Bewitching You (25 page)

His lips brushed against her ear. “Ready for my next order, ma’am.”

“Er, um, why don’t you stand over there?” She pointed over to the kitchen sink.

“Will I be washing your dishes?”

She shook her head. Boy, did he know how to rattle her.

He chuckled quietly as he made his way to the sink. Sofia’s heart sped. She’d never seen this side of his body before. Broad shoulders curved down into a lean waist and lower to his nicely shaped butt. Not too big. Not too small.

Was this man perfect in every way?

The ache Gray mentioned earlier settled deep in her belly, forcing Sofia to hope this
thing
wouldn’t end any time soon. Despite her fear.

~ * ~

Gray felt much better now that at least
he
had his clothes off. He’d always been comfortable in his own skin. He worked hard biking and lifting weights, keeping his body in shape, and at this moment, it was paying off. The blush on Sofia’s face assured him his ache would be quenched soon. He leaned against the counter with his hands behind his head and waited for her next order.

Service with a smile
was his motto tonight.

True, Gray didn’t usually take orders very well, but this was different. His point was proven when she stood in front of him, sultry blue eyes staring up through her thick eyelashes.

“Now, take off
my
clothes.”

He inhaled sharply. Thank God he wasn’t on a horse and buggy in the rain right now with the creepy Amish guy. He’d had no intention of leaving Sofia. Not until this overwhelming urge to touch her and to love her subsided. If it ever did.

Hell, he didn’t know what the future held, but as he slipped her shirt over her head, he couldn’t imagine it would be possible to stop the momentum of this relationship. He removed the rest of her clothing and waited for the next command, hoping it would be a good one. His cock was growing impatient.

She backed up against the butcher block. “Can you lift me up here?”

Ah, her demands were becoming questions. Was her confidence diminishing? She had a problem with that, didn’t she? Lord knew why. She was a beautiful woman.

“Anything you want,” he said, and boosted her up by the waist.

Once his hands were on her warm skin, it was difficult to let go. He slid them up to her breasts and caressed her soft, plump flesh. “I can’t decide which I love more, your breasts or your ass.”

She cradled his jaw and edged it up to meet her eyes. “Fuck me.” Her voice was so low and heated, it took a moment to grasp what she’d said.

Then it hit him…deep down in his groin.

She leaned back on her hands and spread her legs for him, all the while daring him with her eyes. The confidence was returning. Damn, he liked that.

Gray ran his hands back down to her waist and jerked her forward to the edge of the butcher block. If she wanted to be fucked, that was what he’d do.

She gasped but quickly gained composure, clasping onto his shoulders and bracing her legs around him. “You’re such a bully.”

He chuckled. “Would you rather I carry you upstairs and make slow, gentle love to you?”

She shook her head. “I want it hard and I want it here.”

His balls tightened. “Are you wet for me?” Gray slid a finger inside her and brought it out to lick. “Just right.”

Her legs trembled against his hips. “What are you waiting for, then?”

Without further delay, Gray grabbed his pulsing erection and guided it into her, driving in until he backed up against her innermost walls.

Her hands clenched down on his shoulders. “Again.”

He withdrew halfway and thrust in once more.

She bit into her bottom lip and closed her eyes. “Faster.”

Gray grasped her thighs to hold her up. Then he began pumping her hard and fast. She was taut and slick, fitting every inch of him perfectly.

She panted and flung her head back, holding tight to his neck now, contracting against him with each push. Her juices dripped down to his balls.

She was coming.

He quickened his pace, and she moaned, throwing her head forward to rest against his shoulder. The tips of her nipples bounced against his chest.

It was more than he could take. “I’m going to fill you up,” he warned her, and managed two more thrusts before releasing deep inside of her.

“Oh, oh.” She dug her fingernails into his shoulders and jerked against him.

Gray’s knees almost gave out, but he held strong. He took some breaths to gain back control.

Sofia heaved out a sigh and lay back against the butcher block. “You’re dismissed,” she said with a huge smile.

He chuckled and pulled out of her, but he wasn’t done with her yet. The ache settled into his groin again as he watched her breasts rise and fall. Unable to restrain himself, he bent down and licked the sweet spot between her thighs.

“Gray?”

~ * ~

Rachel hung up with the travel agent and smiled. She’d managed to change her flight plans without a problem. The sooner she got out of here, the better. Hayes had been right. She
needed to gain back her dignity. Her
self
.

She couldn’t allow her mother to change her into a person she didn’t want to be, a person Rachel didn’t even like. It was past time to grow a backbone.

True, she didn’t know who the
real
Rachel Spencer was. Her likes, dislikes…her talents and passion, but wasn’t it about time she found out? What better way to start than to get away from life as she knew it. She could start from scratch with a one-way ticket from Indianapolis to Denver and then Denver to Aspen. She’d always dreamed of living in the beautiful Rocky Mountain town of Aspen. Ever since she’d visited when she was a little girl. Now she’d get the chance.

Since the last seat on the small plane had gone to her, fate had to be on her side.

~ * ~

Sofia tiptoed naked downstairs and into the kitchen with a lamp at her fingertips. Gray had finally fallen asleep, and she hadn’t wasted any time putting clothes on. Her body still quivered from his relentless lovemaking and kissing and licking. He’d been meticulously thorough in pleasing her, up until he crashed from exhaustion.

The evening had been pure ecstasy, but now she could barely walk. Every inch of her body was sore. Not to mention her breasts. He’d found his favorite part of her body, all right.

Now she was in search of hot tea and a couple of ibuprofen to relax her enough to get some sleep. She wanted to be able to curl up against his warm, firm body and fall into a decent slumber.

She filled the teakettle with water and set it on the lit burner, then jumped when she felt Sam brush up against her leg.

“Hey, girl. Where have you been all day?”

The cat meowed.

“Hiding from that nasty storm, you say? What a smart kitty.”

Another meow.

Sofia got the hint, opened a can of cat food and dropped it into Sam’s dish. The cat didn’t touch the food. Instead, she hopped up onto the butcher block and swatted her paw toward Sofia.

“What? You saw that earlier? Don’t tell Nana, okay? She’s not too fond of people making a mess in her kitchen.”

Sam hissed and swatted again.

“What’s wrong, girl?” Sofia took a step toward the cat, but stopped short when a chill breezed across her arm.

Shoot
. She knew that phenomenon quite well. A spirit was here. But why? Sofia didn’t know how to conjure them. She was pretty certain Nana didn’t have the ability either. Although it seemed Nana had a few surprises up her sleeve…or in her shed.

Sofia ignored the presence. What else could she do? Say hello? Ask if it wanted some tea?

She reached to open the cupboard door and noticed a sticky note attached to the front. “Where did you come from?” The note hadn’t been there earlier in the daylight, and now the darkness made it difficult to read. She snatched the paper and brought it to the lamp.

Sofia, You fill me with happiness. I love you with all my heart. ~Gray

Oh, wow. She held the note to her bosom and sighed.

He loved her.

But when had the sneaky devil had the chance to leave this note? Maybe she
hadn’t
noticed it earlier. Strange that he wrote the sentiment down rather than tell her. Hearing the words from his lips would mean so much more…

She shook her head. It didn’t matter. He loved her. That’s what was most important. She loved him, too, and couldn’t wait to tell him. And hear the words back. Grabbing the lamp, she sprinted as fast as her sore body would take her up the stairs, down the hall, and into the bedroom.

Gray was sprawled out on his back. His chest barely moved. He looked so peaceful, Sofia couldn’t bear to wake him.

Oh, well. There was always tomorrow. She stuffed the note in the side pocket of her duffle bag and joined
her
man on the bed. His arm instinctively wrapped around her when she laid her head on his chest. Pure heaven. She had no doubt that in his arms was where she wanted to spend the rest of her nights.

~ * ~

Sofia opened her eyes and realized she was in the airplane again. She walked through the aisle, listening to the forlorn whirring of the engine as they glided through the air. Out the windows, she was able to see clouds. This was the first time she’d been able to see anything other than haze in the sky. Anxious to get a better look, she leaned over the two men wearing polo shirts, khaki shorts and sandals with socks underneath.

A fighter jet flew nearby.
What the heck
? Two pilots wearing helmets with those microphone thingies attached peered over at the plane. Their lips moved, and Sofia wished she knew what they were saying.

She supposed they were wondering why everyone was dead. Maybe they were worried about where this plane would land once it ran out of fuel, since no one would be able to land it safely. Or maybe the plane would crash before it ran out of fuel. Too many scenarios and none of them good.

Sofia glanced at the terrain below.

Mountains. They were headed into a mountain range where people might or might not have homes and a family, dogs and cats, schools full of children.

Could it be that Sofia was responsible for more than just the lives of the people on this airplane?

Ergh. She couldn’t think about that.
Focus, Sofe
.

The fact that they were flying over a mountain range was at least one clue.

She looked down at the middle-aged man her knee was pressed into. “Sorry. This is really important.”

What did it matter, Sofe
? He’s dead.

“Not if I can help it,” she reminded herself.

The man was wearing a leather band watch on his wrist and the hands were moving.

It worked
.

Sofia grabbed his arm and checked the time.

Twenty minutes after five. Good. This was good. She was gathering more info. She’d have this solved in no time. Rejuvenated, she searched for more clues. She closely inspected each person as she continued to walk down the aisle. What she was looking for, she had no idea, but something would poke out at her. It had to.

Seat twenty, twenty-one…

Twenty-two wasn’t empty anymore. No, it certainly wasn’t. The woman from the restaurant sat there. Sofia almost hadn’t recognized her at first. Her face wasn’t the porcelain shade she remembered. Her skin was blue, tinted with death, frozen in time.

Dear Lord
.

Sofia clamped her hand over her mouth as her stomach revolted. No, no, no. Her legs faltered and she stumbled back a few steps, bumping into the seat behind her.

How could this be? It didn’t matter. Now more than ever she needed to stop this plane from flying.