my life…at least until now. I don’t understand this connection the two of you have.”
“Neither do we,” Aiden answered with a chuckle.
“How does it work exactly? You each feel everything the other feels? If one of you gets a paper cut, the other feels the pain?”
“More or less,” Aiden replied. “We’ve learned over the years to block a lot of it out.”
“What if Noah were to get shot?” she asked.
“He has been shot, and I felt it,” Aiden said. “It hurt like hell at first, but after a few seconds I was able to block it, knock it down to a dull ache.”
“But for whatever reason,” Noah added, “I wasn’t able to block Aiden having sex with you that night. Nor was he able to block it the other day when I found you at—”
“I get it,” she interrupted. “Why is it stronger now?”
Aiden lifted his beer bottle and swirled it. “We don’t know.”
“We would like to find out, though.” Noah reached out and rubbed his finger enticingly up her forearm, making her skin tingle.
“The two of you are insane,” she whispered, only half meaning it. At the moment, she had to be just as insane to even consider such a relationship.
Noah grinned wickedly. “Yeah, but we’re fun.”
Alana giggled and shook her head in amazement.
“I promised your friend that Aiden and I would behave, take you out, get to know you. Ease you into this, if that’s what you want.”
“Ease me into it?” she asked. “How do you ease someone into this?”
Aiden’s blue gaze twinkled with a devilment she would expect more from Noah. “There’re lots of ways.”
“Are you talking physical or emotional?” she asked.
“Both.”
“The two of you never get jealous?”
“I don’t know,” Noah replied. “We’ve never had a threesome with a woman we had feelings for.” Noah waved his fork. “Beyond the physical anyway.”
“What happens if there is jealousy?”
“We would work through it,” Aiden said. “We’re not talking marriage, Alana. At least not now. None of us knows where this will go. You could hate it or it could fizzle. Noah and I can be demanding, overbearing, arrogant, and stubborn. It could all quite possibly be too much for you.”
“No kidding,” she murmured. “One man can sometimes be more than I can handle. Two? It’s almost kind of scary.”
Noah chuckled. “Just remember, Alana. We would never force you into anything you didn’t want to do. We follow your lead. If you say no, it’s no. Now.” He gave her a sexy grin that made her stomach flip. “That doesn’t mean we won’t try to convince you from time to time.”
“We’re very good at convincing,” Aiden said and she turned to stare into his deep blue, sexy gaze.
Oh, yeah. She’d been privy to their convincing firsthand and knew exactly how good they were at it. She doubted she could ever tell them no. At least not with any conviction.
She turned her attention back to her food and took a bite, barely tasting it. She swallowed and spoke. “I’m going to change the subject for a second.”
“Okay,” Aiden replied.
“How’s the passage search going?”
“It’s stalled,” Noah replied. “I know there’s an entrance into that second level passage, but I can’t find the damn thing.”
“Aiden said you spent time in that house as kids. Were you ever in the second level passage?”
“Once,” Noah replied as he stared at his glass, thoughtful. “Karen or Gram, neither one liked it in there. They said it felt oppressive, like evil hung in the air.”
“Considering what may have gone on there, can you blame them?” Aiden replied drily.
“Wait. What went on there?” Alana asked with curiosity. Whatever it was might explain the young girl.
“Karen’s father kept sex slaves,” Noah replied. “Not all the time, but at parties.”
Alana’s eyes widened. “Seriously? That would explain the girl. If she died there as a slave, her haunting is residual.”
“Residual?” Noah asked.
“Her spirit could be reliving her death, warning of her own death, not someone else’s.”
Noah nodded in acknowledgment. “I suppose it makes sense if you believe in that sort of stuff. Besides, I thought you were the skeptic of the bunch.”
“I am, but this sort of thing fascinates me. I’ve seen her. Aiden’s seen her. We know she’s there. Now all we have to do is find out why, and I think you may have just hit on it.”
“If that is why she’s there, can you help her?” Aiden asked.
“Help her? You mean put her spirit to rest?”
Aiden nodded as he took a bite of fried rice.
“Not if it’s residual. Residual is like a recording, replaying itself over and over. Sort of like a memory of the house itself. Nothing more. Those you can’t really get rid of.”
“If you can’t get rid of it, then what’s the point of doing anything?” Noah asked.
“There’s no point. It’s just a
fascinating mystery that I would love to be able to find the answer to.”
Noah’s lips twitched into a sideways smile. “I would prefer to find the answer to who attacked your friend. Has she remembered anything?”
“Not yet, but truthfully, I’m not so sure that’s a bad thing. Whatever it was that happened up there scared the hell out of her. I don’t want her to relive that. Even if it means we don’t find who did it.”
“Alana…” Noah began.
“I know we need to find who’s responsible, but I really don’t want her to remember if she doesn’t have to.”
Noah sighed and glanced over at Aiden, who nodded as though silently communicating with his brother. Aiden turned his gaze to her and smiled softly as his hand moved to rest over hers. A warmth traveled quickly up her arm, making her feel safe, protected—feelings that eluded her at night. They had ever since she’d been here; ever since she’d heard her friend’s screams from the second floor of the house.
She licked her lips and pulled her hand free. All she could think about all morning was them touching her, kissing her. Her willpower was all but nonexistent where they were concerned.
“I, um…” She reached up and rubbed at the back of her neck, trying to relieve some of the tension.
“Do we make you nervous?” Noah asked.
She glanced over at him and frowned at the grin he tried hard to hide. “Actually, yes. You do.”
“Why?” Aiden asked.
She gaped. “Seriously? I’ve had sex with you. I’ve been kissed by him.” She pointed her thumb toward Noah. “I think it’s safe to say I have zero control around both of you.”
“It’s the same for us,” Noah replied. “If I had any control where you were concerned, I would’ve never kissed you back in Aiden’s office and started this whole mess.”
Shaking her head, Alana couldn’t help but chuckle helplessly. “The two of you are killing me. You promised to behave.”
Noah laughed. “We are behaving. I think you’ve seen us not behaving. Remember the house and Aiden’s trip to your hotel room?”
Aiden joined him in the laughter while Alana dropped her forehead in her hand. She tried not to laugh, she really did, but eventually she gave in. The three of them chuckled until Sam returned, carrying their fortune cookies.
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