GhostlyPersuasion
Page 2
“You’ll be able to observe the main gardens from here,” Áine said. “And, as I’m sure you noticed, you’ll have ready access to the lobby.”
“That will be nice,” Katie murmured, still enthralled by her surroundings. She wondered if it was part of the original castle or a later addition.
Áine crossed the room to an open doorway. “I’m afraid renovations have not been completed in this suite. While the bathroom has been completely redone,” she flicked on the lights, “the bedroom area has not.”
“But it’s lovely as it is.”
“Thank you. We have been preserving as much of the original structure as possible with our renovations but we also want to ensure our guests’ comfort. Many of our rooms now have thermostat-controlled fireplaces that allow our guests to better regulate the room temperature. Wiring is also being upgraded to incorporate current technology for all the gadgets everyone carries these days.”
“I imagine I’ll be perfectly comfortable in here, even without those things.”
“I certainly hope so. We do try to exceed our guests’ expectations.”
Katie, curious to see what the bathroom looked like, crossed the room to the doorway.
“Oh wow.” There was sand-colored tile from floor to ceiling. The sinks were white porcelain and the silver fixtures gleamed as if they had just been polished. This must be what bathrooms in heaven look like.
“I believe you will find everything you need in either the nooks on either side of the mirror or the linen closet at the end of the counter.” Áine pointed to a small door at the far end of the bathroom.
“I’m sure,” Katie mumbled, still dumbstruck. The enormous tub in the center of the room held her attention.
“Many of our guests have reported that a long soak in a hot bath using the lavender bath salts helped them unwind after their flights.”
“That sounds absolutely wonderful.”
“I will leave you to it then.” Áine headed to the suite entrance then paused. “Your bags have been left next to the bed. Your room keys are on the table next to the window. Call the front desk if there’s anything you need.”
Kathie dragged her gaze away from the tub to respond. “Thank you. I will.”
Áine nodded then slipped out, quietly shutting the door behind her.
Katie took one more look at the tub. Oh yeah. That was definitely getting used tonight.
Chapter Two
“Oh my God, Jenny. You should see this place,” Katie exclaimed into the phone.
“Is it as wonderful as their website showed?”
“Even better.” Katie spun herself around in the middle of her suite. She was still in awe over the furnishings and the ambience and the fact that she was in a twelfth-century castle. “They must have done a lot of work to keep this place in such good shape.”
“I’ll bet. You do have indoor plumbing then, huh?” Jenny teased.
“It looks like I have my own spa in here,” Katie said as she trooped back into the marble-lined bathroom for the fifth time. “The bathtub could hold three of me and the shower has one of those fancy waterfall fixtures. Funny thing is, despite it being completely covered with stone or tile, it’s not cold. I think the floor is heated somehow.”
“Oooo… Send me a picture so I can be even more jealous.”
“I hate it that Mom spent so much money. There is no way this was a cheap trip.”
“Your mom loved you, Katie. Just think of it as her way of spoiling you one last time.”
Katie sighed into the phone. “I really miss her.”
“I know you do. So do I.”
Katie sniffed back the tears she felt coming and forced herself to focus on how wonderful her room was. “All right, I better go. I need to see if I can get some sleep so I can adjust to this time zone. And I don’t want to run up a huge phone bill.”
“Okay. I’m glad you made it safely.” Jenny yawned, making Katie regret waking her up so early.
“I’ll let you know what I’m doing throughout the week.”
“Okay, sis. You have fun over there. And keep an eye out for available, hunky Irishmen.”
Katie rolled her eyes. “Yeah, okay. I’ll be sure I do that.”
“Send me pictures when you do,” Jenny said with another yawn.
“Uh huh. Sorry to wake you. I’ll talk to you later.”
Katie clicked off her cell phone and dropped it into her jeans pocket. She unpacked about half of her clothes as she dug around looking for clean underwear and a t-shirt to sleep in. Her body was tired but she wasn’t sleepy and the lure of the oversized bathtub was more than she could resist.
She turned on the water, found a temperature she was happy with then added some of the bath salts that were sitting on the ledge over the tub. The smell of fresh lavender floated up with the steam rising from the water.
If that didn’t help her relax, nothing would.
She dropped her dirty clothes onto the floor then kicked them into the corner, out of the way. She made a mental note to find her laundry bag later. Just before stepping into the decadent-smelling water and steam, she remembered to grab an extra towel off the rack at the end of the counter.
When she sank into the steamy bath she sighed with pleasure.
Now this she could get used to very quickly.
Katie allowed her thoughts to drift and float where they wanted. Some of them were based in reality, like what she would need to do about finding a roommate when she returned home. The others were nowhere near being real. Her mind strayed to the idea that a hunky Irishman showed up in her room and offered to rub away all her aches and pains. He, of course, would know exactly where to touch her and would want nothing more than to spend all day and night pleasuring her.
Then, after making love to her multiple times, he would declare his undying devotion to her.
She snorted to herself. Yeah right. And maybe monkeys will fly out of my butt too.
It was a lovely thought however. Especially the part where she had three orgasms before leaving the bathroom. Twice in the tub and once while bent over the vanity counter. Her fantasy man was extremely talented.
Katie sighed as she stepped out of the tub. It was too bad no such man existed outside of Jenny’s beloved romance novels.
As she dried off she thought about her last few boyfriends. None of them had created that special spark she felt should have been there. As much as she cared for her last boyfriend Alan, she was glad now that he had panicked and broken up with her right before their college graduation. It hurt at the time but, looking back, it had been the right thing.
She hadn’t told Alan about her “gift”. That alone should have been a big indicator the relationship wasn’t going to work. If she didn’t feel comfortable enough confiding that information, something had definitely been missing.
After rubbing some lotion on, she slipped into a clean pair of boyshorts and pulled a t-shirt over her head. With her hair wrapped in a towel, she padded out to the bedroom. As soon as she had a clear view of the four-poster bed she skidded to a stop, stunned by the sight of a strange man lounging against the headboard.
“Excuse me, but what are you doing?” Katie demanded.
The man continued to stare up at the ceiling with his hands behind his head as if he hadn’t heard her. He appeared to be deep in thought.
Katie was distracted from her irritation by the sight of his wide shoulders. Her mouth went dry as she ogled the stranger. Even through the linen shirt she could see he did more than computer programming or living a life of luxury. He had a rugged look to him that said he knew how to work with his hands and his body. Her eyes were drawn to the patch of bare skin exposed by the open V of his shirt then down to the waistband of his trousers. His tan pants looked as if they were part of a period costume but fit his long, muscular legs nicely.
The way he was lounging on her bed with his legs spread across the coverlet made her think that he had no plans to leave anytime soon.
“Uh, hello?” she said a little louder, trying to position herself behind the nearest chair, hoping to hide the fact that she was wearing very few clothes.
The man didn’t even twitch.
“Hey! You there.” Katie watched the man closely, looking for any kind of response but his only response was a slight twitch in one foot. “Can you hear me?”
Either the man was deaf or he had earphones in. His reddish-blond hair was tied back, letting her see there were no cords hanging down, but it was possible he had a wireless device. She hated to draw attention to herself given her lack of clothing but didn’t believe she had another option since her cell phone was sitting on the bedside table right next to the hotel phone.
She checked the area around her for something to toss onto the bed. If she could get the man’s attention she’d simply point out he was in the wrong room and he needed to leave. There were a few breakable trinkets on the bookshelf behind her along with, obviously, books. She spotted a small metal dish within reach. Since she wasn’t sure how valuable any of the items were, she opted for the item least likely to break.
The bed was only fifteen or twenty feet away so Katie figured she could Frisbee the dish onto the bed, maybe even make it land right next to the man. That should be enough to get his notice.
“Hey, Mr. Hunky Irishman! You need to get out of my room!” Katie said in a much louder voice. Still no response.
Okay. Katie stepped to the side of the tall-backed chair so she could leverage the dish properly. Here goes nothing.
The tarnished silver dish sailed across the span and landed on the foot of the bed as she planned. Thanks to the flat, smooth bottom, the dish skimmed across the bedspread and into the man lying on the bed.
Into the man. She blinked mutely.
Not up next to him.
Not bounced off.
Into the man.
Katie gaped at him, unsure of what she was seeing. He looked real. He appeared to be corporeal. He didn’t have the hazy, semi-transparent body that she associated with most spirits. But the dish had passed through him.
What the hell was he then?
As she stared, he turned his head and looked at her. Their eyes met. Katie’s chest ached at the loneliness she saw in the depths of his gaze. Before she realized what she was doing she had stepped around the chair and was moving toward him.
He sat up suddenly and asked, “You can see me, can’t you?”
His native accent lent even more appeal to his deep, baritone voice. Even though she heard the faint echoey sound she associated with spirits, she had a very physical reaction. This was one of those rare men she would gladly listen to as he read stereo instructions.
Katie gave a slight, hesitant nod. She didn’t like revealing her gift but figured her face and her reactions had already given her away.
The man jumped up and crossed the room quicker than she’d anticipated. With a squeak of alarm she darted behind the chair when he came to stand right in front of her.
“Who are you? And what are you doing in my room?” she demanded, pulling her courage around her like a cloak.
“Ah, lass, you have nothing to fear from me.” He spread his hands out in front of him in a placating manner.
“I’ll be the judge of that, thank you very much.”
He tipped his head. “I apologize for startling you. It’s been a good many years since someone other than the local specters could see or hear me. My excitement got the better of me.”
“Yeah, well…” Katie stammered. “I can kinda understand that.” She tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. “So, who are you?”
“Seamus MacDonhnaill.” He made a short bow. “Formerly of the County Donegal MacDonhnaills.”
“Formerly? Does that mean you got kicked out of that county or that family?”
He chuckled. The deep, rich sound sent ripples of warmth down to her core.
“Neither, actually.” He cocked his head to one side and regarded her. “I have simply considered myself a resident of Tullamore Castle for some time now.”
“Ah.” The way he said resident make Katie think he did more than live here. She cleared her throat nervously. “I, uh… I don’t want to be rude or anything, but I’m not comfortable standing here talking with someone I don’t know when I’m only half-dressed.”
Seamus’ eyes quickly glanced down at the chair that was keeping her modesty in place.
“Would you mind stepping out for a moment while I dig out a pair of jeans or something?” Katie asked. Seamus raised an eyebrow in question but Katie rushed on, “I know it’s silly with you being…” She was at a loss for words. She was guessing Seamus was a ghost. Just unlike any she had come across before. “Uh, not quite solid, but I have a rule about being fully dressed when I meet new people.”
Katie forced a smile on her face, even though she knew she was bright-pink from embarrassment.
To his credit, Seamus didn’t laugh but he did a poor job of hiding his smirk. “Very well. When you’re comfortable, simply open your door.” Seamus moved to the door then paused and turned to look at her. With a mischievous grin he added, “I look forward to meeting you properly.”
Katie frowned at Seamus’ back as he passed through the closed door and disappeared from her sight.
She scampered to her suitcase and pulled out a clean pair of jeans. As she zipped them up it occurred to her that while she had demanded to know who Seamus was, she hadn’t given him her name.
That had been very rude! Mom would have been appalled.
Shaking her head in disgust over her lack of manners, Katie dug in the pocket on the lid of her suitcase for a bra. She looked over her shoulder to where she’s last seen Seamus, just to make sure he hadn’t floated back in. Reassured that she was still alone, Katie unwound the towel from around her hair and head then quickly pulled her shirt up and put her bra on.
Part of her wondered why she was even bothering. After all, as a spirit, Seamus wouldn’t be able to do anything other than look. A flash of warmth zipped down her spine at the thought that he would look.
It was a shame he wasn’t flesh and bone. She’d actually consider taking Jenny’s advice if Seamus was the “hunky Irishman”.
Now that she was fully dressed Katie felt less exposed. She went into the bathroom, grabbed her brush then she sat on the edge of the bed and debated the wisdom of inviting Seamus back in as she brushed the tangles from her hair. Yes, he knew she could see him but didn’t know the extent of her gift. If he had an ounce of sense he’d ask, however. And right now, she didn’t know what she’d tell him.
She was curious why Seamus appeared different than other ghosts. If that dish hadn’t passed through him she wouldn’t have realized he was a spirit. But there was only one way to find out.
A picture of Seamus’ face when he first looked at her popped into her mind’s eye. In those brief seconds she had seen a loneliness so deep it was painful to recall. What had he told her? He hadn’t talked with anyone other than a few ghosts in a long time?
There was no way she could turn him away.
Besides, it wasn’t as if he were pox-ridden with weeping sores or anything else disgusting. As a matter of fact, she found him a little too easy to look at.
Katie took a deep breath and released it. Her mind made up, she went to the door and swung it open. She was disappointed he wasn’t there.
She stepped out into the hallway and looked in both directions. The only thing she saw was a full set of armor standing guard a little ways down the hall, across from her room.
“Seamus?” Katie called quietly. There was no response and she didn’t see him anywhere. Where would he have gone? She shrugged and stepped back into her room, leaving the door ajar to let Seamus know he could come in
if he returned.
With her head down, she didn’t notice Seamus standing in the middle of the room until she practically ran into him.
“Jesus!” She jumped back in alarm. “Don’t do that!”
“Do what?” Seamus asked even though a smiled played across his lips.
“Just… Just…” Katie shook her open hand in his direction to indicate she meant all of him. “Just show up like that. Can’t you knock or something?”
“Actually—”
“Oh, never mind,” she said, exasperated. Her heart was racing and she struggled to get it under control. “I know you can’t knock but you should announce yourself instead of just poofing in. Sheesh.”
“Poofing? I don’t think I have ever poofed in to anything.” Seamus sounded somewhat insulted.
“Oh you know what I mean.” Katie stomped over to the couch. “One minute you’re not there and suddenly you are.” She dropped onto her chosen seat then waved in Seamus’ direction. “Poof.”
“Ah. I see.” He followed her to the sitting area and took a seat at the other end of the couch. “I’m guessing that I don’t always manifest this state in a way that you can see me.”
“This state?”
“Before I answer your obvious question, I believe that you owe me an introduction.”
“Oh my God.” Katie sat up straight on the couch. “I’m so sorry. I’m normally not that rude. My name is Katherine, well, Katie, to my friends, Ward. From America.”
“Katherine Ward.” Seamus smiled. “I had deduced by your accent that you were from the Americas. What brings you to Tullamore?”
Katie pulled her feet up under her. “I’m bringing my mother’s ashes home.”
Seamus dipped his head. “I’m sorry for your loss. Did she recently pass?”
“No. Actually she died about three years ago.” At the questioning look in his eye she added, “I wasn’t told of her request to be brought home to Ireland until a couple of weeks ago.”
“Then I’m doubly sorry for your loss.” He regarded her for a moment. “Your mother was Irish then.” It was a statement more than a question.