Provoking the Spirit

by Crista McHugh

  “Hmm.” He rubbed his chin. “Interesting.”

  “As fast as everything was moving, I wonder why we didn’t hear anything.”

  “Maybe we were too distracted.” His fingers brushed against her arms again, and the purr in his voice sent a shiver down her spine. “I know something else was occupying my mind at the moment.”

  His breath warmed the nape of her neck and paralyzed her. How close was he standing behind her? She needed to pull herself together before she dropped her equipment on the tile floor. “If you thought with your head instead of your dick, maybe you wouldn’t have been so distracted.”

  “You didn’t hear the noise either.” His breath grazed her ear, sending all rushing from her head to the place between her legs. Damn him! “When did you get so prickly?” His lips pressed against her neck and blazed a trail up toward her ear. Her knees threatened to give out from under her. “Maybe you should learn to relax.”

  Relax wouldn’t be the right word for it. The camera wobbled in her hands.

  “Careful,” he murmured as he grabbed it. “Who’s distracted now?”

  A loud crash came from the parlor and pulled her away from his seduction.

  “Jesus Christ.” He ran out of the kitchen.

  She pressed record and followed him. The lamp from the sofa table lay on the ground, with the remaining shards of the light bulb sprinkled across the hardwood floor. She zoomed in on it. “Just the lamp?”

  “Thankfully, although this ghost has a habit of breaking the most expensive antiques in the room.”

  “Seems it decided to play after everyone left.”

  “Maybe.” He ran his fingers though his dark hair. “Let me get a broom and clean this up.”

  She hit stop and set the camera down on the table. There was something more to this, and she wanted to get to the bottom of it. Remy said the activity was highest when he had women over. The lamp fell right after he had kissed her neck. She already had evidence, but perhaps it was time to piss off the ghost and get some more. All in the name of science, of course. She would willingly allow Remy to seduce her if it meant capturing more proof of paranormal activity.

  When he came back in, she sashayed over to him. “I have an idea.”

  Chapter Three

  Remy wasn’t sure what happened while he was in the kitchen, but when he came back, an entirely different Ainsley greeted him. She sauntered towards him, swaying her hips while a feline grin spread upon her full mouth. How could he have ignored her all these years?

  He had a pretty good idea what she was thinking based on the way she was acting. The blood rushed to his cock, and he wondered what changed her mind. “What’s your plan?”

  He prayed her answer involved them heading upstairs. It had been over a year since he’d gotten laid, and she was turning him on more than any other woman he had ever met. He needed to taste her lips, her skin.

  “You mentioned the activity picks up when you have a woman over. Why don’t we provoke the spirit so we can get you some answers?”

  He leaned the broom against the sofa table, and she pressed her body against his. It took every ounce of willpower not to throw her over his shoulder and carry her up to his bed. The only thing that restrained him was the memory of what happened to the last woman he had taken up there. “Provoke the ghost or provoke me?”

  She pouted. “I’m not easily scared. And if I get some more evidence…” She stroked his cheek and tilted her head to the side.

  She gave him an invitation he couldn’t refuse. He lowered his head. Her soft lips yielded to his, and the taste of her cherry lip balm filled his senses as he plunged his tongue into her mouth. She moaned softly and then started kissing him back. Her tongue danced circles around his, teasing him, coaxing him deeper into the kiss.

  When she finally pushed him away, he needed to adjust his shorts. His pulse pounded through his body. “Where did you learn to kiss like that?”

  “I’m almost thirty, Remy. I’m not completely inexperienced.”

  He was dying to find out what else she could do with her tongue. “How is this supposed to provoke the ghost?”

  She wrapped her arms around his neck, and he braced his hands on her hips to keep her from rubbing against his erection and driving him over the edge. “I’m betting you have a jealous female here, and I’m willing to get to the bottom of it.”

  “Whatever it takes?” This was definitely getting interesting.

  She nodded. “No strings attached.”

  It kept getting better and better. The prospect of hot sex and no commitments afterwards excited him. What could be better than that?

  But as she reclined on the couch and beckoned him to her, his heart did a flip-flop. This was Ainsley. He couldn’t use her for sex, no matter how willing she was. “I’m not completely comfortable with this.”

  “Why?”

  He sat on the edge of the cushion on the opposite side. Talk about role reversal. Now he was feeling like the prickly one. “Because it’s you.”

  A wrinkle puckered between her brows. “And what is that supposed to mean? You seemed pretty interested in me a few minutes ago. Did you suddenly develop a conscience?”

  That felt like a slap in the face. “You’re not the type of girl I usually bring home with me.”

  “I’m too boring, right?” She sighed and rolled her eyes.

  “No, but I got carried away back in the kitchen, and I don’t want to hurt you.”

  “You think you could hurt me any more than I’ve already been hurt in the past?” She twirled her hair around her finger. “I’m still trying to figure out what the downside is to this.”

  His desire resurged. It was getting more difficult to resist her, and his cock grew harder from the thought of her lying underneath him. But he was more worried about what would happen after tonight. This wasn’t some bimbo he could fuck and forget. He would continue to run into her as long as she remained friends with his sister.

  She crawled towards him and rubbed her hand along his thigh. “Remy, Remy, why are you being so difficult?” Her fingers brushed the bulge in his crotch, and sweat slicked his palms. “It’s obvious you want me.”

  He grabbed her hand to put a hold on her torment, and she gasped. “Ains, what are you doing?”

  Her smoky eyes clouded, and she leaned forward to nibble on his ear. “Something I’ve always wanted to do.”

  “Is this little Ainsley talking, or my jealous ghost?” He held her chin and stared at her wet lips.

  “Ainsley’s grown up now,” she said in a husky voice that made his breath catch. “And she finally has the courage to go after the quarterback.”

  Her fingers fumbled for the zipper on his shorts, and the sounded of it being lowered filled the silence. Her hand reached into his boxers and caressed his balls. He moaned, savoring her touch. She watched his reaction with a smile on her face.

  His resolved crumbled, and he kissed her again. His tongue explored her mouth while her hand continued to stroke him. Dear God, she felt so good.

  She broke away, and he liked that she sounded slightly breathless. “Do you want me to stop?”

  He didn’t trust his voice, so he shook his head. He wanted this to go further.

  “Good.” She bit her lip, and her grey eyes danced with mischief. She slid off the couch and knelt in front of him. The waistband of his boxers ended up around his ankles under her guidance. Then she lowered her face.

  He moaned again when her lips surrounded his head. He hadn’t expected a blow job, especially from her. Maybe he had misjudged her all these years.

  Her tongue flickered over the tip of his cock, and he pushed her head lower so she could take all of it into her hot mouth. She began to bob up and down along his shaft like a piston, slowly increasing her speed while her tongue danced around the base. Her cheeks sucked in, and he found himself on the verge of climax within a few minutes.

  His balls tightened, and he knew he wouldn’t be able to hold back much
longer. He wanted this to last as long as possible. She must have sensed how close he was because she slowed her movements. He wound his fingers in her soft hair, urging her to continue. “Don’t stop.”

  She laughed low in her throat and continued to tease him with her tongue, licking the length of his cock in long strokes. Then she took all of him in again, and her sucking became more forceful.

  “Oh, God, I’m going to come,” he whispered just before he exploded in her mouth. His muscles unlocked in jerking motions as the jolt of his orgasm spread out from his groin to the tips of his fingers and toes. His mind clouded with pleasure. He forgot about everything but what she was doing to his body.

  She crawled back on the couch and straddled his lap. “How was that?”

  “Magical,” he replied. How long would it take for his legs to start working again? He couldn’t wait to get her upstairs and return the favor.

  “And you seemed so worried—”

  She stopped mid-sentence as the room filled with light, followed by the explosion of every light bulb in the house.

  Chapter Four

  Ainsley covered her face to protect herself from the flying glass. That will teach me not to pass judgment too early.

  “Holy shit! What was that?”

  “Probably just a power surge,” she lied. The last thing she wanted was to freak him out and not finish what they started.

  “Then why would all the lights come on at once? Last time I checked, power surges didn’t flip light switches.” He tossed her off his lap and pulled up his shorts.

  She reached for the small flashlight on her belt and checked the EMF meter. The readings were relatively low and remained stable as she walked around the room. Glass crunched under her shoes, but whatever had caused the incident had left the area. “Here’s to hoping something shows up on the video or the digital recorder.”

  “Ainsley, if you’re playing some sort of game…” The growl in his voice faded as he left the threat open.

  She looked up. His dark expression made her gut clench. “This is your house. Are you in charge, or are you going to let some spirit boss you around and keep you from enjoying your life?” His scowl softened, and she gave him a few seconds to consider her words before she added, “This is a battle of wills. You need to take control of this situation.”

  “And how do you suggest we do that?”

  “We?”

  He ran his fingers through his hair. “Yeah, I figured you’d help me.”

  Her mind warred with her heart. She should just walk away now. She had more than enough evidence. But now he was asking her for help—begging almost. If only he was begging her to do something else.

  She sighed and rubbed her arms. The air dropped several degrees around her, and she sensed the presence of the ghost in the room with them. “What do you have in mind?”

  He shrugged. “I was hoping you would know what to do.”

  The dim light made it difficult to read his expression, but his voice suggested he had a few ideas of his own. He was just waiting for her to voice them.

  “You need to show the spirit you’re not going to let it interfere with your life. Do what you want to do. Tell it to piss off, if you want.” She stepped close enough to him to feel the warmth of his body. “What do you want to do?”

  His cocky grin, the one she had seen hundreds of times before, returned. “I want to take you upstairs.”

  A dull ache throbbed between her legs, and her skin flushed. “And then what?”

  He brushed his fingers over her breasts, bringing her nipples to taut peaks through the thin fabric of her cami. “Get you out of these clothes.”

  The ache deepened. She liked where this was heading. “And then?”

  His lips grazed her cheek and hovered inches from her ear. “Then I’m going to lay you down on the bed and play with your clit until you beg me to stop making you come.”

  If he kept talking like that, she was going to have an orgasm from his words. “Is that so?”

  “You doubt me?” He leaned his body along hers, his hands cupping her buttocks to remove any space between them.

  She wanted to stand on her toes and feel his hardness between her legs. Dammit! She was acting like a horny teenager in the backseat of a car. Wanting to play hard to get, she replied, “Perhaps you need to prove it to me.”

  “As you wish.” He threw her over his shoulder like a fireman and carried her up the stairs with a speed and agility that surprised her. When they came to his room, he dropped her on the mattress and removed his clothes in a matter of seconds.

  Dear God, he was gorgeous. Even better than she’d imagined. His tanned skin appeared dark in the moonlight, and the shadows outlined the sculpted muscles of his body. But there was no concealing the stiff cock that protruded from between his legs. Bigger than before, if that was possible. She licked her lips. She wanted him inside her now.

  He crawled on the bed next to her, and she leaned back against the pillows. “You were saying?” he asked before he kissed her.

  His tongue pried her lips open, and she could almost taste his desire. He wanted her, but she wasn’t going to make things simple for him.

  She broke away from his lips. “I’m still dressed. I thought you were going to remove all my clothes.”

  He laughed. “Always sarcastic.” His hand rubbed between her thighs, and she pressed harder against it, wanting to feel his touch through the denim. “And eager, too. I can feel your heat through your clothes.”

  He unzipped her jeans and removed both them and her underwear in one swift jerk. Obviously, a well-practiced move. Then his hands worked their way under her cami, easing it off with agonizing slowness, leaving her naked in front of him. For a split second, shyness overwhelmed her, and she wanted to cover up.

  “When did you become so hot, Ainsley?” he asked with a bit of amusement in his voice.

  “When you weren’t looking.” The head of his cock rubbed against her sex. She would have opened her legs to allow him, but his thighs clamped around hers, keeping them closed. She ran her fingers along his shaft, savoring the feel of it and knowing it would soon be buried inside her. “Or maybe I’ve always been this hot and you’ve never noticed.”

  His eyes darkened. “Oh, I noticed.”

  Before she had a chance to ask him what he meant, his mouth silenced her, allowing only a moan to escape as his kiss deepened. His large hands warmed her exposed flesh as he ran them over her hips, her stomach, working up to her breasts. He cupped them, pinching her sensitive nipples between his thumb and forefinger until she cried out.

  “Am I being too rough?” He bent down and dragged his tongue over the taut peaks, sending shivers coursing down her spine like drops of ice water. “Is that better?”

  She nodded and threaded her fingers through his hair, urging him to continue. His muffled laughter vibrated through her chest as he took one breast in his mouth, gently sucking on it while his fingertips twisted her other nipple. The contrasting sensations caused her to arch off the bed, but she soon settled into this alternating rhythm as he went from one breast to the other.

  The ache inside her continued to swell and begged for release. She gathered enough composure to say, “I thought you said you were going to play with my clit, not my tits.”

  “But you have such lovely breasts.” He covered both of them with his palms. “See how they fit perfectly in my hands.”

  “I always thought you liked them bigger.”

  He shook his head. “I’ve discovered there’s an inverse ratio between breast size and intelligence.” His teeth grazed the pink peaks of her breasts. “And I’m finding I like intelligent women better than bimbos. They tell me what they want.”

  He was going to tease her until she was mad from her desire. In her frenzy, she said something she swore she would never tell him. “Please, Remy, I want you so much. I’ve always wanted you.”

  His head popped up, and he moved closer to her so they could see each o
ther’s faces in the dark. His expression tensed. “What did you say?”

  Oh, shit, I just had to open my big mouth and ruin everything. She tried to back away from him, but with his full weight on her, she found it difficult to breathe, much less move. She was trapped.

  “I said I’ve always wanted you,” she admitted with a slight tremor in her voice.

  His teeth flashed white in the moonlight when he grinned. “I’m glad to know I’m not the only one who wants this.” To her surprise, he placed a kiss as soft as butterfly wings on the tip of her nose. “Thank you for being patient with me, Ainsley. I want to savor every moment I have with you.”

  For years, she had built and reinforced walls around her heart, but with those words, he penetrated her defenses and melted the iciness within her. If she wasn’t careful, she could fall head over heels for him.

  His lips trailed down her neck and lingered on her collarbone. He released the vice around her legs, and she eagerly parted her thighs when his hand brushed against her. He slipped two fingers into her slick folds. “You weren’t lying when you said you wanted me.”

  She laughed. If he continued to tease her, she would end up flipping him over and taking control of the situation. “Why would I lie about a thing like that?”

  “I have no idea.” He pressed his thumb against her clit, and what felt like a jolt of electricity jolted her. “Do you like that?”

  She bit her bottom lip and nodded.

  He rubbed his thumb back and forth over the sensitive bundle of nerves while his fingers slid into her. “You’re so hot and wet. I can’t wait to feel you around my cock.”

  His fingers plunged in and out of her faster than before, and she raised her hips, willing him to go deeper. He slowly brought her to the edge, so close to making her come. She whimpered as he slid a third finger into her, stimulating every surface inside her. Closing her eyes, she dug her nails into his back and braced for her orgasm.

  “Did you think I wasn’t going to make you come, my sassy little Ainsley?”