Whoever chose the stocked cologne knew how to tantalize female endorphins. Good Lord, it oozed straight to her erogenous zone. Mmm-mmm, the scent of a man. The scent of Niall.
Battling for composure, she forced her feet to move and entered the bathroom. A silver rack stood along the back wall. Towels lined three shelves and on the bottom shelf sat a basin filled with an assortment of condoms. Cologne, body spray, bottles of lotion amongst a few other necessities adorned the counter.
“Don’t bother getting dressed,” Niall shouted.
She turned on the water and held her hand under the stream until it reached her preferable temperature before pulling a silver button to activate the spray nozzle. Steam billowed from the stall and began filling the room. She wiggled from her dress and lifted it over her head, and that’s when she saw Niall leaning against the doorframe, eyeing her as a hungry animal might, stalking its prey. Her heartbeat quickened. “Are you going to watch?”
“It wouldn’t be the first time.”
“I’m sure it wouldn’t be.” Why hadn’t she thought of that sooner? Like it’d make any difference anyhow. Suddenly she tried remembering everything she’d ever done to herself while in the bathroom in her room upstairs. Warmth rushed to her cheeks. Thankfully she had no modesty issues, otherwise she’d be crawling inside the cabinet beneath the sink in shame.
Just as she set a foot inside the stall he sauntered into the room, leaned his ass against the counter and crossed his ankles.
Mercy. She turned so he couldn’t see the fire in her cheeks. They were surely deep-red by now as visions of the inevitable spanking played in her mind. That bench in the other room had her name written all over it. If she didn’t return to it soon, she might lose the nerve and run scared.
She showered quickly, despite Niall standing outside the stall watching her through the glass. And his gaze sizzled, especially when she climbed out and stepped into the towel he’d held and wrapped around her body.
Rather than give her a moment to dry off, he whisked her off her feet and carried her into the other room. His narrowed eyes didn’t waver from her face as he kissed her and gently stood her near the bench. His hands slid into her hair above her ears and he held her firmly while slipping his tongue in her mouth. At first he was inquisitive and prodding, then desperate and unyielding. The pace of his heavy breaths surpassed hers. Then he was moaning and pressing his powerful cock against her tummy.
She surrendered. Completely. She was his. To do with whatever he wanted. Wherever he wanted. However he wanted.
With a flick of his fingers he unfastened her towel and dropped it to the floor. Although tepid air brushed her damp skin and gooseflesh rose on her arms, her blood boiled. Erotic sensations returned with such velocity she couldn’t determine whether the warm liquid dripping down her thighs was water or her own juices.
She swooned and laid her hand on his upper arm for balance. His muscles flexed under her palm and his arm tightened around her back. But with each passing second, his lips backed away from her mouth.
“Kneel on the bench, Shanna.”
She held her breath while her belly flipped in anticipation. It wasn’t his normal tone but was said with warning and a commanding undertone. She hadn’t seen this side of Niall, but, ah, it was too surreal and she couldn’t get on her knees fast enough. They sank slowly into the soft leather while she reclined on her haunches. “Did you used to do this?”
“I’ve spent a lot of time in here during the past few years.”
“Did you ever participate?”
“I couldn’t, love,” he stated as he approached her from behind and rested his hands on her shoulders, giving them a sensual massage. “Physical contact was impossible until I’d encountered you. I could barely move objects before you conquered my heart.”
She closed her eyes while her muscles relaxed beneath the prodding of his magical fingers. “Don’t spank me hard. Will you stop if it’s too much?”
“We’ll be utilizing safe words. I’ve witnessed many people getting hurt without their use.”
She’d heard of them. Never expected to use them but she knew what they meant. “Can we make up our own or do we have to use the color thing?”
He gave her shoulders a tender squeeze and lowered his lips to her ear. “We can do whatever we want, but colors are the easiest to remember.”
Wow, his hot breath set her on fire. “Red means stop, right?”
He nodded.
“And yellow, proceed with caution or something.”
“Yes. I’ll slow down. And green, of course, means go.”
Red—red—red. She needed to instill that in her head since she was such a baby when it came to pain.
She inhaled sharply when he slid his hands to her waist and lifted her to her knees. And as he leaned her over the top section, which lifted her bare ass in the air, her tummy filled with warmth and her heart nervously skipped a beat. The leather felt cool against her breasts and her nipples hardened. Being exposed and in such a vulnerable position was a definite awakening. But when he walked to the front of the bench, lowered her arms and locked her wrists to the legs with cuffs, a deep yearning began to simmer.
She wasn’t tilted forward enough to cause blood to rush to her head, but it beelined to her pussy and her clit started to throb.
He walked to the chest and pulled a drawer open. She closed her eyes. It was better not to see what he’d removed because she’d be screaming “red” before he came anywhere near her rear end. Then she felt his hand gently graze her ass, followed by his warm lips. And he kissed every inch as if cherishing the mounds. Or regretting what he was about to do.
She gulped then held her breath when the kissing ceased. Seconds droned as she waited and waited, anticipating the first slap while air settled across her rear, drying his saliva. It produced a menthol-type sensation—cool and burrowing deep into the tissue. Then a subtle whack startled her and the sting on her ass took a few seconds to reach her brain. She squeezed her eyelids to ward off debilitating pain but it never evolved. The sound startled her more than the crack and the soothing caress with his hand that followed had her crooning and craving another.
With very little pressure he slapped her again. A little firmer. But it wasn’t skin on skin. It felt like leather on flesh. Soft, arousing leather. She peeked over her shoulder and saw a paddle in his hand and something inside her came alive. She groaned and stuck her ass higher in the air, inviting the next spank. Instead he massaged her lower back and hips, as if apologizing in some odd way for hurting her. But he hadn’t hurt her, and despite her head reeling from the unfamiliar play, her body screamed for more.
He stalled, displaying an excessive amount of attention to her skin as his hand roamed in between her thighs. She held her breath and wiggled her rump, trying to guide his fingers to her pussy. Just then the paddle cracked her ass. Her pubic bone hit the edge of the table and her shoulders dug into the cushion. And as the sting intensified, he slid a finger in her cunt. “Ahhh, Niall,” she whimpered, clenching his finger with her vaginal walls.
He lowered his mouth to her ear. “Red, yellow or green?” he asked, his voice deep and unyielding while gliding the leather paddle over the thickest part of her rump.
She burned. Dear God, she burned. “Green!” she blurted, grinding her pussy madly into his hand.
Another crack breached her ears before she felt the flames on her ass. She clamped her eyes shut and shrieked as the glorious sensation burrowed under her skin. Everything south of her belly cried for more. Between Niall finger-fucking her and rubbing the cool leather paddle on her heated flesh, he put her feelings on sexual overload. She swore she’d died and floated to heaven. Both sensations traveled deep and her overzealous nerves couldn’t withstand the blinding tension.
If he’d stroke her clit, she’d burst. But as she bashed her cunt in opposition to his finger, forcing it deeper, she realized he’d avoided the sensitive nub on purpose.
How coul
d he do this to her? Damn him, he must have known it’d take only one measly touch to throw her over the edge.
A loud whack echoed off the walls, accompanied by a red-hot sting. “Yellow!” she screeched. It was too much too soon. A second later arousal spread to her central nervous system and a dull scream rose in her throat. But it escaped in the form of a sharp groan as Niall squatted between her legs and rolled his tongue over her clit. Her thighs quivered and tummy jerked and after two long, agonizing swipes he yanked the teensy bud between his lips and sucked hard. Mercy! “Yesss,” she hissed, fisting her hands so hard her nails scraped her palms. Contractions tore through her pussy, pulling his finger deep. Painful pleasure exploded, lighting her insides. She’d been taken so high she barely heard the rip of a condom wrapper. And as she flowed with the rainbow of color and sparks, Niall withdrew his finger and carefully inched his cock in her cunt all the way to her cervix.
A gurgle slipped from her throat, fading into a trail of panting breaths and constant moans while he initiated a steady rhythm of thrusts. As he leaned over her back and nibbled on her shoulder and the base of her neck, his hips increased speed. The bench creaked as he slammed into her over and over. His soft nibbles increased in strength and momentum, evolving into teensy bites that shot prickles up and down her spine. Sweat gathered between their skin, intensifying the slippery ride.
A deep groan deadened the sound of the bench. Niall’s rhythm shifted to quick jabs, followed by a lone, desperate thrust. And, mercy, she wanted him to burst through her cervix and fill her womb.
He stilled. And as his cock vein pulsed and his penis throbbed deep in her depths, she gripped him hard with her vaginal walls while another climax ripped through her body.
As the convulsions ebbed she relaxed beneath his weight in the comfort of the cushion, panting and moaning.
“Shanna, are you okay?”
She nodded because at the moment, she just wanted to enjoy the subtle decline.
“Stay in Ireland, love. Move into my cottage with me.”
Her eyes popped open.
“I’m afraid I could never live another day without you,” he said, planting kisses along the back side of her neck.
“Niall, I—”
“Shhh. You don’t need to answer right now. Think about it for a while.” His weight lifted from her body and she felt hollow as he withdrew his penis.
Then in the breath of a second, he was gone.
Oh no. This wasn’t supposed to happen. He was mortal. A human. A man. He shouldn’t have vanished to recharge from their lovemaking. Everything Sir Henry had said was a lie. A big, fat, teasing lie. And she’d wanted it so desperately, she was fool enough to believe it was taking place. People saw Niall. He bled. He perspired. He…he…he… Damn it! Damn her. Damn him. Damn Henry. “Niall!”
“I’m right here, love,” he said, appearing at the side of the bench near her head. He squatted and rubbed her cheek with the back side of his hand. “No need to shout.”
When she gazed into his eyes, her belly vaulted. “I thought—”
“I know what you thought. That isn’t going to happen anymore.” He unlocked the clamp around her wrist and brought her hand to his heart. “Feel it? It’s beating for you. You’re inside of me now.”
And yes, it’s where she wanted to be.
Her sister found love and happiness with a doctor. Why couldn’t Shanna find love and happiness with a ghost-turned-mortal man who’d just bent her over a spanking bench and whooped her ass until it was red and burning? Was it worth walking away from her life in Ohio?
Her home.
Her career.
Her sister and friends.
Yes, chances were Niall would make every second worth the loss.
Only in Ireland could such mystical happenings occur. And what she’d witnessed so far wasn’t going any further than Tullamore Castle’s walls.
Chapter Eleven
“Fuck! That hurt,” Niall yelped, rubbing his forehead.
Shanna laughed as he bounced off the door. “Well, you can’t walk through things anymore,” she said, sliding the key through the security slot.
“Thought I’d put it to the test.”
Less than an hour ago he’d told her he wouldn’t disappear anymore, yet he tried getting into her room without opening the door. Goof. She laughed harder as she stepped inside and set the key on the desk while Niall kicked off his flip-flops and sat down on the bed.
“Come here, love. I’ve got a lot of lost time to catch up on,” he said, lying back and fluffing a pillow beneath his head.
A hundred years worth. Wow. As she stepped forward, cold air surrounded her and something smacked her hard across the face. Her head jerked.
“Bitch!”
She gasped and covered her cheek with her hand. “Ni-Niall,” she stammered, her eyes bulging while she glanced through the cool space enveloping her body. “Someone’s here.”
From the corner of her eye she watched him scoot off the bed and take a stance.
“Where?”
“Right in front of me.”
“Is it Henry?”
Too scared to move, she barely shook her head. “It’s a woman, and she slapped me. Can you see her?”
“No.”
“Neither can I.” But she felt its evil presence and it was pissed. And if it didn’t get out of her space she was going to be pissed too, but in a different sense—from the waist down.
Niall approached slowly and grabbed Shanna’s hand. When he cautiously tried moving her aside, something grasped a handful of her hair and tugged.
“Whore. He’s mine.”
“Oww, she’s pulling my hair,” Shanna screeched, reaching for the back of her head.
“You’ll never take him from me. Never.”
Niall gripped the fingers Shanna held to her scalp. “It’s Bridget.”
“You heard her voice?”
“Yes.”
“You said she’s not allowed inside the castle.” Despite Niall’s attempts at defending Shanna’s scalp, the relentless tugging continued, drawing her to tears. “Get her away from me.”
Niall released Shanna’s hand and engulfed her in his arms. “Bridget, leave her alone. I’ll not let you steal love from me again.”
Immediately the pressure on Shanna’s hair eased but she felt Niall’s hands being toyed with at her back. She slid hers around his waist and locked her fingers together.
“Shanna, it’ll be okay. I’m going to guide her away from you.”
“Niall, don’t,” she shouted, but no sooner had the words left her mouth than he pried her hands free and backed up to the bed.
He dropped down on the mattress and she knew by the harsh way he landed he’d been shoved. And just as she started to lunge forward, her feet were kicked out from under her and she dropped to her ass on the floor. She hit the carpet with a thud then quickly scurried backward until her shoulders hit the desk.
How could she defend herself against something she couldn’t see? A ghost. The ghost of a defiant, envious woman who’d already murdered once for the sake of love.
Just then, Niall’s pants button popped opened and the zipper parted.
Shanna’s mouth dropped and she froze. “Don’t let her—”
“If she gets what she wants, she’ll leave.”
“Never! I’m never leaving you.”
“You can’t give in to her,” Shanna shouted. “What if it makes her stronger? What if she hurts or kills you?”
Niall looked from his lap into Shanna’s eyes. “She won’t.”
“How can you say that! My God, Niall, she tried killing her own mother.”
“La-la, Mommy’s dead,” sang through the air in a cutting, high-pitched tone. “Her blood is red.”
Holy hell! Shanna’s heart skipped a beat and her entire body trembled.
“She kills those she envies, not those she loves,” Niall stated.
Meaning? She’d take Shanna down? She gulped a
nd squeezed her hands into fists as she watched his underwear being lowered, exposing his flaccid penis. And despite not being able to see Bridget and despite the fact Bridget was only a spirit, jealousy twisted Shanna’s guts.
“And when I’m finished with you, I’m going to kill Shanna too.”
Shanna’s pulse shot to her ears. She didn’t just hear what she thought she’d heard. Her gaze raced to Niall’s, which expressed an exorbitant amount of alarm.
He adjusted his briefs to cover his penis then slowly sliced his hands through the air. “Shanna, she moved away from me. Utilize your powers and tell me where she’s at. Now.”
“Powers?” What powers? Her gaze darted around the room at the speed of her raging heartbeat. “I don’t understand what you’re asking me to do.”
“La-la, Abigail’s dead. Her blood is red.”
Niall clenched his jaws briefly, his body tensed, and he glanced toward the ceiling. When he seemed to regain composure, he gazed at Shanna. “Spirits appear drawn to you because of your sensitivity. I want you to relax and focus. If you have the ability to summon them, you have the ability to chase them away.”
She’d never summoned a ghost. Never! She wasn’t that stupid. “They peg me because I’m a chickenshit.”
“And when I’m finished with you, I’m going to kill Shanna too.”
“Damn it, Shanna, focus!”
How! How could she focus when her teeth were chattering in fear and rattling her brain?
“Close your eyes and relax.”
If she couldn’t even focus, how was she supposed to relax?
“Close them!”
She snapped her eyes shut.
“Now think of things that make you smile,” he said firmly, his voice lowering to nearly a whisper.
Niall. Niall made her smile. Normally. When she wasn’t so scared. And trying to relax and focus and think happy thoughts was an asinine idea when an evil spirit lingered in the room singing songs of death.
“La-la, Shanna’s dead.”
Shanna’s lids flew open. A woman’s face hovered inches away from hers.
Phantom Mischief Page 16