Eyre House

by Caitlin Greer

  I gave her a sad half-smile. “I didn’t think it was all bad.”

  Her hand dipped under my shirt and grazed my stomach. My pulse lurched.

  “No. That part was definitely the highlight of the night.”

  “You missed me telling off the Ingrams, too.”

  She laughed, the first full laugh I’d heard since Rafe showed up. “Now that I’m sorry I missed. What happened?”

  “Nothing much. Blanche tried to vamp me, and I told her to fuck off. Brandon tried to tell me he owned the island and I needed to leave and, oh, by the way, stay away from you. I told him to fuck off, too.”

  “My hero.”

  Her lips brushed the skin of my throat before she pulled away, leading me inside. Even covered in dried blood, she was the most beautiful thing I’d ever seen. We drifted through the house, past the handful of staff who were still awake and cleaning up the last of the party. I followed her upstairs, her grip on my hand unwavering. I didn’t even hesitate when she pulled me towards her room or when the door clicked shut behind us.

  For once, the house was silent. To me, it felt like it held its breath.

  Ginny kissed me lightly on the lips while I stood frozen, waiting, and then her nose wrinkled.

  “Ugh. I cannot abide the smell of blood.”

  I couldn’t blame her. It had gotten all over her dress, and all over her arms. “Why don’t you go take a shower, and get cleaned up?”

  “Only if you’ll join me.”

  The memory of her body pressed against mine in the small space of the tunnel flashed through my head. I pushed it away, but the blood was already rushing southward. I swallowed, wondering whether the slight crack in her voice meant she wasn’t really serious or whether she really was. “Not tonight.”

  “Oh, come on, Evan, honey.” Her hand stroked across the top of my chest, and up my neck. “It’ll be fun.”

  Lord almighty, the things she could do to me. “Ginny…”

  She sighed, and the confident, flirtatious Ginny I knew took a momentary back seat to a tired vulnerability I knew it had been protecting. Cracks in her mask. Her eyes dropped to the floor and away, as though she was embarrassed to show the weakness. She looked somehow smaller, more fragile.

  “Evan, I need…I don’t want to be alone.”

  Oh, Lord above. How was I supposed to resist that? I reached out and traced a finger along the side of her face. She curved into my touch, still looking away. “I’ll stay, then. Just let me grab a change of clothes?”

  Her hand reached out and tugged at my shirt. “Just let go with me, please? I just need you.”

  My mouth went dry, and when she looked up, I knew she had me.

  Heat poured from her gaze as her eyes flicked over me, making it abundantly clear what she meant. She bit the bottom of her lip and grinned, pulling me towards her bathroom. Lord help me, I didn’t stop her. I just dragged the door shut behind me, and pulled her to me.

  She put her hands on my chest and pushed me back, and then leaned past me. The door locked with a snick, and then her mouth was on mine, hot and wet and wanting. My hands slid up her bare thighs and wrapped around her stomach. She pushed tighter into me as my thumbs made circles above her panties. I slipped my thumbs inside the elastic, and slid them down in one slow motion.

  Ginny pulled away with a gasp and a grin, kicking her lacy underwear to the side, and flicked on the water. I laughed. Her shower was twice the size of my closet.

  She stepped back to me and grabbed the buttons of my shirt. I winced as the dried blood pulled at my skin.

  “I hope you don’t mind getting your clothes wet. My dress is stuck, too.”

  I grinned and pushed her into the shower, where the steam was already building. Her dress was soaked in seconds, showing hard nipples and…

  “No bra?”

  She leaned in and slid her hands up my shirt. “I told you what I wanted for my birthday.”

  I yanked my shirt over my head and tossed it to the corner. Ginny’s mouth kissed and licked her way across my chest. My hands wound in her wet hair. I wanted her dress off now. But I made myself wait. I refused to rush her.

  I groaned as her hand reached for my belt, pulling at it while her teeth nibbled at my chest. I swallowed hard when she eased my zipper down, and again when she kissed my throat. Soaking wet, my cargos didn’t need any help falling to my ankles.

  Her hand slid against the already straining bulge in my boxer briefs.

  “Fucking God in heaven, Ginny.”

  “Mm.” She stroked me again. “I think these need to go, too.”

  I shut my eyes, and then forced them open to watch her. The look of absolute wickedness on her face as she slid her fingers under the band of my shorts made me even tighter. She looked up at me, kissed the water off my chin, and slowly worked them down.

  I pushed my hands against the wall to steady myself and looked away. I couldn’t handle the sight of her kneeling in front of me, not with the way I already ached.

  She stood up and stepped away, behind the stream of hot water that ran over me. “My, my, Evan. Happy birthday to me.”

  I stared at her, cheeks flushed red with the heat, dress clinging tightly to her wet body, her eyes roving over me. And then I panicked.

  “Shit. Ginny, I don’t…”

  She laughed, and stepped out of the shower. “You don’t think I figured that already?”

  I let the wall hold me up while the water beat on me. She reappeared and slid the glass door shut, a blue foil packet crinkling in her hand and a grin on her face. She stepped up close to me, taking the brunt of the water on her back, and put the corner of the foil in her teeth, tearing it open slowly.

  “Lord, Ginny. Are you sure—”

  One hand grabbed me, and I lost the ability to form words. Her thumb drew circles on me, and I almost sobbed. She rolled the condom on with both hands, and then pressed her hot, wet body against me.

  “Your turn,” she whispered.

  It was unimaginably hard not to just rip her dress off her. I grabbed at her hips, slid my hands down to the bare skin at her thighs, and then back up. The fabric came with me. And then it was just skin and water and heat.

  I grabbed her hips and lifted her up to me. Her legs wrapped around my waist. My mouth locked on hers, diving into the heat of her kiss.

  “Evan…”

  I growled and spun, pressing her up against the shower wall. Her hips pushed into me, begging.

  I took a deep breath and made sure she was holding on tight. “Slow,” I whispered. She moaned. One hand against the wall, one on her hip, I pulled her away until my cock lined up between her legs. I pressed a fraction and met hot resistance.

  Her hips pushed forward, sliding me into her. We gasped together.

  I stood there, trembling against her, against the wall, inside her, until she pushed against me again, sliding me deeper. And then I lost all control. My hips slammed her hard against the tile wall, pushing her back and up. Her back arched against my hand and pain streaked down my back as her nails broke skin.

  I tasted water and salt in the slickness of her lips and down her neck. Ginny whimpered and grabbed at my shoulders, her hips finding a rhythm against my own.

  “Oh God, Evan. God. Please.”

  I felt her tighten around me, and my next thrust had her trembling and screaming and arching against me. And then my own world exploded around me in wet, hot pleasure.

  “It’s still my birthday, you know,” she panted, still clinging to me.

  I gave an out-of-breath laugh, and slowly lowered her to the floor. “I know. Happy birthday.”

  Her hand drifted across my chest as she leaned in. Her face tilted up, her lips closing on the edge of my jaw. “By the way, I really like my birthday present.”

  I grunted. “Which one?”

  Her hand wrapped around my side, pulling me back to her.

  “You.”

  I held her tight and kissed her until neither of us could br
eathe.

  Chapter Nine

  Waking up with Ginny’s body snug against mine was the best feeling in the world. Well, I could think of one or two better, but they involved her, too, so it worked. She’d curled into me in the night, our legs tangling together and her chest and head pressed hard into my upper body. She shifted, stretching her arm up to wrap around my neck.

  I kissed the top of her hair and breathed in the smell of her shampoo and sunshine.

  “Good morning.”

  “Mmm. Tell the sun to go back to bed.”

  I laughed softly. “Sorry. I would if I could.”

  “You’re so mean to me, Evan. What time is it?”

  I reluctantly let her go, and reached for my watch. “Just after eight.”

  Ginny snuggled in closer. “Five more minutes.”

  “I’m not complaining. But I think your mother had breakfast plans for you.”

  “Five more minutes.”

  I laughed. “Five more minutes, then.”

  “I knew I liked you.”

  “I’m glad.”

  I let myself drift off a little, just enjoying the feel of her against me. Even though the memory of last night had already made me hard again.

  “Evan.”

  My hand wandered along the bare skin of her arm. “Hmm?”

  “Thank you. For yesterday. For last night.”

  God, yes, last night. Focus. I took a deep breath and let it out in a rush that became a grunt. “I’m sorry your birthday got ruined.”

  “You made it better.”

  “Ginny, we need to talk—”

  “We should get up, shouldn’t we?”

  I sighed and stretched, releasing her. “I’m not letting this go. Someone you know got stabbed.”

  “I don’t want to talk about it, Evan. Besides, as you pointed out, Mama’s taking me out to breakfast.”

  She rolled off the opposite side of the bed and then bounced back to me, right into my lips.

  Then she was gone, closing her bathroom door with a click that made the world rush back in. Five minutes later, I was glad to be back in my own room. Waking up next to Ginny had been all I needed to remember our very hot shower the night before, and worse, her mother’s words about sticking to my own bed. I needed a cold shower if I was going to get anything done today.

  The first hint something wasn’t right was when the shower wouldn’t turn on more than a trickle. I groaned and unscrewed the head to see what was wrong only to have a small object fall out.

  What the fuck?

  It was a toy. One of those really old-fashioned tin soldiers, it looked like. It was half crusted in dirt and who knows what else.

  What in hell is this doing in my showerhead?

  I’d spent all of the last eight hours in Ginny’s room. But this meant someone had definitely been in my room, and they’d seen me not there. And it wasn’t a huge jump to guess where I’d been all night. I tossed the toy on the counter and put the shower back together while I tried to force my heartbeat back to normal.

  But when the room fogged up, the shock almost sent me over the edge.

  There was another dripping note, written in steam on the shower glass.

  Stay away from her or else.

  I took my time, hoping Ginny would beat me downstairs. My head spun from the morning’s discovery. It was clear someone wanted me scared away from Ginny. I didn’t like it. I didn’t like anyone telling me what to do, especially not with threats. But even more, what if I wasn’t the only one under threat? I was glad when Ms. Catherine caught me on the steps and stopped my racing brain.

  “Oh, Evan, honey. I can’t get the Land Rover started. Could you have a look at it today? We’ll just take Ginny’s Jeep, but Tom was supposed to take a tour in it later, I believe.”

  “I’ll get it fixed.”

  “Thank you, dear.”

  She rushed past me, and I continued down. I was more than happy to get a start on fixing the Rover immediately; it’d give me something to do. Leastways, until I heard Ginny’s voice drifting up from below me. Ginny…and Rafe’s name.

  “They’re just flowers, Rafe. Keith’s been coming here every year since he was little.”

  I paused on the stairs.

  “They’re gorgeous flowers, and after you did your level best to ruin my birthday, I hardly think you have any say in the matter.”

  Silence. Then the clink of a vase on the table.

  “…thought I might stick around for a bit. See if I can help out.”

  “Rafe, no. …nothin’ you can do. Go back to New Orleans. It’s obvious he doesn’t—”

  “…not safe!”

  I stepped closer, trying to hear better.

  “Go home, Rafe. I mean it.”

  The step below me groaned.

  Shit.

  I sighed and walked down the last few steps as Rafe was walking out. I nodded at him. He didn’t look happy.

  “Rafe. Good to see you’re up and around.”

  He glanced down at his stabbed arm, resting in a sling. “Yeah, I was lucky. And hey, thanks, man. Ginny told me what you did. I owe you.”

  I shook my head. “I just did what anybody would’ve done. But you’re welcome.”

  He nodded at me, and I watched him walk out.

  “Somebody sounds a little—”

  “Overprotective?” Ginny’s arms wrapped around me from behind. “Yeah, that’s Rafe. I suppose you heard us?”

  My eyes narrowed, still watching him leave. “Some of it.”

  She sighed and drew circles on my chest. “He’s been a family friend for a long time.” I suddenly felt her stiffen.

  “Ginny?”

  She pushed away, her attention somewhere else. “Do you hear that?”

  I listened. “What—the piano?”

  She didn’t answer, just walked away. I followed her, out of the staff halls and into the main part of the house, up a wide double flight of stairs, to an even wider landing. I could hear the music better upstairs. Nothing fancy, more like a kid playing. Too much thinking about notes, and not any real sense of music.

  I grabbed for Ginny’s hand, but she just pulled me along with her. “What song is that?”

  She didn’t answer, just pulled me into a room with a piano that still rang with the last note played.

  And no one there to play.

  “Okay, that’s just…”

  “‘Ashokan Farewell.’”

  I stared at Ginny, whose face was white. “What?”

  “‘Ashokan Farewell.’ The song. Ja–” She swallowed hard. “He loved it. We were just learning to play it when…”

  She didn’t finish, just closed her eyes and walked out.

  I ran after her. “Ginny, wait!”

  “There’s a letter down here for you.”

  I didn’t catch her until she was back in the staff hall. “A letter? What are you talking about? What was that up there?”

  Ginny shrugged and pulled me towards the table. “It’s postmarked from Charleston, but that’s all I can tell.” She grabbed an envelope off the table and handed it to me, refusing to even acknowledge my other questions.

  “Ginny—”

  “Well, go on. Open it.”

  I glared at the handwriting. Even without a return address, I recognized it.

  “Ginny!” Ms. Catherine’s voice came from the front of the house. “We’ll miss our reservation if we don’t go!”

  Ginny rolled her eyes but smiled. “I want to hear all about this little mystery when I get back.” She leaned into me, dropping a quick kiss on the corner of my mouth.

  “Ginny, I want to know what that was all about.”

  “I don’t know what you’re talking about.” Her finger trailed down my lips. And then she winked at me and walked away, leaving me staring alternately after her and at the letter in my hands.

  I shook my head. One mystery at a time.

  Mr. Gage, my most recent and probably worst foster parent, hadn’t bot
hered to even scrawl a single word. Inside the envelope was just another envelope that looked like it had been through the mail about fifty times. Redirect stamps were all over it.

  I rolled my eyes. You’d think the agency in charge of my personal welfare would be able to keep up with my address. Especially in the digital age.

  Tossing the outer envelope on the table, I ripped open the one from Social Services. And then I sat down hard, almost missing the spindly little chair in the hall.

  Request for contact based on familial claim.

  Well, damn. Whatever I’d been expecting, it wasn’t that. I read the words again, but they didn’t change.

  Familial claim.

  After all these years?

  I wasn’t really sure what to think. There was a number on the letter to call for more information, and I pulled my phone out right then. Stared at the screen. Willed myself to call. But my fingers wouldn’t dial.

  I needed to think about it more.

  Too many damned mysteries in this house.

  Instead, I shoved the letter in my pocket and walked back up the creaky stairs to change. The Land Rover still needed fixing, and that was something I could wrap my brain around.

  I pushed my arm up against my forehead, wiping away sweat and grease, and dropped the Land Rover’s hood.

  “All right, Tom. Give it a crank.”

  The engine roared to life, and Tom threw me a thumbs up out the window. “You’re a genius, Evan!”

  “It was only a bad belt. I just wish the damn things were easier to replace.”

  He left the engine running and got out. “Well, you’re solid in my book.” He slapped me on the back and smiled. “So. You and Ginny, huh?”

  I groaned and turned away. “Yeah, yeah, I know.”

  “Hey, I’m not judging. If I was a little younger, I’d have gone after her too. Just remember what I told you.”

  “Doesn’t take no for an answer. Man-eater. I got it.”

  “Nah. I mean, yeah, but I was talking about the story I told you. That girl is a lot more broken than she looks. Be careful she doesn’t break you, too, okay?”

  I nodded. “Hey, Tom? Have you noticed anything, I dunno, weird going on around here lately?”

  Tom laughed. “Weird how?”