Raven's Rest (8 page)

Mrs. Ramsey patted my hand. “You’re a good person. I can tell. And I think you’ll be good for Trey. God knows he needs someone good in his life. But as far as the Raven’s Rest goes, my advice is to leave it be. Coleman Hollis will always reside within its walls. Whatever is keeping him there, nothing is going to change. So you don’t fret about it. Just leave it be and get on with your life. Don’t be talking to Jesenia Maupin and having her read her tarot cards for you. Just let it go.”

I hadn’t realized anyone knew about my chat with Jesenia, other than Trey, and I knew he hadn’t said anything to his mother. “It just seems like he’s calling out to me.”

“I thought he was calling out to me too, all those years ago. But in the end, nothing happened. I found out zilch.” She smiled encouragingly, then got to her feet. “Well, that’s my say on the matter. Now maybe you’d better go check on Trey and make sure he hasn’t broken every plate I own.”

I nodded and went back to the kitchen. I appreciated Mrs. Ramsey’s concern, of course, but I knew I had to keep trying to learn more about what happened to Coleman Hollis. After all, I had an advantage that she didn’t have.

I was the spitting image of Coleman’s lover, Bryan.

THE MOVIE
had been the usual Hollywood drivel, but Trey and I enjoyed it, more for the company than anything happening on-screen. We had a huge bucket of popcorn, only half of which got eaten, and held hands during part of the movie like high school kids. As the credits rolled and we disengaged our hands so we could put our jackets back on, I did have a moment where I thought,
What the hell am I doing? I shouldn’t fall for this guy. Sort out the mess that is your life first before dragging someone else into it
. But that thought was fleeting.

I liked Trey, and reason had absolutely no say in the matter.

As we walked back to his car, a beat-up Ford that suited him perfectly, Trey shuffled as he zipped up his coat and shivered. “Damn, it’s getting cold.”

“The little kids will have to wear coats over their costumes tomorrow night when they go trick-or-treating. I always hated that. Spider-Man never wore a coat over his tights.”

“I should have known you went as Spider-Man.” Trey’s teeth were actually chattering as he fished out his keys.

“And I suppose you went as John Lennon or someone like that.”

Trey smiled. “I did go as Tom Petty one year. No one knew who the hell I was supposed to be. Shows you what a dumb town this is.”

“Good God, how old were you?” I asked as we got into the car. I immediately jammed my hands between my thighs to warm them. Trey was right. It was damned chilly.

“I was ten. I had Mom color my hair blond, and she glued fake sideburns onto my cheeks, and I wore this battered top hat and carried my electric guitar. People thought I was a rock-and-roll version of the Mad Hatter from
Alice in Wonderland
, which I guess is close. Pissed me off at the time, though.” Trey started the engine and messed with the heating controls. Cold air poured out. “It’ll warm up soon. So, home? Or there’s this bar in town….”

“Let’s go to the Raven’s Rest. We can get some hot cocoa to warm ourselves up.”

As it turned out, the kitchen was closed by the time we got there, so we had to forgo the drink. I did, however, invite Trey up to my room.

“Are you sure your ghost won’t be jealous?” Trey said with a smirk.

“I’m hoping he’s taking the night off.” We were walking down the hallway, and I couldn’t help but look at the door of the Raven Suite as we passed. If I could open the door, what would I find? An empty suite or a blast from the past? Would I see Coleman Hollis’s room from 1984, complete with Boy George poster? I admit I rushed to get to my by-now-so-familiar Ulalume Suite.

Trey hovered by my side as I swiped the key card. “Kind of a disappointment, those things being used here. Ruins the old-world charm. They should have real keys.”

“People lose real keys, and that can cost money. These are easier to replace, I think.” I opened the door and stepped in. As I flicked the light switch, I tried to take in a sense of the room. In my days at the Raven’s Rest, I’d learned to take note of the signs that told me I wasn’t alone in the room: The hair on the back of my neck bristling. A sudden cold spot. The dimming of the lights.

The room seemed normal, and I breathed a sigh of relief. Trey followed me in, his mouth open as he took in the room. “You’ve been here how long? This must be setting you back a packet!”

“It’s off-season, thankfully, so the rates are reduced. Still, it is gouging into my savings.”

Trey slipped off his jacket and tossed it onto the bed as he gazed around. “Love the fireplace.” He bounded over to the window and gazed out. “Nice view of the gazebo. Any ghosts hang out there?”

“None that I’ve seen, although Lonnie informs me apparitions are often spotted out there. Are you saying you’re a believer now?”

Trey turned from the window and flashed me a wicked grin. “I’m still on the fence. When I see one, then I’ll believe wholeheartedly.”

I moved over to him, putting my arms around him. “They’re pretty quiet tonight. Maybe they’re gearing up for Halloween.”

He kissed me briefly. I could still taste the popcorn butter on his lips. He stared into my eyes. “I wish I knew why I was so damned attracted to you.” When he realized how that might be taken, he added, “You’re so different from the guys I usually like.”

“Funny. I was thinking the same thing about you.”

“So what was your ex like? Kevin, I think you said his name was.”

I pulled Trey close to me. “He was sexy as hell. He’d played basketball in high school, so he was the jock type. When we started going out, I thought he was Brad Pitt and Cary Grant and Peyton Manning all rolled into one.”

“Interesting combination. Who’s Cary Grant?”

“Actor back in the black-and-white days. The epitome of sophistication and charm, traits I soon learned that Kevin could only fake for short periods of time. He… well, let’s just say he was moody. He yelled a lot. We fought constantly.”

“So why did you stay with him so long?”

Because I thought I deserved him. Because he told me I couldn’t live on my own.
Aloud I said, “I’m not sure. I guess I always hoped he’d change. Become nicer.” I really didn’t want to talk about the past. The present was very much in my mind, and to get Trey thinking along the same lines, I put my hands on his butt and squeezed. “Do we really want to talk about Kevin?”

Trey smiled. “Who’s Kevin?”

And then he kissed me. I was pretty sure I melted in his arms. We swayed a bit as I closed my eyes and put all thoughts but Trey out of my mind. His taste, his scent. The way he gently bit my tongue as we kissed. The way I could sense, through his lips and tongue and the way his muscles felt against me, that he was fighting back the urge to giggle when our swaying almost made us lose our footing and we collided against a chair. Even that couldn’t make us break off that kiss.

When I opened my eyes, I found myself looking into his. There was a question there. My intuition was that he was wondering if we were going to go further, and if we were, if I was ready. To answer, I planted my lips against his with a fierce passion, and ground our pelvises together. If that didn’t let my intentions be known, nothing would.

With a slight giggle, Trey forced me to back up until my legs came into contact with the bed. I began to peel off his black T-shirt. He scrambled to yank my sweater off me. Once we were both shirtless, we went back to kissing. My hands were all over him, on his neck, his back, and, briefly, on his firm buttocks. It was like I was desperate to touch every part of him. His skin felt warm and electric.

Trey pushed forward, and we both fell onto the bed, our lips parting for the briefest of moments as we bounced on the mattress. Trey was grinning like an ape. He was on top of me, and I have to say I liked feeling his weight on me. There was something secure about being able to look up into his face. I did notice that he had slight bags under his eyes, making me wonder if he’d been getting enough rest, and that he needed to trim his nose hairs. These imperfections, far from putting me off, made me like him even more. He was human. Not perfect by any means.

He slowly removed my glasses. “I don’t think we’ll be needing these,” he said as he set them on the nightstand.

“Where did you go?” I said jokingly, patting the bedclothes at my sides theatrically, like I couldn’t tell he was on top of me.

“Funny,” Trey said.

We kissed again, and I fought the urge to just rip his jeans off him. His skin was so warm against mine, and he touched like he knew just where I liked to be touched. Trey raised himself off me slightly to run his fingers over my abdomen. Finally he gently groped my crotch. Again he looked at me questioningly, clearly wondering if he was going too far too fast.

I kicked off my sneakers. “Let’s get comfortable,” I said. Meaning naked.

Trey grinned and twisted off me. He was wearing black boots, so he had to unlace them before they’d come off. Once they were off, I saw he was sporting black socks as well. I should have known. He started to pull these off, but our lips hadn’t been touching for what seemed ages, so I pulled him back on top of me, and we kissed. More groping ensued, and somehow I got his belt buckle undone and slipped my hand down inside his jeans. Getting past the elastic band of his underwear was difficult, but I was determined. Finally I brushed my fingers against his erection.

He pulled his lips off mine and gasped. Then he grinned mischievously. “I’ve been wanting to do this ever since you walked into the cafe that first day.”

“Were you going to wait until we got somewhere private, or do me right there in front of the customers?”

“Right then, of course. You know how I like to shock people.”

He’d undone my jeans and chose that moment to grasp my cock. Trey didn’t go for a light, gentle touch either. He made damn sure I knew I’d been grabbed, and tightly. Cocky little bastard. I was too horny to notice a little pain, however.

“You just shocked me, I think.” I whispered the words.

He squeezed harder, his eyes gleaming. “Good. I like to know I’ve got your attention.”

We were now pretty much side by side to allow access to each other’s genitals. Trey released his grip on my dick and cupped my face in his hands. Much as I liked feeling his hands on my erection, I decided he could touch me anywhere and it would send delicious shivers down my spine. He kissed me gently.

“I really like you, Michael,” he said.

“And I—”

The lightbulb in the lamp on the nightstand exploded.

“What the—” Trey exclaimed as the bulb in the overhead fixture shattered as well, with a loud popping sound. The lamp on the desk went too, plunging us into darkness. Trey rolled off me, and I could see the shock in his face, as there was just enough moonlight coming in through the window.

“My God,” I whispered.

Maybe I had been too immersed in my own lust to notice that there’d been a change in the room. Now, though, I could feel the cold and that sense that we weren’t alone. I sat up, reaching out for Trey’s hand. He grasped it hard, and I could see him looking around the room, waiting for whatever came next.

“Ah, shit!” he yelled, pulling his hand free and putting it up to his cheek.

“What is it?” I demanded.

“Something fucking scratched me!”

I tried to grab Trey’s face to turn it toward the window so I could see if, indeed, he’d been scratched, but he was too freaked out and batted my hands away. And then I looked over Trey’s shoulder and saw a misty figure standing by the bed.

It was Coleman Hollis. He wasn’t solid, and there was no color to him. Just a pale figure. I couldn’t even see his legs. Below his waist, there was just mist. But all I needed to see was his face, which was set in a look of pure hatred. Coleman’s face was twisted, and his eyes blazed with malice.

Trey was obviously unaware of the figure, and he turned toward me. “I think I’m bleeding,” he said, staring at the darkened stains on his fingers.

I put an arm around Trey’s shoulders and gazed into the apparition’s angry face. “I’m not Bryan,” I said through gritted teeth. “Please stop doing this!”

The face lost none of its animosity, but as I held Trey close to me, the figure slowly vanished. I waited until there was no sign left, no mist, no feeling of someone unseen in the room, and then I got to my feet, put my glasses back on, and pulled Trey, who was holding his cheek and cussing under his breath, into the bathroom. The light there had escaped the bulb shattering, and we both blinked when I flicked on the switch.

Trey’s face had three welts running along his left cheek, one gouge deep enough that it had broken the skin. I helped him over to the sink and turned on the faucets. “Let’s wash you up.”

Trey was in shock. He didn’t seem to understand my words and made no move to clean off the blood, so I snagged a washcloth off the rack and got it nice and wet. Trey turned toward me only when I moved him, and it wasn’t until I touched his cheek with the cloth that any life showed in his eyes.

“What the fuck just happened?” he asked in a small voice.

I didn’t answer that. Instead I said, “It doesn’t look deep. I don’t think you’ll have a scar.” My smile was meant to reassure him. I don’t think it did.

I daubed at his cheek, causing the white cloth to become pink as it soaked up Trey’s blood. He was pale, but at least now his eyes showed animation. “I just got scratched by a fucking ghost, didn’t I?”

“Yeah, I’m afraid so,” I replied. I hated the look of fear in Trey’s eyes. There was no way I was going to tell him about the figure I’d seen. Maybe later, once he’d recovered more.

He sighed and stared into my eyes. “I think I’m falling in love with you, Michael. But, and I mean this, I’m never setting foot in this room again. And I don’t want you to either. Let’s get the fuck out of here.”

I nodded, and we went out and grabbed our clothes. I think Trey broke records getting his gear back on, even though his fingers shook as he attempted to lace his boots. We dressed by the light coming in from the bathroom. There was no way I was going to chance turning on other lamps in the bedroom, afraid the bulbs might meet the same fate as the ones that had shattered. Once we were ready, we grabbed our jackets and headed for the door. Automatically I reached for the light switch, but there was no light to turn off. I closed the door firmly behind us.