Ghost of a Promise (11 page)

“
What happened?
”
Sammy asked, slipping two fingers to Jackson
’
s throat to take his pulse.

Minus the almost kiss, she told them what happened.
“
What is that, like ten feet? He flew that far! I
’
ve never been touched by one of the spirits before. Whoever this was, they were angry. I mean, wrath-of-God pissed off.
”
The thrum of anger still simmered in her chest, making her limbs tremble. Anger not her own.

“
Take slow, even breaths, Jacks,
”
Sammy said.
“
Your pulse is through the roof.
”

He nodded and followed her orders.

Terrance ran a hand over his short hair.
“
Show me where you were when it happened.
”

She rose and positioned Terrance where Jackson was standing, then took her place from before as the crew watched.
“
I felt a cold
…
draft, and then he just flew backward.
”

Amir eyed the camera.
“
You were out of the shot, but maybe it caught part of Jackson.
”

Jackson got to his feet and switched off the camera.
“
I was about to kiss her.
”

The crew froze and stared. She clenched her fists.

“
Sorry, luv. We
’
re not recording right now.
”
Jackson sucked in a breath and looked at Sammy.
“
Ava and I kissed out by the back door earlier tonight. I can
’
t speak for her, but I felt like we
’
d done so before.
”

Heads whipped to face her. She swallowed, torn between a livid anger and chilling panic. Logically, she understood now why he spoke up. But what happened outside was personal. Private. She didn
’
t call in
Phantoms
to collect a red rose and marry the most eligible bachelor. She didn’
t want her love life broadcasted on primetime television.

“
I felt the same thing.
”
May as well tell the truth since Lord Loud Mouth already outed them.

“
Just now,
”
Jackson went on,
“
I was about to kiss her again when I got shoved.
”

Sammy turned the camera back on.
“
Meeting in the library. Now.
”

Ava said she
’
d meet them downstairs after she brewed a pot of tea. While the kettle heated on the stove in her kitchen, she set a bowl of sugar and teacups on a tray to take to the others. When the water was hot, she poured it into her pot to steep and carried the tray into the library.

“
And I
’
m saying you need to leave, Jacks!
”
Sammy was in Jackson
’
s face, looking wicked fierce and tiny in comparison.

Ava stopped.
“
What
’
s going on? Who
’
s leaving?
”

“
Jackson, if I have any say in the matter.
”

“
I
’
m not going.
”

“
Jacks, if you had been one step closer to the staircase
…”

He looked at Ava as if thinking the same thing
—
if he
’
d still been on the stair, they both would
’
ve gone down. The spirit didn
’
t want her hurt. Just Jackson. The tray in her hands shook. Jackson stalked two paces and took it from her, setting it down on the table.

“
Sit down, luv. You’re pale.
”
He poured her a cup of tea and added one spoon of sugar. How did he know she liked her tea that way? He set the cup on the table for her when she didn
’
t reach for it.

She plopped next to Kerry on the couch and clutched her shaking hands together.
“
I don
’
t want anyone hurt. The stories
…
they were just stories. But if they
’
re true, you
could
be hurt. Any of you.”

“
Exactly,
”
Sammy bellowed.

Instead of addressing that issue, Jackson stared Ava down.
“
What was your dream about?
”

“
What?
”

“
You woke up from a nightmare. What was it about?
”

She shook her head.
“
What does a stupid dream have to do with you getting shoved into a door?
”

Calmly, he smiled at her.
“
You said you don
’
t dream often. It could mean something.
”

Heads turned to her in this ping pong match, so she waved her hand and told them what she could remember of the dream. When finished, she rubbed her hands up and down her arms.

Silence enclosed the room.

“
Memories?
”
Amir asked after a long spell.
“
Is it possible to have memories not her own?
”

“
It was just a dream,
”
she protested.

Sammy sat in the computer chair and hunched over.
“
Lee said he felt two active spirits here. We need to try to figure out who they are.
”
She straightened and looked at each of them.
“
Ava needs to be a participant in the investigation. They
’
re trying to tell her something. And one or both feel Jackson
’
s in the way.
”

“
I can help,
”
Ava said.
“
Whatever you need me to do.
”

Jackson crossed his arms and widened his stance.
“
We need to stick together since we get the most activity. You
’
ll investigate with Sammy and me.
”

“
Yeah, um, that
’
s another issue,
”
Terrance said from his perch in the corner.
“
There
’
s two ways we can do this. One, we could play up your romance on camera. Or two, we can shrug it off and pretend it
’
s a coincidence. Problem with option two is the editing team is going to have a hard time explaining the activity.
”

“
There is no romance.
”
They all looked at Ava like she started levitating.
“
This is not up for discussion. I draw the line at that. There is no romance. One kiss does not make a relationship.
”

Jackson pinned her with a seething glare, mouth firm, jaw muscles clenched. He all but dared her to claim what they felt was false. Seemed like he wanted to close the distance between them and shake sense into her. She raised her chin in defiance, holding her ground.

After a very long, tense silence, Kerry patted her hand.
“
Okay, Ava. Why don
’
t we use the Kerrick angle?
”
She addressed the others.
“
Jackson has Kerrick blood, Ava has Trumble. When they
’
re together, things happen.
”

Sammy nodded.
“
That should work. Tom, Earl, get your cameras. We
’
ll tape a short snippet on the stairs as if discussing the incident.
”

The crew dispersed except for Sammy, Ava and Jackson.

Sammy turned.
“
I don
’
t care what is or isn
’
t going on between you two. But you need to consider your bloodlines. It
’
s possible you
’
re being manipulated, made to feel something that
’
s not there. I would be lying if I said I wasn
’
t worried.
”

“
Like possession?
”
Ava asked.

“
Something like that.
”

She could believe a lot of things, but possession? They knew exactly what they were doing when they kissed each other. He needed to get laid and she gave in to the loneliness. Plain and simple. For the first time in a long while, she had a man in her house who paid attention. Who showed interest. He saw an available female in close proximity.

Nothing else to it.

Jackson
’
s lack of response proved he didn
’
t agree with Sammy
’
s theory either. Sammy rubbed her hand down Jackson
’
s arm and the motion soothed the tension on his face.

“
I
’
ll give you two a moment. Don
’
t take too long. We
’
ll meet at the top of the stairs and then hopefully try for more sleep.
”

When the door closed behind Sammy, she faced Jackson. He dropped his hands on his hips and his eyes down. How lovely. She hurt his fragile ego.

“
You should have discussed this with me before telling the entire crew.
”

“
It was relevant to the investigation. I did turn the camera off first. Give me some credit. And you might have backed me up, you know.
”

“
Backed you
…”
She sucked in a breath.
“
I
’
m not interested in saving your pride, Jackson. Just my family home.
”

“
What I felt was real. Call it attraction or nothing or a mistake. Slap any label on it you want. It still happened. Between
both
of us.”

She rose slowly, kept her tone even.
“
As I said, it won
’
t happen again.
”

“
Yet you let me kiss you on the stairs.
Again
.”
He shrugged and smirked at her, smug as all get out.

A laugh bubbled out before she could stop it.
“
And look where it got you. That should tell you something. Huh,
luv.
”

Chapter Ten

The crew was gathered in the dining room setting up for their first nighttime investigation. Ava stood next to Sammy while they decided who was going where, watching Jackson hunched over the thermo camera as he calibrated the thing with Terrance. He was wearing a pair of worn jeans and a Henley shirt, fit snug to his body. The muscles in his forearms currently had her entranced. All sinew and corded, his body was a work of art. His ass filled the denim in a mouthwatering, delicious…

God, she needed to get laid.

Sammy looked at her with a knowing smile. “
You
’
ll investigate with me and Jackson. I think we should start in Peter Trumble
’
s bedroom because of the desk.
”

Great. Jackson
’
s current bedroom. Where he slept. The smell of him surrounding her, making her wonder if he slept naked, how he lay in the bed.

“
Got it,
”
Jackson said to Terrance, straightening to full height.

“
Let
’
s go dark,
”
Amir said,
“
in three, two, one.
”

The dining room lights remained on so Amir and Terrance could watch the monitors, but Tom followed Kerry around the main floor with a camera as she cut off the switches.

Sammy nudged her with an elbow. She followed them up the stairs to the last bedroom. Aside from the moon and streetlights casting a feeble glow through the window, the room was pitch black. Sammy closed the bedroom door behind them and sat on the desk chair. Jackson sat on the bed. Earl silently positioned himself in the corner to pan the whole room with the camera. Ava glanced around and swallowed hard. Jackson
’
s bag was open on the only remaining chair.

Jackson patted the mattress next to him.
“
Over here. Let
’
s see if we can get some activity.
”

Right. Lovely. Except he meant paranormal activity.

Lord, she
’
d gone two years with no sex. A fact which hardly bothered her until now. It had been so long since she
’
d experienced this kind of heat low in her belly that it was more shocking than appealing. Really, what could be benefitted from acting on this attraction with Jackson? She didn
’
t do casual sex. They were so different. Wanted different things. He was a weed in the wind, and she a rooted oak.

Attractive thought, Ava
. An oak? Okay, maybe a rose bush. Yes. She was a rose bush.

And now she was making up nature euphemisms. Insanity must run in the family after all.

“
So, we
’
ve got Ava in here investigating with us,
”
Sammy supplied for the camera,
“
because whenever Jackson and Ava are together, things happen. We think this is because of him being a Kerrick descendant and her a Trumble.
”

She barely restrained a snort and moved over to the bed. She sat on the opposite side from Jackson and put her hands indecisively in her lap. Damn, the room did smell like him. Like male and lemon and mint. Jackson scooted against the headboard and stretched his legs out, crossing them at the ankles. She closed her eyes, thankful for the dark. An orange glow from Jackson
’
s thermo camera had her eyes popping open again.

“
Nothing on thermo yet,
”
he said.
“
Is anyone here with us?
”

Sammy set her digital recorder down on the desk.
“
You
’
ve got a Kerrick back in the house now after two hundred years. How do you feel about that?
”

“
Are you the one who opened the desk drawer?
”
Jackson
’
s steady gaze scanned the room.
“
Ava found the papers. What
’
s your name?
”

This went on for about an hour, with nothing happening, before Ava
’
s legs started falling asleep. Adjusting herself, she moved next to Jackson and leaned against the headboard. His thigh pressed against hers, hip to hip. His heat radiated, the solid muscles contrasting her soft curves. He drew in a sharp inhale through his nose, the only indicator he felt a charge too. A pulsing silence ensued.

“
It
’
s getting cold in here,
”
Sammy commented.

Jackson looked down at the thermo.
“
Says it
’
s fifty-five degrees. It was sixty-eight when we started.
”

Sammy wiggled her fingers, wanting the camera. Jackson passed it over and Sammy panned the room.
“
There
’
s a cold spot at the foot of the bed, right between you, by your feet.
”

Earl silently stepped closer, filming the thermo lens and the bed.

Jackson swept his hand over the comforter.
“
There is a cold spot. Is that you?
”
he questioned loudly.
“
What
’
s your name?
”

Nothing happened. Sammy sighed after the cold spot slowly disappeared. They waited a few more minutes.
“
Let
’
s move on to another room.
”
Sammy picked up her walkie and spoke into it.
“
Kerry, Amir, where are you guys?
”

“
The parlor. Nothing to report.
”

“
Let
’
s take a break. We
’
ll meet in the dining room to play back the digitals.
”

Ava followed them downstairs and into the dining room. Without a word, Jackson removed a chip from his digital recorder and plugged it into one of the laptops. Amir and Kerry came in to sit down and Kerry did the same with her recorder. They listened to Kerry
’
s first. A half hour of silence with an occasional question from Kerry to the ghosts. No one spoke back.

Ava watched each of the members with interest, but her gaze landed on Jackson and remained, drawn to him. He did funny things to her pulse. Though it had been quite some time, she recognized the attraction for what it was. The man emanated sex appeal. He was charming and clever and yummy. Wide shoulders, dark skin, penetrating blue eyes. His movements were all alpha, assured and with purpose. A girl could lose her heart willingly a thousand times with a man like Jackson. He
’
d be a devastatingly attentive lover too, if his kiss and attention to the little things were any indication. Not just because of his experience, but for the sheer pleasure in the details he
’
d enact with his partner.

Something deeper than a physical response niggled at the back of her neck, sliding up into the base of her skull. The other night, after she
’
d told him about her ideal date, he
’
d taken her outside to kiss her goodnight. They weren
’
t on a date, but the gesture was
…
sweet. Like the need to make up for previous lovers and show her some etiquette was his only aspiration.

God, that kiss. No one had left her weak-kneed and close to begging before.

The back of her head started to ache as she thought about how Jackson described the kiss to his crew. Like he
’
d done it before. Which was insane. Insane and true. She
’
d felt the same thing.

Memory.

Jackson looked up from the monitor suddenly, as if sensing her thoughts, his gaze locking with hers and holding. He straightened to his full height and sucked in a breath. The sound echoed in her ears and bounced around in her skull. Something unspoken passed between them, a sensation she couldn
’
t describe in words. The pulsing in her head intensified, to the point where she brought her hand up to rub the ache away and touched
…
ice
. The whole back of her head was…
freezing.

The room whirled to a blur with only Jackson
’
s gaze to ground her. Sounds of the crew filtered out, muted by the rush of blood through her veins, the beat of her heart and the loud click of her blink when her lashes closed. She was vaguely aware that he
’
d stepped closer, that he
’
d pressed his large, warm hands on her cool cheeks.

This was where she belonged. Right here with him. Forever.
“
I love you,
”
she whispered. She
’
d burst if she didn
’
t tell him, die painfully if he let her go. Emotion clogged her throat. Helplessness ached in her stomach.

He cradled her to his chest, carried her out of the room in some kind of slow motion to compound the enormity of the moment. She pressed her face into his shirt, inhaling the soil and linen-cloth scent. Somewhere far away, the hinges on the back door squeaked. She smiled up at him, her lover, her best friend. The stars winked behind him in the inky sky as he dropped to his knees. His eyes held worry. Fear.

That wasn
’
t right. What could possibly be wrong? His mouth moved, his lips forming her name over and over.

She drew in air to speak, to console, but her lungs were full. Panicked, she gripped his shirt, fisting it in her hands as she struggled to sit. To get closer to him. To push him away.

“
Ava,
”
Jackson shouted, his face hovering over hers. He pushed back the hair from her face. Such worry. His voice was cracking and hoarse with fear. Unshed tears shimmered in his eyes.

Jackson.
Jackson?
Wondering what had him so upset, she said his name aloud this time and smiled to soften her tone.

“
Oh, thank God. Sweet Jesus. You scared me to death.
”

She
scared
him
? They must’
ve heard something on Jackson
’
s digital recorder while she spaced out. She
’
d missed it while ogling him from across the room. Daydreaming like a little girl awaiting her prince.

But, wait
…

She wasn
’
t standing in the dining room. She was sitting in Jackson
’
s lap. In the snowy backyard. And the whole crew was standing around, staring at her with round eyes. Even Earl, whose camera was perched on his shoulder, had white knuckles from the tight grip.

She scrambled off Jackson
’
s lap and onto the cool, damp grass. She shot to a stand and crossed her arms.
“
What
’
s going on?
”

Jackson rose to his feet unsteadily.
“
Do you remember anything?
”
His accent was gone. So was his easy, charming nature. He looked shaken. In fact, his hands
were
shaking when he reached for her.

She stepped back, fear clinging to her chest. “
Why are we outside? Why are you staring at me?
”

“
Don
’
t get defensive, Ava. We
’
re all a little rattled.
”
Jackson
’
s gaze darted to Earl.
“
Turn the camera off.
”

Earl did as asked and set the camera down by his feet.

She slid her gaze over to Jackson, who worked a swallow.

“
What
’
s the last thing you remember, Ava?
”
Kerry asked, her voice soothing, her face silently saying
, Don’t freak out the crazy chick
.

Ava looked at each of them. “
I was standing in the dining room and my head started to hurt. Cold, actually. It felt cold. Everything after that is a blur. Did I pass out?
”

“
You said you loved me.
”

A bitter denial perched on the tip of her tongue, but she did remember saying that. Not to him though. Or maybe it was him. Which was absurd. She snapped her mouth shut, keeping quiet.

Jackson dropped his hands on his hips and took a step closer.
“
Before you started acting strange, I heard a voice in my ear say,
Look at her
. A female voice that sounded familiar. I just knew she was talking about you and the urge to protect you was so fierce…”

He cut himself off, swallowing past the remembered emotion clogging his throat.

She gasped at the sight of him, at his unfathomable emotions mirroring her own. No longer on steady ground, she pressed a hand to her forehead and looked at the others. A hot ball of tears clogged her throat.

What in the hell was happening to them?

“
Emotional manipulation,
”
Kerry muttered, as if reading her mind.
“
Usually you get this sort of thing from dark energy. Demonic stuff.
”

Ava shook her head.
“
No. This wasn
’
t evil. I didn
’
t feel scared. There was this overwhelming sense of hope, of peace. I
…”
She trailed off, looking at Jackson, knowing what she was about to say would get her three to five in a padded cell. In a straightjacket to boot.
“
I loved you.
”

Seemingly calmer, he nodded.
“
And I, you. The second she whispered the order to look at you, I remembered loving you. Being with you.
”
At this announcement, Jackson blew out a harsh breath and scrubbed his hands over his face.

They all started talking at once.