This didn’t seem like the time to start something. Both of them were bleeding, though it all looked superficial. Who knew what kind of danger they were in. But Garrett could feel how much Rachel needed him, needed this. He sure as hell needed it too.
Her legs were wrapped tight around his waist, her tongue delving into his mouth and fingers burrowing through his hair. He pressed her against the door, grinding against her till she groaned.
How could this be happening? Gators outside, ghosts everywhere…
And Rachel opening herself up to him completely—heart, body, and soul. He could feel her fear, her relief, her grief. And a hell of a lot of lust and love thrown into the mix.
Just about the same as him.
But he was only getting the tip of the iceberg of what she was feeling. He sensed the weight of it lurking under her skin.
She arched her neck as he trailed his mouth along her trachea and down to her collarbone. Her hips were already moving on him. She was aching and hurting and needed an outlet for too many emotions. Quickly.
“Garrett…”
“I know,” he murmured against her skin.
She hadn’t bothered with underwear when they threw on clothes to make breakfast. Stretching his arm around her thigh, he pulled down his waistband and lined himself up. He plunged in deep, holding on to her thighs. Their gazes locked.
Her body relaxed against him as she let out a shuddering breath. And then another.
“Kiss me,” she said.
“Any time.”
A faint smile crossed her lips before he claimed them. He thrust his hips, her body warming him, sending frissons of pleasure all along his nerves. With the adrenaline already coursing through his system, he knew he wouldn’t last long. Lucky for him, he could feel she was in the same boat.
Using her arms on his shoulders for leverage, she moved in synch with him, arching her hips away then back with each of his thrusts to get every drop of stimulation possible from their union. She sped up and he matched her, until the sensations were blurring together in a cascade effect.
All the adrenaline that had coiled in his body focused around where they were joined—on the primal energy of this act of love and longing. It gathered deep in his gut, pressure building until it burst through his body.
He felt himself shifting, like part of him was moving into her as they came and part of her merging with him. Something beyond the physical, something new and bright and full of possibilities. It left his skin tingling and his legs weak.
He leaned against her, pinning her to the door, while he pulled himself back together. She was still pulsing around him, holding him tight everywhere she could. When he slid from her at last, he lowered her feet to the ground, then reached down to pull his pants back up.
Her face was burrowed into the side of his neck, the vibration of her voice traveling through him when she spoke.
“I thought I’d lost you. He said…” Her voice broke. “He said you were dead.”
“Look at me.”
He waited for her to straighten up so they could look in each other’s eyes again. Tears streaked her cheeks, tugging at his heart.
“Never gonna happen.” He kissed her again, then rested his forehead against hers. “While you’re here, this is where I belong.”
She nodded and sniffed. He gathered her up in his arms and carried her to the couch in the living room.
After setting her down, he pulled his T-shirt over his head. He should really get the First-Aid kit, but he couldn’t leave her. At least the wounds were as superficial as he first thought. They must sting like crazy, though.
He knelt in front of her and dabbed at her legs with his shirt. “What happened?”
“It’s Michael. He’s back. He never really left.”
Garrett nodded. “Yeah, I figured that out when he tried to drown me in that storm and sent some gators after me.”
“How did you escape?”
“Broke a window and climbed on top of my car, then jumped off and ran like hell. They chased me farther than I thought they would, but when I reached the house, they sort of lost interest. Good thing too, because I left my keys behind in my hurry.”
He chuckled and glanced up at her, hoping he could ease her worry even a little bit. Nope. There was a crease wedged between her brows and she was getting ready to cry again.
“I’m so sorry,” she said.
“Michael’s the one that needs to be sorry. And we’re going to see to that next.”
There had to be something in one of her books that would help them. Otherwise, they were trapped in his house with no way of calling for help. He didn’t like the idea of that at all.
“How did he hurt you?” He could hear the change in his voice as he asked the question. The low tones almost hitting a growl.
“He didn’t. I broke a window too.”
“With your arms?”
They seemed to have taken the worst of the damage, but all the scratches were shallow. She had a few scrapes on her knees and the outsides of her legs, and needed to stay off her feet for a few days. Those were the cuts that worried him the most. None were deep enough to need stitches, at least.
“I used the reading chair in the guest room.”
“I didn’t know you had it in you.”
“He said he was going to kill Jazz. The door to the guest room wouldn’t open and I couldn’t think of another way to get to her. God, Garrett, the things he said…”
Garrett held her face so she had to look at him. “We’re going to stop him. Do you hear me? He’s not going to hurt anybody else.”
“But he already is hurting people. The women he killed—they were right. He’s able to get to them again. He’s torturing their spirits in the afterlife. And Jazz…”
Garrett’s stomach curled in knots. “What about Jazz?”
Rachel gripped his hands and pulled them into her lap. “She called me right after you left. The signal wasn’t very clear, but she was trying to ask me about possession. And then Michael told me that he’s already taken someone. He’s going to force the person he’s possessed to kill Jazz if we don’t stop him. That poor man… What he must be going through right now.”
Garrett’s thoughts were spinning. All his friends were in danger—again. And even though he knew it was happening, he had no way to get to them. No way to help.
“He’ll go after Elsa next. He’s going to kill everyone I care about to punish me. I know it.” Rachel leaned forward as if she was getting ready to jump up.
“You need to stay off your feet.”
“I need to get to my friends!”
Garrett let out a deep breath, knowing how upset she was going to be when he told her the truth about their situation. Knowing he had failed her again.
“The car’s stuck in the sand. There’s no getting it out. And I’m not sure how far away those gators went.”
And his phone was in the car along with his keys. Shit. He didn’t bother bringing up that cheery point. They would check her phone for a signal as soon as they could.
“For the time being, we’re stuck here,” he said. “And that means you stay off those feet.”
“No. There’s more we can do.”
“Rachel, you’re going to start bleeding again if you walk around.”
“Good. I can use that.”
His heart sank as he saw the determination in her gaze, felt it echo in his soul. There was no talking her out of whatever she was thinking, even if it meant more danger, more harm to herself. All he could do was make a stand with her.
“Tell me what to do.”