Adam's Thorn

by Angela Verdenius

  “Gus is a gossiper,” Adam drawled.

  “Gus talked to Penny, and she mentioned the same kind of things just before she died that Barbie is experiencing now.” Completely serious, Ghost took out a notebook and held up a pen at the ready. “The noises you heard, which rooms were they from?”

  As Barbie recounted what had happened, she noticed that although Adam shook his head once, he didn’t stop them planning or ridicule them. He believed it was a human, but he wasn’t going to stop them exploring further possibilities, and for that she was grateful.

  The only stipulation he put down was that the cameras were set up when no one was in the house but himself, Ghost, Ali and Barbie. None of the workers was to know, and the cameras were to come down or be hidden before they arrived the next morning.

  “Scared the townsfolk will know you’re treading the supernatural path?” Ghost smirked.

  “I don’t want any pranksters to run riot,” he replied mildly. “If those cameras can catch an intruder, I’d be interested in seeing it.”

  “I’ll need a rough outline of the house,” Ghost stated, turning the page and handing the pen to Barbie. “Doesn’t have to be a work of art, just give me two plans, one of the ground floor, the other of the second floor. Include on the ground floor where the shed and garage are, the rose bushes, the verandas. We need to ensure all areas are covered.”

  Adam just sat back, sipping on the iced coffee and watching. Barney jumped up onto his lap and he started stroking the big cat’s back, Barney’s rusty purr filling the room as he commenced kneading Adam’s lap with his sharp claws. Luckily Adam was wearing jeans, otherwise Barbie knew he wouldn’t be so relaxed.

  Catching her glance, he smiled slightly, his eyes crinkling engagingly in the corners. God, she loved that. She couldn’t help but smile back before dropping her attention back to the page on which she was doing a very bad drawing of the house.

  When she’d finished, Ghost nodded. “Excellent. If we put a camera here-”

  “And here.” Ali pointed at the staircase.

  “Yep. And here.” He tapped the sheet.

  By the time they’d finished their plan, they’d agreed to meet with Adam and Barbie at the house later that evening and taken their leave.

  Picking up the empty glasses, Barbie took them to the sink. Turning on the tap, she started to rinse them. “Adam, are you sure you’re okay with me staying in the guest room?”

  Adam stood and strode across the room, taking the glass from her hand, leaning over her shoulder to turn the tap off before placing his hands at her waist to turn her around. Startled, she looked up at him as he leaned over her, his big hands on the sink either side of her.

  His gaze drifted over her face, fastening on her mouth. “I’m not okay with you staying in the guest room, Barbie.” Dark lashes lifted to reveal the heat in his dark eyes as he regarded her. “I’m okay with you sharing my room.”

  Ooohh. A delicious shiver went through her when he leaned closer.

  “I’m okay with you sharing my bed.”

  Her breath came a little faster, her womanhood tingling at the way his voice grew just a little huskier.

  “I’m okay with us sharing bodies.” He leaned a little closer.

  Oh God, that sounded like nirvana. She stared up at him towering over her, his arms caging her in, his clean male and soap scent tantalising her senses, his eyes so hot yet calm, but the desire in them for her unmistakable. His strength surrounded her, coming from not only his physical body but his very aura.

  “Okay?”

  She had to swallow and lick her lips before she could answer. “Okay.”

  Dropping his head, he kissed her, not bothering with anything gentle, just sweeping in, taking control, keeping her frozen in one spot with just his very presence, so strong, so sure, so confident and efficient.

  By the time his mouth left hers, her lips were swollen, her knees were shaking, his taste was all she could, well, taste, and she was clutching onto his arms for dear life.

  “Okay.” One smile, one slow wink, and he pushed away. “That’s settled.”

  He looked so supremely satisfied that she couldn’t help but add breathlessly, “I come as a package deal, remember? Two cats?”

  “The cats are welcome to share the bed, love, but I doubt they’ll sleep on it when we’re making love. You’re a screamer.” With that, he walked out the door.

  Barbie giggled, clapped a hand over her mouth in amused appallment, and turned back to the sink. Oh God, she was going to be staying with Adam. In his house. In his bed.

  Just the thought had her clamping her thighs together. Down girl!

  ~*~

  The house was closed to the workers for the day so that the fingerprint powder could be cleaned off everything, and the broken dolls and several other things thrown out.

  Adam had an afternoon shift to work, so he accompanied Barbie back to the house for the morning to help her clean up the fingerprint powder. It wasn’t the most pleasant of jobs to do, downright dirty, in fact, for the powder seemed to get in everywhere.

  Barbie was more than glad when Lori and Matt showed up to help, though she felt guilty.

  “Don’t be silly,” was all Lori murmured before she got the dustpan and broom and headed into the lounge room.

  Matt smiled, but Barbie noticed that he wasn’t far from his fiancée at all times. He stayed downstairs to clean, well within hearing distance.

  Sweet.

  What surprised her even more was Hallie turning up, the Goth-inspired teenager blowing bubble gum and announcing to Adam airily that she was there to help clean the ‘spook house’.

  Adam regarded her silently while she grinned and popped a bubble. With her black t-shirt, black fishnet stockings, black ankle boots, black hair and heavy black eye makeup, the ‘spook house’ should have been a perfect setting for her. What spoiled the effect was the bright pink fake frangipani in her hair, the glittery Hello Kitty motif on her black t-shirt, and the bright pink flower earrings.

  The girl just did things her own way.

  “So,” she said brightly to Barbie, “where do I start?”

  Adam raised one brow. “Aunt Betty know you’re here?”

  “Who do you think dropped me off?”

  “Satan?”

  “Not today. He was too busy getting ready for a BBQ.”

  “Tell me Aunt Betty’s exact words.”

  “‘Do exactly as Adam tells you.’”

  “And your exact words?”

  “‘Sure.’”

  “And your exact intentions?”

  “Run riot, tear off all my clothes, scare the shi- crap out of the ghosts.”

  “Fair enough.” Adam handed her some cleaning equipment. “You can do the verandas.”

  “Ooohh. So I get to see the graves?”

  “You’ll be almost on top of them. That should delight your dark little heart.”

  She blew him a kiss and almost bounced out of the kitchen, dodging Adam when he reached out to ruffle her hair.

  Barbie laughed, feeling a lot better, while Adam just shook his head.

  He insisted on taking the top floor to clean, so Barbie went up there with him. The first thing he did was go straight to the girl’s room and start collecting the broken porcelain dolls, dropping them into a box he carried.

  Even though it was daylight, Barbie was glad to hear Matt and Lori’s voices coming from downstairs, Hallie’s atrocious singing from outside, and the very real, reassuring presence of Adam working nearby.

  Gladly leaving him to sort out the broken dolls from the undamaged, she went to the library, ensuring the door was propped open with no chance of shutting. After cleaning the powder off everything, a task that took so long she was cursing under her breath by the end of it, she started to repack the books in the library. The ink well and nibbed pen went back on the writing desk. A smashed vase covered in powder went into the bin.

  Adam called time an hour before he was due
for work, his open reluctance to leave them in the house without him evident in the way he hung around until the last minute.

  A quick hug and kiss, a whispered ‘Be careful, call me if you need me’ into Barbie’s ear, a ruffle of Hallie’s hair, a long look exchanged with Matt full of manly understanding, and he left.

  Barbie felt his absence keenly, but she stoically returned to cleaning. The top floor felt eerily quiet without him, but Matt did a lot of running up and down the stairs to check on her, which made her feel a lot better.

  By three o’clock, most of the house was cleaned and they stopped for a break. Barbie had just plugged the kettle in when the doorbell rang, Hallie going to answer it and coming back with Mrs Swanson and Mrs Hubble both carrying platters of cakes and biscuits.

  “You poor dear.” Mrs Hubble gave Barbie a hug. “How terrifying for you. An intruder, no less.” Tsk-tsking, she puttered around in a very grandmotherly way, insisting everyone sit down while she attended to the drinks.

  Mrs Swanson took the plastic wrap off the platters. Matt’s mouth was practically salivating as he took a chocolate cupcake and devoured it like a starving man.

  “Working so hard.” Mrs Swanson patted his shoulder. “We heard you were up here cleaning the mess, and we thought the least we could do was bring you some food.”

  “Very welcome,” Matt said. “Thank you so much, ladies.”

  “Oh.” Mrs Swanson beamed. “Our pleasure, Matt. We must look after our local ambo.”

  Lori looked at him dryly. Matt grinned widely, a smear of chocolate cream on his lip which he licked up with his tongue suggestively when the two older women had their backs turned. Lori just continued to look at him wryly while he leered, his expression switching quickly to all boyish and happy when Mrs Swanson turned back to him.

  “When I think of that awful banging sound we heard upstairs, I can’t help but think how close to the intruder we were.” Mrs Hubble placed mugs on the kitchen counter. “Quite frightening, as I was telling Percy.”

  “He’s gone to the Police Station to have a talk to Adam,” Mrs Swanson confided as she set out paper napkins. “As soon as he heard about what happened, he went.”

  “Of course, he’s going on about ghosts and silly things like that.” Mrs Hubble threw one hand up in the air. “Silly man. Always did have an overactive imagination.”

  “Of course there were always stories.” Mrs Swanson placed a little plate in front of every person at the table, setting a place for herself and Mrs Hubble as well.

  “Oh?” Curious to hear what other stories, Barbie leaned forward. “I know Great Aunt Penny heard and saw things just before her death.”

  Mrs Swanson checked that everything was satisfactory before sitting down. “Oh, the stories have been around since the war. Lights around the graves, knocking in the walls, windows opening and shutting by themselves.”

  Mrs Hubble gave a very unladylike snort. “Oddly enough, only ever seen by children who shouldn’t have been out after dark, Percy with his belief in ghosts, and the odd drunken passer-by.” She wagged the spoon in Barbie’s direction. “You pay no heed to these wild stories, my dear. This is just an old house with a sad history.”

  “Ghost thinks it might be haunted,” Barbie commented, more than happy to believe Mrs Hubble’s version except for what she herself had witnessed.

  “That boy.” With an indulgent sigh, she shook her head. “Always chasing ghosts, always looking for the next haunted house. When he was little he read nothing but those old horror comics, and now he writes those ghastly horror books. He’s a lovely boy, but, well…”

  Wondering how Lori was taking this rather offhanded comment about her future brother-in-law, Barbie glanced at her to find her smiling, not in the least bit offended.

  “You knew Great Aunt Penny?” Barbie asked Mrs Swanson.

  “Not really, dear.”

  “Penny kept to herself.” Mrs Hubble held up the packet of tea bags. “Tea? Coffee?”

  Everyone called out their order.

  “All I really know is that she never married after her fiancée went MIA,” Mrs Swanson said.

  “They were engaged?” Barbie queried.

  “Now, Milly,” Mrs Hubble objected. “That was never a proven fact.”

  “It was known.” Mrs Swanson shrugged. “Broke her heart when he went MIA. She hardly left the house after that, stayed on the property, had orders sent in from town unless she had to go in herself for things. The woman became a recluse.”

  Mrs Hubble started placing the cups in front of everyone, amazing Barbie with her memory of the different drink orders. “It has been said that the third grave really does hold his body.”

  That had Barbie starting. “What?”

  The light of triumph was in Mrs Hubble’s eyes. “Oh, you didn’t know that?”

  “You never said anything about it yesterday!”

  “Didn’t I?” Her smile was wide and very satisfied.

  Mrs Swanson rolled her eyes.

  Without a word, Lori picked up the mug of coffee and blew on the surface. She slanted her gaze sideways at Barbie, one eyebrow rising slightly.

  Hallie took a Tim Tam from the plate. “So there’s three bodies at the back door? Awesome.”

  Barbie wasn’t so sure. “But I keep hearing that the grave is empty, it’s just a memorial.”

  “Well, so they say.” Mrs Hubble leaned forward. “But I’ve heard a whisper that the grave is actually a true one, with a real body.”

  “Be bad if it wasn’t the fiancée but someone else,” Hallie remarked.

  “It’s an empty memorial grave,” Mrs Swanson stated firmly. “He went MIA.”

  “So maybe the body in there is from some poor tramp that wandered by and-”

  “Empty,” Mrs Swanson said.

  “Ghost would agree with me.” Hallie popped the last of the biscuit in her mouth and chewed happily.

  “Ghost would agree to anything creepy,” Mrs Swanson retorted. “It’s an empty grave, a memorial. Nothing more.”

  “Apparently,” Mrs Hubble murmured under her breath, not to be outdone.

  For a second Barbie thought the women might get into an argument, but Mrs Swanson turned the conversation to furniture and prices, and a half hour passed pleasantly before the two women took their leave.

  Barbie glanced at the clock, knowing that Ghost would be arriving soon with his cameras. Matt and Lori were cleaning up in the kitchen, and Hallie was getting ready to phone her mother to pick her up when Adam arrived in the patrol car.

  “Hey, grommet.” He gave Hallie’s hair a tug. “I’ve come to give you a lift home.”

  “Sweet. Do I get to be handcuffed and ride in the back?”

  “Don’t tempt me.”

  Laughing, Hallie started down the steps. “Thanks for letting me help, Barbie.”

  “No, thank you for helping me.” Barbie smiled up at Adam as he stepped in close. “Why, Officer, are you here to make an arrest?”

  “Just ensuring there’s no illegal goings-on, Miss.” He started to reach out for her.

  More than conscious of her dusty clothes, she held him back with one hand on his chest. “As much as I’d like an up close and personal body search, it’ll have to wait until I’m clean.”

  His eyes gleamed. “Is that a bribe I hear, Miss?”

  She dimpled up at him. “I was thinking more of a promise.”

  “Hmmm.” He raised one brow and studied her before a small smile played around his lips. “Acceptable.”

  She was still laughing when he bent down and kissed her, his tongue sweeping in, filling her with his taste, his scent filtering through her senses.

  He only touched her with his mouth, yet she felt like he’d just done a full-on body assault. Her ears practically rang and her knees were weak, so that by the time he lifted his mouth and grinned down at her, she could only mouth ‘Wow’.

  “I’ll see you at home,” he said huskily.

  His car horn be
eped. “Hey!” Hallie yelled. “Are you going to be sucking face for long? ‘Cause I don’t think that’s in your job description, Adam!”

  “She is going to die.” Straightening, Adam turned and pointed at his irrepressible cousin. “Don’t play in the cop car, you felon.”

  “Don’t set a bad example.”

  “You’re reminding me why some animals eat their young.”

  “Because they’re jealous? Threatened?”

  “Desperate.” Adam sighed. “I better get the little hooligan home.” Stepping off the veranda without bothering to use the steps, he stopped at the bottom to look at Barbie, his eyes a little hot. “Remember that promise, baby. I’m expecting it tonight.”

  She winked. “Sure, Officer. Whatever you want.”

  “I’ll be remembering that, too.” Turning on his heel, he started to stride across the grassy area to the cop car, only to stop and watch as another car turned down the driveway. “Who’s this?”

  Barbie recognised the man behind the wheel. “Spencer.”

  “Spencer who?”

  “He’s from the antique shop in the city, remember? You met him that day when I…ah…” She cleared her throat.

  “Sucked me off?” he supplied in a voice low enough that only Barbie could hear him. His glance was hotter than ever, but as the door shutting on Spencer’s car sounded, the cool cop eyes wiped away all lingering heat and Adam turned to face Spencer.

  “Officer.” Spencer nodded at Adam before focussing on Barbie. “I heard what happened. How terrible.”

  “It’s okay.” Barbie came down the steps, stopping beside Adam to smile at the smaller man. “Nice of you to call in.”

  “Oh, no worries. I did promise to return with prices, but…” He cleared his throat, hemmed. “I heard some things got broken in the break-in.”

  “I’m afraid a few things did get damaged. Come inside and I’ll show you. Maybe some it can be salvaged, I don’t know.”

  “Oh dear, oh dear.” Worriedly, Spencer hurried up the steps and disappeared into the house.

  “Glad to know he’s worried about you.” Adam looked after him.

  “He’s doing his job, Adam, he’s not here to care for me.”

  His gaze dropped down to regard her. “No. That’s my job.”