HauntingMelodyStClaire (3 page)

“So do I.” He held her tighter, as though afraid to let go.

The solid weight of his body began to dissipate, and a panic
tightened in her chest.

“Don’t go.” She turned around in his arms, bringing her eyes
open, but he was already gone.

A light touch caressed her cheek and she tried to hold it
against her skin. She reached out and clenched her fist when it met no
resistance.

Her hands lowered to her side and she turned off the record
player. It was time to find out more about Travis Santiago.

Melody climbed the stairs. When she reached the landing she
turned her attention to the first step. No answering creak followed. Did that
mean he wasn’t coming with her?

Her fingers trailed up the banister and she ran all the
options through her mind. “Of all the things I’ve lost, I miss my computer the
most.” She muttered the altered quote under her breath. Without the internet at
her fingertips, she would have to do things a little old-school. Kassa had
mentioned some photos and papers in the attic. Maybe there was something about
Travis up there. The access panel was easy to spot and she dragged down the
ancient ladder.

You danced with a ghost. This is nothing.
Strangely
enough, that thought actually calmed her while she climbed.

Dust swirled in the shards of light peeking through the
attic windows. It was far roomier and cleaner than she’d imagined. She expected
spiders and rats, not neat and orderly boxes and trunks. A pile of books,
papers and photos caught her attention. It nestled on a window seat among a
bank of well-worn pillows. Excitement and frustration made her nervous, but the
idea of finding out about his ghost was too alluring to pass up. He could be a
murderer for all she knew. She chuckled and put a halt to that train of thought
before her imagination went wild.

Melody sat on the cushion and sorted through some of the
photos. They didn’t seem organized in any way. Faces she didn’t recognize and
places she’d never been. She grabbed a small pile and put it in her lap. The
morning passed while she read articles and sifted through photos. Nothing
popped out at her until she reached the bottom. Her attention snagged on an
image of Travis wearing only jeans and nothing else. The expression on his face
was semi-amused, but you could tell by the disheveled hair and sleepy grin he’d
just rolled out of bed. Her stomach flipped. She tugged gently on her locket,
drawing it back and forth along the chain. He seemed so…alive. She cleared the
seat and stretched out. How did he die?

There was a folded newspaper article in the last stack of
papers. It was yellow with age and smudged from being handled often. She held
her breath in anticipation. She knew this was important and opened the clipping
with trembling fingers. The unsmiling face of Travis Santiago caught her
attention. So did the headline.
Local Man Killed by Drunk Driver.
The
grainy image below was difficult to make out, but it was obviously a serious
wreck. She read the date.
January 17, 1983.

“Find anything interesting?”

Melody cried out. She jerked to her feet, scattering
pictures and papers across the floor. Her heart pounded with something very
close to terror. “Dammit, you frightened me!” She looked up and was captivated
by a pair of pale-blue eyes. Her gaze traveled down across broad shoulders
beneath a tight t-shirt. The stark white material was tucked into a pair of
snug-fitting jeans that emphasized powerful thighs from a walking wet dream.
Shock and some good old female appreciation registered. It was as though he’d
walked straight out of the picture. “I can see you.”

His slow smile was devastating. “I noticed.”

She couldn’t seem to make her mind work enough to form
words.

“If you’re looking for porn, I keep it in that trunk over
there.” He pointed to a spot behind her. She flushed in embarrassment and
laughed to cover her nervousness.

Emotion flickered in the depths of his eyes. He knelt down
and surveyed the scattered pile. Even in death, this man could fill out a pair
of jeans. He was sin on a stick. His attention caught on the article she’d been
reading. A strange sense of voyeuristic guilt built inside her and she nibbled
on her lower lip.

“I had just had that car painted too.” He grew quiet and the
heat surrounding him seeped away. Sunlight bathed his skin and kissed his brown
hair. Her fingers itched to touch him.

“You died in a car wreck over thirty years ago. Why are you
still here?”

“Because I have to be.” He looked up at her, and she was
caught by an emotion she couldn’t name.

“That’s a long time to be alone.” She flicked the corner of
the article with her finger.

“It would be, but I’m not alone.”

“I don’t see anyone else.”

“I have Kassa.” He grinned. “And now I have you.”

Something about the way he said the words put her off. “How
is it that I can see you now?”

He shrugged. “You accepted it.”

Her gaze narrowed. “Did you write ‘believe’ on the back of
that picture?”

“Maybe.” Mischief fit him too good for her peace of mind.

“You made me think I was going crazy.”

He stood and put his hands over hers. “I needed you to see
me.” The sincerity in his voice and tone touched her heart in a way she didn’t
expect. He wore a shroud of loneliness, and she wanted to ease that pain.

“Did you have a chance to cross over?”

“Cross over?” Some of the light died in his eyes. “I had a
chance.”

“What happened?”

“Did you know the dead have to relive their last moments on
this Earth in order to cross? It’s part of the rules.”

“Rules?”

He touched the article. “For the dead, reliving those last
moments can be pure agony.”

Her parents had relived their deaths to cross? “Why do you
have to do that?” She couldn’t hide the horror at the thought of them going
through that again.

“Most are unaware of the transition. They pass into the
afterlife without a break between their death and the corridor. If I had died
quickly, it would have been the same, but I was crushed. It took me a long time
to die.” The air around them grew ice cold. “A very long time.”

She pulled her hand from beneath his and touched his face.
He nuzzled her palm and a soft moan came from deep in his chest. She marveled
at the warmth of his skin. “I’m sorry.” Her heart ached for him. “You were so
young.”

He pressed a kiss to her wrist. “I’ve forgotten how good it
feels to be touched like this.”

She wanted to be bold, wanted to trace those lips with her
thumb and lean in and kiss him. She fingered the chain of her grandmother’s
locket with her other hand.

“What is this?” He took the trinket from her grasp and let
it rest in his palm. “You touch this when you’re upset or afraid.”

She licked her lips and turned her face away from him,
letting her hand fall away from his cheek. The delicate piece appeared even
daintier against the broad expanse of his dark skin. “Do I?”

“Always.” He flipped it open and music filled the room.
“Dance with me.” Travis’ fingers brushed her collarbone. The locket settled
against her once more.

He held out his hands and she let him guide her to the
middle of the room. His arm came around her waist and he tucked her hand
against him.

If she looked hard enough she could see through his body to
the wall behind him. She swallowed and lifted her gaze to his. “I didn’t know
ghosts like to dance.”

“I liked doing it when I was alive. I’ve missed it too.” He
easily led and she followed smoothly, as if they had done this a hundred times
before.

“What else do you miss?” She winced the moment the question
came out of her mouth, and glanced down at the necklace hanging against her
chest. “Never mind, don’t answer that. It was a terrible question.” She pulled
away and snapped the locket shut. “You must think I’m such a jerk.”

He held her against him when she would have stepped away.
“You’re doing it again.”

She stopped fidgeting with the chain the moment he said it.

“It must mean a lot to you.”

She held it up between them. “It was my grandmother’s. She
gave it to me before she passed on.”

He touched her chin and something in his expression
captivated her. “You must have loved her very much to hang on to it like this.”

“I did, but how do you know so much about me?”

“You couldn’t see me, but I was there.”

She raised her eyebrows. “You were?”

His arms tightened around her, preventing her from moving
away. She allowed it. “How long?”

He said nothing and she flicked her attention back to his
face. “Travis?”

His expression was hard to read. “Long enough to know you
cry at night. That your nightmares tear apart your peace.” He reached up and
tucked stray hair behind her ear.

She swallowed and her stomach did a little flip at his
words.

“You love the sun and dancing by yourself when you think no
one is watching.” His grin was wicked. “You are adorable in the mornings when
you just wake up.”

“I haven’t been here for very long. How do you know these
things?”

He put his forehead to hers. It was a solid weight, warm and
comforting. “What is time to a ghost?”

“I don’t understand.”

The locket flipped open on its own and she blinked as music
spilled out between them. “Life is made up of moments like this one.” He gently
nuzzled her cheek. “Don’t think.”

With a finger under her chin, he tilted her mouth up to his,
teasing it open with light caresses. The first taste reminded her of fresh
rain. He cupped her face and softly nibbled on her lower lip. Goose bumps rose
on her skin. She gave in to the feel of his kiss and the power of his hands.
Butterfly sensations erupted in her chest and tension built in her lower
stomach. He sucked gently and she moaned.
Yes.

She reached for him and he pulled away, trapping her hands
against his chest. His mouth lifted in a slow smile and the intensity of his
gaze seared her to the core. “Hold still.” He brushed his lips across hers.
“Close your eyes and no matter what you feel, don’t move.”

His husky demand thrilled her. She nodded and allowed her
lids to drift closed. His lips coasted over hers in soft whispers while his
hands cupped her face again. She could feel his heart under her palms
.
Ghosts have a heartbeat?

He slid his mouth along hers, tilting her head and deepening
the kiss. She moaned and kissed him back, forgetting everything but the way he
tasted.

Pleasure arced through her body. Liquid heat pooled in her
core and she hissed. “Hold still. If you move, I’ll lose control.”

His gruff words tore something loose inside her and she
sucked in a breath. Fuck, that’s sexy. Her body trembled.

“Open.” His thumb brushed her lower lip, and she willingly
did as he demanded.

His tongue stroked inside her mouth, teasing hers with the
barest caress. She dug her fingers into his chest. Melody wanted more. She
wanted him to lose control. He teased again and she dragged him against her.
The rebel in her needed to see how far she could push him. She captured his
tongue and sucked on it, loving the way he tasted.

A growl erupted from his throat and his kiss became wild. He
devoured her, stole her breath and replaced it with his own. She raked her
nails down his chest to his stomach where muscles bunched and flexed at her
touch.

Cool air rushed around them, lifting her hair. She whimpered
in surprise.

“Shhh. It’s just me.” He walked them backward. “I want to
feel everything.” He slid his mouth along her chin. “Taste everything.”

The bend of her knees hit something and she fell back with a
cry. Her eyes came open. He followed her down, covering her body. Travis
gripped Melody’s hair and stared at her like a man starved. “Let me. Please.”
He rocked his hips against her and she moaned. Travis gripped her jeans,
pulling her against him until the hard ridge of his cock pressed against her
heat. “Let me.” His voice was ragged.

She ground against him. “Yes.”

Melody arched her neck while he kissed along her face and
shoulders. She shivered and watched him move down her body with practiced ease.
Lust coiled inside her. She dug her nails into his scalp and he growled against
her, capturing her wrists and pinning them above her head. “Don’t move.”

Melody whimpered, but complied. Fingernails scraped lightly
against her inner arms, leaving shivers in their wake. His lips kissed and
teased her neck while he cupped her breast, running a thumb over the nipple.
Sparks of pleasure coursed through her and she tried to lift her arms,
desperate to feel him.

He growled against her. “Leave them.” The dark command
sizzled her to the core. Travis kissed his way across her collarbone.

“I want to touch you.”

“Not yet.” Her clothes were no barrier as his hot mouth
covered her nipple, licking and sucking, leaving the skin wet from his tongue.

“Travis, please I…” His fingers brushed the soft folds of
her pussy. The words died in her throat. He dipped into her wet heat and rubbed
her clit in slow, agonizing circles. She could only moan as his dark head moved
down her body. He kissed his way along her ribs to her waist, pausing briefly
to dip into her navel. Melody’s stomach tightened and his tongue speared the
tiny cavern. The warm, wet feel of it thrusting in and out, keeping time with
the finger in her pussy, sent stabs of pleasure through her entire body.

His palm pressed against her mound while his finger teased.

Travis’ teeth scraped against her hip and nibbled down. She
inhaled and froze with the first touch of his warm breath on her wet folds.

“Look at me, Melody.” She opened her eyes. Travis’ gaze
burned with lust and hunger. Her stomach flipped in a rush of excitement and he
lowered his mouth.

Melody cried out with the first swipe of his tongue. It took
everything she had not to move her arms. He flattened his tongue and licked her
again. Oh God, she wouldn’t survive this. He pushed her legs open with his
broad shoulders and sucked her clit into his mouth.

His tongue flicked and licked against the tight nub. Fire
raced through her and her breathing grew choppy. Sweat dampened her skin as she
hung on the brink of losing control.